“Strawberry Fields Forever” from Magical Mystery Tour
Equal time here for a critically acclaimed Beatles song, one that some critics have described as a masterpiece. “Strawberry Fields Forever,” written by John Lennon, was on the other side of the double-A-sided 45 with Paul McCartney’s “Penny Lane” when it was initially released in 1967, and then included on the Magical Mystery Tour album. It was based on Lennon’s recollections of playing as a child on the grounds of Strawberry Fields, the Salvation Army home for children in Liverpool.
Lennon crafted the song during the six weeks that he was on the set for a small part in Richard Lester’s film How I Won the War. With the help of LSD to give the song its psychedelic tone, Lennon referred to “Strawberry Fields” as psychoanalysis set to music, a look inside the real him, including some of his significant insecurities. For example, in David Sheff’s Lennon biography All We are Saying Lennon reflected:
John Lennon on Strawberry Fields Forever
“No one I think is in my tree.” Well, what I was trying to say in that line is “Nobody seems to be as hip as me, therefore I must be crazy or a genius.” It’s the same problem as I had when I was five: There is something wrong with me because I seem to see things other people don’t see. Am I crazy, or am I a genius?… What I’m saying, in my insecure way, is “Nobody seems to understand where I’m coming from. I seem to see things in a different way from most people.”
In the studio, some elaborate instrumentation accompanied Lennon’s introspection: all four of the Beatles played additional percussion instruments in addition to their guitars and drums, as did some Beatles assistants. Four trumpet players and three cellists contributed as well. And John Lennon and Paul McCartney each played a mellotron, a keyboard instrument that played tape loops and could mimic musical instruments. For this song, the mellotron’s flute sounds were accessed.
Knowing Where We Came From
“Strawberry Fields” began and ended with the mellotron and was dreamy/avant-garde/psychedelic in tone, with a false ending followed seconds later by cacophonous swirly-sounding mellotron, trumpet, and snare. John said this was one of the favorite songs that he wrote.
Knowing where we came from – and where we’re going, together – is worthwhile. Be smart, be safe, be well.
Get Tim’s great book looking at the meanings behind Beatles songs:
When We Find Ourselves in Times of Trouble: The Beatles: All Their Songs with Encouraging Words for Challenging Times
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This book addresses all the songs of the Beatles, from their earliest demos to Abbey Road, in a conversational, accessible format. Special attention is devoted to the band’s creative process and its influence on and synergistic relationship with the culture at large. The book’s genesis was the author’s hope that a daily Beatles song could provide a brief respite from the significant stress and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and beyond that, from the challenges of any personally difficult time – our times of trouble.
