Hip Hop Fan's First Reaction to The Beatles - A Day In The Life

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[@SyedRewinds]

A lot of people have been saying that the song was paused a little too often on this one. It's a suggestion I'll take on board. This was a very early reaction for me, maybe my 2nd or 3rd only being released later due to copyright issues. I've learnt a lot about making videos since then. However, that is the point of this channel, to provide my thoughts as the song plays. If this kind of reaction isn't for you, I'm sure you can find another that is better suited. There are plenty of great ones out there. Have a blessed day ✌️

[@mkelly1004]

You do your thing mate, it has it's own style, so ultimately won't suit all but will still suit many. These kinds of songs are interpreted in many ways and so it's always good to hear another's perspective. As a suggestion, if you feel you need to pause, pause! But when you return to the song, skip back four or five seconds, it is surprising how quick you can get back into the song, therefore not ruining the listen. Incidentally, I first heard this song on a trip... a good one am pleased to say, where the music interludes (including Pauls dream on the bus) elevated me and seemed to last for hours... but details are blurry.

[@robmaeder330]

Also did not mind you stopping to react.

[@kosk11348]

Nah, I watch for your intelligent commentary, and I appreciate you pausing the track rather than talk over it. I do like when you back up a few seconds before resuming though.

[@SyedRewinds]

@@kosk11348 ive defo tried to back up much more now in newer reactions but thanks for the kind words 🙏

[@yacava]

Yeah. You talked waaay too much.

[@user-sb1vz9pv5y]

Ringo's drumming is perfect. Sometimes his talent gets overlooked but i don't know if any other drummer would have played it the way he did.

[@panchopuskas1]

Ringo's drumming is always perfect. They guy plays to the song. He doesn't do drum solos or ego tripping. Everything is to order. As it should be......

[@elementrypenguin3116]

It’s fantastic.

[@shandonsahm3343]

Yeppers 👍 Ringo's awesome 👍

[@CuriousGeorge1111]

Agreed--Ringo is fantastic and underrated, with a soulful, syncopated style, always changing to support the music without intruding on the vocals. It's particularly obvious during their psychedelic period, on songs like Strawberry Fields, I Am The Walrus, etc, where he plays like a demon, anchoring and propelling the music.

[@christophercottrel7942]

Ringo was a great drummer. Easy to pick on earlier in the day. The “other Beatle” etc. But simply the perfect percussionist for this music. What a load of crap he’s had to deal with. Pretty sure he always knew better…

[@dixiechatty958]

John Lennon referred to the crescendos in this song as "war sounds". The lyrics are really quite simple, John's literally relaying some stories he read in the paper. He blended it with a tune Paul had yet to finish and they fit perfectly. This is an example of two musical geniuses at the absolute peak of their creativity.

[@SyedRewinds]

Sometimes all the meaning is conveyed through delivery, even if the lyrics are simple the delivery add all the meaning. I found these lyrics to be very deep

[@cuebj]

@David Bradley Quite right. McCartney lived in Central London. Lennon lived in Surrey stockbroker land. Lennon dismissed avant-garde as French for 'bullshit'. McCartney was the one listening and playing with experimental stuff at first

[@jamescox4231]

The album was considered the first concept album where all the songs relate.

[@panchopuskas1]

or just a couple of talented lads trying stuff out......

[@JoaoGabriel-lk9cv]

John said he wanted the crescendos to sound like the end of the world, as far as I know.

[@mikewarker4445]

This album was earth shattering at the time. THEY CHANGED THE WORLD FOREVER

[@davidmichaelson1092]

If you ever get the chance to see it (if you haven't) PBS did a documentary on this album. The technical work on this album revolutionized sound engineering. They didn't mean to do it...but they knew what they wanted to hear and they made it happen. And it became the basis of all modern sound engineering. Earth shattering on many levels.

[@jaewok5G]

… _again!_

[@jaewok5G]

@@davidmichaelson1092 pretty good for a producer who did comedy albums before working with the Beatles.

[@jamesalexander5623]

I still remember Doc Severinson raving to Johnny Carson about Sgt. Pepper's on the Tonight Show! he said "Nobody ever thought you could anything like this! This is going to change everything man!"

[@lion5352-z1s]

If you take LSD you’ll understand the album more ❤

[@henriettaskolnick4445]

There is a lot to unpack in this song. Most of the lyrics came about from bits of news stories of the time. "He blew his mind out in a car" is Tara Browne, son of British Peer and heir to the Guinness fortune and friend of the Beatles, who died from injuries sustained in a car crash. "I saw a film today, oh boy. The English Army had just won the war. A crowd of people turned away" is about the movie How I Won the War, which John Lennon had a small part in. It got really bad reviews, hence the "crowd" who "turned away". The "woke up, fell out of bed" part was a bit of song Paul McCartney had that he hadn't been able to do anything with, so he and John worked it into this. The "four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire" section was about the bad streets in Blackburn that were full of potholes. The story was the authorities had to count them all and the comment was made that there were so many holes, "they (the holes) could fill the Albert Hall". For the orchestra build-up, they told an orchestra to go from their lowest note to their highest and they were allowed to improvise their way through it. The orchestra thought they were crazy, but they did it. The result was an avant-garde piece that was multi-tracked into the crescendo you heard. The end note was the E major chord played simultaneously on 3 different pianos and a harmonium. It would become one of the most famous end chords in music history. In addition, they also added a high-pitched note that only dogs could hear. This final chord inspired George Lucas (of Star Wars fame) to use a similar chord as part of his THX logo. The BBC banned this song for a long time due to the drug reference of "I want to turn you on". The Beatles were the first to truly turn pop music into an art experience.

[@cuebj]

Well said. Howard Goodall, the musicologist and composer says how Beatles saved classical music from disappearing up its own backside of music-is-dead philosophy. Several KZbin videos of his BBC programmes on the subject

[@patticrichton1135]

I have seen a copy of the actual article about the 4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire, on line, a few years ago. The article made no mention that the holes could fill the Albert Hall. I heard that John put that line in himself, which is typical of his sense of humor, 🙂

[@alansouthall8221]

I'm obsessed with this song. A wonderful song about detachment that manages to be enthralling. And then the production, the drumming. That crushing e chord at the end. Lennon, man

[@trillionsydney6897]

Let’s talk about Ringo’s drumming in this song shall we?? Talk about perfect

[@riphopfer5816]

Potentially the best-arranged rock song ever.

[@byost06]

Controlled confusion

[@inner-path]

You are remarkably “tuned in” for a younger person…. Respect … keep growing

[@SyedRewinds]

Thanks mate, peace to you wherever you are!

[@w.geoffreyspaulding6588]

BTW….that last chord is considered the longest chord in rock and roll. It was the measure of a radio station whether they would let it resonate to its ultimate fade, or if they would cut it off. When you’re stoned, you REALLY want to hear it until ultimate silence. ✌️

[@redcaddiedaddie]

I have read one account of the recording of 'Pepper' that said this for this last chord, producer George Martin assembled FIFTY pianos (overdubbing was not available at that time), & they all played it at the same time!

[@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek]

This isn't a rock song tho. Maybe longest chord in modern or popular music.

[@scottschienmann8461]

The first and last verses are literally stories from a newspaper John was reading. The first is about an heir to the Guinness fortune dying in a car accident.The second verse is about the movie " How I Won the War' ,which John co-starred in. And the third verse is about there being 4,000 potholes that had to be repaired. Paul's part was an unfinished song he had that they thought would fit. Liked and subscribed. Nice job

[@SyedRewinds]

Awesome bit of info. Most tracks are generally just lyrics pieced together, with the words not necessarily connected to tell a deeper story. I find it more fun to make connections and express how the song and lyrics make me feel. The song may have not been intended to be about drugs or generational shifts, however the videos are more so just about what the tracks spark in my head. Great comment thanks!

[@scottschienmann8461]

@@SyedRewinds You're not wrong. Lennon himself said his songs mean whatever the listener hears

[@SyedRewinds]

yep gotta agree with John, once released its all up to the listener. Thanks for the comment!

[@adenauerlemos7926]

Correct. Paul once said that the part 'Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire' they put it by the melodic character of the phrase.

[@johnturner170]

@@SyedRewinds Great reaction. Yes, John often took ideas from newspapers for songs.

[@jonk6513]

This was revolutionary. Nothing before (nothing since, IMO) it was even remotely the same in popular music. They consistently broke new ground throughout their 10 year career. You should do every album.

[@mikedickman7210]

interesting fact, while the Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper in Abby Road studio 2, Pink Floyd were down the hall in Studio 1 recording Pipers at the Gates of Dawn, and the two bands were popping back and forth to see what the others were doing.

[@SyedRewinds]

What a incredible studio and moment in time. No wonder Abbey Road was the title of one of their albums

[@keensoundguy6637]

@@SyedRewinds The studio was named EMI Studios, located on Abbey Road in St. John's Wood, London, which was later (after the Beatles broke up) renamed to Abbey Road Studios in honor of the Beatles album.

[@cuebj]

Not quite. Floyd were offered chance to Beatles at work. Beatles acknowledged their existence, not much.more. Source, Nick Mason interviews. Floyd started by thinking they were the new thing and felt firmly put in place when they saw pop band Beatles at work and what they were working on

[@fayesouthall6604]

Exactly

[@reinacarbetta388]

Great, thoughtful reaction. Enjoyed that. Yes, as people are commenting, it was born from John reading the newspaper and an unfinished Paul song, but it was clearly meant to sound like a trip (whether they wanted to admit it or not.) John was a big Leary fan and the song was banned from the BBC because of the “turn you on” line. So yeah, I think your interpretation is a good one and we all interpret songs in our own way - which is the point, really. That’s why music is universal. As I’ve learned, a good rule of thumb is… The Beatles did everything first. So, when in doubt, yes… they were the first lol

[@SyedRewinds]

Hey Reina, my thoughts exactly. Many have said, "actually the song is just newspaper readings". The point of art is how it makes YOU feel. There are no right or wrong answers, just opinions and interpretations. Loved your comment!

[@ewest14]

Paul wrote the “turn you on” line and John corroborated that

[@reinacarbetta388]

@@ewest14Yep yep.

[@bobmessier5215]

One might say Lennon is the dark side and McCartney the light in most Beatles tunes, but then you get "Helter Skelter" written and sung by Paul, whose lyrics are light, but sung in a dark heavy metal voice or McCartney's "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" which has an opposite effect. Dark lyrics and sung light. Pure genius and unpredictable!

[@patticrichton1135]

Lennon also wrote "light" and beautiful love songs too, as Paul also wrote darker and sang in an entirely different voice than he does in his "lighter" songs. Paul's vocal range was incredible, and he could sound different depending on the song he was singing. Play Paul's "HERE, THERE, and EVERYWHERE" and then play Paul's "HELTER SKELTER" and you will see what I mean. If you didn't already know that they were the same man singing those songs, you would think it was an entirely different person. I hate when people pigeon hole John as the rocker and Paul as only love songs. NOT true, BOTH of them created all types of songs.

[@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek]

​@@patticrichton1135it was mostly lennom dark and unique and paul light and more generic.

[@Code9]

The entire album is one long trip. And what a trip it was when we were all stoned in 67, listening to it for the first time and having NEVER heard anything like it! It was mesmerizing and truly revolutionary. And keep in mind this was 1967! Analog everything! There was no digital anything! Computers were gigantic buzzing monstrosities that literally took up entire rooms and weren't much good for anything except crunching numbers and spit out calculations. These guys pulled out all the stops and let their creativity run berserk, inventing new ways to tweak whatever they had to work with.

[@patticrichton1135]

LOL believe it or not we were NOT "ALL STONED in '67" I was 20 years old then and never took any drugs of any kind, and most of the people I knew didn't either. I believe there are MORE people on drugs these days than there ever was back then. But I didn't need to be stoned to listen to Sgt. Pepper to realize how amazing it was and nothing like anything we had heard before, It was a masterpiece.

[@Code9]

@@patticrichton1135 Well, Patti, it might have seemed to me that "everyone" was stoned due to the fact I was in southern California at the time. LOL

[@tonygatos1]

Well said!

[@edwardthorne9875]

Yes, I think you should listen to this one again. You also have to hear it in the context of the rest of the ground-breaking album. That final chord was a punctuation mark in the development of music, and of a generation. My guess is that you kinda had to have experienced Beatlemania, the disillusionment of the period of Vietnam, the assasination of JFK a few years prior. New sounds were coming from the radio. Definitley a time of change. That chord carried the weight of the world. The Beatles rode on top through it all.

[@buddyneher9359]

@Edward Thorne well said, sir!

[@billrehberg9271]

It was all a nice trup.

[@prospero7867]

This one should be evaluated as an album. The applause at the beginning is a continuation of the theme.

[@annehayes-grillo6600]

The rising chaotic orchestra halfway through the song was Paul's idea. He gave the orchestra instructions to play their instruments from their lowest to their highest note over the how ever many measures it lasts. Each player determined the rate at which they did this.

[@dino0228]

Which was disastrous until George Martin had them first figure out what the lowest and highest notes on their instruments were, then divide that up and tell them they should be about a certain point at a certain time (eg, 1/4 way up the full scale of their instrument) so they wouldn’t run out while others are still going. It was all brilliant!

[@normanmeharry58]

Paul got his idea from experimental classical music at that time.

[@mlong1958]

McCartney sort of explains that bridge in James Corden's Carpool Karaoke, where they visit McCartney's old home. He said that it exactly was him being late and trying to get to school. They held that final note so long that they had to keep pumping up the gain on the microphones so much that you can hear studio noises in the background. This was the last song on the album, and that last little weird stuff would repeat, over and over again, until you picked the needle up off the album.

[@hungfao]

I've not looked at your channel before so I have no idea how many other Beatles' tracks you've listened to. The Beatles were well-known from having nearly no bad tracks throughout their career. They came in on top and went out the same. As for this track, as well as the entire album, it changed everything (again). This band had a tendency to do that and the rest of the world tried to keep up. When this album was released, many quit trying. John and Paul were far beyond anyone else. When I first heard this back then, I spent days trying to work out what I'd just heard. It wasn't released as a single and, therefore, was not on the Top 40 revolving playlists of radio stations back then. Personally, I've speculated that you gain IQ points just listening to this song in particular. You've been exposed to a piece of music that is entirely outside of the norm. It makes you ponder other possibilities, nudges you out of your comfort compellingly.

[@That1LucaGuy]

Great analysis! Another great Beatles song to dissect is Eleanor Rigby

[@SyedRewinds]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll add it to the list!

[@hifijohn]

@@SyedRewinds Very interesting song, it is one of the every few to be in a minor key and in a Dorian mode.Another interesting song is lucy in the sky with diamonds, it's in three different keys and two different meters. One of the oldest human ancestors is called lucy because of this song.

[@cuebj]

@@hifijohn and Lucy of the song was Lucy O'Donnell a nursery school playmate of Julian Lennon's. She died of lupus in 2009. The Daily Express published a lovely poem about her (my mother took that paper because it was cheap - unfortunately, some of its usual poison did influence her a little bit in very old age)

[@CuriousGeorge1111]

My interpretation is the song is about how lost and hypnotized people are by the media--newspaper and cinema: "He blew his mind out in a car (crashed at an intersection) He didn't notice that the lights had changed. " Powerful as important has he was, he missed what was happening in the moment and died, without people even remembering him. That's why Lennon laughed at the news, and would love to "turn you on"--wake you up to what is real and immediate. Then Paul sings his snippet of how he too is lost in trivialities... until he turns on. Then John continues his tale, ending with a rising crescendo of... enlightenment? intoxication? orgasm? death, nirvana? Hard to say. 😁 Thanks for your thoughtful and thought provoking reaction.

[@phillipharrison7283]

Lennon got the majority of the lyrics from reading newspapers. The middle bit was McCartney. They did quite a few songs in this manner by piecing two sets of lyrics together. The crescendo was played by an orchestra. The instruction to the players was to start at a specific note and rise to a note two octaves up each at their own time within the space of 24 bars. The alarm clock was so that everyone started at the same time. Lennon's voice in some songs as this one is described as his 'voice from the man in the mountain'

[@cosybully]

I have given a lot of thought to this song since it debuted when I was eleven years old in 1967. The opening and closing verses sung by John Lennon were inspired by two articles in the Daily Mail from January, 1967. The first verse is said to be about the 21 year old heir to the Guinness fortune, Tara Browne, who died in a car wreck in London on December 18, 1966. Tara was a friend of Paul McCartney, but John Lennon was not close to him. The verse about 4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire came from another article in the same paper. John Lennon thought it amusing that the number of potholes in the road were actually counted. The important thing though is that the banalities of everyday life are contrasted with the chaotic sounds that follow the lyric "I'd love to turn you on." I agree with you that this disturbing chaos symbolizes an acid trip, or any intense psychedelic drug experience. Your interpretation of the McCartney lyrics in the middle of the song is profound and most interesting. I do know the song was banned by the BBC on account of the dreamy sequence that follows "found my way upstairs and had a smoke, and somebody spoke and I went into a dream." This was considered a reference to marijuana. I would love for you to comment on other songs by The Beatles. My suggestion for the next song is "Strawberry Fields Forever."

[@danali1942]

I thought it was banned because of the lyric “I’d love to turn you on”

[@davidsaldananavarro65]

If you want to understand the structure of the song, I recommend that you watch the documentary made for its 25th anniversary. Paul and George Martín, the producer, discuss how this song was made and recorded. It's simple: Paul and John arrived at the studio that day with an unfinished song. The idea of uniting them with a crescendo marking time by an alarm clock that can be heard perfectly was Martín's. Thus they managed to join two unfinished songs into one.

[@scottharper6593]

Lennon Pronounced words, that was part of his genius He wanted you to hear exactly what he was saying Nice reaction

[@neilwoodley530]

At the time it was more than I could handle (I was 15) So in my mind it became just an interesting song. Over the years it just drifted away. And now, I encounter you with your piercing and dispassionate insight... And you drag me back...I feel 15 but with all the understanding that I have now 50+ years on. I was fading away but you and Band Maid have rescued me. Thanx. Don't stop.

[@andyzehr9839]

The end that you cut off was quite important to the song! It was placed in the "runout" track on the LP and would play continuously in a loop until you lifted the needle. Paul supposedly spend an entire night working to get that short clip just the way he wanted. And if listened to in reverse, it appears to be saying "We'll all be magick supermen" which some think is a Crowley/occult reference.

[@patticrichton1135]

To me it clearly sounds like they are saying, "it could not be any other way" over and over again. YEAH, he cut it off too quick and should have listened to how long that final chord lasts. On the vinyl lp, it lasts even longer if you keep turning up the volume as it fades out.

[@diogenesagogo]

I'd say their first 'prog rock' track was Tomorrow Never Knows from the LP Revolver, published 1966. They were always one step ahead, they really were a special band.

[@lipby]

Frank Zappa's Freak Out went way farther in 1966.

[@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek]

​@@lipby nah

[@TerryWalker-ty5ok]

Thankyou for playing the Beatles, I won't comment on your reaction or lack of knowledge of a band that in 8 years changed music, keep up the good work

[@user-pb8vc8vp8w]

Paul is not a kid late for school,he's an adult late for work.

[@carrollmusician]

Love your analysis. I’ve always wanted to find some folks who are actually looking beyond the surface of the stuff they’re taking in! Big ups.

[@AliasMark69]

John Lennon…. Most Important Person In Modern Music History. “The Beatles…. Greatest Musical Group In History. Nobody else even comes close.

[@mikeshinoda703]

Even if you took all of McCartney songs away or vice versa with Lennon.. they'd still be the greatest band ever

[@ewest14]

Paul is the most important. He made John’s songs experimental as John later complained about

[@AliasMark69]

@@ewest14 Without Lennon, nobody would know who McCartney is.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Great analysis/reaction. I particularly enjoy your take on the Beatles musical evolution. Keep up the great work!

[@stephenqualtrough7322]

It isn't the first Beatles track to go here. TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS was the first to go there with a trippy song and it was highly inuential on Pink Floyd . The latter often recorded in the studio next door to The Beatles.

[@SyedRewinds]

awesome bit of info. Thanks for the comment!

[@MrDiddyDee]

Nice analysis, it's good that you're trying to look at this in context to the era it was produced in. In this instance they weren't just reacting to the culture, they were at the forefront. Unfortunately, the flip side of their own drug taking, phenomenal creativity, song writing skills, and love of the surreal and humorous, would often lead to a vast array of misinterpretations of their later lyrics. Some adoring fans thinking the band were sages who had all the answers to life, and the songs and album covers were scrutinised for enlightening clues that were just not there in the first place. Lennon in particular had a wicked sense of humour, had always loved word play, and would deliberately be obtuse and throw utter nonsense lines together, just to poke fun and wind the intellectuals up. At other times his songs were the most sincere and brutally honest of all of them about his own insecurities and faults, particularly in his solo albums after The Beatles ended, and he would often shrug off and down play the bands achievements. The thing with The Beatles is the quality and range of styles and reinvention that they journeyed through in just 10 years, from boyband to unwilling gurus. If anyone says they don't like The Beatles, they are either being contrary or they just haven't listened to all of their music yet. They were equally adept at doo-wop, rock 'n' roll, heavy rock, funk, sweet ballads, folk, soul, country, vaudeville, psychedelic or children's songs. For range stylistically, melodically and emotionally there's no other songwriters that come even close.

[@willswomble7274]

'It ends in a sort of outro...' The longest recorded note ever.

[@riphopfer5816]

Lennon could deliver psychedelic-type vocals like no one else when he wanted.

[@yohannbiimu]

"I saw a film today, oh boy. The English army had just won the war". John Lennon co-starred in a movie called "How I Won The War" (which Lennon took part in prior to the production of Stg Pepper's) and I believe that line is in reference to it. Also, the film is based on a novel of the same name, and Lennon probably read it, as stated in the song "but I just had to look, having read the book."

[@sourisvoleur4854]

I'm older than this song and have known Beatles music for most of my life, and it's great to hear you put a new spin on it. Not sure I agree with you, but you opened up ideas and noticed similarities I'd not thought of before. Great review! Keep 'em comin'.

[@SyedRewinds]

Thanks Souris Im glad that someone so well versed in the music can take something away from the video. Have a blessed day

[@johnbennett9630]

The pause before "woke up, fell out of bed" that's when your realisation that the weekend has now finally finished kicks in. When you remember you're starting work at 6.00am tomorrow. The transition from the untrammelled joy of the weekend you've just enjoyed back to the stark reality of the hard work required to finance those frivolities.

[@kaychristensen4394]

The phrase "turn you on" does in fact mean "I want to get you high". To turn soneone on also means to arouse lust/desire in someone. The Beatles had a genius for double meanings in their lyrics. 😎

[@steveullrich7737]

It can also mean to turn someone on to a new thing such as a book or movie.

[@stereomagic1]

I was born the year Sgt Pepper was released yet my brother and me had an uncle who was proper into The Beatles and I've adored them ever since. Many people dislike them because of this 'cultural hegemony' that attends their legacy but no one can deny their sheer influence. Loving your channel, Syed - keep up the good work!

[@waynej2608]

Your uncle sounds like a cool dude. 👍

[@marymargaretmoore9034]

Legendary song by the Beatles.

[@jamescpotter]

I really enjoyed your nascent perspective of this classic track! My greatest listening experience was hearing this album on headphones back in 1967. So my hats off to your willingness to listen and make some very insightful commentary.

[@dennisfarber3708]

The critics believed that since the Beatles stopped touring they were finished as a group. They went into the studio to record a very different album, one that would turn the world on it's ear.

[@ryandean3162]

I don't know if anyone mentioned it, but the weird bit at the end was cut into run out groove in the dead wax. The run out groove is a circular groove to catch the needle after the record is done playing and stop it from trying to get further towards the center and potentially damaging the playing arm, and the dead wax is just what the empty section towards the center of the record is called. So, you go through the whole record and it ends with this huge crescendo and the drawn out final tone of the piano dies away, and then you hit the run out groove and it's this weird loop that will play until you stop the player. I believe there's also supposed to be a high pitched tone just before it in an effort to get dogs to bark at the record player or something like that.

[@AliasMark69]

I sparked up my pipe for this reaction.... like I did the first time I heard this Iconic Masterpiece when it came out and blew everyone's mind.

[@beachcomber4141]

To answer your question, this is the first track and the last track to do something like this.

[@briankaufman7293]

Good insight into the “bad trip” feeling - yes, totally captures that sense/feeling!

[@sharondavid-melly1498]

He's reading what's come off of a newspaper. That's it- vignettes from a page off a newspaper

[@AlBarzUK]

Interesting to see someone trying to analyse ADITL just like they tried (and failed) way back then. The 60’s and particularly the Beatles pushed creativity’s walls down. They innovated constantly. After their fame spread worldwide and it became impossible for them to compete with literally screaming fans, they set about being immensely more skilled in the studio. Incidentally amplifier manufacturers had to up their game and produce better speakers for stadium concerts. Recording equipment was pushed to its limits. Tracks that the Beatles produced were unlike any other from them or any other band. They (McCartney) came in with tape loops, literally loops of magnetic recording tape. They introduced a vast range of instruments, different ones on different tracks and for this particular track they had a full orchestra with instructions to start with low notes and gradually go up the scale to the top note for their instrument. One of their early tracks had the drummer, Ringo playing a packing case. As to the lyrics of their songs, they went from straight rock and roll and pretty simple standard love songs with plenty of harmonies to … anything goes, the whole pantheon of poetic to prosaic, but as long as it sounds good it doesn’t have to make sense. I think you need to react to these holistically rather than twenty little snippets. Like I wouldn’t analyse a Shakespeare sonnet word by word or line by line without first taking in the whole 14 lines. Obviously it’s your channel and this is just my view. Peace ✌️

[@lindawalker161]

Yes! Hard to really get anything out of it, if all you're doing is analyzing every word. You are missing the forest for the trees. Hard to enjoy if you can't hear the whole.

[@stratfanstl]

With A Day in the Life, the song structure represents something the combined song writing skills of Lennon and McCartney were uniquely suited to do. That is, combine reactions to nostalgia about innocence in childhood, concerns about a world headed towards more futile mass destruction and the pop culture banality between those extremes. This song happened to blend all three aspects in one piece.

[@widsof7862]

great analysis, got some new insights for a song i’ve listened to a lot, thanks!

[@adanibarra1453]

For years I couldn’t choose a favorite Beatles song. One day it clicked. This song is my all time favorite song. It’s so amazing!!!

[@steveneardley7541]

"Turn you on" was the way everybody talked about getting high on pot or acid. Leary borrowed it; he didn't invent it. This is the first psychedelic song the Beatles did. Pink Floyd came out with See Emily Play a couple of years later (1969). Paul McCartney was a big fan of Pink Floyd from the get-go.

[@pnwtn]

See Emily Play was released as a single in the UK about three weeks after Sgt. Pepper was released, in 1967, so it was very much of the same era.

[@mortimerbustos4487]

You have delivered the nest reaction to this masterpiece ever.

[@neilmartin99]

The song which had people in the 1960's manually turning their turntables backwards to hear the rumored hidden messages.

[@SyedRewinds]

yh like the fact that Paul is dead...

[@lexdunn4160]

Ringo's drumming on this was spectacular

[@taxman67000]

May'be the most important "pop song" of the 60's! By the way i like your channel a lot

[@SyedRewinds]

Thanks Greg! I can totally see how this was a trail blazer of a song, its so forward thinking

[@shannonbolden1174]

Tara Browne was a London-based Irish socialite and heir to the Guinness family fortune. His December 1966 death in a car crash was an inspiration for the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life".

[@Thorrson7]

Aahhg! You were SO CLOSE! haha It was a DREAM! First verse, he's dreaming. Alarm bell rings and McCartney "wakes up". Then it's back to the dream as Maccartney says "and I fell into a dream", but as you said, It's slightly more positive, as it's ANOTHER dream! And then the crescendo.....then the piano "blast" and now YOU (the listener!) "wakes up"! Haha It's fucking BRILLIANT! And whitin this simple surface level meaning, yes, you may include other meaning that you mentioned! I love your interpretation bro! Good stuff! 👍👏👏👏👏👏

[@thesilverhawaiian5024]

"Strawberry fields forever" is a bangerrr, you got a new sub m8

[@SyedRewinds]

Thanks for the comment and suggestion! Appreciate it mate

[@raymondfarrell6497]

Just discovered you today...well done!! I like how you do the analysis/reaction. Looking forward to checking out some of your other stuff.

[@phoenixrison9693]

Alot of people think this is a song about Paul McCartney. There was a theory that Paul McCartney had died and was replaced with a clone.

[@thomasmontalto7574]

The man who he is referring to that was killed in a car accident was the air to Guinness.

[@jaytravtulsa1]

His father was in government, he was a frivolous London party boy.

[@pbasswil]

What's amazing is that this was made in an _entirely different era:_ The folks running that world were all WW II veterans; and that war had transitioned into a grim world divided into 2 adversaries, Capitalists and Communists. Computers were room-sized boxes run by scientists. Most working woman (only 20% of the work force) were secretaries or nurses; and it was still a disgrace for an unmarried woman to have a baby. The legacy class system in the UK was gradually easing, but society was still very much organized by accent; London's East end was still fairly slum-y. You could still smoke on a plane/train, in the office/theatre/elevator(lift) A different world! And the Beatles were a bit of a bridge between that era, and what we know now.

[@arvopart1950]

From 1966 to 1969 producer George Martin worked intensely with the Beatles. The orchestration in "A day in the life" was most of all his work. They didn't call him the 5th Beatle for nothing. Of course he didn't write the songs but made everything much better.

[@raycornford283]

This album was released at the height of the LSD 'love' era and the whole album is influenced by it. You had to be there to really understand its impact. I first heard it at a party, where we were all a little 'high' on pot. One of the most unforgettable experiences of my life,

[@thenotorioushunter2069]

That sounds cool, those moments in life are so special!

[@LarryNeie-lj7zc]

Ray, you are spot on saying "you had to be there" to actually get it. I was 16 in '67 and listened to this epic composition numerous times trying to digest the multiple levels this song presented.

[@mike-by3zy]

This was recorded at the same studio at the same time Pink Floyd was recording their first record. The 2 bands would check out what each band was up to. They definitely influenced each other. Fascinating stuff.

[@robertbexar7777]

Lennon laughing is about a guy who was a Heineken heir who was in parliament and ran a red light, he had it all and blew it.

[@garybrockie6327]

The Beatles Producer George Martin and Paul McCartney both said that Sargent Pepper’s was an attempt to equal the recent Beach Boys album Pet Sounds. Pet Sounds was almost entirely a solo work by the bands leader at the time Brian Wilson. An early pressing was made available to John Lennon and Paul McCartney for listening sessions and they were bowled over. It’s worth your time to go back and give the ENTIRE Sargent Peppers album and Pet Sounds.

[@scottharper6593]

This is the original “Bohemian Rhapsody” Every great band has one

[@jaewok5G]

the longest single note! the _drumming!_ RINGO; the drum fills; the epic drum fills!!

[@TexasPride62]

I don't know how you see the song so clearly Syed. You got it right all the way.

[@johnfraser5614]

The long piano chord at the end is meant to be heard till ene. It's not just a fade-out. For further incouragements to "turn on" the previous album Revolver has several songs with that theme including a song where they describes an acid trip and some of the music tracks are played backwards. "Come play the game existence to the end, of the beginning, of the beginning ..........

[@suepall5425]

If you notice in the song right after John sings "I just had to laugh", Ringo's drum beat is a "bah dum dum" that is commonly heard after jokes... because he didn't know that the light had changed. A lot can be read into that...

[@susanmccormick5460]

This is art, in my opinion, and should be experienced as art. The composition, the arrangement, the flawless drumming by Ringo. Just experience it and try not to be literal. The lyrics are part of an entire sensual experience. Is is a dream that someone wakes up from and suddenly rushes to face reality? Is the Lennon section a trip or being high? McCartney doesn't sound like a child - he's a man rushing to work, grabbing the bus and a smoke. Like a great painting that you sit and ponder to understand your reaction to the artist's work, you need to listen to this song many times. Each time you let it sink in, your reaction becomes clearer. It is art not just in the realm of the lyrics. It is of a piece.

[@teej0813]

Great reaction, Syed. Most of your insights are on point. I'll add a few random thoughts, if that's okay: - Lennon's contribution was the verses. He got the idea from a newspaper article on the death of a politician in a car accident. - McCartney's contributions were: --- I'd love to turn... you... on... --- Bridge ('Woke up... Fell out of bed...') --- The orchestral buildup both before and after the bridge

[@KylieIsOverIt]

Awwww...My KZbin moment of fame. And...I LOVE The Beatles. Thanks brother. This era is so esoteric. Did you notice that every verse had the protagonist paying attention/noticing things that could often be glossed over because they are mundane? (With the MOST mundane song title.) He wants to "turn us on." Force us to engage, to notice the details. Perhaps the dissonant, non-traditionally structured music is there to ensure that we aren't distracted. We HAVE to notice and can't tune it out. Brilliant. I'm female. Name is Danielle. Kyle is my cat. She's also female. ;-) Unsolicited Fun Fact: Female cats with white guy names are the best. Mine: Steve, Fred and Kyle.

[@jamesalexander5623]

My favourite Beatle song is the one I'm listening to at the time!

[@DanielAriasLR]

To be fair, you started the Beatles catalogue on one of the most difficult songs to follow (for a non fan) but have no doubt, you are looking at a classic and a masterpiece (of its time).

[@eliboybherrera7890]

Wdym "of it's time". The music today generally won't come up a masterpiece like this. A day in the life > today's artist whole album.

[@AliasMark69]

The Legendary Bob Dylan "Turned on" The Beatles to Cannabis when they met in 1965, changing music forever. The two greatest song writers Lennon and Dylan created the music that changed the mind and life of millions.

[@remmymafia3889]

Syed is my go to reactor for the Rolling stones no doubt, and his reactions to many others are spot on. He loves to decipher lyrics, and he has his work cut for himself on this doozy. Ever since it's release in '67, people have read so much into these lyrics, including that it pertains to JFK's assassination.

[@coversbyshubham2556]

Quick fact: the final chord is also Apple’s (the tech giant) opening sound on the MacBook. Steve Jobs was a huge Beatles fan.

[@davidspellman2566]

I saw McCartney on The James Corden show. (It was a segment on "Carpool Kerioke" You can watch it on KZbin..VERY cool 💖🙏) They went to all of the places on the Seargent Pepper album: Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, the pubs they used to play and even to Paul's house. Paul said that his part in the song A Day in the Life was exactly what he did many mornings, and he would point out the places he woke up, got out of bed, dragged the comb across his head, etc. Lennon parts were also from reading the newspaper, seeing a film,etc. And no doubt: "I'd love to turn you on" is about LSD. GREAT reaction!

[@elky454]

LOL. The look on your face when the runoff comes on. "Never goose me any other way".

[@happymethehappyone8300]

Total Ear Candy...The Beatles "In My Life"

[@Kieop]

I love your interpretation of the first verse. I think it's important to divorce the art from the artist and appreciate what it is saying to you. Too many Beatles fans are obsessed with authority and source inspiration. They glom onto the fact that this verse was inspired by the article about Tara Browne's death, so they believe that that is what it is about. Yet none of the details from the article are in the song and Paul, himself, who helped with these lyrics believed that it was about a politician who missed the lights b/c he was on a bad acid trip (he's not dead, but it's a scandal). For John this was a commentary song and for Paul it was a drug song. They both wrote it but they had different interpretations. For me, I have a literal narrative interpretation. I believe it is a song about a guy going about his daily routine: A Day in the Life. He rides the bus to work, he reads the paper etc. He reads a story about someone who died in a car crash, not realizing that ironically, this is the last day of his life too. He had a premonition of his death in a dream, but doesn't pay it any mind. He goes to the movies and then on his way home, he is killed and we experience that death from his perspective in his mind through the music. Perhaps it's a bus crash. Perhaps it's the end of the world. Then the last chord is him joining eternity. I consider it a literal death. I believe for Paul, he meant the free form crescendo to be an ego death that is part of an acid trip (I noticed you picked up the bad trip vibe he was laying down. I've never done acid, so that was not how I heard it). Not sure how John saw it -- I've heard it's a war, but for John the first verse is definitely a car crash, not someone "blowing his mind" on drugs, which was Paul's interpretation. But I love your suicide interpretation. I think that may have been my initial reaction as well. An ego death is a kind of suicide too, so perhaps there's a suicidal undertone in Paul's drug trip interpretation as well.

[@krishnamurtiism]

Wow, I never listened to the details of the lyrics before, from adulthood to childhood trip.

[@Stray7]

To answer the question in the video -- Lennon and McCartney didn't often switch verses like this. Usually it's one singing or the other (or George Harrison, in later albums as he got more confidence as a songwriter, and even Ringo Starr on a few of the more whimsical songs like Yellow Submarine or Octopus's Garden), with the rest harmonizing on the chorus. But they frequently experimented and changed things up, especially as they transitioned from a live band to a studio band (which allowed them more space to experiment). You can hear a clear progression when you listen to their stuff in chronological order. In general, Lennon focused more on "darker" stuff, and also tended to write the stranger lyrics, while McCartney went for more accessible "lighter" fare with more pop sensibilities -- this trend carried on into their solo careers. As an aside, that weird bit of repeating noise and gibberish at the very end of the track is something of a relic from the days of records. It was a loop contained in the last groove of the album track, where the needle would sit and pay endlessly if not lifted -- it was designed specifically to be jarring. Heck, a couple of seconds right before it starts, there's a few seconds of a nearly inaudible 15 kilohertz whistle -- you might not hear it, but your dog DEFINITELY will.

[@betsyab121]

Speaking of Timothy Leary...The song Tomorrow Never Knows, which John wrote, was taken in chunks from the writings of Timothy Leary, plus the Tibetan Book of the Dead. It's definitely a MUST HEAR!!

[@johnandrews3151]

John Lennon literally took the lyrics of A Day In The Life from the morning news paper! The BBC banned the song from radio airplay because of the last stanza in the song. They saw it as being critical of the British government!

[@alecspeer]

Pink Floyd was in the studios where the Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper, and, so, yeah, Pink Floyd was influenced by the Beatles.

[@suepall5425]

I grew up in the 60's listening to the Beatles and sometimes if you know all of their songs you get a better feel for their message. I wouldn't go down the rabbit hole of drug use. The title of the song is "A Day In The Life". I imagine (no pun intended) John chuckling and saying "Life is but a dream any way." as he and Paul collaborated on this. I may be right. I may be wrong. That's the beauty of the Beatles' songs. My take was that age old philosophical conundrum, "Is this really happening or am I in a dream?" John liked to point out the common uselessness of things that other people took as imortant. I don't believe he would have laughed at the death of anyone, referring to the man who "blew his brains out at the light, not realizing that the light had changed." But was reacting to the irony in the moment. I think the attitude - "the futility of it all" is pretty representative of our thinking in the late 60's and early 70's after watching the assassinations of all of our heroes, the depressing situation in Vietnam and the constant threat of nuclear war due to the cold war with the Soviet Union (many of our generation had atom bomb drills at school where our teachers had us curl up in a ball beneath our desks and put our hands over our heads!) and of course, you are too young to have experienced the times. Hope this helps a little.

[@user-pb8vc8vp8w]

The man who blew his mind out in a car was the heir to the Guinness empire & was killed in a crash. Lennon was a friend. You cut the end too early.

[@robynmurray7421]

The reference to the bus does not mean he was a kid travelling on a school bus. The Beatles grew up in post war Britain where cars were a luxury for working class families and petrol was rationed. While American teenagers were dancing to songs about driving their dad's cars to the beach, British young people were more likely to be catching a bus or waiting for a bus. Buses play a big part of The Beatles' story. Paul McCartney met George Harrison on a bus and later on, George auditioned for John Lennon on the top of a double decker bus. Penny Lane was where Paul McCartney would change buses on the way to John Lennon's house in Liverpool.

[@glennaustin37]

This song is what the word crescendo was invented for.

[@Terry-dl4nf]

Believe it or not, I was that kid in 1967, just 16 years old. Of course the Beatles were the biggest thing ever, and it was announced that their next album was coming out and could be pre-ordered. So I did, and you can imagine the excitement when Sergeant Peppers was duly delivered to my house by post. Just as you say in your video, it blew my fuckin mind, and It was A Day in the Life that I will always remember as being the most incredible song I had ever heard ... there had never been anything even remotely like it before. To this day, it gives me goose bumps as I remember hearing it for the first time, 55 year ago!