Forever Changes: The Red Telephone

[silentseason]

"The Red Telephone"
From: Forever Changes, side one, song six
-Running time: 4:45
-Recorded: August 12, 1967 Western Recorders Hollywood
-Written by: Arthur Lee
-Lead vocal: Arthur Lee
-Lead guitar, background vocal: Johnny Echols
-Rhythm guitar, background vocal: Bryan MacLean
-Bass, background vocal: Kenny Forssi
-Drums, background vocal: Michael Stuart
-Harpsichord: Don Randi
-Working title of this song was 'Hillside'.
-The song's title comes from the infamous hotline between Washington DC and Moscow during the height of the Cold War. It was the last line of communication to avoid nuclear holocaust.
-The title plays in perfectly with Arthur's widely stated belief that he was not going to live much longer around the time he penned this song.
-Johnny speculates that some of the inspiration for the song may be from the 'Marat/Sade' movie, which he saw at the theatres with Arthur in February 1967.
-The 'Phil' in the lyrics refers to then Whisky A-Go-Go manager Phil Tanzini.
-Myth buster: One of the worst myths to dog the band was the 'Donut Shop Robberies'. It purports that Johnny and Kenny committed armed robberies on LA area doughnut shops to support their drug addictions after the band had split. As is the case in most rumours, pieces of facts were taken and twisted to fit a story. To set the record straight: these never happened with Johnny or Kenny, and there has never once been a shred of evidence to support this false theory. If you ever come across it in the future, pass the word: completely untrue.
-Quotable: Michael relates his thoughts on the famous LoVE billboard promoting Forever Changes in Los Angeles in late '67:

"First of all I was extremely flattered that the billboard was located above the Liquor Locker,... located near the corner of Crescent Heights on Sunset, it was the primary booze outlet to all the stars who lived in Laurel Canyon.

The funny thing about the configuration of our faces is, I don't think Bob Pepper knew who was who in the group, or maybe he didn't care. He was just working off the photos he was handed and trying to come up with something artistically interesting. But the bottom line is, turning our faces into the shape of an organic human heart was a stroke of genius, one that (barring any evidence to the contrary) had to have come from the creative mind of Bob Pepper, himself.

I guess it might have gone something like...Bob's burning the midnight oil, trying hard to come up with something unusual, only perhaps using the stereotypical valentine, but then suddenly his subconscious harkens back to an anatomy class he took in college... and the light bulb goes on, "Hey, wait a minute..."

I didn't catch it the first time I saw it, either. My Dad was the first to mention to me that the shape resembled a human heart."

-IMHO: My favorite song from Forever Changes, my complaint about it is that it isn't long enough. The lyrics, orchestration and band are all in unison in conveying the pervading feeling of paranoia.
-Fun fact: The best in-studio goof of the band ever captured was during a take of this song, during which they easily slid into a raucous version of 'Woolly Bully'. Despite whatever happened before and after, this was a priceless moment of band unity, even when you include Arthur's "Time is money" prompting.

-Lyrics:

Sitting on a hillside
Watching all the people die
I'll feel much better on the other side
I'll thumb a ride

I believe in magic
Why, because it is so quick
I don't need power when I'm hypnotized
Look in my eyes
What are you seeing (I see...)
How do you feel?
I feel real phony when my name is Phil
Or was that Bill?

Life goes on here
Day after day
I don't know if I am living or if I'm
Supposed to be
Sometimes my life is so eerie
And if you think I'm happy
Paint me (white, ...)

I've been here once
I've been here twice
I don't know if the third's the fourth or if the -
The fifth's to fix
Sometimes I deal with numbers
And if you wanna count me
Count me out

I don't need the time of day
Anytime with me's OK
I just don't want you using up my time
'Cause that's not right

They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it'll be tomorrow, you or me?
We're all normal and we want our freedom
Freedom... freedom... freedom... freedom
Freedom... freedom... freedom... freedom
Alla God's chilluns gotta have dere freedom

[BallroomDays67]

Arthur: Okay, we were rolling along just fine there, and all of a sudden Bryan farted and sent the whole thing haywire.

Bryan: Why me?