Magic Carpet Ride is a song by the Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf, released in 1968 as a single and on their second studio album, The Second. Written by the band’s lead singer John Kay and organist Rushton Moreve, the song rapidly became one of Steppenwolf’s most famous trails, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The song is characterized by its individual guitar air, powerful vocals, and innovative use of the keyboard, which helped closely the psychedelic rock genre of the late 1960s. “Magic Carpet Ride” captures the courage of freedom and risk related with the countercultural movement of the time.
Lyrically, “Magic Carpet Ride” is an invitation to travel over the boundless possible of the mind, often explain as a metaphor for the experience of taking psychedelic medicine, which were popular in the 1960s. The song’s title and lyrics bring to mind the creativity of a marvelous journey, much like the one found in the story of Aladdin from the One Thousand and One Nights tales.
Over the years, “Magic Carpet Ride” has remained a staple of classic support radio and has been featured in numerous movies, promotion, and TV shows, glueing its place in rock history. The song’s lasting vogue is a testimony to its timeless prayer and the lasting effect of Steppenwolf’s music.
Lyrics
I like to dream, yes, yes
Right between the sound machine
On a cloud of sound I drift in the night
Any place it goes is right
Goes far, flies near
To the stars away from here
Well, you don’t know what we can find
Why don’t you come with me, little girl
On a magic carpet ride
Well, you don’t know what we can see
Why don’t you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free
Close your eyes, girl
Look inside, girl
Let the sound take you away
Last night I hold Aladdin’s lamp
And so I wished that I could stay
Before the thing could answer me
Well, someone came and took the lamp away
I looked around, a lousy candle’s all I found
Well, you don’t know what we can find
Why don’t you come with me, little girl
On a magic carpet ride
Well, you don’t know what we can see
Why don’t you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free
Close your eyes, girl
Look inside, girl
Let the sound take you away
You don’t know what we can find
Why don’t you come with me, little girl
On a magic carpet ride
Well, you don’t know what we can see
Why don’t you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free