How John Lennon Wrote ‘She Said, She Said’ With LSD and Peter Fonda

If you’re poetic and enthused like John Lennon, you always want to try new things for inspiration. That goes far on going to new places, exploring new lifestyles, and even the thrill of trying new drugs. The latter then even inspired him to write “She Said, She Said” after an encounter with actor Peter Fonda.

“She Said, She Said” was the last song recorded for The Beatles’ album Revolver, and it was based on a conversation between John Lennon and actor Peter Fonda that took place under the influence of LSD. The Beatles rented a home in the Mulholland Drive neighborhood of Los Angeles during the summer season of 1965 when they were on tour in the United States. On August 24, the band hosted Roger McGuinn and David Crosby of The Byrds, and Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, except for Paul McCartney, spent the day-tripping on LSD.

Peter Fonda, an actor, arrived at the house while he was also high on acid. He did his best to reassure Harrison, who was terrified that he would pass away. Fonda wrote about the incident:

“I told him there was nothing to be afraid of and that all he needed to do was relax. I said that I knew what it was like to be dead because when I was 10 years old I’d accidentally shot myself in the stomach and my heart stopped beating three times while I was on the operating table because I’d lost so much blood.”

He further added. “John was passing at the time and heard me saying ‘I know what it’s like to be dead’. He looked at me and said, ‘You’re making me feel like I’ve never been born. Who put all that sh** in your head?’”

Initially, the song was entitled “He Said, He Said” based on Fonda’s statements at the party. From Lennon’s perspective, he found Fonda boring and even asked him to leave the party as soon as possible.

“He was describing an acid trip he’d been on,” Lennon said in 1980 All We Are Saying. “We didn’t want to hear about that! We were on an acid trip and the sun was shining and the girls were dancing and the whole thing was beautiful and Sixties, and this guy – who I didn’t know; he hadn’t made Easy Rider or anything – kept coming over, wearing shades, saying, ‘I know what it’s like to be dead,’ and we kept leaving him because he was so boring!”

Listen to the song below.