This may not have an actual answer, but is there a reason for the, uh, male sounds of…ecstasy throughout the song? It seems strange and out of place.
It is a parody song of the Beatles Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. The moans are just nonsense, like the lyrics.
You’re asking the wrong question. What you should be asking is why Robert Plant felt the need to rip off that section of “Judy In Disguise” during the psychedelic instrumental break in “Whole Lotta Love” (starts at 2:02)? 
It’s so funny you posted this because that silly song got in my head a few months ago and I have had a hard time getting rid of it. I googled the lyrics and had a real “wtf” reaction, because they are non-sensical, and had no idea what druggie wrote it, but they were definitely on something. Really dumb, annoying, song, but not entirely awful.
There’s a certain phonetic resonance between the two titles, but it’s hardly a parody.
And, yeah–silly moaning in the background of a silly song. A bit daring at the time, thus guaranteed to draw attention to the song–like the band’s name: It had been considered indecent to mention by name that magazine with the nakkid ladeez in it, incredible though that may seem.
Are you claiming that the word “playboy” was considered indecent (or even particularly risqué) at the time that the song came out? I would have to say that that’s nonsense. I can remember that time quite clearly. “Playboy” was not a particularly strong term at the time. It was the sort of thing that could be explained to a child. It meant “bachelor who dates lots of women.” To adults, it meant that he was having sex with most of them, but it really wasn’t a taboo subject. There might have been a double standard about this, since there wasn’t a female term that was equivalent without being an insult, but nobody considered the term “playboy” to be indecent. Furthermore, there was a country group called Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and a rock group called Gary Lewis and the Playboys, so I can’t see how putting the word “playboy” into the name of a group made it indecent.
“Parody” isn’t the right word, but it was borne out of a mishearing of Lucy.
I was in high school then, and, though the standard–like all standards!–was loosening then, it was still considered gauche to mention the word as a magazine title in mixed company. In the context of “wealthy society playboy Bruce Wayne,” it was acceptable (in the way “Jesus rode into Bethlehem on his ass” would be), but there’d usually be at least one smarmy kid who’d make a knowing remark and be told to “Keep it clean, there’s girls present.”
No answer for the OP, but my uncle’s 60s band, The Chaps, were labelmates on Paula Records with John Fred. They had a single called “Forget Me” and not much else, though.
Sam A. Robrin writes:
> I was in high school then, and, though the standard–like all standards!–was
> loosening then, it was still considered gauche to mention the word as a
> magazine title in mixed company. In the context of “wealthy society playboy
> Bruce Wayne,” it was acceptable (in the way “Jesus rode into Bethlehem on his
> ass” would be), but there’d usually be at least one smarmy kid who’d make
> knowing remark and be told to “Keep it clean, there’s girls present.”
I was also in high school at the time. Incidentally, I lived way out in the sticks and not in some hip, sophisticated community. The term “playboy” was not considered particularly indecent where I grew up. And, as I said, there were at least two other bands with the word “playboys” in their title which caused no particular bother either.
Boy, I thought Texas was tight-assed! Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys were ending their playing days but remain in hallowed memory. And there were a bunch of Louisiana “Playboy” bands before John Fred’s.
Well, I just learned something after all these years. I was around when both this and the Beatles’ song came out and I never realized that “Judy in Disguise” was inspired by “Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds”. It’s obvious now that it’s been pointed out to me. :smack:
The version by Racey might explain:
I guess “everything” includes, well, you know.
I love “Judy in Disguise.” I’m pretty sure the moaning is just nonsense, as stated above. I don’t know that the connection with “Lucy in the Sky” should be obvious, but I thought it was pretty funny when I heard that.
And Gary Lewis and the Playboys. (Jerry Lewis’ son.)
The original lyrics are “Come to me tonight, come to me tonight”, and then either 'Taking everything in sight except for the strings of my kite" or “I’ve taken everything in sight except for the strings of my kite”. Personally I think it’s the latter, and my theory (and it’s mine) is that the singer is saying that he has taken a lot of drugs hoping that he’ll have a vision of her that night, and the moans are supposed to be him freaking out. Seriously, that’s what I think.
This thread got me me watching a LOT of the versions out there, one of which says:
“I’ve taken everything in sight, sever the strings of my kite”
Which seems to make more sense.
I always thought it was “slippin’ the strings of my kite.” Similar meaning to what you hear, I think. He’s off the hook, he’s slipped off his tether, higher than a kite so to speak.