Album: There Are But Four Small Faces (1967)

Charted: 3 16

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• Over bridge of sighs
  To rest my eyes in shades of green
  
  Under dreaming spires
  To Itchycoo Park, that's where I've been
  
  (What did you do there?) I got high
  (What did you feel there?) well, I cried
  (But why the tears there?) tell you why
  It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful
  It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful
  
  I feel inclined to blow my mind
  Get hung up, feed the ducks with a bun
  They all come out to groove about
  Be nice and have fun in the sun
  
  I'll tell you what I'll do (what will you do?) I'd like to go there now with you
  You can miss out school (won't that be cool?) why go to learn the words of fools?
  
  (What will we do there?) we'll get high
  (What will we touch there?) we'll touch the sky
  (But why the tears there?) I'll tell you why
  It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful
  It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful
  
  I feel inclined to blow my mind
  Get hung up, feed the ducks with a bun
  They all come out to groove about
  Be nice and have fun in the sun
  It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful
  It's all too beautiful, hah
  
  It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful
  It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful
  It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful Writer/s: RONNIE LANE, STEVE MARRIOTT
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 30

• Steve from EdinburghNope. Nettles and itchycoos are two completely different things.
  
  Nettles have leaves covered with spines containing a stinging mixture of formic acid and other irritants. The sting can be lessened by rubbing the affected part with dock leaves.
  
  Itchycoos are dried out rose hips that, when squeezed open, release dried seeds that can be tipped down the back of someone's shirt or similar: they do not sting, but they do cause horrible itching. I used to dread the return to school at the end of the summer holidays because of them.
• Al from Rochester, NyPsychedelic revelations…it’s all to beautiful. Definitely Acid inspiration. Give credit where credit is due!
• Jordan Kamnitzer from Los AngelesThis song was banned on several radio stations, due to the psychedelic drug lyrics dealing with a trip.
• Patrick from MelbourneAs a post war kid, I saw Steve and the nascent Small Faces appear, during the interval, at a Saturday morning presentation at the Coronation cinema in Manor Park. They were called the Coronation Kids at that stage in their fabulous career. I also played with my mates on our bikes in Itchycoo Park (Little Ilford Park) and experienced the stinging nettles first hand. The Small Faces, such a pivotal band in the history of English pop music.
• Seattleguy from SeattleSmall Faces charted this song in 1967 while apparently it was 1969 when Rod Stewart replaced the departing Steve Marriott as the singer. Surely Rod was not an unknown to the band when this song was made and in fact I have always enjoyed hearing Rod's voice on Itchycoo Park at the very end, when "It's all too beautifu-u-ul" is sung repeatedly. Rod sings it as " It's ALL too beautifu-u-ul". One had to listen very closely to this part of the song to realize that was him singing in the background because his voice was not emphasized in the recording. I recall this because I always enjoyed showing this to my friends whenever the song came on the radio in pre-internet days, to their delight. In the last several years, however, somebody must have remixed the song because when I now hear the song on the radio his voice at the end is now very much emphasized, compared to how it used to be years ago.
• Max from OxfordAs I bet you already know, the Small Faces were signed to Don Arden who was infamous for being a cruel and violent business manager. This is the father who allegedly set his dogs on his pregnant daughter Sharon Osbourne, (Ozzie's wife). She lost the child and refused to have anything to do with him for over 20 years.
  When the Small Faces split they lost Steve Marriott but gained Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, becoming The Faces. Ronnie later joined the Stones.
• Max from Oxford"Gor blimey 'allo Mrs Jones, How's your Bert's lumbago? (Now mustn't grumble...)". Who else would get away with a line like this is into a song? I suspect very few vocalists could - possibly Ian Hunter. Marriott (bless him) was a master at singing in a cod Cockney accent and this comes to the fore on the album "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" where certain phrases are embellished with an exaggerated Cockney flat 'a' sound at the end of a sentence. (Pronounced as the 'a' in 'at'). Example: in 'Rene' he sings 'love is like an 'ole in the wall-a, a lineup in the warehaase, no trouble at all, and if you've got the munnee, you'll have a ball... she'll 'ave yours-a' etc.
• Steve from New York, NyThis song is phenomenal - it captures the joy of just taking a day to blow everything off and dig the sunshine, green grass and blue skies! And if you want to hear an absolutely BRILLIANT cover version - check out the Blue Murder (lead guitarist and vocalist John Sykes of Whitesnake fame) version - it stays true to the original while adding some ass-kicking heavy metal type riffs. Will never ever forget one time on vacation in California - 1st day at Venice Beach - 83 degrees, bright sunshine, immaculate blue sky, gorgeous girls in skimpy bikinis everywhere you turn! All of a sudden some dude hits the boardwalk blaring the Sykes version of "Itchycoo" on the box...God...it was a moment that, like the song says, was just all...too...beautiful!
• Diane from Los Angeles, Cait's been that kind of week, i kept hearing itchykoo park over and over in my head until i had to hear the lyrics again and smoke a bud!
• Robynjoy from Auckland, New ZealandI was at high school when i first heard this song, although there were many artists, groups around, Steve Marriott and the Small Faces were TOPS. I loved this song and still do to this day
• Frank from Granchester Meadows, Greenland"Green Circles" is another great one off of this album. does anyone remember that one?
• Nady from Adelaide, AustraliaMy dad used to play this song all the time when I was little:)
• Stormy from Kokomo, InThis song brings back huge memories of my senior year in high school in Kokomo, Indiana in 1968. I loved all of the so-called "psychedelic" songs back then and shows like Ed Sullivan who would have these groups on a Sunday evening show. Unfortunately, none of the so-called "oldies" radio stations of today play some of these "obscure" songs that we all loved from the 60's. Songs like this one, "Pictures of Matchstick Men", "Sugar on Sunday", etc. Thanks to Songfacts, we can relive our youth! Thanks!
  Stormy, Kokomo, Indiana
• Ekristheh from Halath, United StatesDon K. Miles, when you find that time machine, take me with you. Itchycoo Park, Different Drum, Incense and Peppermints, Tomorrow, Reflections, Hot Smoke and Sassafras, Pretty Ballerina, Green Tambourine, Pictures of Matchstick Men, Groovin', Light My Fire, Crimson and Clover, Marrakesh Express, Wear Your Love Like Heaven, Jennifer Juniper, (that whole *album*!), San Francisco, Reach Out in the Darkness, White Rabbit, Mr. Tambourine Man, White Room, Light My Fire, even Spill the Wine...
• Steve from Atoka, OkI was playing in a rock band in the sixties in lawton, ok. This was during vietnam and lawton is a military town (Fort Sill), we played behind chicken wire because of fights throwing beer bottles and chairs, but there was this soft beautiful song on the juke box that i would play every break called Itchacoo Park. I loved it and I never hear it anymore. It brings back a lot of memories. We were the caretakers.
• Jack from Jacksonville, Hijesse and red were trying to be a part of this band but couldn't make the grade
• Neil from East London, Englandmy father grew up in manor park from late 40s into the sixties and was an avid mod at that height of the times.he also knew marriott as a teenager.he used to tell me about little ilford park being localy known as itchycoo park long before the song came out.supposedly this came about from the tales of young teenagers getting amourous in the park getting stung etc and comming home with fluffy dandelion like seeds stuck to their clothes
• Lester from New York City, NySteve Marriott, of course, went on to front 'Humble Pie', a group that included some incredible guitar playing by Peter Frampton. Steve died in a fire in his home a number of years ago.
  
• Eddie from Elkesley, Englandin 67 when i was 16. it didnt matter about the lyrics.the song was so different.and steve marriots voice was awesome. it inspired the song.
• Julian from Minneapolis, MnA great song, a seminal band. Some sounds in common with the early Who -- no wonder Kenney Jones was asked to join after Keith Moon passed.
• Fremont from Concord, NhWow, this sounds so much like Zeppelin. You can tell that Led Zeppelin was inspired by these guys.
• Rob from Vancouver, CanadaGreat song....underrated band
• Fyodor from Denver, CoWonder if this was an influence on The Beatles' "It's All Too Much"? The Beatles song was released in 1969 but recorded in 1967.
• George from Richmond, VaLoved the weed back then and this song was made to get high to.
• Leya Qwest from Anchorage, AkFeeding ducks with a bun, eh?
• Don K. Miles from Colonial Heights, VaOne of many and yet a handful of definitive, in the moment "60's" songs. Bells, beads, flowers, fringed vests, purple suede boots. Just a week, just one more week, please.
• Fintan from Cheltenham, EnglandThe title comes from an overgrown bit of bomb-site wasteland full of nettles (itchy...get it?) in Millais Avenue, E12 where Ronnie Lane used to play.
• Ken from Louisville, KyThis was the group "Faces" before Rod Stewart joined. When Rod became their lead singer ("Stay With Me") they dropped the "Small" portion of the group's name.
  
  
• Chris from Marana, AzWhen I was a junior and senior in college at Rutgers, I used to live across the river from the campus in a town called Highland Park. This was about a mile or two walk from the classrooms. Every day I'd walk down across the bridge to the campus, listening to my walkman. Just before the bridge was this place called Johnson Park.
  
  Sometimes before I'd go to class I'd get myself in a really good mood. Inevitably this song would come on, on my walkman, and I'd make a sharp right turn into the park instead of responsibly contuining on to class.
  
  I didn't make it to class too often. I'd sit down by the river watching the ducks and geese and watch the river flow, taking in sun...
  
  Yeah, this is a great song for ditching responsibility to. :)
• Dave from Cardiff, WalesM-People covered this in 1995 - it was big hit in the UK, but many radio DJs were so outraged that they refused to play the cover on request.

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