Black Widow

Zoo Freaks, get ready to sink your fangs into some juicy trivia about Black Widow by Jefferson Starship from their 1982 album Winds of Change, spinning now on THE ZOO! This track is a standout, with Grace Slick delivering a fierce, seductive vocal performance that embodies the song’s namesake spider. According to fan discussions on the Jefferson Starship Fans Facebook group, Black Widow was a live favorite during the band’s 1983 tour, with Slick often performing it in dramatic, gothic-inspired outfits that amplified the song’s eerie vibe. A 1983 review from Rolling Stone described Slick’s performance as a “predatory vamp,” noting how she leaned into the song’s exotic caricature with grand, swooping solos. Fans on X have shared that the song’s heavy rock riffs, driven by guitarist Craig Chaquico, were inspired by the band’s desire to channel a darker, more primal energy, drawing comparisons to contemporaries like Rush and Blue Öyster Cult.

Another tidbit from the Jefferson Starship fan site reveals that Black Widow was one of the tracks where Slick and co-vocalist Mickey Thomas pushed their vocal interplay to new heights, blending her sultry alto with his high-pitched wail. In a rare 1982 interview snippet posted on the Jefferson Starship Instagram, Chaquico mentioned that the song’s lyrics, which paint the black widow spider’s mating ritual as a metaphor for dangerous allure, were partly inspired by Slick’s fascination with nature’s darker side. Fans in the Jefferson Airplane/Starship Appreciation Group speculate that the song’s pulsating rhythm was crafted to mimic the heartbeat of prey caught in a web, a detail drummer Aynsley Dunbar reportedly emphasized during studio sessions before Donny Baldwin took over for the tour.

Now, let’s rewind to how Jefferson Starship got their start. Born from the ashes of the iconic 1960s psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship formed in 1974 in San Francisco, California. Founding members Paul Kantner and Grace Slick, both Airplane veterans, wanted to explore a new sound that blended their trippy roots with harder rock and pop sensibilities. They were joined by David Freiberg, Craig Chaquico, John Barbata, Pete Sears, and Papa John Creach, evolving from solo projects Kantner and Slick had been working on. Their debut album, Dragon Fly, hit gold status, but it was 1975’s Red Octopus, featuring the chart-topping Ride the Tiger, that skyrocketed them to fame, going double-platinum. The band’s ability to adapt through lineup changes and genre shifts kept them relevant, with Winds of Change marking Slick’s full-time return after a brief hiatus.

For more on Jefferson Starship, check out their official website at jeffersonstarship.com. Connect with them on social media via Facebook, Instagram, and X. Fans can dive deeper at the Jefferson Starship fan site or join vibrant communities like the Jefferson Starship Fans and Jefferson Airplane/Starship Appreciation Group on Facebook, where Zoo Freaks can share their love for tracks like Black Widow and keep the hippie spirit alive!