Something Happened To Me Yesterday

A book I read about psychedelic music mentioned this song. It said that it was about taking drugs, specifically of the psychedelic variety. The drug trip was what happened to the narrator the day before. This is why he describes it as groovy and trippy. He doesn't know whether or not it was illegal or whether or not he should tell anyone about it. The seventh stanza basically says that he has no idea what exactly the drug was or why it happened or what it was all about. There's more I could say about it, but that's basically the gist of it.

Until reading that book, I had always thought the song might have had something to do with drugs, but after I read it my suspicions were pretty much affirmed.

(By the way, if anyone wants to read that book, it was called "Turn On Your Mind". I can't remember who wrote it, but he's written some other books about music. The book is about the history of psychedelic music from the 60's to the 90's.)

the day after a groovy psychedelic experience. reminds me of being a teen...never feel like that any more

What a great, understated, slyly humorous song!

I'm with Pippin above that the something in question was a psychedelic drug, presumably the dread LSD, that happened to Mick and Keith sometime in 1966.

People regularly dismiss the Stones' acid-tinged rock, but "Something Happened" and most of "Their Satanic Majesties Request" remain quirky favorites for me in the Stones catalog.

I think this song concerns homosexuality:

1) Consider the lyrics: "He don't know if it's right or wrong Maybe he should tell someone He's not sure just what it was Or if it's against the law"

In 1967, homosexuality was just being legalized in England so the status was unclear. Whether it is right or wrong or against the law are questions asked of homosexuality. Everyone knew that drugs were criminalized --The Stones were prosecuted for drugs.

2) And Consider these lyrics:

Something happened to me yesterday Something I can't speak of right away

Having gay sex is something one finds it difficult to speak of right away.

3) And consider these lyrics:

No one's sure just what it was Or the meaning and the cause

People have been speculating about the "cause" of homosexuality for ages.

4) And consider these closing lines:

Well thank you very much and now I think it's time for us All to go. so from all of us to all of you not forgetting The boys in the band and our producer, Reg Thorpe, We'd like to say "God Bless". So, if you're out tonight, Don't forget, if you're on your bike, wear white...amen.

The "boys in the band" was a play, and then a movie, about gay men. In the song, we are told not to forget the boys in the band. He is telling us to include our gay brothers.

5) Consider the vocal tones:

There is a softness and a sweetness often absent from the stones. This can be congruent with gayness. (of course any decent and sensitive straight guy can sound this way too.)

I always loved Jagger. There was always a bisexual aura about him, but he was very emphatically macho. In the early 70's he was a sort of glittering macho faggot son of a bitch blazing across the sky like a comet. Man, I loved him.