“Yellow Submarine” (McCartney – August 8, 1966)
Yellow Submarine – Side 1, Track 1 (2:40)
1963 – 10.00-12.00am. BBC's 'Saturday Club' broadcast (recorded 22 January 1963).
"Yellow Submarine" is a 1966 song by the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney), with lead vocals by Ringo Starr. It was included on the Revolver album and issued as a single, coupled with "Eleanor Rigby". The single went to number 1 on every major British chart, remained at number 1 for four weeks and charted for 13 weeks. It won an Ivor Novello Award "for the highest certified sales of any single issued in the UK in 1966".
It became the title song of the 1968 animated United Artists film, also called Yellow Submarine, and the soundtrack album to the film, released as part of the Beatles' music catalog.
It became the title song of the 1968 animated United Artists film, also called Yellow Submarine, and the soundtrack album to the film, released as part of the Beatles' music catalog.
History –
Written by Paul one night in the summer of 1966 while lying in bed and thinking of making a children's song. It was almost immediately decided that Ringo should sing the lead, since he was thought of by fans as the most lovable group member. To that end, Paul purposefully kept the words and the melody simple. A deceptively simple song, it tells the story of a group of sailors and their idyllic life in the ship of the title.
Folk singer Donovan, with whom McCartney had just begun a friendship, suggested the "sky of blue and sea of green" lyric; John Lennon helped put some slight (and unknown) finishing lyrical touches.
Folk singer Donovan, with whom McCartney had just begun a friendship, suggested the "sky of blue and sea of green" lyric; John Lennon helped put some slight (and unknown) finishing lyrical touches.
The single's sonic effects -- recorded in a separate session on June 1 -- were created in a variety of ways. John blew bubbles through a straw and into a pan of water; Paul and John talked through cans to give the impression of submarine chatter; John spoke through the back of his Vox amp in order to sing along with the final verse; John Skinner and Terry Condon of Abbey Road Studios swirled chains in a bathtub to create the "ocean," and the session's invited musical guests, in addition to singing along with the chorus, created a "party" atmosphere around it all. Finally, engineer Geoff Emerick came up with a recording of a brass band in the EMI vaults and subtly altered it to obscure its source. (This can be heard after the line "and the band begins to play"; it has possibly been identified as a recording of Georges Krier and Charles Helmer's 1906 composition "Le Reve Passe.")
This is generally considered the "a-side" of the Beatles "Yellow Submarine" / "Eleanor Rigby" single, although neither side was designated as such, simply because of the order on the front of the 45 sleeve and how the single was stocked. (In the UK, both sides of the single charted as one, which was common practice.)
There are some variations in the mix on this single, more prominent than on some other Beatles releases. Specifically, the repetition of lines in the last verse by John starts a bit earlier in stereo ("life of ease") than the original mono ("every one of us"). A reduction of stereo into mono was also done in 1969 for the Yellow Submarine soundtrack.
This is generally considered the "a-side" of the Beatles "Yellow Submarine" / "Eleanor Rigby" single, although neither side was designated as such, simply because of the order on the front of the 45 sleeve and how the single was stocked. (In the UK, both sides of the single charted as one, which was common practice.)
There are some variations in the mix on this single, more prominent than on some other Beatles releases. Specifically, the repetition of lines in the last verse by John starts a bit earlier in stereo ("life of ease") than the original mono ("every one of us"). A reduction of stereo into mono was also done in 1969 for the Yellow Submarine soundtrack.
Composition –
McCartney was living in Jane Asher's parents' house when he found the inspiration for the song: "I was laying in bed in the Ashers' garret... I was thinking of it as a song for Ringo, which it eventually turned out to be, so I wrote it as not too rangey in the vocal, then started making a story, sort of an ancient mariner, telling the young kids where he'd lived. It was pretty much my song as I recall... I think John helped out. The lyrics got more and more obscure as it goes on, but the chorus, melody and verses are mine." The song began as being about different colored submarines, but evolved to include only a yellow one.
In 1980, Lennon talked about the song: "'Yellow Submarine' is Paul's baby. Donovan helped with the lyrics. I helped with the lyrics too. We virtually made the track come alive in the studio, but based on Paul's inspiration. Paul's idea. Paul's title... written for Ringo." Donovan added the words, "Sky of blue and sea of green". McCartney also said: "It's a happy place, that's all. You know, it was just... We were trying to write a children's song. That was the basic idea. And there's nothing more to be read into it than there is in the lyrics of any children's song."
In 1980, Lennon talked about the song: "'Yellow Submarine' is Paul's baby. Donovan helped with the lyrics. I helped with the lyrics too. We virtually made the track come alive in the studio, but based on Paul's inspiration. Paul's idea. Paul's title... written for Ringo." Donovan added the words, "Sky of blue and sea of green". McCartney also said: "It's a happy place, that's all. You know, it was just... We were trying to write a children's song. That was the basic idea. And there's nothing more to be read into it than there is in the lyrics of any children's song."
Recording –
Produced by George Martin and engineered by Geoff Emerick, "Yellow Submarine" was finished after five takes on 26 May 1966, in Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios, with special effects being added on 1 June 1966. George Martin drew on his experience as a producer of comedy records for Beyond the Fringe and The Goon Show, providing an array of zany sound effects to create the nautical atmosphere. On the second session the studio store cupboard was ransacked for special effects, which included chains, a ship's bell, tap dancing mats, whistles, hooters, waves, a tin bath filled with water, wind and thunderstorm machines, as well as a cash register, which was later used on Pink Floyd's song "Money".
Lennon blew through a straw into a pan of water to create a bubbling effect, McCartney and Lennon talked through tin cans to create the sound of the captain's orders, at 1:38-40 in the song, Ringo stepped outside the doors of the recording room and yelled like a sailor acknowledging "Cut the cable! Drop the cable!", which was looped into the song afterwards, and Abbey Road employees John Skinner and Terry Condon twirled chains in a tin bath to create water sounds. After the line, "and the band begins to play", Emerick found a recording of a brass band and changed it slightly so it could not be identified, although it is thought to be a recording of Georges Krier and Charles Helmer's 1906 composition, "Le Rêve Passe". The original recording had a spoken intro by Starr, but the idea was abandoned on 3 June 1966.
When the overdubs were finished, Evans strapped on a marching bass drum and led everybody in a line around the studio doing the conga dance whilst banging on the drum.
"Yellow Submarine" was mixed on 2 and 3 June, and finished on 22 June 1966.
Takes: 5
Personnel
John Lennon – Harmony vocals, rhythm guitar (1964 Gibson J160E)
Paul McCartney – Harmony and background vocals, bass guitar (1964 Rickenbacker 4001S), rhythm guitar (1964 Epiphone FT-79 "Texan")
George Harrison – Harmony vocals, tambourine
Ringo Starr – Lead vocals, drums (Ludwig), maracas
Mal Evans – Bass drum, backing vocals
Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Geoff Emerick, Patti Harrison, Brian Jones, Marianne Faithfull, Alf Bicknell, John Skinner, Terry Condon – Backing vocals
Alf Bicknell – Sound effects (rattling chains)
Brian Jones – Backing vocal, sound effects (clinking glasses)
Paul McCartney – Harmony and background vocals, bass guitar (1964 Rickenbacker 4001S), rhythm guitar (1964 Epiphone FT-79 "Texan")
George Harrison – Harmony vocals, tambourine
Ringo Starr – Lead vocals, drums (Ludwig), maracas
Mal Evans – Bass drum, backing vocals
Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Geoff Emerick, Patti Harrison, Brian Jones, Marianne Faithfull, Alf Bicknell, John Skinner, Terry Condon – Backing vocals
Alf Bicknell – Sound effects (rattling chains)
Brian Jones – Backing vocal, sound effects (clinking glasses)
Release –
The "Yellow Submarine" single was the Beatles' thirteenth single release in the United Kingdom. It was released in the UK on 5 August as a 'double A side' with "Eleanor Rigby", and in the United States on 8 August. The Revolver album was released the next day.
As recorded, Lennon repeats Starr's line of "A life of ease" as he does with all subsequent lines in the final verse. This line can be heard on the single, Yellow Submarine Songtrack and Real Love single release, but in all other releases, the line is missing.
Reception –
The single went to number 1 on every major British chart, remained at number 1 for four weeks and charted for 13 weeks. It won an Ivor Novello Award for the highest certified sales of any single issued in the UK in 1966. No promotional film clip was made, so some TV programs (including the BBC's Top of the Pops) created their own clips from stock footage.
In the United States, the single reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 1 in Record World, and number 2 in Cashbox, where it was held off number 1 by The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love". The single was released during the controversies about the "Butcher Cover" (the Yesterday and Today album cover) and Lennon's remarks about Christianity, which are cited as part of the reason the song failed to reach number 1 on all US charts. It sold 1,200,000 copies in four weeks and earned the Beatles their twenty-first US Gold Record award, beating the record set by Elvis Presley.
In the United States, the single reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 1 in Record World, and number 2 in Cashbox, where it was held off number 1 by The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love". The single was released during the controversies about the "Butcher Cover" (the Yesterday and Today album cover) and Lennon's remarks about Christianity, which are cited as part of the reason the song failed to reach number 1 on all US charts. It sold 1,200,000 copies in four weeks and earned the Beatles their twenty-first US Gold Record award, beating the record set by Elvis Presley.
Trivia –
In keeping with the original children's story theme, the original recording featured a spoken intro by Ringo, which was discarded on June 3.
More of a homage to the group than an actual Beatles film, the animated film Yellow Submarine, which premiered in 1969, was based in part on this song, which is featured in the opening credits. Although the Beatles helped produce this film, they only appear in a cameo near the end. Nevertheless, it remains a fan and critical favorite.
The Beatles had taken to creating video clips for their previous two singles, but when no such promotional short was forthcoming for this song, several outlets including BBC's Top Of The Pops simply went ahead and made their own featuring stock footage -- much like YouTube users do today.
This was the first Beatles song to create public rumors about a hidden drug culture subtext; supposedly the title referred to yellow Nembutol (Darvon) capsules, which, since they were depressants or "downers," were called "submarines." However, it's generally believed that the association came about after the release of the single. McCartney denies any connection.
The fact that this song missed the Number One spot in America is sometimes attributed to certain controversies swirling around the group at the time, namely, the appearance of the "Butcher Cover" (June 15), and John's infamous "Bigger Than Jesus" comment (July 31). However, this seems speculative at best, since the song did make it to Number Two, and was beat out by the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love," arguably an equally deserving song.
This was an early source of clues for some "Paul is Dead" enthusiasts, who claimed that a "Yellow Submarine" was a coffin sailing under a "sky of blue" in a "sea of green" grass. However, since this single's release predates the accepted "crash date" of November 9, 1966, most serious PIDers don't consider it canon.
Today in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) January 26 –
1963 – 10.00-12.00am. BBC's 'Saturday Club' broadcast (recorded 22 January 1963).
1966 – "We Can Work It Out", 8th and last week in the Top 10 (UK New Musical Express chart).
– "Rubber Soul" number 1, 8th week (UK New Musical Express chart).
1969 – Apple Studios. Time unknown. Recording: "Dig It" (version 2); "Shake Rattle And Roll"; "Kansas City"; "Miss Ann"; "Lawdy Miss Clawdy"; "Blue Suede Shoes"; "You Really Got A Hold On Me"; "Tracks Of My Tears"; "Let It Be"; "George's Demo" (working title of "Isn't It A Pity"); "Let It Be"; "The Long And Winding Road". Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Glyn Johns; 2nd Engineer: Neil Richmond. – Visit at the studio: Heather Eastman.– The idea of the performance on the Apple roof is conceived. This day's "Let It Be" sequence shows that Ringo composed 'Octopus's Garden' during this period.
1970 – Morning: John composes "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)".
Ringo and Maureen fly from London to the US to attend the 'The Magic Christian' premiere.
UK single release: "My Sweet Lord".
Ringo and Maureen fly from London to the US to attend the 'The Magic Christian' premiere.
UK single release: "My Sweet Lord".
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