Worst Beatles song on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

To me, the pastiche quality and retro song forms are a big part of what this album is about. It's really a kind of intergenerational dialogue as well as a look at quotidian life from a psychedelic perspective. Unlike a lot of music of the time which had a kind of Us vs. Them mentality, Paul McCartney finds a way to speak to the older generation in an accepting tone, while throwing in this subtle critique of them as well.

This is where the universal appeal of the album comes from: on the one hand it has lots of nice songs that invite in the non-hip rather than antagonize and alienate them, but if you do happen to see yourself as "cool", you can listen to Sgt. Pepper with the sense that you really know what it's about.

So on 64, you get this sweet song with lots of sentimental qualities, but at the same time you can aprehend the large degree of irony that goes into a line like "We shall scrimp and save" as sung by one of the most successful pop stars of all time.

Likewise, Lovely Rita can be seen as this cute song about a fling in swinging London or it could be taken as a sort of deflating of authority figures as personified by the meter maid who represents power manifested at its most trivial level.

She's Leaving Home is maybe the apex of this strategy as it truly portrays both sides of tthe story in a very sympathetic manner. We experience the grief of the parents at losing their daughter, but much of their inner thoughts and rationalizations come across as extremely selfish. Likewise, we can congratulate the girl for gaining her freedom, but she has selfish motivations too: she just wants to have "fun". The divide between parents and child neatly encapsulates the kind of issues that were building up at the time, but it doesn't give either side an easy answer.

By the way, is that a bong-hit in the Rita coda?

XP- Martin, according to his book about the album, regrets not using Strawberry Fields OR Penny Lane as an A-side and Sixty-Four as the B-side as opposed to releasing a double A-side, which he believed split the vote and ended the Beatles' streak of #1's.

I like most of these songs and agree that it's mostly McCartney's album, with Lennon becoming more and more disinterested. I mean, John's lyrics on Good Morning basically sum up where he's at. And though the best song is A Day in the Life, I feel its mind-blowing production is mainly due to Macca and Martin.

To me Revolver is superior as are a number of their other albums but it's still a fine Beatles' record with perhaps their crowning achievement on it. I mean, I wonder what Davies or Townshend or Wood or McGuinn and Crosby thought when they first heard Day in the Life. To me, it seems so advanced and beyond what most of the competition could even imagine. I don't know, maybe I'm being hyperbolic...

Anyway, I'm voting for George's tuneless, meandering dirge as the worst and as stated above, it really does make five minutes feel like ten or twenty...

I don't even think of these guys as the competition any more (Wood?) - if there's one thing the whole remasters hype has nailed, it's in making the Beatles seem totally sui generis

Like Revolver, I love this one unresevedly and decline to vote. Only had time to skim Skic's major post but can tell it's a good'un; look forward to reading it (and the thread) in full later.

the real competition was Brian Wilson, gimme a fucking break

I disagree about A Day in the Life. The production could have been left off entirely and it still would have been the best track. It has you right from the way John sings the first line. Actually when you think about it ADITL and the early SFF demos kind of sound the safe. Acoustic, introspective, with similar chords and all..

by production i mean orchestra. That's a damn fine backing track performance. Mystical, even.

POLL RESULTS

When I'm Sixty-Four
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
Good Morning Good Morning
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Within You Without You
Fixing a Hole
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
With a Little Help from My Friends
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Lovely Rita
She's Leaving Home
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
Getting Better
A Day in the Life

"I wonder what Davies or Townshend or Wood or McGuinn and Crosby thought when they first heard Day in the Life. To me, it seems so advanced and beyond what most of the competition could even imagine."

Consider these:

"Waterloo Sunset" is a song released as a single by The Kinks in 1967, and featured on their album Something Else by the Kinks. [released in May 1967, before Pepper]

"A Quick One, While He's Away" is a 1966 medley written by Pete Townshend and recorded by The Who for their album A Quick One.

"Eight Miles High" is a song written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, and David Crosby, first released as a single in March 1966 by the rock band The Byrds.

Regarding Roy Wood (I take it he's the Wood you're thinking of): I agree that "Night of Fear" and "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" don't compare especially well.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Within You Without You
Fixing a Hole
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Damn that vote split.

getting better will not finish second-bottom

I don't consider waterloo, quick one or eight miles high in the same league. waterloo sunset's one of my favorite songs, but it's basically just a really pretty pop song. eight miles high is pretty trippy for its day, but it's nowhere as menacing as the end of DITL.

These are the threads that finally give my third sb to a certain hongro. i'm sure he'll settle for a bronze though, the reward is the same.

I think that Buffalo Springfield's "Broken Arrow" was largely a response to "Day In The Life" ...

xpost Geir is inoffensive and people need to stop obsessively bullying him.

Geir is inoffensive

you need to check the "Ringo Starr: Luckiest Man Alive?" thread

Yeah, I guess what I'm saying is... why bother w/ him? You're just perpetuating it.

Dude has annoyed me enough times that I felt like Sb'ing. A lot of people, myself most probably included, have got sb'ed for less. I guess mentioning it was the mistake.

I unashamedly love this album. As has been said upthread, this is probably the most 'Paul' album, but I don't think that's a bad thing. He's responsible for some awful twee crap at times, but not here. I really like 'When I'm 64' and 'She's Leaving Home'. As for the weakest track, well... I don't think there's anything *really* bad on this album, but 'Within You, Without You' is a bit meandering, and 'Good Morning, Good Morning' is a bit jarring, but the worst one (and I can't believe no one else has gone for this) is 'With A Little Help From My Friends'. Ringo should never sing. I might be haunted/influenced by the Wet Wet Wet version, though.

Oh, and I'd never noticed that weird rolling 'r' thing in "Grandchildren on your knee" until I read this thread.

X-post First off, I happen to rate Roy Wood very highly for both his rocking psych-pop (Fire Brigade, Night of Fear) and his trippy whimsical tunes (Flowers in the Rain, The Girl Outside). Obviously in hindsight the Move pale enormously in terms of influence, importance, and admittedly even innovation to the Beatles but I don't know, I guess I just consider them one of the sharpest British bands making records in the late 1960s. An awe-inspiring run of singles really.

And of course I love those tunes mentioned by the Kinks and the Who and the Byrds but none sound so singular and massive as Day in the Life to me. I was more or less trying to imagine if those bands were all like, "HOLY SHIT" or rather, "Whatever, artsy bullshit, etc." I guess maybe I just need to get some sleep...

Also, I realize Wilson was the Beatles main competition, I guess I'm just not as interested in his reaction to it for whatever reason. My timeline may be wrong but I thought Smile had been scrapped and Wilson had really lost touch by the time Pepper came out. (But maybe it was WHEN Pepper came out...)

definitely not With a Little Help from My Friends

'with a little help from my friends' is one of my favorite songs on here, definitely my favorite ringo-sung tune

Also, I realize Wilson was the Beatles main competition, I guess I'm just not as interested in his reaction to it for whatever reason. My timeline may be wrong but I thought Smile had been scrapped and Wilson had really lost touch by the time Pepper came out. (But maybe it was WHEN Pepper came out...)

There a notorious moment when Wilson was riding in the car with (damn, I forget who now), and they hear Strawberry Fields for the first time. Brian pulled over and wept, just saying "they beat me to it".

^Does anybody really do that? You'd think hearing a great new song on the radio would make you want to drive faster & rock the neighborhood.

Depends on the music I guess.

I can only remember doing that once, when in a thick fog, early morning, not another car in sight. Laura Veirs' 'Through December' came on and I was just baffled and speechless from the very first notes on. It hit home hard and I had to park the car right there and then.

also, need it be mentioned that Brian Wilson is a weird dude?

Depends on the music I guess.

I can only remember doing that once, when in a thick fog, early morning, not another car in sight. Laura Veirs' 'Through December' came on and I was just baffled and speechless from the very first notes on. It hit home hard and I had to park the car right there and then.

― young depardieu looming out of void in hour of profound triumph (Le Bateau Ivre), Saturday, September 26, 2009 4:15 PM (23 minutes ago)

you guys most likely aren't one of the handful of genius pop-rock composers vying for immortality when that song comes on the radio, just guessin'

What gave it away?

I meant to reference Josefa's comment about who would pull over when they first heard SFF...Brian Wilson would!

I was so awed that I pulled over once too - not to weep, I just needed not to be doing anything else for those few minutes. I wish I could remember what song it was.

I've heard that said of "When A Man Loves A Woman" (Percy Sledge), probably mentioned in Guralnick's Sweet Soul Music, but not sure who was the driver moved/gobsmacked enough to pull over.

Maybe the tears welling in Brian Wilson's eyes made it difficult to drive.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Compared w/ "Tomorrow Never Knows" esp., "Lucy in the Sky w/ Diamonds" is a fairly rote paean to LSD imo. Still pretty awesome, mind, but I think it is the weakest spot. It took me about five days to make this decision.

Voted Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds because it's fucking shit.

― Alba, Thursday, September 24, 2009 9:34 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^^^ this

Lucy In The Sky has an awesome bassline throughout, and Lennon's vocals come close to defining classic .. also the three drum hits before the chorus are ass kicking every time. So yeah, sure, fucking shit.. You got it.

"lucy in the sky" is not actually a "paean to LSD," as lennon said about a million times.

i always thought the rather thumping, obvious chorus of that song was a real letdown after the dreamy, evocative verses.

me too. sounds like they had an stray annoying mccartney chorus lying about and decided to plaster it on.

Yeah, cos Lennon would never write an annoying lyric.

Yeah George Martin always said the chorus was a letdown after hearing the verses too.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

wau, title track hate! I don't ever listen to it independently of the rest of the album, but it + the reprise are what I look forward to when I do.

confused as to how getting better managed pretty much the same number as day in the life o_O

disgusted by how many people voted for She's Leaving Home which is the best song on the record.

yeah, something smells fishy...is it me or are the results not seeming to reflect the comments that precede them? hmmm......

Moodles post upthread about "64" deserves an OTM.

disgusted by how many people voted for She's Leaving Home which is the best song on the record.

^^^^^^^

confused as to how getting better managed pretty much the same number as day in the life o_O

listening tip: listen to "Getting Better" on headphones