POISONBERRY PIEReleased in 1973Appears on Star Spangled SpringerSpotify | Amazon | YouTubePoisonberr
POISONBERRY PIEReleased in 1973Appears on Star Spangled SpringerSpotify | Amazon | YouTubePoisonberry Pie is the definitive song that sums up Phil’s songwriting style in the late 60s and early 70s. While Don’s compositions tended to lean more towards the emotional with simplistic word choices and unique musical arrangements, Phil’s felt more like stories with complex (sometimes nonsensical) lyrics and a simple, folksy arrangement.The song’s lyrics show the duality of Phil’s character in the early 1970s. The song includes very obvious references to marijuana – and Phil’s usage of it, but also has a negative comment about “women libbers”. In the late 1960s, Phil usually described himself as not very political, but in the 70s, he developed more of a conservative attitude.In 2016, Don explained that Phil voting for a Republican (likely Richard Nixon in either the 1968 or 1972 election) was the turning point in their relationship since Don was “a complete Democrat.”Even though he wrote more than one song about marijuana (also the Everlys’ 1967 song, Mary Jane) in 1970 Phil shared his disdain for drugs saying, “It’s basic stupidity. If you can’t get down to living and playing (music) naturally, I think you’re wasting your life.” He also frequently shared his dislike for bands like Jefferson Airplane who were notorious for writing and recording their music under the influence of drugs.An early demo of the song exists from 1971, but the song didn’t see the light of day until 1973 on Star Spangled Springer. Phil’s songwriting was prolific from 1971-1973, but most of his songs were never recorded by the brothers and were instead saved for Phil’s first solo album. -- source link
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