183 Plays
“Puff the Magic Dragon” by Broken Social Scene (Peter, Paul and Mary cover)
The always impressive Broken Social Scene adds their signature “post-rock” aesthetic to their cover of “Puff the Magic Dragon.” The song is at turns gorgeous and melodramatic.
Didcha know?
The lyrics for “Puff, the Magic Dragon” were based on a 1959 poem by Leonard Lipton, a nineteen-year-old Cornell student. Lipton was inspired by an Ogden Nash poem titled “Custard the Dragon,” about a “Really-O, Truly-O, little pet dragon.” Lipton passed his poem on to friend and fellow Cornell student Peter Yarrow, who created music and more lyrics to make the poem into the song. In 1961, Yarrow joined Paul Stookey and Mary Travers to form Peter, Paul and Mary. The group incorporated the song into their live performances before recording it in 1962; their 1962 recording of “Puff” reached #2 on the Billboard charts in early 1963.
The lyrics tell a story of the ageless dragon Puff and his playmate Jackie Paper, a little boy who grows up and loses interest in the imaginary adventures of childhood and leaves Puff alone and depressed. The story of the song takes place “by the sea” in the land of Hanalei, which is on the island of Kaua’i, Hawai’i.
