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In the studio
I remember saying to George Martin, 'I want a very clean recording.' I was into clean sounds - maybe a Beach Boy influence at that point.
Anthology
The recording of Penny Lane began on 29 December 1966. Working alone, McCartney recorded six takes of piano chords to form the song's basis.
He then overdubbed another piano, fed through a Vox amplifier, and then another recorded at half speed. A tambourine was also added during this second overdub. Onto the fourth track of the tape McCartney then added some high-pitch notes from a harmonium, and finally a series of percussive effects including cymbal crashes.
The following day McCartney recorded his lead vocals, with John Lennon providing backing. They returned to the song on 4 January 1967, when Lennon added a piano track, McCartney more vocals, and George Harrison lead guitar. McCartney's vocals were replaced the following day.
On 6 January a track was recorded featuring McCartney on bass, Lennon playing rhythm guitar and Ringo Starr on drums. Lennon then overdubbed congas, before the tracks were mixed down to free up new tracks. They then recorded handclaps, Lennon and George Martin added piano overdubs, and Lennon, Martin and McCartney sang 'scat' vocals where the brass would later be overdubbed.
The brass was added on 9 January: four flutes, two trumpets, two piccolos and a flugelhorn. The following day The Beatles added harmony vocals, and the ringing of a handbell whenever the fireman or his engine appeared in the lyrics.
On 12 January two trumpets, oboes, cor anglais and a double bass were overdubbed. The song was then left until 17 January, when the final touch was added. This was the song's distinctive piccolo trumpet, played by David Mason, who McCartney had seen performing Bach's Brandenburg Concerto on BBC Two on 11 January.
Mason was paid £27 10s for his work which, in the absence of any prepared notation, he helped McCartney and Martin write and arrange.
We spent three hours working it out. Paul sang the parts he wanted, George Martin wrote them out, I tried them. But the actual recording was done quite quickly.
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn
Mason recorded two overdubs, the solo, and the flourish towards the song's close which appeared on early US pressings of the single (and later on Anthology 2). And with that, recording on Penny Lane was complete.
Although Paul seemed to be in charge, and I was the only one playing, the other three Beatles were there too. They all had funny clothes on, candy-striped trousers, floppy yellow bow ties etc. I asked Paul if they'd been filming because it really looked like they had just come off a film set. John Lennon interjected: 'Oh no mate, we always dress like this!'
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn
Chart success
Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever was released in February 1967. In Britain it was housed in a limited edition picture sleeve, unusual in the 1960s.
The only reason that Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane didn't go onto the new album was a feeling that if we issued a single, it shouldn't go onto an album. That was a crazy idea, and I'm afraid I was partly responsible. It's nonsense these days, but in those days it was an aspect that we'd try to give the public value for money.The idea of a double a-side came from me and Brian, really. Brian was desperate to recover popularity, and so we wanted to make sure that we had a marvellous seller. He came to me and said, 'I must have a really great single. What have you got?' I said, 'Well, I've got three tracks - and two of them are the best tracks they've ever made. We could put the two together and make a smashing single.' We did, and it was a smashing single - but it was also a dreadful mistake. We would have sold far more and got higher up the charts if we had issued one of those with, say, When I'm Sixty-Four on the back.
Anthology
Remarkably, although it was arguably The Beatles' strongest single, it failed to top the UK singles chart. Although sales were on a par with other Beatles singles, and it received much airplay across radio stations, it was held off by Engelbert Humperdinck's Release Me. It did, however, top the charts in the US and most other countries in which it was issued.
It was pretty bad, wasn't it, that Engelbert Humperdinck stopped Strawberry Fields Forever from getting to number one? But I don't think it was a worry. At first, we wanted to have good chart positions, but then I think we started taking it for granted. It might have been a bit of a shock being number two - but then again, there were always so many different charts that you could be number two in one chart and number one in another.
Anthology
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Related articles:
- UK single release: Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever
- US single release: Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever
- Recording, mixing, editing: When I'm Sixty-Four, Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane
- Struggling Penny Lane businesses ask for help
- Filming: Strawberry Fields Forever
Where can we hear Penny Lane with the original trumpet ending ?
Hi Barbara. Have a listen to the mix on Anthology 2 - it can be heard at the end of that.
You can also hear it on the version released on Capitol's "Rarities" LP, released sometime in the seventies.
That reminds me. I have something for you guys to download.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CCUM0DRY
It's a full true stereo mix where I added the trumpet ending and the English horns on the Middle 8 by using the stereo mix and the out of phase stereo version of Anthology 2. So what do you guys think?
Paul's bass playing brilliance at it's best. The note selection is just incredible. Ranks in my book as one of the best pop tunes ever recorded. It's right up there with God Only Knows by Brian Wilson. For anyone studying melody construction, there is much to learn from this composition. I will never ever get tired of hearing this song.
You're right, Phil, about the bass. Paul remains the only true "lead bass" player in pop music.
'Penny Lane' to all those growing up in the 60's, this 'was' the way we saw life in our own small comunities. We had a girl living down the block named, 'Penny', who just loved this song! How wonderful we thought for a 'Musical Group' to write such an 'every person' song to fit all places, for all times! Such we're 'The Beatles', true heros' to a young generation in search of their 'Voice'. Thank You, Beatles,...Forever!
does anyone know where to find the archway in knole park that the beatles rode through? and what about John Entwistle for a lead bass player in a pop band?
Paul was easily the most prominent bass player in pop music at the time with John Entwistle of the Who and Rick Danko of the Band as the closest competition, in my opinion.
(By the way, I thoroughly recommend Entwistle's first solo album "Smash Your Head Against The Wall"!).
Of course there were other bass players at the time that were consistently solid (especially Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones and Pete Quaife of the Kinks).
Don't see how Rick Danko could really be called prominent in 1967 - a handful of unbilled appearances on Bob Dylan singles would be his only contribution to the pop charts. James Jamerson was the era's most prominent bassist, aside from Berry Gordy's keeping him totally anonymous.
Danko did not have to appear on the pop charts to be a prominent bass player prior to 1968. His work with Dylan on the 1966 world tour speaks for itself.
Sonny Boy Williamson was going to collaborate with the Hawks prior to his untimely death in the mid-sixties.
That is the nature of Danko's credibility.
Nobody's questioning his abilities! I guess it's the word "prominent" we're interpreting differently.
Yes, obviously we are interpreting differently.
I believe "influential" is a better word, especially for James Jamerson, in relation to his singular inspiration to so many well known bass players.
After all, how could James Jamerson be "the era's most prominent bassist" and be "totally anonymous" at the same time?
OK: it's his playing, his sound, his influence that were prominent, and not the man himself, except in retrospect.
I've not written a blog post on the shooting of the Penny Lane video yet, but the archway can be seen here. You can see where the dust path goes under the arch in the middle of the map - the sun is casting a shadow of the arch.
“Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of a queen
He likes to keep his fire engine clean
It’s a clean machine”
The English is not my native language. I have found in the Dictionary of the English military slang that “an hourglass” means a thin waist synched by the belt. This would fit better with the character of the Fireman. Can anybody who’s native language is English confirm that?
Not quite. An hourglass is a glass timing device with two chambers and a narrow bit in the middle. There's a picture and explanation here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hourglass
An 'hourglass figure' is when a woman has wide hips and a thin waist, and derives from the shape of the hourglass. The fireman in Penny Lane had the timing device in his pocket, not the woman's figure!
Joe, you are not right. Hour glass in the fireman's pocket? No, we only know about the portrait of a Queen. But thank you for the explanation based on female body geometry. I like it.
"Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
AND in his pocket is a portrait of a Queen
He likes to keep his fire engine clean
It's a clean machine"
I don't know if anyone is aware of the death of David Mason, the trumpeter who played the famous trumpet solo on Penny Lane. He was 84. When he was called for the recording he was playing for the London Symphonic Orchestra and didn't know who The Beatles were. Paul had seen him play on TV The Brandemburg Concerto, by Bach. He thought of using a trumpet played in that style, told George Martin about it and this guy was called. There was no written chart for it, so Paul sang the melody he wanted played, Martin wrote, Mason played two takes, and it was done. He got payed $45.00. Although he played for the LSO for 30 years or so, he was most famously known for his part on Penny Lane.
Thank you, Mr. Mason. RIP.
Does anyone where I can find a version of Penny Lane where the trumpet solo is heard in the middle and at the end?
Lovely, beautiful track on every level - one of my fav's. One of two great McCartney's Beatle tracks where the lyrics absolutely shine! (My post for "Eleanor Rigby" -- regarding the lyrics -- pertains here as well:
`Indeed, this track is quite good. Can we safely assume that Lennon's contribution was rather prodigious, based on the banality of McCartney's post-1970 lyrics?').