# Was the song named after the book or the book named after the song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths, music\ **Created:** [October 1, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959 "2023-10-01T16:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959/1 "2023-10-01T16:07:33Z")
Go Ask Alice. Or am I tripping? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959/2 "2023-10-01T16:09:18Z")
The Song title was an allusion to _Alice in Wonderland_ & _Through the Looking Glass_. The book came later and probably was alluding to the song. But tripping to Jefferson Airplane is quite appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959/3 "2023-10-01T16:09:48Z")
That was quick and thank you! ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959/4 "2023-10-01T16:10:08Z")
The Jefferson Airplane song is actually called “White Rabbit”. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959/5 "2023-10-01T16:10:26Z")
Plus, the song was called White Rabbit. I’m pretty sure it preceeded the book. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959/6 "2023-10-01T16:10:43Z")
Thanks, Andy. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959/7 "2023-10-01T16:10:47Z")
The book (1971) after a line in the song “White Rabbit” (1967), which referenced “Alice in Wonderland” (1865). ETA: Ninja’ed, and by so many! It’s clear what _we_ all do on a Sunday morning! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959/8 "2023-10-01T16:10:57Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > The book came later and probably was alluding to the song. “White Rabbit” came out in 1967. The book _Go Ask Alice_ was published in 1971. So, this can be the only answer, barring time travel. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959/9 "2023-10-01T16:11:26Z")
Good point, but much like _Baba O’Reilly_ was often called _Teenage Wasteland_, I also remember _White Rabbit_ being called _Go Ask Alice_. So easy mistake. * * * * * * And according to Wiki at least, > The title was taken from a line in the 1967 [Grace Slick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Slick)-penned [Jefferson Airplane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Airplane) song “[White Rabbit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rabbit_(song))”[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Ask_Alice#cite_note-hendley-7)[[13]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Ask_Alice#cite_note-loebker-13) (“go ask Alice/ when she’s ten feet tall”); the lyrics in turn reference scenes in [Lewis Carroll](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll)’s 1865 novel [_Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland), in which the title character [Alice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_(Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland)) eats and drinks various substances, including a mushroom, that make her grow larger or smaller. Slick’s song is understood as using Carroll’s story as a [metaphor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor) for a drug experience.[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Ask_Alice#cite_note-14)[[15]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Ask_Alice#cite_note-15) * * * * * * > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > So, this can be the only answer, barring time travel. I suppose with enough acid or shrooms we can’t completely rule out time travel. It would probably require a Surrealistic Pillow also. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959/10 "2023-10-01T16:17:36Z")
So the real answer, after all these answers, is: I be trippin’! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-song-named-after-the-book-or-the-book-named-after-the-song/990959/11 "2023-10-01T17:06:25Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Good point, but much like _Baba O’Reilly_ was often called _Teenage Wasteland_… [Teenage Wasteland](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbM6o3fT6sg) was a song/demo intended for [the Lifehouse project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifehouse_(rock_opera)) that morphed into Baba O’Riley when the project was abandoned in favor of Who’s Next.