Tripping Billies

Infobox Single
Name = Tripping Billies


Artist = Dave Matthews Band
from Album = Crash
Released = 1996
Format = CD
Recorded =
Genre = Rock
Length = 4:18 (radio edit) 5:00 (album version)
4:49 ("Remember Two Things")
Label = RCA
Writer = David J. Matthews
Producer = Steve Lillywhite
Last single = "Crash into Me" (1996)
This single = "Tripping Billies"
(1996)
Next single = "Don't Drink the Water"
(1998)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Remember Two Things
Type = live
prev_track = "Ants Marching" (live)
prev_no = 1
this_track = "Tripping Billies" (live)
track_no = 2
next_track = "Recently" (live)
next_no = 3Extra tracklisting
Album = Crash
Type = studio
prev_track = "Cry Freedom"
prev_no = 10
this_track = "Tripping Billies"
track_no = 11
next_track = "Proudest Monkey"
next_no = 12

"Tripping Billies" is a song by the Dave Matthews Band, released as the fifth single from the album "Crash". It originally debuted on their independent release "Remember Two Things". It reached #18 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. It has been regarded as having a very difficult and precise drum part played by the band's Carter Beauford.Fact|date=January 2008

History and production

The name "Tripping Billies" came to be when a critic told Dave Matthews that his band sounded like, "a bunch of hillbillies tripping on acid". The band thought this was hilarious and named this song after it.

Dave talked about the origins of this song at the show that was recorded for "VH1 Storytellers" on 03-24-1999. This part of the show, however, was not part of the aired program but can be heard on the fan traded tape of the show. He said that the "Dragons were smoked" line is a reference to "Puff, the Magic Dragon". He also mentioned taking some LSD on a beach in South Africa with Julia Grey and some friends. Then shortly thereafter deciding that he did not want to trip. "I was looking at my girlfriend Julia's face and then it melted into my mother's! And I thought, 'oh, no, that's not good.'"Fact|date=April 2008

Track listing

#"Tripping Billies" (Edit) — 4:18
#"Tripping Billies" (Album Version) — 5:00
#"Tripping Billies" (Live Version) — 5:28

Charts