Everyday Creation
Everyday Creation is about purpose, awe and good vibrations. The show's title refers to three types of creation: The ways we express ourselves (for example, with art, music and so many other pursuits fueled by purpose and passion); the parts of life that fill us with awe (birth, death, love, the big picture); and our personal power to create our best possible lives while also making the world a better place. Here, you’ll encounter interviews, essays and some episodes created simply for information and fun. I'm your host Kate Jones, welcoming you to Everyday Creation.
Everyday Creation
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" was an Accidental Hit for Doug Ingle and Iron Butterfly
Vocalist and keyboardist Doug Ingle is known for writing Iron Butterfly's iconic rock song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," originally over 17 minutes long. The song, which had only 30 words, turned out to be a happy accident for the band. It reached 30 on Billboard's Hot 100 and the album reached number four on the 200 chart.
You can go to this video to hear the full 1968 version of the song with "CD sound and 3D" visuals. Below the video, there are a lot of fond remembrances, including this one: "My dad showed me this song when I was a wee gal, I still remember a time he played this, my mum was gone & had it on high volume, he was dancing & vibing & I just remember being so grateful for life & him. He passed away today, 5 years ago. He was my bestest friend, & this song always warms my heart."
For a much shorter version of the song, you can listen here.
The photo in the thumbnail is of Iron Butterfly with Ingle at the far left and drummer Ron Bushy, who's mentioned in the tribute, second from left. It was used in a 1969 trade ad for the band's single "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" and is credited to Atco Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
This tribute is one of 41 stories that Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime journalist, has written and recorded in honor of the music notables who passed away in 2024. He's written tributes for other years as well. You can listen to the ones from 2023 on Everyday Creation. We'll have the 2022 tributes available later this year.
Sheldon also is the creator of Song of the Day, a story that he sends by email to a list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Audible, iHeart and Spotify.
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Sheldon:
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The irony of Doug Ingle is his short
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career created one of the longest rock songs
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ever recorded.
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Ingle,
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who was in the band Iron Butterfly,
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wrote "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." The original
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version ran more than 17 minutes.
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Ingle died May 24, 2024.
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The cause and location of his death were
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not given. He was 78 and the last
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surviving member of Iron Butterfly.
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The Song of the Day is paying tribute
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to the singers, musicians and songwriters
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who died in 2024.
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Ingle quit playing music when the original band
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dissolved in 1971.
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He soon found out those he trusted mismanaged
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his money and didn't pay his taxes.
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He spent four years managing a trailer park
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and painting homes.
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He had to sell his own home to
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pay the IRS.
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He rejoined Iron Butterfly
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decades later on reunion tours.
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Ingle wrote "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" as a slow
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country ballad lasting 90 seconds.
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Iron Butterfly drummer Ron Bushy told the song's
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story in many interviews.
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The band was living in a house in
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LA's Laurel Canyon in 1967
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when Bushy came home late one night, and
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a very drunk Ingle was drinking wine and
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tinkering with a song on his keyboard.
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Bushy asked Ingle what he was playing, and
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Ingle slurred the title.
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Bushy wrote it down on a napkin as
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"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida."
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Ingle was saying "In the Garden of Eden."
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The name stuck.
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The band recorded it in one take.
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They thought they were playing during a sound
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check, but when it ended 17 minutes and
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five seconds later, they decided it was a
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keeper.
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The song,
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which only has 30 words, took up the
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second side of their second album.
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The album reached number four on the Billboard
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200 chart, and a three-minute single
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reached 30 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Kate:
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That was Song of the Day creator Sheldon
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Zoldan, and I'm Kate Jones, host of Everyday
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Creation.
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Thank you for joining us today.
