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

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

"Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band"
Song by the Beatles
from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
PublishedNorthern Songs
Released26 May 1967 (1967-05-26)[1]
Recorded1 February – 6 March 1967
StudioEMI, London
GenrePsychedelic rock,[2] hard rock[3]
Length
  • 1:59 (opening track)
  • 1:20 (Reprise)
LabelParlophone, Capitol, EMI
Songwriter(s)Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s)George Martin
"Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)"
Song by the Beatles
from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
Released26 May 1967
Recorded1 April 1967
EMI Studios, London
GenreRock
Length1:18
LabelParlophone, Capitol, EMI
Songwriter(s)Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s)George Martin
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
Song by the Beatles
from "
B-side"A Day in the Life"
Released14 August 1978 (US)
30 September 1978 (UK)
RecordedFebruary–March 1967
Length4:46
LabelCapitol 4612 (US)
Parlophone R6022 (UK)
Songwriter(s)Lennon–McCartney
The Beatles UK singles chronology
""Back in the U.S.S.R."
(1976) 		Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ""The Beatles Movie Medley"
(1982)
{{{This album}}}
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
Song by Paul McCartney and U2
from "
Released2005
Recorded2005
LabeliTunes
Songwriter(s)Lennon–McCartney
Paul McCartney singles chronology
""Tropic Island Hum" / "We All Stand Together"
(2004) 		Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ""Fine Line"
(2005)
{{{This 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 (such as at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970), U2, and a comic interpretation by Bill Cosby.

Song structure

On the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, the song opens to the sound of a loud audience, and an orchestra tuning up, which was taken from the February 10 orchestra session for "A Day in the Life".[4] The crowd sounds edited into the song were recorded in the early '60s by Martin, during a live recording of the stage show Beyond the Fringe. When the song itself begins, the band introduces its members.[5] The song is in G major, with a 4/4 meter. A horn quartet was used to fill out the instrumental sections.[6]

Reprise

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" is a repeat of the song at a faster tempo with heavier instruments. While the first 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 says "bye!".[7]

The idea for a reprise was Aspinall's, who thought that as there was a "welcome song", there should be a "goodbye song".[8][9] 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.[10][11] At the end of the track, Martin's pre-recorded applause sample segues into the real final track of the album, "A Day in the Life".

Personnel

Full version:

Reprise:

Personnel per Ian MacDonald[12]

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

  • McCartney has often performed the song in concert, including at Live 8 in London in 2005.

Notes

  1. ↑ Everett 1999, p. 123.
  2. ↑ "review of the song". Richie Unterberger. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  3. ↑ MacDonald 2005, p. 233.
  4. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 101.
  5. ↑ Scotsman.com 2007.
  6. ↑ Pollack 1995.
  7. ↑ Anomalies List 2007.
  8. ↑ The Beatles 2003, Episode 6, 0:43:42.
  9. ↑ Miles 1997, p. 306.
  10. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 95.
  11. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 107.
  12. ↑ MacDonald 2005, pp. 232, 248.

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