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

Infobox Single
Name = "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"/"With A Little Help From My Friends"

---

Artist = The Beatles
Writer = Lennon/McCartney
from Album =
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Released = 30 September 1978
Format = 7"
Recorded = Abbey Road Studios February–March 1967
Genre = Progressive rock, hard rock
Length = 4:46
Label = Parlophone R6022
Producer = George Martin
Chart position = * #63 (UK Singles Chart)
* #71 (U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100)
Reviews =
Last single = "Ob La Di, Ob La Da"
(1976)
This single = "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" / "A Day in the Life"
(1978)
Next single = "Beatles Movie Medley"
(1982)Extra chronology
Artist = Paul McCartney
Type = singles
Last single = "Tropic Island Hum"/"We All Stand Together"
(2004)
This single = "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (with U2)
Next single = "Fine Line"
(2005)Extra chronology
Artist = U2
Type = singles
Last single = "City of Blinding Lights"
(2005)
This single = "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (with Paul McCartney)
Next single = "All Because of You"
(2005)

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is a song credited to Lennon/McCartney, and first recorded and released in 1967, on the The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's" album. The song appears twice on the album: as the opening track (segueing into "With A Little Help From My Friends"), and as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)", the penultimate track (segueing into "A Day In The Life"). As the title track, the lyrics introduce the fictional band which performs in the album.

Since its original album release, the song has also been released on singles, on compilation albums, and has been performed by several other artists including Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, McCartney with U2, and a comic interpretation by Bill Cosby.

Authorship and recording

In November 1966, on the flight back to England after a holiday, McCartney conceived an idea in which an entire album would be role-played, with each of The Beatles assuming an alter-ego in the "Lonely Hearts Club Band", which would then perform a concert in front of an audience.The inspiration is said to have come when roadie Mal Evans innocently asked McCartney what the letters “S” and “P” stood for on the pots on their in-flight meal trays, and McCartney explained it was for salt and pepper. This then led to the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" concept, as well as the song.Miles (1997), pp303-304.] ”The Beatles Anthology” DVD 2003 (Episode 6 - 0:41:54) Harrison talking about McCartney's idea for Sergeant Pepper's.] According to producer George Martin, the song was recorded before the album, but he also said that it started the idea of a concept album based around the main Sgt. Pepper character. ”The Beatles Anthology” DVD 2003 (Episode 6 - 0:43:13) Martin talking about the song becoming the concept for the album.]

The group's road manager Neil Aspinall suggested the idea of Sergeant Pepper being the compère, as well as the reprise at the end of the album. ”The Beatles Anthology” DVD 2003 (Episode 6 - 0:43:21) Aspinall talking about Sergeant Pepper being the compère.] According to his diaries, Evans may have also contributed to the song. John Lennon attributed the idea for Sgt. Pepper to McCartney, although the song is officially credited to Lennon/McCartney. [cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/~beatleboy1/dba08sgt.html |title=Beatles Songwriting & Recording Database|date=2007-09-27 |accessdate=2008-01-13] The song was recorded in Abbey Road's number 2 studio, with Martin producing, and Geoff Emerick engineering. Work on the song started on 1 February 1967, and after three further sessions the recording was complete on 6 March 1967. Audio|Beatles sgt pepper.ogg‎|listen

ong structure

On the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album, the song opens to the sound of a chattering audience, and an orchestra tuning up, which was taken from the 10 February orchestra session for "A Day in the Life".Lewisohn (1988), p101.] The crowd sounds edited into the song were recorded in 1960 by Martin, during live recordings for the Goon Show. When the song itself begins, the band introduces its members. [cite web |url=http://living.scotsman.com/music.cfm?id=810132007 |title=Dubbed applause and music-hall overtones |date=2007-05-25 |publisher=Scotsman.com |accessdate=2007-12-02] The song's structure is:

#Introduction (instrumental)
#Verse
#Bridge (instrumental)
#Refrain
#Bridge
#Verse
#Instrumental bridge and transition into "With a Little Help from My Friends".cite web |url=http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/splhcb.shtml |title=Notes on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band |first=Alan W |last=Pollack |authorlink=Alan W Pollack |publisher=Soundscape |accessdate=2007-12-02]

The song is in G major, with a 4/4 meter. A horn quartet was used to fill out the instrumental sections.

Reprise

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" is a repeat of the song at a faster tempo with heavier instrumentation. While the opening track stays largely in the key of G major (except for transient modulation to F and perhaps C in the bridges), the reprise starts in F and modulates back to G. The track opens with a distorted guitar strumming a "Hendrix chord" (dominant 7th sharp 9). McCartney counts 1..2..3..4, and between 2 and 3, Lennon jokingly adds "Bye!"cite web |url=http://www.pootle.demon.co.uk/common/anomaly-s.htm |title=The Beatles Anomalies List |accessdate=2007-12-02]

The idea for a reprise was Aspinall's, who thought that as there was a "welcome song", there should be a "goodbye song".Miles (1997), p306.] ”The Beatles Anthology” DVD 2003 (Episode 6 - 0:43:42) Aspinall talking about his reprise idea.] The song contains the same melody as the opening version, but with different lyrics. At 1:18, it is one of The Beatles' shorter songs (the shortest is "Her Majesty" at 0:23). The reprise was recorded on 1 April 1967, two months after the version that opens the album.Lewisohn (1988), p95.] Lewisohn (1988), p107.] At the end of the track, Martin's pre-recorded applause sample segues into the final track of the album, "A Day in the Life".

Releases

It was originally released in the UK on 1 June 1967, and in the US on 2 June 1967 on the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" LP.

When the Beatles' recording contract with EMI expired in 1976, EMI was free to re-release music from the Beatle catalogue, and in 1978 – 11 years after the original album release – released "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"/"With a Little Help from My Friends" as the A-side of a single with "A Day in the Life" as the B-side.The single was released on Capitol in the U.S. on 14 August (closely following the U.S. release of the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" film, and on Parlophone in the UK in September.cite web |url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0078239/ |title=Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) |publisher=IMDb |accessdate=2007-03-05] cite web |url=http://www.beatletracks.com/bt45s.html |title=The Beatles Singles and EP Discography |publisher=Beatle Tracks |accessdate=2007-03-05]

The original recording of the song is included on the following Beatles compilation albums: "1967-1970" (1973), "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" (1999).A run-through of the reprise is included on the outtakes album "Anthology 2" (1996). The notebook used by McCartney containing the lyrics for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and other songs was put up for sale in 1998. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/147112.stm |title=Notebook of lyrics for sale |date=1998-08-07 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2007-12-02]

Live performances

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was never performed live by The Beatles. It was performed by three of the Beatles (Paul, George and Ringo) plus Eric Clapton on May 19th 1979 at Clapton's wedding party. Paul McCartney played it live on his world tour that began in September 1989, and on subsequent tours. [cite web |url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002UWY |title=Review of Tripping the Live Fantastic |last=Epstein |first=Dan |publisher=Amazon.com |accessdate=2007-12-12] McCartney and U2 played the song at the start of a Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London on 2 July 2005. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4645039.stm |title=London Live 8 performances rated |date=2005-07-03 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2007-12-02] The song, starting with "It was twenty years ago" was chosen amongst others to commemorate that Live 8 took place approximately twenty years after Live Aid. [Cite web|last=Ansaldo|first=Michael|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/barenakedladies/articles/story/7467460/mccartney_u2_rock_live_8 |title=McCartney, U2 Rock Live 8|publisher=Rolling Stone|date=2005-07-03|accessdate=2008-02-11|quote=the opening line "It was twenty years ago today" -- a celebratory reference to the original Live Aid] The single was released for charity on iTunes, and set a world record for the fastest-selling online song of all time.cite web |url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/Paul-McCartney-In-The-Guinness-Book-of-Records-5167.shtml |title=Paul McCartney In The 'Guinness Book of Records' |publisher=Softpedia |accessdate=2007-03-03]

In 1967, Jimi Hendrix played the song live at The Saville Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue, which was leased by Brian Epstein, only three days after it had been released on record, with McCartney in the audience. [cite web |url=http://www.nme.com/news/jimi-hendrix/28660 |title=The night Jimi Hendrix played tribute to The Beatles |accessdate=2007-12-05 |publisher=NME News] ”The Beatles Anthology” DVD 2003 (Episode 6 - 0:59:39) McCartney talking about Hendrix’s performance at The Saville Theatre.] Another live version by Hendrix recorded at the Isle of Wight Festival was included on a posthumous live album, "". In 2006, the reprise was re-released on the album "Love", which was a theatrical production by Cirque du Soleil. The updated version is a remix featuring samples of other Beatles songs.

In 2007, Bryan Adams and Stereophonics recorded the album's two versions of the song for "It Was 40 Years Ago Today", a television film with contemporary acts recording the album's songs using the same studio, technicians and recording techniques as the original. [cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/60sseason/documentaries/sgtpeppers.shtml |title=Sergeant Pepper's 40th Anniversary |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2007-12-02 ] On 23 May 2007, at the American Idol season six finale, Kelly Clarkson and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry performed the song during a Beatles medley. [cite web |url=http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=GLS=275237&c4nvi=3&str=13429&styp=clbi&nbc1=1 |title="American Idol" Season 6 Finale - Show |publisher=WireImage |accessdate=2007-12-04 |date=2007-05-23]

Notes

References

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

External links

* [http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/splhcb.html Alan W. Pollack's notes on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1261860.stm Russian version of the song, and others]