"I Can Hear the Grass Grow " is the second single by the Move, written by Roy Wood. The song was first released on 31 March 1967, and reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart on 10 May 1967, staying for ten weeks in the charts. "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" was the second of a string of four consecutive top-5 singles in the UK. Background On 9 December 1966, the Move released their debut single "Night of Fear" to great commercial success, reaching number 2 in the UK singles charts on 26 January 1967. The hints of psychedelia in the song led to rumours about the band using LSD or other hallucinogenic drugs, something that drummer Bev Bevan later denounced. Both rhythm guitarist Trevor Burton and bassist Ace Kefford would later admit to using drugs, the latter of which considered it a grave mistake. The newfound success led to songwriter and lead guitarist Roy Wood to believe in himself as a true songwriter, as "Night of Fear" was only the third or fourth original composition that he had written. As with many of Wood's early songs, the basis of "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" was a book of fairy tales which Wood authored while at The Moseley College of Art. The title came from photographer Robert Davidson, who had received a letter from an unknown individual that read "I listen to pop music on the radio because where I live it's so bloody quiet that I can hear the grass grow." He told this to Wood, who was inspired enough to write a song regarding the subject. In the April 1967 Beat Instrumental issue, Wood states that the song is about a mentally ill person. Although journalists have presumed the song to be about the synesthetic effects of hallucinogenics, Wood has on multiple occasions refuted that claim, accusing the music press of trying to build an association between pop musicians and drugs, and noting that virtually any song could be misinterpreted as being about drug use by someone looking to make that connection. The group entered Advision Studios in London on 5 January 1967 to record the song, along with what eventually would become the B-side, "Wave the Flag and Stop the Train", with producer Denny Cordell and engineer Gerald Chevin. Release and reception By this point, the Move had recorded approximately ten songs which were