Song Information
“Tales of Brave Ulysses” is a psychedelic rock song by the British supergroup Cream, released in June 1967 as the B-side to the single “Strange Brew” under the Reaction and Atco labels. It later appeared on the band’s second studio album, Disraeli Gears, in November 1967. The song was written by guitarist Eric Clapton and Australian artist and lyricist Martin Sharp, a friend of Clapton’s. Sharp had given Clapton a poem, inspired by Homer’s Odyssey and the mythic journey of Ulysses (Odysseus), as well as the Greek island landscapes he had visited. Clapton composed the music around the poem, crafting a swirling, hypnotic track. It is notable for featuring one of the earliest uses of the wah-wah pedal in rock music, giving the guitar a fluid, almost “underwater” sound that perfectly complements the song’s oceanic imagery.
Song Content
“Tales of Brave Ulysses” is a vivid, poetic journey that blends mythology, personal experience, and psychedelic imagination. The lyrics invite the listener into a world of dazzling colors, exotic landscapes, and sensual encounters — much like the epic travels of Ulysses himself. Through Martin Sharp’s words, we see a woman who is both muse and enchantress, leading the narrator across the sea to a place where beauty and danger coexist.
The song’s verses paint scenes of golden sands, blue seas, and blinding sun, while also hinting at the fleeting nature of such wonders — “her name is Aphrodite / and she rides a crimson shell.” Clapton’s voice delivers these images with a cool detachment, while his wah-wah guitar creates a rippling, wave-like texture that feels like drifting on a hallucinatory tide. Ginger Baker’s drums roll like the ocean, and Jack Bruce’s bass grounds the voyage with a steady undertow. The result is a song that feels less like a conventional narrative and more like a dream-state travelogue, where every moment is drenched in surreal beauty.
Explanation of the Curiosity-Driven Theme
What makes “Tales of Brave Ulysses” so intriguing is the way it merges timeless mythology with the spirit of the late 1960s psychedelic movement. By drawing from The Odyssey, the song taps into the universal theme of the journey — the longing for adventure, the temptation of beauty, and the inevitable pull of the unknown. But instead of simply retelling Homer’s story, Martin Sharp reimagines it through the eyes of a modern traveler, one who might be exploring not only the physical world but also the uncharted realms of the mind.
The “woman on the crimson shell” becomes a symbol — she could be a goddess, a lover, or a metaphor for the intoxicating allure of new experiences. The imagery is lush yet slightly disorienting, encouraging listeners to interpret it in their own way. In the psychedelic era, when music often served as both a soundtrack and a catalyst for altered states of perception, this blend of myth and surrealism resonated deeply. The song’s hypnotic guitar effects amplify the sense of drifting between reality and fantasy, making it an enduring piece for fans who crave both musical innovation and lyrical depth.
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