While both songs refer to actual locations, McCartney said that the two pieces also had strong surrealistic and psychedelic overtones. Like " Penny Lane", which Paul McCartney wrote in late 1966 in response to Lennon's new song, "Strawberry Fields Forever" conveys nostalgia for the Beatles' early years in Liverpool. Therefore, I must be crazy or a genius – "I mean it must be high or low" . Nobody seems to be as hip as me is what I was saying. The second verse goes, "No one I think is in my tree." Well, I was too shy and self-doubting. Author Steve Turner says that at this stage, Lennon most likely drew inspiration from Nikos Kazantzakis's autobiographical novel Report to Greco, which he was reading in Almería and "tells of a writer searching for spiritual meaning". In the first versions that Lennon committed to tape, in September, there was no reference to Strawberry Field. Working on Lester's film without his bandmates left Lennon feeling vulnerable according to his wife Cynthia, he was also distraught to learn in late October that Alma Cogan, the English singer whom "he'd earmarked to replace Aunt Mimi in his affections", had died in London at the age of 34. The Beatles had just retired from touring after one of their most difficult periods, which included the "more popular than Jesus" controversy and being the target of mob violence in reaction to their unintentional snubbing of Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos. Lennon began writing "Strawberry Fields Forever" in Almería, Spain, during the filming of Richard Lester's How I Won the War in September–October 1966. He could see it from his window … He used to hear the Salvation Army band, and he would pull me along, saying, 'Hurry up, Mimi – we're going to be late.'" Lennon's aunt Mimi Smith recalled: "There was something about the place that always fascinated John. One of Lennon's childhood treats was the garden party held each summer in Calderstones Park, near the home, where a Salvation Army brass band played. Lennon and his friends Pete Shotton, Nigel Walley and Ivan Vaughan used to play in the wooded garden behind the home. Strawberry Field was the name of a Salvation Army children's home close to John Lennon's childhood home in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool. In 1990, a version by the Madchester group Candy Flip became a top-ten hit in the UK and Ireland.Įntrance gates at Strawberry Field, near Lennon's childhood home in Woolton, Liverpool Artists who have covered the song include Richie Havens, Todd Rundgren, Peter Gabriel, Ben Harper, and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs featuring Debbie Harry. In 1996, the discarded first version of the song was issued on the outtakes compilation Anthology 2 in 2006, a new version was created for the remix album Love. After his death, a section of New York's Central Park was named after the song. Lennon viewed "Strawberry Fields Forever" as his finest work with the Beatles. To the band's displeasure, the song was later included on the US Magical Mystery Tour LP. In the United States, "Strawberry Fields Forever" peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The double A-side peaked at number 2 on the Record Retailer chart, thereby breaking the band's four-year run of chart-topping singles in the UK. Instead, with pressure from their record company and management for new product, the group were forced to issue the single, and then adhered to their philosophy of omitting previously released singles from their albums. The song was the first track the Beatles recorded after completing Revolver and was intended for inclusion on their forthcoming Sgt. For the promotional film, the band used experimental techniques such as reverse effects, jump-cuts and superimposition. It features reverse-recorded instrumentation, Mellotron flute sounds, an Indian swarmandal, tape loops and a fade-out/fade-in coda, as well as a cello and brass arrangement by producer George Martin. The final recording combined two of those versions, which were entirely different in tempo, mood and musical key. Starting in November 1966, the band spent 45 hours in the studio, spread over five weeks, creating three versions of the track. Lennon based the song on his childhood memories of playing in the garden of Strawberry Field, a Salvation Army children's home in Liverpool. Its accompanying promotional film is similarly recognised as a pioneering work in the medium of music video. While the song initially divided and confused music critics and the group's fans, it proved highly influential on the emerging psychedelic genre. It represented a departure from the group's previous singles and a novel listening experience for the contemporary pop audience. It was released on 13 February 1967 as a double A-side single with " Penny Lane". " Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. " Strawberry Fields Forever" / " Penny Lane"
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