The promo film
Having decided that their next single would be the double a-side Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane, The Beatles appeared in promotional films for both songs.
Work began on 30 January 1967 in Knole Park in Sevenoaks, Kent. The films were both produced by Tony Bramwell for Subafilms, and were shot on colour 35mm film by a crew from London-based Don Long Productions.
The Swedish director was Peter Goldmann, who had been recommended by Klaus Voormann. Goldmann had arrived in England in early January and looked for suitable locations in London and elsewhere. The first location he decided upon was Knole Park, owned by the National Trust.
The film for Strawberry Fields Forever was the first to be shot. A number of sequences were shot around a dead oak tree near the park's birdhouse. The tree is no longer there.
The Beatles had intended to film a sequence in which Paul McCartney dropped down from a dead oak tree, but poor light meant it was not possible on the first day. That sequence, and several others, was filmed on 31 January, which saw the completion of of the shoot.
In the final edit, the sequence was reversed so it looked as though McCartney leaped into the tree. The planned sequence involved him jumping from the tree and running backwards towards a piano.
During a break in the filming John Lennon bought a circus poster dating from 1843 in an antique shop. The poster, which advertised a circus in Rochdale, subsequently provided the inspiration for Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite! on the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
The promo film for Penny Lane was shot from 5 February 1967.
‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, the song + music video were so cutting edge for it’s time when I would play it for school mates, they thought that I was a little strange for liking such an avant- guard song, ( a Beatles song) mind you? In middle school an orphanage called ‘Maryvale’ was the perfect backdrop for this song. I befriended the girls there, loaning the 45rpm to them, + they thought I was hip! The moral of the story…. Lennon was ‘far ahead’ of his time, both musically + lyrically! His heart spoke to the ‘real’ people of life; the not so fortunate, the not so loved in society! After all these years I still miss his Genius! It felt like Christmas Day, as a child, whenever a new Beatles album was released!
If you’ll watch the DVD “The Beatles in America” (may also be called something else), just as they are getting ready to go to the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, John Lennon is sitting in a chair with a some sort of mouth organ (with keys), inventing the intro to Strawberry Fields Forever. It’s a great DVD to watch.
Are you saying that john had the intro to strawberry fields in 1964? To my knowledge the intro musical phrase was composed and played by Paul. Just like the beautiful phrase that opens and defines Lucy in the Sky. If what you are saying is true, could you be more specific about exactly where to find the footage because I would love to see it.
Check on YouTube by searching for ‘Strawberry Fields’ and ‘1964’ and you should find the clip. It does indeed sound like John was fiddling around with that particular phrase when he’s playing the melodica.
To me he definitely plays the first three notes of the introduction. Too bad they didn’t take more time to film him as he played this melody. He probably just had this little tune in his head and wasn’t thinking about a whole song.
Perhaps John completed the melody later on with Paul when they worked on “Stawberry Fields”. It’s quite possible that Paul contributed something because he ended up playing it on the record. But it’s kinda nice to see that it was John’s original idea.
I’ve seen the YouTube clip where John in fact plays something sounding quite similar to the opening chords to Strawberry Fields Forever on a melodica. He was clearly just fiddling on it though. As far as I can judge – myself being an experienced musician and music teacher – he’s not actually busy ‘composing’ or ‘making up’ any chords. Anyone with any basic experience playing a keyboard instrument will know how easy it is to grab a 3-note chord in root position and then lowering the root note by 2 chromatic steps; which is just what Lennon can be heard doing. In all probability he wasn’t the first who came up with that idea either. So in today’s terms he was probably plagiarising someone else’s song as well. 😉
Roger, I heard that too and thought the same as you. Isn’t it amazing that he kept that in mind for over two years.
I was going to point that out, thanks for posting it. I watch that movie and every time I say to myself, “John is working out S.F. passage!” whilst sitting in that chair in their hotel room, NYC, Feb. 64. And you’re right, if you are ever feeling down that movie will guarantee to pick you up. Audio quality fantastic too. Get it. Feel better instantly.
Having just watched and listened several times, I find little to convince me it is the same passage. I think it is more of what Wenko Millaard states here than actually the early stages of S.F.F., although I am not a musician as that poster is. What I also see as evidence against is the complete lack of commentary by Lennon himself stating he had been noodling at the tune for over two years. We all know how critical he was of his own work; this song is a self-described favorite of his so it stands to reason he would have said something. Therefore, I vote no. It’s a “romantic” thought, if you will, but no.
My favorite song by The Beatles when I was 8 years old 1982. Started listening to them when I was 4, I will always be a big fan.
Would be nice to see a little mention of its inclusion on “Love” here.
Apart from “Love” being an abomination and the reason I stopped listening to Pandora.
Thank you, Teddy. It appalls me that people always want to reference that crap.
As Geoff Emerick said (paraphrasing): you wouldn’t repaint the Sistine Chapel ceiling, would you?
I lived in strawberry fields orphanage, and I wish someone could post more pictures of inside… these are my memories, eating together, playing together the Queen the Beatles and Cilla Black
How was it, Judy, living at Strwberry Firlds Orphanage? Was it happy, sad? Good, bad? Did you ever see John and his friends playing in the garden? Were the Salvation Army people kind to you? How did things turn out? Thank you for your comment.
Hi Judy, not sure if you have heard – Strawberry Field is opening to the public for the first time at the end of July as a heritage attraction. Judy do you have any photographs of your life at Strawberry Field or would you like to be interviewed? If so please contact us and of course we would like to invite you to see it.
Strawberry Field will now consist of a new visitor experience including an authentic inter-active exhibition with media guide; a stylish cafe and shop; and tour of the gardens of John’s childhood. Importantly, it will be a training/work placement hub for young people with learning disabilities and a place for spiritual exploration. More about it via http://strawberryfieldliverpool.com
Best wishes
Great info. Now that I know about it, I can hear exactly when the edit took place. The slight change in tone and tempo, particularly noticeable on the vocals, contributes to the overall psychedelic quality of the song, I think.
Listening to it now, I can believe John said “cranberry sauce”, but listening to it on vinyl as a kid, I was convinced he said “I buried Paul”. It didn’t sound anything like “cranberry sauce” to me at all. I’m not sure how much of that is the enhanced sound quality and how much of it is me.
In my mind, this may be the band’s most complex and interesting song of all time. Amazing how well it holds up after I’ve heard it about a million times.
When this song came out, and before we became aware that Paul was dead, we were never really sure what was being said at the end of the song. We had our ears to the speaker and still couldn’t quite get it. But it was a vinyl copy and the sharpness of sound is dulled. Much later, of course, we found out it was ‘I buried Paul’. Naturally this caused us and a zillion other people to start digging for other clues. Oh, it’s ‘cranberry sauce’? The obvious reaction is, ‘Why that?’
I don’t believe there is one person who believes that Paul is dead that is not completely delusional and clueless.
Without a doubt he is saying Cranberry sauce. He is saying it in a very proper English voice and he rolls the first R in cranberry. Here is a clip I made that proves it. Put on headphones. At the tail end he says cranberry again. I made this clip with Adobe Audition which is the Photoshop for music. I combined both channels and made it out of phase to make it clearer.
https://youtu.be/WnPFC5vBNV0
At the time it sounded to me like he was saying “I’m…very…bored…”
When you compare the Take 7 (mellotron flutes) version to the Take 26 (orchestral) version, you realize that George Martin performed a feat of sheer genius by editing the two together at the 60 second mark.
You also realize that Lennon was absolutely right to request it, because neither take really holds up on its own, but the two spliced together constitute a masterpiece that starts off soft and beautiful and builds up to riotous intensity.
And how about Ringo’s performance on this track? He & Mitch Mitchell were the absolute best at interpreting psychedelia for drums…
How you can you put mitch mitchell and ringo in the same sentence? Ringo’s fills are beautiful (strawberry fields, Day in the life etc.) Mitch Mitchell is just an example of overplaying. He and redding ruined hendrix’s sound by trying to compete with him rather than to accept a more supportive role. All flash.
Not every drummer has that same style. Not every drummer needed to be supportive yet amazing (Ringo). Mitch Mitchell’s style fit who he was drumming for. Was Keith Moon wrong for the Who? No Drummers need to adapt to the style of the rest of the band.
In other words, Mitch Mitchell was the perfect drummmer for Jimi Hendrix. (And many of Noel’s bass parts were in fact played by Hendrix himself.)
But yeah, there’s no point in comparisons, since Mitch and Ringo were both so excellent at their own things, which were totally different.
Well said. Now, can we keep this discussion about Strawberry Fields Forever? I don’t want it to become a Drummer A vs Drummer B debate.
Agreed. You can’t say enough about Ringo’s work on SFF, especially the coda. That drum track is MASSIVE! (Or maybe that should be drum trackS – I believe Ringo took a couple of passes and overdubbed more drums on top at least once.)
Wonder if any hip-hoppers have ever gotten around to sampling those beats?
Actually, Ringo’s drumming is pretty much typical of Ringo. I always found him to be a very solid and reliable drummer. This particular song has Ringo’s drumming plied from different takes. It works great here but Ringo did not play this entire song as represented in one sitting like he could have with ‘Hey Jude’. In addition, there was a lot of experimentation with drum miking going on here as well as attempts to distort the sound thus giving it that amazing thunder. Once again, I don’t say that Ringo didn’t do a great job, but this is really a good song to rave about his drumming. It’s very much a producer’s piece.
I agree. Great drumming – but not a one take job!
Ringo’s opening drum fills are genius in their use of space. Much like his drumming on A Day In The Life.
Yes indeed, Ringo is the man!
I love Strawberry Fields Forever, I think it’s a beautiful song. I love the line– ‘Living is easy with eyes closed… Misunderstanding all you see…’ I think that’s a wonderful line…
Great masterpiece, and in my opinion Ringo at his best. His drumming kicks ass. Listen to take 7 on anthology and go mad.
Has there ever been a better song than the Love version? It’s John at his absolute best in his high, dreamlike voice that just engulfes you, mixed in the middle with some of the best piano bits including In My Life and my favorite, Piggies, then at the end they throw in the last part of Hello, Goodbye with Paul’s screams of pure joy over the other two’s harmony…it’s just unbelievable!
I don’t think George was playing slide at this time, he’s just bending. It wasn’t until the tour with Delany and Bonnie that he began the slide work. But I may be mistaken.
Listen to take 1 of the song on Anthology 2 – he was definitely playing slide in 1967.
“Run For Your Life” had slide too; presumably that was George as well.
Hello, Goodbye has slide (by George?) and Drive My Car has slide by Paul, but is not the slide on SFF by Paul using the Mellotron’s slide guitar setting? The abrupt stops in the sustained slide parts (particularly detectable in take 2) of SFF sound, to me, more like a Mellotron’s tape than a damped slide.
On the other hand, I was just watching “The Making of Sgt. Pepper” from 1992 wherein Sir George plays the first version of SFF with George’s slide part on the vocal track.
When you talk about “slide” on these occasions, I guess you mean sliding up or down the fretboard with your finger, and not actual slide guitar, with a bottleneck or similar device?
No they mean sliding up down the fretboard with a slide, but not on a pedal steel guitar which I think is what you’re referring to.
Easily my favorite Beatles song. Gloriously weird and psychedelic. John Lennon’s zenith as a singer and songwriter.
True that, Strawberry Fields Forver is deep and intriguing which is the main reason why I adore this song very much.
This song is incredible, I remember when it came out, my cousin and I rode our bikes to music store and ask for “Strawberry Fields Forever” Although they had it, the man behind the counter, you could see it in his face: “What do you two little black boys know about The Beatles, never mind this song?” Well I am here to tell you, my friends and me may have been some of the few black kids that loved The Beatles, but you could not tell us nothing. The Beatles are the best most influential band, bar none in the history of modern music. I will argue that to the day I die.
Who in the name of God could think of lyrics like that?! The thing is, we got it! John Lennon was pure genius may God rest his soul.
To this day there has never been a song that has blown me away the way this one has. This is the peak for the Beatles: their greatest moment, in my opinion. Should be number one on all lists. Genius, extraordinary, flawless, amazing song. I can’t ever tire of it.
This song changed my life, plain and simple. Music was never the same for me, and I began to experiment to figure out what John Lennon could possibly have been thinking and feeling when he wrote this song.
The greatest song ever written. Brian Wilson pulled over his car the first time he heard it, nearly in tears, to listen to the whole thing, and said something along the lines of “Oh my God the Beatles beat me to it…” referring to his work on Smile
I agree this is one of the greatest songs of all time, absolutely timeless! I every time I hear it I say to myself how could anyone think of the stuff in this song, it is pure genius!
I used to think there was slide guitar on it but I remember reading it was an effect done with the pitch control on the Mellotron. Anyone got any more info on this?
Joe – after the very first line (“Let me take you down ’cause I’m going to…”)there is Morse code – the letters ‘J’ and ‘L’ I believe. I have never seen this referenced in any book on the Beatles recording sessions and would like to know if you happen to have any more information about its inclusion.
Thanks for a great website!
You can hear that the guitar parts for most of the song are based around the ‘C’ chord shape but the actual key of the song is A.
Given that Lennon’s vocal also sounds a little sluggish, I believe that the tape was originally recorded so the song was in C, and then slowed down. The final guitar chords at the end are based around an A chord, so presumably dubbed on to the slowed tape afterwards.
Can anyone confirm this?
The tape was indeed slowed down – read the article!
This is my all time favourite and I purposefully only listen to it in “special moments”. Pure genius and perfection. This song is like a little universe, there’s so much going on. And yet it also holds up if only played with a guitar (I think John’s basic solo demos are fantastic…the way he sings it, it’s so honest – although it’s such a weird song, you kind of FEEL what he means). This is not only John’s finest hour but also (maybe even more so) George Martin’s. John simply said to him he wanted “maybe some strings and a brass section” and THIS is what he came up with!? Unbelievable…musical genius. To translate John’s psychedelic images into sound is like doing voodoo. George Martin wasn’t into drugs AT ALL and nevertheless he could write this really trippy arrangement – creating a dreamy soundscape unmatched to this day. It’s unbeatable in many ways and I don’t think anybody will ever top this. Even the “screw ups” are great (meaning effects caused by technical limitations etc) – especially the change in pitch 1 minute into the song (these 2 parts don’t match perfectly – but exactly that contributes to the frantic atmosphere of the song). Would be easier to mention what’s NOT great about this song (I can’t think of anything actually). If I were to save ONE SONG or had to pick one song to play to aliens to show them that man does have a soul – this would be the one.
This song is truly beautiful, there’s nothing like it.
I was seven when it came out and remember seeing the film (along with Penny Lane) on Hollywood Palace. I instantly liked it, though it would be many years before I had any clue about what the lyrics were about. No matter, it remains for me my favorite song ever 45 years later. An amazing record and piece of music that I have never tired of.
My first favourite Beatles-song was “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” when I was about ten, after that ist was “I Me Mine” when I was twelve or so. By the time I was forteen it changed to “Strawberry Fields Forever” and it never changed again. (I am born 1971 btw, or year one after the Beatles.)
I happen to have a version of SFF on a bootleg CD in seven different states of development. (Called “The Beatles Documents Vol.3”) The most interesting one regarding the mumble voices is one with drums and the voices on the left channel. Cellos and trumpets are mixed stereo. Guitar can faintly be heard on the right. No additional drums and no svarmandal. You can here the voices quite clearly and I am very sure that it’s a conversation between Lennon and Starr. I think it was taped through the drum-mics. It seems Lennon joined Starr in his drum-booth.
Starr [screaming]: “I can [can’t?] do it!” (He had to do a lot of hits to have this enormous drumsound. It is friggin’ unbelievable!)
Lennon: “You can do it, Rrrringoooo!” (With a mock-Spanish pronounciation)
Lennon: “[Too?] loud?” (The voices most probably) “So let’s end it [inaudible, maybe “folks”]” Maybe he saw the engineer giving him a sign.
It seems the break-down of the rythm is less due to Starr’s unability to keep it, but to the fact, that somebody over the headphone told him, that the voices were too loud and Starr assumed the take was over.
“What? [inaudible] [keep?] going [blowing? – after the trumpet’s final fanfare]. [yibberish] Cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce [over some trumpet noises]. Now -I – can’t – take – more – butter [?].”
Thus I do not think, the mumbles were specifically recorded. It was just Lennon fooling around on a take he at this point thought to be irrelevant. The mock Spanish pronounciation is maybe due to Lennons filming in Spain. Starr visited him there, so this may be an insider. The “butter” remark (I’m just 51% sure about this) is consistant with the cranberry sauce, when you eat it with a roll or a croissant or whatever. Yummy!
No doubt about “cranberry sauce”! None whatsoever!
PS: Great site! I am enjoying it breakless since days.
Deleting the right channel, using equalization, leveler, maximizer and stuff, I think I could clear the mumbles up to a point, where I don’t think it can be any clearer with a home PC. Here we go:
Pepperpot-voice: “We (he) can(‘t) do it.”
John: “We (he) can do it, Rrringo.” (… “oooh and go”?)
“Too loud?”
s.o.:[sounding like “bliss” or “please”]
John: “Must be a hand of yours.”
s.o.: [like “Barbie”]
Pepperpot: “Beep!”
John: “What?”
Pepperpot: “Wee-doodle-dee-doo!”
“Wee-doodle-dee-doo!” (second time during the final trumpet-fanfare, wich is on the left channel.)
John: “No, they don’t.” (“No, keep going.”)
s.o.: [like “man-oh”]
John: “Cranberry sauce.”
“Cranberry sauce”
“I can’t now drink no water.” (“… take no butter.”)
I still think, John is in Ringo’s drum-booth and can be heard via the drum-mics. You can hear the voices louder and quiter as they turn their heads. “Cranberry sauce” is spoken directly towards the microphone, so it can be heard best. Thus the Pepperpot-voice (meant in the Monty-Python-esque way) is most probably Ringo.
Last update ( I vow):
A friend just sent me an E-Mail regarding the very last line of the muffled noises. I quote:
“No, it’s not ‘I can’t more take no water’ but ‘Oh, I can’t now take no pull, darling.'” Probably from a cigarette.
It can clearly be heard in the Anthology-Version, though it has been mixed in 1990s with a slight room-hall-effect that made some of the consonants muddy. I used it as a reference but neglected the end, wich is indeed, what my friend heard.
I always found this to be one of the most difficult Beatles songs…It is very ‘manufactured’, and lacks a natural flow, although the final result is fascinating.
I don’t think that John ever got a complete handle on how the song should sound, thus more ‘jiggery pokery’ than any other Beatle tune.
There’s a version of this on YouTube called ‘The Evolution of Strawberry Fields’, and it takes it through demo to the first takes in the studio. There’s a part where John is doing it on acoustic, and it sounds like there’s a mellotron overdubbed, and then a roller rink sounding organ. Did John overdub these by himself at home, does anyone know? Or is this a ‘before-first take’ version done in the studio?
It’s John overdubbing his own track at home.
Analogous to the masterpiece Brian Wilson production “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys, this song also constantly blows me away. Spectacular tune. Too bad there isn’t a good set of instrumentals out there, I’d love to hear the raw track.
When I bought the record I remember that SFF was the A side and Penny Lane the B side. The argentine “Odeon Pop´s” black label said so. Even the radio used to broadcast SFF more rather than PL. Many years later I read it was a double A-side single. But I always thought that SFF deserved it. I still can´t understand why they put PL instead of SFF on the “1” compilation. Paul´s idea I guess. He´s always been jealous that his partner wrote the best Beatles song ever recorded. (in my opinion)
It’s because PL was the A side in America where it went to number 1. The double A-side released in UK only got to #2, so technically SFF was never #1.
Without Lennon the Beatles would have been another Dave Clark Five…McCartney had the melodies but Lennon had Ideas…
Totally right! John curbed Paul’s teeny bopperish instincts with his wit and sarcasm and the world loved them for it too
You do realise that the revolutionary tape loops on Tomorrow Never Knows, and the climatic Orchestral Glissando on Day in the Life were Paul’s ideas .
When i was 11 yrs.old in 1967, i was riding my bicycle over to a friend’s house and heard this
amazing song been played on a record phonograph outside at full blast.As i turned the corner
i was surprized that it was my buddy playing it in his backyard. I asked him to play the song again,and again,and again….i was totally mesmerized by Strawberry Fields Forever. I started my lifetime music adventure thanks to John Lennon & The Beatles.By the way learn SFF as a solo guitar piece and see the looks on peoples faces when you perform the song, it always gets everyone’s utmost attention.
Strawberry Fields came out when I was 15…I remember the first time I heard it on the radio. I was being driven to school by a neighbor and the song was introduced by the DJ as The Beatles newest release. So I asked the other passengers and driver to be quiet…To my amazement they listened to me and the song…I was dumbstruck…There had never been a sound like that before…or since. It’s the only song I ever heard that took me to another place instantly…I asked the others in the car what they thought about it…Strange was the consensus…I felt like I was now grown up…I have witnessed art for the first time…
Yes, The Beatles First US Visit, 1964, has John playing a flute o phone in the hotel and messing about with the opening of Strawberry Fields…If Paul played it on mellotron he got it from John…I believe John played it but it’s a Paul world now.
When I got married in 1977 Strawberry Fields was the wedding song…I was lucky to meet someone who got it…
The takes on Beatles Anthology are a revelation …I think the earliest takes show how great the song is…even without all the effects…specially without all the effects…But the effects work…So I can love it two ways…or as many ways as others come up with…It’s hard to ruin a work of art…
I was 15 when SFF came out with PL. It went straight over my head and I actually didn’t care for it. Revolver was still fresh in my mind I guess. Took me a while to gradually appreciate it as pure genius and a masterwork. I think the video scared me too a little bit. I eventually got turned on and things made more sense. It’s now my second favorite John song right behind I AM THE WALRUS
Strawberry Fields Forever is one of the greatest songs of all time and another example of the genius of John Lennon. I believe Penny Lane/ Strawberry Fields Forever is the best double A side of all time; Lennon and McCartney with their contrasting brilliance looking back at their childhoods in Liverpool. Of course Strawberry Fields Forever is much more than that . Graham Paterson.
The Mellotron that played during the fade-up towards the end of Strawberry Fields Forever has always intrigued me – mostly because it has defied notation. The transcription in the Beatles Complete Scores isn’t it, and I have spent a long time struggling to figure out how that is played. Some of the problem may be due to the possibility that the sound being triggered by the keys of the Mellotron might be a pre-recorded tape loop, which would explain the difficulty in reproducing it. However, this is only speculation on my part, because I have never owned, and don’t have the budget to purchase a Mellotron to test out my theory (plus, different models could have been equipped with different loops). Anybody wilth Mello experience out there who can shed a little light on how this snippet was created? Thanks!
SFF was the song that was missing in Seargent Peppers. Fully in line with the LP . That was a shame . At the time it was discussed and even George Martin regret having not included. It is the synthesis of an era, of the Beatle genius at its best and the perfect song to complete the masterpiece that was SP ‘s
When I’m 64 should have been the b-side of Penny Lane. Think of how perfectly SFF would have sat between Within You Without You and Lovely Rita.
Lennon has songs with either inner or outer activeness. The inner activeness is for example when the melody consists of the same notes. “Living is easy with eyes closed…”is on the same notes, it resembles the overture in Wagner´s Lohengrin. The following melody resembles part in Long Friday in Wagner´s Parsifal.
But Lennon never listened to Wagner, but they had the same temperament, fighting with the darkness. The drums is not needed at all, it destroys the song! I think. But it was diffucult to arrange Lennon´s music, it is so complex. George Martin said that to arrange a composition by Lennon is to “make archaelogical excavations”.
When the song was released in 1967, one critic said it was a mix of Wagner and a farmer wedding.
Now we’re into amateur psychoanalysis, are we?
BTW, virtually everyone – but you, of course – find Ringo’s drums to be an integral part of the arrangement and recording.
I still think you are trolling here….. it’s a shame because this time, the song IS a masterpiece.
In 1969 I heard an interview with John Lennon it was around the time they were saying paul was dead john said he’s saying “I buried Paul ” he explained that his guitar drowned out Paul’s guitar that’s why he said that so who said he said cranberry sauce is beyond me I am 58 years old and it still sounds like I buried paul just like it did back then ! By the way I was 12 years old back then so I was too young to make something like that up .
Paul
Can you post an article or some thing which mentions this? It would put an end to the rumors that Paul is dead and reconcile with what John said.
Well, I am 61 and I CLEARLY hear “cranberry sauce”. Listen to the Anthology and you can’t possibly miss it.
As for your reference to an interview, site the source. This is the first time in the 52 years of this record’s existence that I’ve ever heard that.
One of the extras on the DVD of Cirque du Soleil’s Love is an interview with George Martin wherein he reveals the real reason that SFF fades out & then back in at the end. In short, it was originally done to hide a minor screw-up but then became a thing unto itself.
The promo film that went with this and ” Penny Lane” are classics.Especially the “Strawberry Fields Forever” one.
In his book about The Beatles, Jonathan Gould (2007) describes the year 1967 with The Beatles great singles: Strawberry Fields Forver, All You Need Is Love and I Am The Walrus — all are, as we know today, Lennon compositions.
But 1968
Ned Rorum in New York Review of Books, January 1968,
Readers Digest 1968,
The Pengiun Stereo Record Guide first edition,
and Das Grosse Lexikon der Musik 1978,
and many many others for many many years wrote that McCartney was the songwriter, or melody composer in The Beatles, not Lennon.
How could this happen? That contributed to the split of The Beatles.
How does this fit into the discussion about Strawberry Fields?
The whole contreversial I buried Paul vs cranberry sauce argument can easilly be explained. I’ve read all the posts here but no one has uncovered what I heard .If you dig out the original lp and change the speed of the turntable to 45 as opposed to 33,to my ears you now clearly hear I buried Paul.If you keep playing it back at the 33 speed the sentence sounds murky and garbled but not on 45 speed.Would love to hear from other Beatle fans once you’ve tried this experiment.
I was a college sophomore when SFF came out and one of the upper classmen in my frat played that record forwards and backwards and at different speeds and at 45rpm with a 331/3 album you clearly heard ” I buried Paul”
Lennon was developing the whole time. He soon left songs with only evident melodies in the singing. Sometimes he later on instead let the background play an evident melody, while the singer sang on repeated notes. For example Help (1965), Strawberry Fields Forever (1967) and Julia (1968).
Here we have an interesting parallel to the Opera composer Puccini. After Puccini´s wunderful melodies sung by “Rodolfo” and “Mimi” in Boheme 1895, Puccini made extensive use of, and experimented with, the use of repeated notes, in his following Opera Tosca 1900. Tosca was Puccini´s first major attempt to break away from the sentimental singing. One of many examples there is, in the beginning when the Sacristan intones the prayer Angelus Domini. The orchestra background in combination with his speeech is wunderful.
McCartney was also developing the whole time. For example “Yesterday”, “Eleanor Rigby”, “Penny Lane”, “Hey Jude”.
I really wish you could actually add something useful to the song discussion instead of your vain attempts to convince us fans that your John-love / Paul-hate is somehow accurate and supported by a meandering tome on opera, of all things.
Take a listen to Julian Lennons song Saltwater. The opening takes us down a Deja vu experience as Julian pays homage to his dad’s timeless song SFF. His uncanny resemblance to his father as time shortens the distance in years between them is beautiful and haunting.
Dad is proud!!
What really strikes me about SFF, is John’s attempt to describe the feeling of seeing the world in a different way, than most people do. I read somewhere, that this song was intended to be “She Said She Said, part 2”, which would make sense, I guess (both songs look back on Lennons childhood). I bet most people have dealt with the feeling of being different than the crowd – I know I have. When I first “really” listened to this song, I was confronted by these feelings, and ultimately the song liberated me from the worry of being different (of course I am different – what does “normal” even mean? Aren’t we all different?)
The point is, this song has an incredible power to it, a power that I believe will surpass time, which, evidently, it already has. A masterpiece, created by one of history’s best songwriters, a piece of art expressed musically – in every way, this song truly has a dimension of its own.
What a beautiful ending to this thread, Andreas. Driving down I-5 listening to SFF you all have enriched my appreciation so much, even though I don’t have the musically refined perception most of the posters have. Thank you all. Thank you Beatles!
Second favourite Beatles song, and song of all time, right behind A Day In the Life. The height of my favourite sub-genre; psychedelia.
I agree, SFF was the Beatles’ peak. Lennon did other great songs of varying styles, but the psychedelic period, for me, was the peak of music in general. Two of my other favourite groups, the Byrds and the Kinks, did amazing stuff during this time as well. Inventive ideas were being passed back and forward between all these great bands. After ’68 things slowed down and mellowed, maybe psychedelia and the baggage that came with it was too intense.
Line-up, according to Lewisohn / Babiuk / Everett
Part I:
Ringo: drums
George: slide guitar and maracas
Paul: mellotron, bass and piano?
John: doubled-tracked lead vocals, rythm guitar and piano?
Part II:
Ringo: drums and backward cymbals (loop)
George: swaramandal and timpani
Paul: bass, bongos, mellotron? (loop?) and piano?
John: double-tracked lead voclas, maracas, mellotron? (loop?) and piano?
with:
Mal Evans: tambourine
Niel Aspinall: güiro
Terry Doran: maracas
plus
3 cellos and 4 trumpets
Now, the deluxe 50 anniversary “Sgt. Pepper” states that George did not play a slide guitar part, but a mellotron with the guitar setting instead, and that Martin also played a mellotron part. The information in ths edition is a little bit confusing regarding all the songs. The line-up says one thing and the recording details tells a different story.
Last 30 secs of take 7. Wow.
The second line [sic] goes, ‘No one I think is in my tree.’ Well, what I was trying to say in that line is ‘Nobody seems to be as hip as me, therefore I must be crazy or a genius.’ It’s the same problem as I had when I was five: ‘There is something wrong with me because I seem to see things other people don’t see. Am I crazy, or am I a genius?’ … What I’m saying, in my insecure way, is ‘Nobody seems to understand where I’m coming from. I seem to see things in a different way from most people.’
I’ve always wondered if Lennon was alluding to William Blake with this. Blake was probably both crazy and a genius and recorded having visions of angels and said that he saw and conversed with the angel Gabriel, Mary, and various historical figures. Around age nine he had a vision of “a tree filled with angels, bright angelic wings bespangling every bough like stars.”
Likewise with the Berie Taupin penned Elton John song “Burn Down the Mission” which begins:
“You tell me there’s an angel in your tree
Did he say he’d come to call on me?”