“Kites” is a psychedelic pop gem that stands as a fascinating anomaly in the catalog of Simon Dupree and the Big Sound - a band originally known for their R&B-influenced sound. Released in 1967, at the height of the psychedelic era, “Kites” marked a stylistic departure that became both their biggest hit and most enduring legacy. Ethereal, eccentric, and elegantly orchestrated, it’s a song that floats on atmosphere more than conventional songcraft.
From the first chimes of the glockenspiel and the sweeping Mellotron, “Kites” evokes a dreamlike world. The arrangement feels like it's suspended in air - soft, lush, and draped in exotic textures. Phil Shulman’s haunting vocal delivery is understated yet evocative, perfectly complementing the song’s themes of fleeting romance and emotional fragility.
The lyrics themselves are almost surreal in their poetic abstraction: “I will fly a yellow paper sun in your sky / When the wind is high, when the wind is high…” The metaphors feel like soft brushstrokes on a canvas, more concerned with mood than narrative clarity. There’s a genuine innocence to it, yet also an air of melancholy, underscored by the minor key melodies and spectral instrumentation.
A particularly curious feature is the brief recitation of an South East Asian sounding poem by actress Jacqui Chan, who apparently reproduced phonetics taught to her by her grandmother with the result that no-one knows what she is saying or even what language it is in. At the time, it added a layer of mystique and novelty; today, it further cements the track as a time capsule of 1960s experimentation, where Eastern influences were woven into Western pop with an often idealized and abstract sense of otherness.
The song was produced with great finesse by studio wizard David Paramor, and the band’s transition into this dream-pop realm (however brief) proved both commercially successful and artistically intriguing. Ironically, Simon Dupree and the Big Sound themselves weren’t entirely fond of the song, feeling it didn’t represent their core musical identity. Still, it’s the track that history remembers - and with good reason.
“Kites” is a shimmering, surreal pop reverie - part psychedelic lullaby, part orchestral daydream. It captures a specific moment in late-’60s British pop where sonic ambition and gentle whimsy collided. Though the band later evolved into the more progressive Gentle Giant, “Kites” remains a hauntingly beautiful flight of fancy. Delicate, strange, and unforgettable - it floats, it lingers, and it leaves a strange kind of longing in its wake.
From the first chimes of the glockenspiel and the sweeping Mellotron, “Kites” evokes a dreamlike world. The arrangement feels like it's suspended in air - soft, lush, and draped in exotic textures. Phil Shulman’s haunting vocal delivery is understated yet evocative, perfectly complementing the song’s themes of fleeting romance and emotional fragility.
The lyrics themselves are almost surreal in their poetic abstraction: “I will fly a yellow paper sun in your sky / When the wind is high, when the wind is high…” The metaphors feel like soft brushstrokes on a canvas, more concerned with mood than narrative clarity. There’s a genuine innocence to it, yet also an air of melancholy, underscored by the minor key melodies and spectral instrumentation.
A particularly curious feature is the brief recitation of an South East Asian sounding poem by actress Jacqui Chan, who apparently reproduced phonetics taught to her by her grandmother with the result that no-one knows what she is saying or even what language it is in. At the time, it added a layer of mystique and novelty; today, it further cements the track as a time capsule of 1960s experimentation, where Eastern influences were woven into Western pop with an often idealized and abstract sense of otherness.
The song was produced with great finesse by studio wizard David Paramor, and the band’s transition into this dream-pop realm (however brief) proved both commercially successful and artistically intriguing. Ironically, Simon Dupree and the Big Sound themselves weren’t entirely fond of the song, feeling it didn’t represent their core musical identity. Still, it’s the track that history remembers - and with good reason.
“Kites” is a shimmering, surreal pop reverie - part psychedelic lullaby, part orchestral daydream. It captures a specific moment in late-’60s British pop where sonic ambition and gentle whimsy collided. Though the band later evolved into the more progressive Gentle Giant, “Kites” remains a hauntingly beautiful flight of fancy. Delicate, strange, and unforgettable - it floats, it lingers, and it leaves a strange kind of longing in its wake.