 The song 's lyrics are , for the most part , about the group 's flight to London in August 1965 and their accompanying English tour , as hinted at by the opening couplet : " Eight miles high and when you touch down , you 'll find that it 's stranger than known . " Although commercial airliners fly at an altitude of six to seven miles , it was felt that " eight miles high " sounded more poetic than six and also recalled the title of the Beatles ' song " Eight Days a Week " . 
