Jefferson Airplane are inextricably linked to the late-60s psychedelic movement and the Summer of Love, which they helped to soundtrack with Surrealistic Pillow (1967).

The success of psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane brought mainstream attention towards the bohemian youth scene forming around the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, where they lived. That area became a focal point for young people and hippies during 1967's Summer of Love, and the Airplane's breakthrough album Surrealistic Pillow was a major part of the soundtrack to that countercultural movement. Two singles from it, "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit", both reached the Top 10 of the pop singles chart, and remain the bands most famous tracks.

Although subsequent Airplane albums were critically acclaimed, and the band often performed on national television and in front of huge crowds, the cultural significance of Surrealistic Pillow meant it could never be topped as their seminal achievement. The post-67 comedown experienced by many as hippy idealism faded, and internal problems within the band, led to frequent line-up changes and new musical directions. Jefferson Airplane was permanently grounded in the early 70s when members decided to concentrate instead on Hot Tuna and/or Jefferson Starship, who themselves became simply Starship.