"Althea" is a song by the Grateful Dead, with lyrics written by Robert Hunter and music by Jerry Garcia. It first appeared as the third track on the band's 1980 studio album Go to Heaven. Along with "Alabama Getaway", it is one of only two Garcia–Hunter compositions on the album.

The song was first performed live on August 4, 1979, at the Oakland Civic Auditorium in Oakland, California. "Althea" would hold a steady place in the band's repertoire, being played consistently from its debut to the band's final days in 1995, with its final performance occurring at the band's penultimate show on July 8, 1995, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.

The song was performed over 270 times by the Grateful Dead. "Althea" has been performed by several Grateful Dead offshoots, including Dead & Company, RatDog, and Phil Lesh and Friends.

Background Several lines in the song reference William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. Namely, the lines, "You may be a clown in the burying ground", "You may be the fate of Ophelia", and "Perchance to dream". The latter phrase is famously featured in the "To be, or not to be" soliloquy spoken by Hamlet in the tragedy's third act.

In a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Hunter was asked by David Browne if "Althea" was written about Garcia, to which Hunter promptly answered that it was not. When asked further about certain lines in the song that seem to reference Garcia's worsening drug usage — like "ain't nobody messing with you but you / but your friends are getting most concerned" — Hunter replied, You know, people think I have a lot more intention at what I do because it sounds very focused and intentional. Sometimes I just write the next line that occurs to me, and then I stand back and look at it and say, "This looks like it works." But that does kind of sound like a message to him. There were other people messing with him.

Critical reception In a song review for AllMusic, Lindsay Planer wrote, This slightly skewed love song is arguably the best Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter collaboration on Go to Heaven.... The studio version doesn't display the subtleties of the Dead's instrumental interaction as keenly as live renditions — such as the one on the two-CD set Go to Nassau. However, Garcia incorporates mini guitar solos as a counterbalance eventually expanded between the verses. Brent Mydland — who joined the Dead just prior to Go to Heaven — would also weave some bright and lyrical lines behind Garcia's lead.

In a Rolling Stone list of Jerry Garcia's fifty greatest songs, "Althea" came in twentieth, with the description reading, By the beginning of the Eighties, Garcia and Hunter weren't writing together as much as they once had, but when they did collaborate, they could still summon up the old magic. The slow, lovely "Althea" stands out on 1980's lackluster Go to Heaven...

Stereogum rated "Althea" as one of the Grateful Dead's best songs, saying "the studio version of 'Althea,' found on the underrated Go to Heaven album, captures the band at its swampiest."

Legacy "Althea" was a key contributing factor to the formation of Dead & Company. Guitarist John Mayer first heard the song in 2011 on Pandora and became infatuated with the Grateful Dead. While guest hosting The Late Late Show in 2015, Mayer invited former Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir to appear on the show as a musical guest. The two performed "Althea", and Mayer was invited to join Dead & Company shortly thereafter.

Cover versions Reggae band Culture covered "Althea" on the 1997 compilation album Fire on the Mountain: Reggae Celebrates the Grateful Dead, Volume 2.

The song was covered on the 2016 compilation album Day of the Dead by Winston Marshall, Kodiak Blue, and Shura.

Cheval Sombre covered the song in 2021 on his EP Althea.

"Althea" was covered on Jaime Wyatt's 2023 album Feel Good, featuring Black Pumas guitarist Adrian Quesada.

Officially released live recordings by date Enjoying the Ride – August 12, 1979 Road Trips Volume 1 Number 1 Bonus Disc – October 31, 1979 Road Trips Full Show: Spectrum 11/5/79 – November 5, 1979 Dave's Picks Volume 31 – December 3, 1979 Road Trips Volume 3 Number 4 – May 6, 1980 Go to Nassau – May 16, 1980 Enjoying the Ride – August 23, 1980 Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 7 – September 3, 1980 Beyond Description (1973–1989) – October 23, 1980 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 3/9/81 – March 9, 1981 In and Out of the Garden: Madison Square Garden '81, '82, '83 – March 9, 1981 The Music Never Stopped – March 14, 1981 Enjoying the Ride – March 14, 1981 Dave's Picks Volume 56 – March 20, 1981 Dave's Picks Volume 56 – March 21, 1981 Enjoying the Ride – May 1, 1981 30 Trips Around the Sun – May 16, 1981 Road Trips Volume 4 Number 4 – April 5, 1982 Dick's Picks Volume 32 – August 7, 1982 Dave's Picks Volume 52 – September 11, 1983 Dick's Picks Volume 6 – October 14, 1983 Enjoying the Ride – December 27, 1989 Without a Net – March 15, 1990 Terrapin Station (Limited Edition) – March 15, 1990 Spring 1990 (The Other One) – April 1, 1990 Dave's Picks Volume 40 – July 19, 1990 Dave's Picks Volume 55 – October 28, 1990 Enjoying the Ride – May 12, 1991 30 Trips Around the Sun: The Definitive Live Story 1965–1995 – March 20, 1992 30 Trips Around the Sun – March 20, 1992 30 Trips Around the Sun – October 1, 1994

Personnel Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals Mickey Hart – percussion Bill Kreutzmann – drums Phil Lesh – bass Brent Mydland – keyboards Bob Weir – guitar

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