Sun King (song)
"Sun King" is a song written by John Lennon but credited to Lennon/McCartney. It was recorded by The Beatles for their Abbey Road album.
| "Sun King" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by The Beatles | ||||
| from Abbey Road" | ||||
| Released | 26 September 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 24–25 July 1969 | |||
| Studio | EMI, London | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, art rock | |||
| Length | 2:26 | |||
| Label | Apple Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lennon/McCartney | |||
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |||
| Abbey Road track listing | ||||
| ||||
History
The working title was "Here Comes the Sun King".[1] It was shortened to "Sun King" to avoid confusion with the song "Here Comes the Sun". The song is in three-part harmony, sung by Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Harrison. At the end of the song, the music stops abruptly and a Ringo Starr drum fill leads into the next track, "Mean Mr. Mustard".
The mixing of Romance languages occurs in the last three lines of the song. In 1969, Lennon was interviewed about these lyrics and said, "We just started joking, you know, singing 'cuando para mucho.' So we just made up... Paul knew a few Spanish words from school, you know. So we just strung any Spanish words that sounded vaguely like something. And of course we got 'chicka ferdy' in. That's a Liverpool expression. Just like sort of-- it doesn't mean anything to me but (childish taunting) 'na-na, na-na-na!'"[2]
In 1976, The Bee Gees covered the song for the musical documentary All This and World War II.
Notes
- ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 182.
- ↑ The Beatles Interview Database 2009.
Other websites
- "Abbey Road - Sun King". The Beatles Interview Database. 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
- Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
