Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (song)

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Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the title track from The Beatles' 1967 album of the same name. It was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon/McCartney, as usual.

Contents

[edit] Writing

On the Beatles' final tour in mid-1966, Paul had been fascinated by the long names of hippy groups on the West Coast of the United States. The song idea came when Paul was on a plane with Mal Evans. As the story goes, Evans asked what the 'S' and 'P' stood for on the pots that held the salt and pepper. The writing of the song was done at an apartment shared by Mal and Neil Aspinall. As Neil said in the Anthology, "I used to share a flat in Sloane Street with Mal. One day in February Paul called, saying that he was writing a song and asking if he and Mal could come over. That song was the start of Sgt Pepper. At my place he carried on writing and the song developed. At the end of every Beatles show, Paul used to say, 'It's time to go. We're going to go to bed, and this is our last number'. Then they'd play the last number and leave. Just then Mal went to the bathroom, and I said to Paul, 'Why don't you have Sgt Pepper as the compère of the album? He comes on at the beginning of the show and introduces the band, and at the end he closes it. A bit later, Paul told John about it in the studio, and John came up to me and said, 'Nobody likes a smart-arse, Neil'."

[edit] Recording

The basic track was recorded on February 1, 1967, when nine takes were recorded, two of which were complete. The basic track contained drums, bass, and two guitars, played by McCartney and Harrison. The guitar seems to be inspired by Jimi Hendrix, whom Paul McCartney had seen four times before recording this song. Three days after the album was released, Hendrix himself played the song live. The vocals were recorded the next day. The French Horns and Lead Guitar were recorded on March 3. On March 6, the orchestra (tuning from A Day In The Life sessions on February 10) and the crowd noises (from a 1961 recording of the comedy show "Beyond the Fringe") were dubbed onto the recording. The crowd noises from the segue into With a Little Help from My Friends are from a recording of The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl.

[edit] Recording Sessions

  • February 1, 1967: Recording Session. Songs recorded: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. →
  • February 2, 1967: Recording Session. Songs Recorded: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. →
  • March 6, 1967: Recording Session. Songs Recorded: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. →


[edit] Personnel

[edit] The Beatles

[edit] Guest Musicians

[edit] Production

[edit] Available On

[edit] Cover Versions

[edit] Sources

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