After the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein died of an apparent drug overdose, the Beatles took a few years off. They hid from the public for a while, grew beards, and each pursued individual endeavors (with the possible exception of Ringo, who never changed much).
They had already made the decision to stop touring, saying that it was counterproductive to the music. When the Beatles played live, they could barely hear themselves over the screaming hordes of fans, and the schedule interfered with their ability to write new music in peace.
After a few years hiatus, Paul McCartney had an idea. Write and record an album that would go "on tour" as proxy for the band. This is arguably the birth of the first rock & roll "concept album."
Most of the songs on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band were written by Paul. John made a few contributions, but seemed to want to hold less influence in the band at this point. Yoko was coming on the scene at this time...
Despite the fact that John was not the main player on Sgt. Pepper's, he was there, alright. In fact, one of the greatest Beatles songs, perhaps one of the greatest songs of all time, was also probably the last composition truly written by both Lennon and McCartney; however, unlike "A Hard Day's Night," where the two teamed up to write a song, this particular song was one on which they wrote their parts separately and merged them on the recording.
As the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise) comes to an end, the "encore" begins to fade in. It is just John Lennon, his guitar and maracas, joined by Paul's piano. The first verse goes like this:
I read the news today, oh boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
A crowed of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if he was from a House of Lords
This is probably one of the greatest lyrical turns in all of music. The words John juxtaposes are simple and powerful, creating a melancholy atmosphere.
"I read the news today, oh boy" is beguiling. You can hear the sad sarcasm in his voice.
"About a lucky man who made the grade" paints a picture of fortune, a person judged to be worthy by his achievements.
"And though the news was rather sad" clues us into the fact that this story may not end so well...
"Well I just had to laugh" lifts us out of the dark mood cast by the last line, as though to showcase the range of human emotion, before we know what really happened.
"I saw the photograph" puts us in his head, behind John's eyes, as we imagine holding a newspaper in our hands, perhaps over morning tea, finding something at least partially recognizable in the picture.
"He blew his mind out in a car" is one of the most interesting turns of phrase, seeming to imply some sort of vehicular suicide; however the phrase, "blew his mind" is also vernacular for a surprising epiphany.
"He didn't notice the lights had changed" leads the listener to think that the mind blowing event might have been a traffic accident, or was it? It could be a metaphor, riding the line that separates reality.
"A crowd of people stood and stared" as people will do when confronted with horror, either physical or mental.
"They'd seen his face before, nobody was really sure if he was from a House of Lords" is the great equalizer. When, in death, at that moment you are as effectual as the most powerful beings who ever existed; that is to say, not at all effectual, not any longer.
The rest of the song develops into a psychedelic trip of orchestral crescendos, alarm clocks, Paul's hurried musings on morning routine and the irony of the world's minutia.
I cannot think of another piece of music that effects me so deeply every time I hear it.
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