One thing I seem to find disatisfying about the reactions of all these people who are not familiar with the Beatles is they don't really have any concept about how revolutionary The Beatles music was when it came out. They just don't have any concept and cannot fathom how different they truly were and impactful on the entire planet. That may sound like an exaggeration but it's not.
@@sulatlalaki Looking back-- we as fans didn't realize the scope/impact they were having. Only in hindsight did that all come to realization. We were just caught up in it/the moment and enjoying all their great music as it was released. Same goes for all the great music we've loved over the long years from our youth. It grounds us in who we are and reminds us of what we were. Magical! T
The Beatles tended to never underestimate their audience. This song changed everything. People were baffled. Some were amused. No one could match this. It was total fusion of a pop song into art. The expression on your faces.
You have no idea how influential this album was. It showed the musicians of the time what was possible besides the usual verse, chorus, instrumental interlude chorus verse etc. Pete Townshend, Procol Harum, PINK Floyd, King Crimson all sat up and got to work, creating the explosion in the late 60s and early 70s of creativity and musicianship. The whole album is a masterpiece, considered by many as the greatest alb of all time.
well said, did for music what 2001 did for film, broke all the rules, made it clear that all options were on the table. made it ok to experiment. milestones of the arts. the importance cannot be overstated. people who say they're overrated don't understand history. they influenced people, who influenced people. sure they had their influences too, but this was a tidal wave, game-changer like nothing before, or really, since.
The Beatles were so far ahead of their time, people are still trying to figure out their brilliance. Try Happiness is a warm gun, Helter Skelter, dear Prudence, tomorrow never knows, so many different sounds from a single band!
My uncle was an engineer at EMI. He'd take me to the studio with him. The lads always played pranks on me and I loved every moment of it. When I got older I realized how lucky I was to share that rarified space with these 4 geniuses.
True, a seemingly amazing progression but not really, it's much more difficult to write a pop song and have people love it than a song with metaphor and hidden meanings open to interpretation in many ambiguous ways, they had a solid foundation of genius pop songs, the progression should not come as a surprise.
Like someone said, this was released in 1967!! What is totally unreal about this album is to understand that this album was recorded using 4 track technology - 4 tracks! They took 4 tracks of music and recorded it onto one track, then did it again and again. They created the sound of 16 tracks using 4 track technology. So ahead of their time and most of them were in their mid to late 20s. Boggles the mind to realize how much they changed the recording of music.
The person who “blew his mind out in a car” was a friend of the Beatles. His name was Tara Browne and he was a big part of the London scene in the 60’s. He was driving his Lotus Elan home late one night after a party and speeding. He crashed into a parked truck and died later the next day. He was only 21 and it was a big news story at the time. People had gathered around the car after the accident and someone mentioned to a reporter that showed up that the driver looked like he was a member of the House Of Lords (the equivalent of the Senate in England), which turned out not to be true. The line in the song “I’d love to turn you on” doesn’t mean to turn someone on ina sexual way. In the 60’s lots of people were taking drugs, and to turn someone on means you would like to give them pot or LSD so they could experience it and open their minds. The Beatles began smoking pot when Bob Dylan got them all stoned in August of 1964. They were all daily pot smokers for most of the 60’s, just like Bob Dylan, and it changed music completely. In 1965 John Lennon and George Harrison took LSD, and not long after so did Paul and Ringo. If you listen to their “Rubber Soul” album it’s pretty clear they had discovered weed. And if you listen to 1966’s “Revolver” album it’s clear they had discovered LSD.
Check out the "fake Paul" documentaries on RUclips. Aka William (Billy) Shears. Allegedly Paul McCartney was the one killed and replaced with a double. The Sgt Pepper album cover is apparently one big clue.
And the lyric about everyone turning away from the English Army's win was a reference to the movie, "How I Won the War," which co-starred John Lennon. It did not do well at the box office (everyone turned away), but John "had to look" since he was in it and "read the book," i.e., the script. What John meant with these references in the context of the song is up for interpretation, of course.
It’s two separate songs that they decided to combine. John wrote and sang the first part and Paul wrote and sang the second part. They also had the brilliant idea to have every musician in the orchestra play every note each of their instruments was capable of playing from lowest to highest I believe. That’s the crazy orchestral mix you heard
It was two part songs correct. And John’s part did come from newspaper articles. The car bit and the holes in Blackburn Lancashire anyway. Also, the guy that died in the car was an heir to the Guinness Brewing fortune and known to the Beatles. You had to wait a bit longer for the orchestra crash to finish.
@@jgsheehan8810 Also remember there were rumors being spreading at that time that Paul was dead and the person in car was Paul. and the lyrics held some hidden means.
@@broadway427 No hidden meanings, these were actual articles from the newspaper, about Tara Brown killed in a car accident, he was the heir to the Guinness fortune and a friend of the Beatles. John had just been in a black anti-war comedy film called "HOW I WON THE WAR" where he played Private Gripweed during World War I, so that is a reference to that in the "I saw a film today, oh boy, the ENGLISH army had just WON the WAR." There was an article about how they Blackburn, Lancashire had counted 4,000 pot holes in their roads, also in the newspaper and a copy of that article has been shown on the internet. They added in the "now they know how many holes it takes to fill the ALBERT HALL." ( the concert Hall in London that was named after Prince Albert who was married to Queen Victoria.. She commissioned it to be built and named for her deceased husband who died very young. She stayed in mourning for him until her death many many years later.
The line "went upstairs and had a smoke, somebody spoke and I went into a dream" for me epitomises the feeling of the entire song. It is the transition from normal mundane conscious life to a psychedelic induced state of mind. At least that's the way it seemed back in '67 🗣
The Beatles are arguably the GOATs and most influential bands of all time. They have such an eclectic mix of styles. From the Fab Four early years to the deeply thought out lyrics like Helter Skelter. They’ve got their goofy tunes like Octupus’ Garden and Hey Bulldog. Their are some crazy tunes by way of style like Northern Song which is played in one key and sang in a minor key.
In the day, there was no such music. The Beatles were deep into experimentation with music, and were blessed with extraordinary vision and talent. Sgt. Peppers blew the planet away. It was magic. It still is. The album is to be listened to from start to finish. And, just when you think it's over.....Her Majesty! Gotta listen to understand.
There is no way for you to know how ground breaking this song was for it's time. Nothing like it existed at the time. As far as lyrics go, many times Beatles lyrics made little or no sense to the listener. Now, we have information at our fingertips so finding out if a Beatles song was gibberish, had meaning or was just a good story is easily found. Back in the day it was often a mystery.
Turns out every song they made was purposely made to be dechipered and each song had a deep meaning. Even I am the walrus the songs meaning is, it has no meaning that's genius!
That's the one thing reactors can't capture--the context of how new and rebellious everything rock was doing was at the time. This song also draws attention to the fact that Ringo's an underrated member. The choices around the drumming in this were genius-level unexpected. And that ending is awesome. Also love what we as listeners got out of the producing battle back and forth with Brian Wilson and Pink Floyd etc. over what could be done with even basic electronics in a studio at that time. They were amazing times to be young for.
Remember how back then, a lot of albums came with lyric sheets? We would sit there for *hours* trying to decipher them and debating what they meant. I wonder if anybody does that with modern music today?
There is SO much going on in this song. The man who "blew his mind out in a car" is believed to be Guinness heir, Tara Browne who died in a car crash. His father was a member of the House of Lords ("nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords"). The "film" is a reference to the film "How I Won the War" that was based on the book of the same name, that John had been in. The "crowd of people turned away" is a reference to the bad reviews the film received. Paul's "woke up, got out of bed..." part was a bit of song he'd written but hadn't finished. The "4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire" was an article John read about the bad roads in Blackburn that were full of potholes. Someone in the article commented that they tried counting them and there were so many, they could fill the Albert Hall (a large theater that had a stage for concerts, performances, etc.). The ending has the orchestra going from lowest to highest note again on their respective instruments with a final chord that was created by John, Paul, Ringo, and their roadie, Mal Evans, each playing the same chord simultaneously on pianos, while producer George Martin did the same on a harmonium. The chord was made to ring out for over forty seconds by increasing the recording sound level as the vibration faded out. In addition, there was a tone, similar to a dog whistle that was added to the end. I think you skipped the incomprehensible studio babble that was recorded and looped onto the end; it adds an odd ending. The Beatles were experimental in their song construction and studio techniques, avant-garde in their creativity, and were the first to truly elevate pop music to an art form. Their effect on pop music and pop culture should not be underestimated.
The Sgt. Pepper album was the Beatles answer to Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, who took music up another notch according to McCartney. They knew the Beach Boys had raised the bar, and this album was their answer !!
@@newmoon766 It seemed like, to me, they were pointing out the futility of people wanting to count the holes in either Blackburn or The Albert Hall in the first place. It seems rather pointless.
The Beatles MUST be appreciated in the context of the entire album, it's hard to take out one song. The brilliance is in the entire album. Sgt. Peppers was one of THE most influential albums of all time.
That tsunami of sound was a stroke of Beatle-genius, that they worked hard on. It is a story in itself and George Martin was key to getting Paul & John what they were looking for. Martin tells it in a documentary and gives credit where credit was due. He says it was their idea. Also Ringo's contribution to the bass music via the drum infills and sympathetically supported with Paul's bass playing, is worthy of note here.
It's hard to appreciate how different this song was from a typical pop music offering in 1967... this song (this album... The Beatles) just breaks every rule about writing pop music. It's called innovation, evolution... this song, this album, changes the trajectory of pop music. Anything is possible. After 55 years it's easy to forget how cutting edge this was.
So true James, I was 16 when Sgt Pepper was released and it literally astonished me when I first heard it, all these years later it's easy to take it for granted, but even now when I listen to it I sometimes get a brief reminder of how I felt at the time.
the funny thing about this song is that both John and Paul wrote it. They had each started a song but weren't sure how to finish it, so they wound up putting their bits together. John's part was the beginning and the end. Paul's was the fast part in the middle. The orchestral bits were added later, with space being allowed in the song to accomodate it. If you can ever find it, there is a documentary that talks about how it was recorded.
I was 22 in 1967 and had just hitchhiked from Pennsylvania to San Francisco straight to the Haight. I stood in line at Tower Records at North Beach to get this album on the first day of release…. I still have it ♥️🎼♥️.. You should listen to the entire album…magnificent!
An amazing thing about the Beatles is the incredible variety of songs they put out. If you go through the Beatles A-Z, which you should, there are very few songs that sound the same. A testament to their brilliant songwriting and versatility, and to producer George Martin's creative genius. Keep their songs coming guys!
This song held the record for longest natural sustained chord outro. I don't know if it still holds the record... "Final chord Lennon, McCartney, Starr and Evans shared three different pianos, with Martin(their producer) on a harmonium, and all played simultaneously. The chord was made to ring out for over forty seconds by increasing the recording sound level as the vibration faded out. " The orchestral cacophony held me captive in front of the speakers when I was a child stealing Mom's records. Excellent reaction! xoxo
A core inspiration for the song - specifically John Lennon’s opening sequence, about a man who “blew his mind out in a car” - pertained to the death of Tara Browne, who had died in a car accident on December 18th, 1966. The 21-year-old Browne was the heir to the Guinness fortune and a friend of the Beatles’
The song is supposedly about the death of Paul McCartney. The original apparently died in a car crash in 1966. The Sgt Pepper album cover is full of clues. There are many documentaries on You Tube about the whole " Faul " fake Paul, aka William (Billy) Shears.
Additionally, the end story "4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire" was about a coal mining town that had recently had a huge landslide form the coal slag pile above the town that crashed down on a school, killing hundreds of children and school employees. There wasn't 4,000, but if I remember correctly, there was over 400 lives lost that day in Blackburn. It was a huge international story.
@Joseph Paduano - It might be about Tara Browne but conspiracy theorists believe it is about the original Paul McCartney who died in a car crash and was replaced by William Shepherd (Billy Shears) playing the part of Paul McCartney.
The song came from Lennon reading a newspaper and writing the song round the stories in it. McCartneys middle section was added in. Haunting and marvellous. Like many of Lennon’s songs the words spin a magic spell without really meaning very much in a rational sense. Fifty years on I still love it.
@@nealm6764 Wrong all the young people I know listen to The Beatles they actually prefer that music instead of what's going on today,simply because at that time they actually had real talent,which you needed in order to make it in the music business,that music is timeless,it has nothing to do with a person's age,today's music is missing real artistic talent,unless you consider listening to a computer and beat box music.
@@nealm6764 Ohhh you are SOOOOO wrong!! A LOT of kids are buying this and have done ever since the Beatles broke up. Their music STILL sells today, If you went to The Fest For Beatles Fans held in NYC, Chicago and LA every year (except for the last 2 due to CoVid) and has been held since the early '70s, you would see ALL ages there. It's a 3 day event and 75% of the people that go weren't even born when the Beatles were still together. I have attended the Chicago one 4 times over the years and I am amazed at how many teenagers, kids, people in their 20s, 30s 40s who were not original fans like those of us (including me) who were THERE and experienced the Beatles first hand) You totally underestimate the interest there still is in thei music. There are hundreds of Beatles tribute and cover bands all over the world who play to large audiences and sell out the venue until this day. So you clearly don't know what it is really all about!!
It wasn't a Lennon masterpiece, John himself said this was a true collaboration between himself and Paul. They didn't just sandwich two songs together, it was a work of construction and they worked out together how to build it into a masterpiece. They also wrote the songs third part together (or coda)
Lennon & McCartney & George Martin. I think this is one of the few Beatles songs that truly was a John&Paul collaboration. But this song wouldn’t be so great without the orchestration.
@@robertbrown8362 Sure Paul wrote most of the slower, more emotional songs like Yesterday, For No One and Martha My Dear - but they aren't old lady songs they are heartdelt and are some of the best Beatles songs. Paul is the best beatle in my opinion - and polls in the UK agree
This was a groundbreaking album that used tech never used before. It blew us away back in the day. When I bought this album and listened for the first time I cried because I had never heard anything so beautiful.
So did I Richard, so did I! After the first listen, it was one of the very rare times that the only way to describe what I had just heard was to say that my mind was blown! Nothing else could describe it!
The most influential song (at the time, and probably ever) - it expanded what modern music could try and do. It blew the genre up and led to an amazing growth of music in the late sixties and seventies/eighties when other musicians grew up realising you did not have to stick to the formulaic songs/structures of the 40s/50/s/60s.
exactly! You have to put this against the backround of the music that was prevalant before this to appreciate the directional change this song ushered in.
I’ve mulled over through the years whether they were overrated or not. They weren’t. They absolutely deserve their status in music history. They were the real deal. Legendary, and they did it in such a short period of time.
I used to not like the beatles, they'd give me a headache, they were classics at the time and the only songs the radio ever had of theirs were the same damn..5 or so songs, but then about 15 years back I got into the beatles, found alllllll their stuff that isn't on the radio, the stuff blew my mind, especially when hearing it through headphones, I really don't see how anyone could not like the beatles, their music is great and always will be great, they weren't just some boy band, they really experimented with their stuff and didn't just stick to the 2.5minute poppy songs, and you can't argue they weren't talented when 3/4 of the band went solo and were successful haha
The ironical thing is that the Beatles thought they were over rated. They were constantly trying to improve. I have heard John, macca, George saying those guys were good referring to some other band. They were constantly trying to improve. That is the greatness of this band
Whether you like the beatles or not they changed world music ..black white etc they where the first they copied everyone and brought them along just like bowie just like mozart ripped off bach
One of the greatest songs of the 20th century. You have to view it (listen to it) through the lens of the time. So much that we take for granted musically, was not present at that time. Discordant melody, noise generation, big orchestration in a rock song, these are all ground-breaking musical breakthroughs that the Beatles did first. See it through that lens, and you can begin to appreciate it, I think.
At the end of the song 3 pianos overdubbed 3 times, giving the impression of 9 piano's, hitting the same note at the same time and it reverberated for over 20 seconds. They really started experimenting a lot when they did Sgt. Peppers making it so iconic. Thanks and God Bless.
I always heard and recently too that it was held for over 40 seconds if you turn up your volume as it fades out, you can hear it longer. They did the same thing when they were recording that last chord. Oh, it was NOT NINE pianos. It was 3 pianos shared by John, Paul , Ringo and Mal Evans (their roadie) along with their producer George Martin on a harmonium. They all played an E-major chord simultaneously.
For that final chord, there are some great outtakes on the 50th anniversary box set where they are all trying to hit the chord at exactly the same time, it took about 8 or 9 attempts before they were happy with it but when they did it, you just know they must have been looking at each other thinking, that's the perfect one!
@@zenpuppy6025 NO, it was 3 pianos played by Ringo, Mal Evans (their long time roadie since before they became famous), Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and their producer George Martin on a harmonium. It lasted over 40 seconds
1967. The Beach Boys had just released their Pet Sounds album which was a great album and had some really nice technical advances. They were so excited about the album. Then Sargent Peppers came out and they were blown away along with the rest of the world. The transition from the first two verses to Paul’s bridge was done using the London Symphony. Classical musicians are used to using sheet music and playing to perfection. They had to instruct them to randomly play out of time. Starting on the low E note and playing in half steps to the E octave. They moved several acoustic pianos in the studio and Played an E chord as loud as they could on each one then let them fade. The whole album was full of innovations. In 67 no one had heard anything like it. As a matter of fact many fans didn’t like the new sound at first and it took a while for them to come around. Ironically that helped the album to stay on the charts for a really long time because late comers were buying it long after it was released. A true masterpiece
John had a partial song, Paul had a partial song, they put those two songs together & made this breath taking presentation. They were like no others before or since.
@@africanfartingfrog no they didn't. Paul didn't write anything on Warm Gun, it was all John. He had different parts of the song meshed. Bathroom Window was Paul's song puzzle
This was the first album to contain the lyrics on the cover. The first album that doesn't have a gap between songs. The first album to be released without any previously released songs. The first pop rock album designed to be listened to, not danced to. The album was recorded on a 4 track anolog recorder.
Quite possibly THE BEST.. Hard to say any particular song is the best but this comes close.. Ringo's drumming is exceptional.. John's voice, full of rasp and intention combined with the lyrics and Paul's addition make this one iconic. Next time you review or react try not breaking it up by interrupting the song... it loses something when that happens and you'll never know what you really missed... Just think about it.
My favourite Beatles song!!! Absolute genius. Wrote it in the studio by using the newspaper headlines that day. They were experimenting with lsd at that time in the late 60s like most bands. They created their best music and broke boundaries. I love u Asia and BJ for doing this one. Loved your reaction. Don't think u knew what to think. Imagine hearing that in 1967. They gave up playing live coz they couldn't hear themselves play. The screaming girls were too loud. It led to massive studio experimentation and modern music was never the same again.xxx
I was 16 when this came out. I ran and bought the record, and when I heard it for the first time, my mind was absolutely blown, there was nothing like this at the time. You can't imagine that in a span of just a few years they went from being the 4 mop tops singing teenage pop tunes to sophisticated compositions with complex themes. One of the first songs that really took you on a trip.
Great that you are exploring the Beatles… Most influential band ever!!!! A definite rabbit hole to discover for sure…. Please do more reactions from them. Let’s get Asia and BJ to 200,000 subscribers…. come on y’all!!!!!!!
The person he mentioned didnt commit suicide. It was a famous person that got high and passed out driving. The light went from red to green and he didnt move. The Police and Paparazzi found him there and the lookers on. So the part where 'he blew out his mind in a car' is about him smoking a joint and didnt understand what the effects of Marijuana would do. He passed out behind the wheel at a traffic light.
A January 7th report in The Daily Mail talked about potholes in Blackburn, Lancashire that needed to be filled. “We looked through the newspaper and both wrote the verse ‘how many holes in Blackburn, Lancashire,'” McCartney said. “I liked the way he said, ‘Lan-ca-sheer,’ which is the way you’d pronounce it up north.” According to Lennon, “There was still one word in that verse when we came to record. I knew the line had to go: ‘Now they know how many holes it takes to - something - the Albert Hall.’ It was nonsense verse, really, but for some reason I couldn’t think of the verb. What did the holes do to the Albert Hall? It was Terry [Doran; Lennon’s friend and later the managing director of Apple] who said ‘fill’ the Albert Hall. And that was it.”
It was one of the Beach Boys that said, and I paraphrase “you know we were sitting around pretty proud of ourselves after the release of Pet Sounds, then we heard Sgt Pepper”. This music was revolutionary. The musical crescendo that appears twice in this song was created by George Martin, the Beatles Producer, instruction an orchestra to start in one key and, individually, move up the musical scale at their own pace so they hit the correct key at a certain time. Hence the random build up. This was the type of experimentation the Beatles were into at the time.
My parents had a huge record collection. Opera, chamber, symphonic, jazz, blues, folk. The only rock allowed in the house was the Beatles, and this album in particular they considered a work of genius. I'm glad people are still discovering them.
You hit the nail on the head. It actually is two songs. John wrote the “news” part, and Paul wrote the “woke up” part, and they decided to put them together. Genius.
This entire album, IMO, is easily the best Beatles album. What’s so mind boggling for me about The Beatles is they recorded 13 albums in a 7 year span…and by the time they broke up in 1970, they were between the ages of 27-30 years old. To make so much iconic, influential music in such a short time by the time they were no more than 30 years old is unbelievable.
The Beatles were allways setting records and precedents in various things like crowd size, music videos, and production. This is when the sixth Beatle, their producer George Martin, helped them create new intricate sounds with orchestrations, special sounds and effects, and unusual instrumentations.
Martin pretty much just did what John and Paul told him to do and how they wanted it. He did his job but he wasn't anywhere near the same league as the Beatles, musically or creatively. There was no fifth or sixth Beatle. The closest anyone could come to that title was Epstein, who polished their live act to help get them noticed commercially.
The first time I heard this album was in a hooch in Vietnam. A young buck sergeant, our team leader, had gotten a copy somewhere and we had gathered around a record player he had to listen to it. While the record was playing another soldier came in to tell the young sergeant to report to the orderly room. He left and the soldier that told him he needed to report to the orderly room told us why. It seems the young sergeant's father, also in Vietnam, had been killed that morning in a firefight with the NVA. Our commander wanted to know if he wanted to accompany his father's body back home to the United States. I was 18 years old and the young buck sergeant was 20. That was 55 years ago. Whenever I hear any song from that album, I am cursed with that sad remember.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney… two of the most important musical acts of all time Edit: also the strange noise you heard at the end is because when you play the album on vinyl and it hits the end of the album that noise just plays on repeat until you lift the needle
Tough song to get on a first-time hearing. It also really has to be heard as the finale on that entire album. It pulls all of these psychedelic sounds and concepts together. Also, you have to know that "I'd love to turn you on" is a reference to LSD.
Teens and college students during June of "The Summer Of Love" in 1967 smoked joints.. put on their headphones.. sat back and listened to Sargent Pepper and the page was turned on music. Brian Wilson and many other composers of the era took what they were working on and threw it in the garbage. The Beatles had raised the bar so high with this album that everything else was immediately outdated. PLEASE WATCH PBS's 50th Anniversary of Sargent Pepper! It'll give you an idea of their innovations.
This is the Beatles album that absolutely changed "pop" music forever. Released on 26 May 1967, Sgt. Pepper is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composition, extended form, psychedelic imagery, record sleeves, and the producer in popular music.
Like many I’ve heard Beatles’ songs since 1964. These days, however, I spend more of my listening to appreciate Ringo’s drumming. He’s not a drum god... but he’s the drummer that the drum gods reference most.
You can never go wrong with the Beatles! Best band on the planet. John Lennon literally wrote this song from items he say in the newspaper. Geniuses! Love your channel🌺✌️
There's a bit at the very end that you stopped before it ran. "Never could be any other way" -- That strange bit of laughter at the end contains a dog whistle tone -- 15kHz -- so it might make any dogs within ear shot bark. It was placed on the record in what is called the "run-out groove" or the "lead-out groove" which usually would guide the phonograph to stop playing the record but in this case it would loop over and over as a reminder to get up and turn the record over and play the album again from the beginning.
Good description. That last bit at the end is also one the most famous examples backward masking in music. Played in reverse, the line revealed is, "We'll all be magick supermen."
John Lennon starts out on vocals for a couple verses and then they have the "transition"/orchestral part, then Paul McCartney takes over on vocals. Then he "had a smoke and somebody spoke..." and he "went into a dream...". After that part, John picked up vocals again for the last verse, before the outtro. Awesome song!
John Lennon sings the verses. The middle of the song is Paul. The transition is not fx. Its a symphony orchestration with each instrument going from it's lowest note to it's highest note at each players own timing. It's the last song on the album. The drumming is dramatic and perfection. It is a true masterpiece.
Rewatched this reaction tonight. After nearly 12 months of requesting. Y’all’s faces were epic reacting! 195K views though. Not too shabby! Love y’all!🤓🤠❤️
Really need to listen to that whole album back to front. For a 'boy band', they changed music forever with this output. I'm glad you are reacting to the Beatles. They are unique in their abilities.
PLEASE don't refer to the Beatles as a "boy band" good grief they were NOT. The term "boy band" didn't exist then, and when it started being it was describing groups of male singers and dancers that DIDN'T PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS, so WHY did they use the term "BAND" for groups like The Backstreet Boys, and INSYNC? They were NOT a BAND. LOL
You need to listen to the whole album - the way it was recorded was revolutionary at the time, and changed forever what musicians thought was possible to do to get the sounds they wanted.
Lovely reaction. Really liked how you guys were waiting for more. My favourite thing, having listened to this track 9 million times, is what a stupendous drummer Ringo is. He nails this song.
A few facts about the song for anyone interested: The last note was actually all of them hitting the same chord on several grand pianos at the same time. The guy who died in the first verse was a member of the "House of Lords" or english parliament, meaning he was a politician The massive orchestra crescendos in the transition parts, was a very fancy orchestra who had all been instructed to play from the lowest note of their instrument to the highest note. They had that idea because at first they couldn't think of anything to transition John's part with Paul's part. As an added Easter Egg, if the vynil was left playing long enough after the song ended, a very high pitched note would play that only your pets could hear
Your facts are true except the one about the guy who died in an accident. It was not a politician, it was Tara Browne, the Guinness heir and friend of the Beatles. He died on Dec.18 in 1966 in a car crash.
The longest held note in rock history at the end. We studied and broke down this album in music class when I was in 9th grade. I had already been listening to the Beatles at that point, so when I found out what we were doing that semester, I was pumped! The rabbit hole is deep with the Fab Four.
I loved your reactions. Sergeant Peppers' lonely Hearts Club Band came out when I was impossibly young. My friends and I felt that this album changed EVERYTHING: musically, culturally, socially, politically, philosophically--everything! Music and pop culture were never the same again. This song was the best on an album with nothing but Great Songs. It was a watershed moment and we couldn't get enough of it. I'll never forget the first time I heard it. It thought to myself, what is this! I had never heard anything like it before. When he sang "Went upstairs and had a smoke, somebody spoke and I went into a dream" What do you think he was smoking? Thank you. I like listening to young people's reactions to music that meant so much when I was your age.
John sang the beginning, Paul sang the middle and then John sang the end!!! The song is like it was originally released and before this no one had heard anything like it from the Beatles or anyone else!!!🎼👌🎶👍🎵😀
This period was one of the most creative and ground-breaking in pop music history and the Beatles were at the forefront of that. They really did revolutionise music. Don't forget they recorded this in 66! They opened up so much, including sampling techniques, using non-instrumental sounds and taking the listener on a journey. Redefining what a song could be, rather than the "jingle-style" pop songs we had gotten used to. Having said that, remember they were exploring the effects of mind-altering substances at the time too.
The Outro was the sound of 8 pianos (one might have been a harpsichord?) playing the same 2 notes at the same time, and the sensitivity of the recording equipment being slowly raised for the entire 40-something (going off the top of my head here, so that's an approximate) seconds it took before it completely faded away. Oh, and they had a dog whistle after that. Also, it's important to note that every sound on this song was 'genuine' (as in 'not a synthesizer', as synthesizers were bleeding edge technology at the time). The orchestra? A real 40-something piece orchestra they brought into the studio to record the climaxes. In my opinion, this is the greatest song ever recorded.
Oh man oh man, the look on yalls face at the end is priceless... Wish you could have been there when the album came out, I'm sure a lot of us had the same look. An amazing album, changed music forever ❤
Only one of the most superb, influential and revolutionary pieces of music ever recorded...Lennon's voice..McCartneys bass playing..the incredible engineering...
When John, Paul George and Ringo got together in the studio with George Martin and full orchestration, you get results like this. Something epic, memorable and timeless.
A Day in the Life. Nothing like it before. Nothing like it at the time. Nothing like it since. Masterpiece.
There will never be another band like the Beatles!
Period.
I love the Beatles so much more when they got “weird” and took risks than when they had a more traditional pop sound
One thing I seem to find disatisfying about the reactions of all these people who are not familiar with the Beatles is they don't really have any concept about how revolutionary The Beatles music was when it came out. They just don't have any concept and cannot fathom how different they truly were and impactful on the entire planet. That may sound like an exaggeration but it's not.
@@sulatlalaki Looking back-- we as fans didn't realize the scope/impact they were having. Only in hindsight did that all come to realization. We were just caught up in it/the moment and enjoying all their great music as it was released. Same goes for all the great music we've loved over the long years from our youth. It grounds us in who we are and reminds us of what we were. Magical! T
Yes, i agree!! THE BEATLES is legend! 👍🏼
The Beatles tended to never underestimate their audience. This song changed everything. People were baffled. Some were amused. No one could match this. It was total fusion of a pop song into art. The expression on your faces.
It even influenced another Genius (Brian Wilson) to go nuts! He was so taken by this album that it had a part in him stopping his creative output.
@@friguy4444 Drugging with the Manson family didn't help .. . ... . .
@@dancarter482 that was Dennis, not Brian. Brian was on his own trip. Complete with a 'doctor' who drugged him into oblivion.
@@michaelst7680 My bad!
I was 14 in 1967. This song changed my life. It’s a masterpiece 😎 now I’m just an old stoner 😂
glad to see you still hanging old timer. i wasnt even born yet
Me too, same same.
I'm a slightly younger version of you (65) was born and lived in Liverpool at the time.
T'was awesome :)
I was 12 in 1967. I had two older Sisters and I was exposed to this amazing music through them. The entire album is a masterpiece. Best to all.
I was 11 - a friends big brother bought the album home and then the world changed.
You have no idea how influential this album was. It showed the musicians of the time what was possible besides the usual verse, chorus, instrumental interlude chorus verse etc. Pete Townshend, Procol Harum, PINK Floyd, King Crimson all sat up and got to work, creating the explosion in the late 60s and early 70s of creativity and musicianship. The whole album is a masterpiece, considered by many as the greatest alb of all time.
well said, did for music what 2001 did for film, broke all the rules, made it clear that all options were on the table. made it ok to experiment. milestones of the arts. the importance cannot be overstated. people who say they're overrated don't understand history. they influenced people, who influenced people. sure they had their influences too, but this was a tidal wave, game-changer like nothing before, or really, since.
Well said except I would give abbey road that title.
@@specadmin Abbey Road wouldn't have been made either.
The Beatles were so far ahead of their time, people are still trying to figure out their brilliance. Try Happiness is a warm gun, Helter Skelter, dear Prudence, tomorrow never knows, so many different sounds from a single band!
All in 8 years too!
Those are all such good suggestions! Yes, please!!
Happiness Is A Warm Gun, is probably my favorite Beatles song, though also from the White Album, Yer Blues (Mother Nature's Son) is up there
The White album alone is ridiculously diverse.
@@richardcranium5048 Mother Natures Son is beautiful and shows McCartneys acoustic guitar chops.
My uncle was an engineer at EMI. He'd take me to the studio with him. The lads always played pranks on me and I loved every moment of it. When I got older I realized how lucky I was to share that rarified space with these 4 geniuses.
Wow!
lucky one
Liverpool people take the piss out of everyone 😊😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Give over
WOW!!!
Within 4 years they went from writing things like I Want to Hold Your Hand, to this. That is why they were so influential to popular music.
True, a seemingly amazing progression but not really, it's much more difficult to write a pop song and have people love it than a song with metaphor and hidden meanings open to interpretation in many ambiguous ways, they had a solid foundation of genius pop songs, the progression should not come as a surprise.
Acid.
@@neilgodfrey6578 But many bands are content not to progress.
@@Xxrocknrollgod facts
@@ron88303 What bands ?.
Like someone said, this was released in 1967!! What is totally unreal about this album is to understand that this album was recorded using 4 track technology - 4 tracks! They took 4 tracks of music and recorded it onto one track, then did it again and again. They created the sound of 16 tracks using 4 track technology. So ahead of their time and most of them were in their mid to late 20s. Boggles the mind to realize how much they changed the recording of music.
Their creativity demanded it from George Martin and he always came through.
The person who “blew his mind out in a car” was a friend of the Beatles. His name was Tara Browne and he was a big part of the London scene in the 60’s. He was driving his Lotus Elan home late one night after a party and speeding. He crashed into a parked truck and died later the next day. He was only 21 and it was a big news story at the time. People had gathered around the car after the accident and someone mentioned to a reporter that showed up that the driver looked like he was a member of the House Of Lords (the equivalent of the Senate in England), which turned out not to be true.
The line in the song “I’d love to turn you on” doesn’t mean to turn someone on ina sexual way. In the 60’s lots of people were taking drugs, and to turn someone on means you would like to give them pot or LSD so they could experience it and open their minds. The Beatles began smoking pot when Bob Dylan got them all stoned in August of 1964. They were all daily pot smokers for most of the 60’s, just like Bob Dylan, and it changed music completely. In 1965 John Lennon and George Harrison took LSD, and not long after so did Paul and Ringo. If you listen to their “Rubber Soul” album it’s pretty clear they had discovered weed. And if you listen to 1966’s “Revolver” album it’s clear they had discovered LSD.
Wasn't the guy who was killed the son of the Guinness beer owner?
Insightful and interesting comment. Thanks.
@@robbyrob0723 Yes he was heir to the Guinness fortune
Check out the "fake Paul" documentaries on RUclips. Aka William (Billy) Shears. Allegedly Paul McCartney was the one killed and replaced with a double. The Sgt Pepper album cover is apparently one big clue.
And the lyric about everyone turning away from the English Army's win was a reference to the movie, "How I Won the War," which co-starred John Lennon. It did not do well at the box office (everyone turned away), but John "had to look" since he was in it and "read the book," i.e., the script.
What John meant with these references in the context of the song is up for interpretation, of course.
The cacophony into the single piano chord is, in my opinion, the finest ending of an album ever
Completely agree with you! Absolutely the greatest ending to an album that has ever been made!
It’s two separate songs that they decided to combine. John wrote and sang the first part and Paul wrote and sang the second part. They also had the brilliant idea to have every musician in the orchestra play every note each of their instruments was capable of playing from lowest to highest I believe. That’s the crazy orchestral mix you heard
That's what I remember reading also. It was a mesh of two incomplete songs bridged together with a 26 piece orchestra.
Not just the lowest to the highest...but each at their own pace as well.
It was two part songs correct. And John’s part did come from newspaper articles. The car bit and the holes in Blackburn Lancashire anyway. Also, the guy that died in the car was an heir to the Guinness Brewing fortune and known to the Beatles.
You had to wait a bit longer for the orchestra crash to finish.
@@jgsheehan8810 Also remember there were rumors being spreading at that time that Paul was dead and the person in car was Paul. and the lyrics held some hidden means.
@@broadway427 No hidden meanings, these were actual articles from the newspaper, about Tara Brown killed in a car accident, he was the heir to the Guinness fortune and a friend of the Beatles. John had just been in a black anti-war comedy film called "HOW I WON THE WAR" where he played Private Gripweed during World War I, so that is a reference to that in the "I saw a film today, oh boy, the ENGLISH army had just WON the WAR." There was an article about how they Blackburn, Lancashire had counted 4,000 pot holes in their roads, also in the newspaper and a copy of that article has been shown on the internet. They added in the "now they know how many holes it takes to fill the ALBERT HALL." ( the concert Hall in London that was named after Prince Albert who was married to Queen Victoria.. She commissioned it to be built and named for her deceased husband who died very young. She stayed in mourning for him until her death many many years later.
Everyone’s got their own opinions, but to me, this is the greatest song ever written. Absolute masterpiece.
Love Ringo's drumming through out this whole song. Amazing and right on target. He takes us through all the changes expertly.
Agree. The drums are a critical part of the arrangement. Not for the first time, Ringo doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
I was about to comment the same thing! The drumming seems to have some Jazz influence in its tempo and fills.
genius drumming
@@cowslip999 yes he does. He's universally regarded as one of the greatest drummers ever.
His drumming is wonderful!
The line "went upstairs and had a smoke, somebody spoke and I went into a dream" for me epitomises the feeling of the entire song. It is the transition from normal mundane conscious life to a psychedelic induced state of mind. At least that's the way it seemed back in '67 🗣
It carries me away that line i love it
Yes a smoke or a joint
The Beatles are arguably the GOATs and most influential bands of all time. They have such an eclectic mix of styles. From the Fab Four early years to the deeply thought out lyrics like Helter Skelter. They’ve got their goofy tunes like Octupus’ Garden and Hey Bulldog. Their are some crazy tunes by way of style like Northern Song which is played in one key and sang in a minor key.
I love their drone songs- Tomorrow Never Knows is one of my faves.
You "Bet Without THe Beatles" in Racing Terms to discover The GOATS as they changed THe World not just The World of Music,My Friend...:)
It’s not arguable 😂
@@jsghetler Yes it is 😂🎸☮️
@@TheDivayenta There's another?
The genius of the Beatles is never complete..they totally put you in awe!
In the day, there was no such music. The Beatles were deep into experimentation with music, and were blessed with extraordinary vision and talent. Sgt. Peppers blew the planet away. It was magic. It still is. The album is to be listened to from start to finish. And, just when you think it's over.....Her Majesty! Gotta listen to understand.
Her Majesty is on Abbey Road, not this album.
@@williamjordan5554 My Beatles are all a blur. You're right!!
Is this the one that leads to "Never could see any other way...!"?
@@TheOriginalFILIBUSTA Yes!
@@TheOriginalFILIBUSTA what are you referring to?
A song from another dimension they couldn’t be touched then and now.
And Johns voice just beautiful
There is no way for you to know how ground breaking this song was for it's time. Nothing like it existed at the time. As far as lyrics go, many times Beatles lyrics made little or no sense to the listener. Now, we have information at our fingertips so finding out if a Beatles song was gibberish, had meaning or was just a good story is easily found. Back in the day it was often a mystery.
Groundbreaking is how one should describe The Beatles’ entire history. They did everything first, even heavy metal with Helter Skelter.
Turns out every song they made was purposely made to be dechipered and each song had a deep meaning. Even I am the walrus the songs meaning is, it has no meaning that's genius!
That's the one thing reactors can't capture--the context of how new and rebellious everything rock was doing was at the time. This song also draws attention to the fact that Ringo's an underrated member. The choices around the drumming in this were genius-level unexpected. And that ending is awesome. Also love what we as listeners got out of the producing battle back and forth with Brian Wilson and Pink Floyd etc. over what could be done with even basic electronics in a studio at that time. They were amazing times to be young for.
Remember how back then, a lot of albums came with lyric sheets?
We would sit there for *hours* trying to decipher them and debating what they meant. I wonder if anybody does that with modern music today?
And dont forget Ringos very unique drumming.
Considered by many as the greatest song ever . John Lennon’s voice …unreal
By me too
There is SO much going on in this song. The man who "blew his mind out in a car" is believed to be Guinness heir, Tara Browne who died in a car crash. His father was a member of the House of Lords ("nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords"). The "film" is a reference to the film "How I Won the War" that was based on the book of the same name, that John had been in. The "crowd of people turned away" is a reference to the bad reviews the film received. Paul's "woke up, got out of bed..." part was a bit of song he'd written but hadn't finished. The "4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire" was an article John read about the bad roads in Blackburn that were full of potholes. Someone in the article commented that they tried counting them and there were so many, they could fill the Albert Hall (a large theater that had a stage for concerts, performances, etc.). The ending has the orchestra going from lowest to highest note again on their respective instruments with a final chord that was created by John, Paul, Ringo, and their roadie, Mal Evans, each playing the same chord simultaneously on pianos, while producer George Martin did the same on a harmonium. The chord was made to ring out for over forty seconds by increasing the recording sound level as the vibration faded out. In addition, there was a tone, similar to a dog whistle that was added to the end. I think you skipped the incomprehensible studio babble that was recorded and looped onto the end; it adds an odd ending. The Beatles were experimental in their song construction and studio techniques, avant-garde in their creativity, and were the first to truly elevate pop music to an art form. Their effect on pop music and pop culture should not be underestimated.
WELL SAID, and all totally accurate!!
The Sgt. Pepper album was the Beatles answer to Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, who took music up another notch according to McCartney. They knew the Beach Boys had raised the bar, and this album was their answer !!
Thank you.
I've always wondered about the Albert Hall reference. Thanks.
@@newmoon766 It seemed like, to me, they were pointing out the futility of people wanting to count the holes in either Blackburn or The Albert Hall in the first place. It seems rather pointless.
My mum passed away in June this year. She was a huge Beatles fan as a 60s kid. We played this song at her funeral. God bless 🕊️
So sorry for your loss, wish you the best day!
The Beatles MUST be appreciated in the context of the entire album, it's hard to take out one song. The brilliance is in the entire album. Sgt. Peppers was one of THE most influential albums of all time.
That tsunami of sound was a stroke of Beatle-genius, that they worked hard on. It is a story in itself and George Martin was key to getting Paul & John what they were looking for. Martin tells it in a documentary and gives credit where credit was due. He says it was their idea. Also Ringo's contribution to the bass music via the drum infills and sympathetically supported with Paul's bass playing, is worthy of note here.
It's hard to appreciate how different this song was from a typical pop music offering in 1967... this song (this album... The Beatles) just breaks every rule about writing pop music. It's called innovation, evolution... this song, this album, changes the trajectory of pop music. Anything is possible. After 55 years it's easy to forget how cutting edge this was.
So true James, I was 16 when Sgt Pepper was released and it literally astonished me when I first heard it, all these years later it's easy to take it for granted, but even now when I listen to it I sometimes get a brief reminder of how I felt at the time.
That pretty much says it. Impossible to really grasp the seismic significance if you weren't there.
the funny thing about this song is that both John and Paul wrote it. They had each started a song but weren't sure how to finish it, so they wound up putting their bits together. John's part was the beginning and the end. Paul's was the fast part in the middle. The orchestral bits were added later, with space being allowed in the song to accomodate it. If you can ever find it, there is a documentary that talks about how it was recorded.
The Beatles invented progressive rock. I never get tired of listening to their songs.
I was 22 in 1967 and had just hitchhiked from Pennsylvania to San Francisco straight to the Haight. I stood in line at Tower Records at North Beach to get this album on the first day of release…. I still have it ♥️🎼♥️.. You should listen to the entire album…magnificent!
An amazing thing about the Beatles is the incredible variety of songs they put out. If you go through the Beatles A-Z, which you should, there are very few songs that sound the same. A testament to their brilliant songwriting and versatility, and to producer George Martin's creative genius. Keep their songs coming guys!
That’s why they changed music history, they basically did everything and they did it first.
A slight correction, if I may, I was at that time and still am, a musician; there are no two songs that are alike, on any of their compositions.
This song held the record for longest natural sustained chord outro. I don't know if it still holds the record... "Final chord
Lennon, McCartney, Starr and Evans shared three different pianos, with Martin(their producer) on a harmonium, and all played simultaneously. The chord was made to ring out for over forty seconds by increasing the recording sound level as the vibration faded out. "
The orchestral cacophony held me captive in front of the speakers when I was a child stealing Mom's records. Excellent reaction! xoxo
It is known as the Endless Chord
A core inspiration for the song - specifically John Lennon’s opening sequence, about a man who “blew his mind out in a car” - pertained to the death of Tara Browne, who had died in a car accident on December 18th, 1966. The 21-year-old Browne was the heir to the Guinness fortune and a friend of the Beatles’
Absolutely TRUE!!
The song is supposedly about the death of Paul McCartney. The original apparently died in a car crash in 1966. The Sgt Pepper album cover is full of clues. There are many documentaries on You Tube about the whole " Faul " fake Paul, aka William (Billy) Shears.
Additionally, the end story "4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire" was about a coal mining town that had recently had a huge landslide form the coal slag pile above the town that crashed down on a school, killing hundreds of children and school employees. There wasn't 4,000, but if I remember correctly, there was over 400 lives lost that day in Blackburn. It was a huge international story.
Thank you Joe! Looked for this very comment to avoid redundancy. Cheers!
@Joseph Paduano - It might be about Tara Browne but conspiracy theorists believe it is about the original Paul McCartney who died in a car crash and was replaced by William Shepherd (Billy Shears) playing the part of Paul McCartney.
The song came from Lennon reading a newspaper and writing the song round the stories in it. McCartneys middle section was added in.
Haunting and marvellous. Like many of Lennon’s songs the words spin a magic spell without really meaning very much in a rational sense. Fifty years on I still love it.
good album, good song. There is a reason that people still listen to their music fifty years later.
Weed? 🤔
Old people listen to their music. Kids aren't buying this. Get over yourselves already.
@@nealm6764 cute.
@@nealm6764 Wrong all the young people I know listen to The Beatles they actually prefer that music instead of what's going on today,simply because at that time they actually had real talent,which you needed in order to make it in the music business,that music is timeless,it has nothing to do with a person's age,today's music is missing real artistic talent,unless you consider listening to a computer and beat box music.
@@nealm6764 Ohhh you are SOOOOO wrong!! A LOT of kids are buying this and have done ever since the Beatles broke up. Their music STILL sells today, If you went to The Fest For Beatles Fans held in NYC, Chicago and LA every year (except for the last 2 due to CoVid) and has been held since the early '70s, you would see ALL ages there. It's a 3 day event and 75% of the people that go weren't even born when the Beatles were still together. I have attended the Chicago one 4 times over the years and I am amazed at how many teenagers, kids, people in their 20s, 30s 40s who were not original fans like those of us (including me) who were THERE and experienced the Beatles first hand) You totally underestimate the interest there still is in thei music. There are hundreds of Beatles tribute and cover bands all over the world who play to large audiences and sell out the venue until this day. So you clearly don't know what it is really all about!!
This is one of the most iconic pieces of music of the Twentieth Century.
Listen to it again with your eyes closed.
It's an experience, not a song.
Agreed
Lennon outdid himself on this one. A true masterpiece.
@@andreshernandez1180 The Paul part would be another one of those old lady stuff that he liked. It's perfect as a part B, not sure on it's own.
It wasn't a Lennon masterpiece, John himself said this was a true collaboration between himself and Paul. They didn't just sandwich two songs together, it was a work of construction and they worked out together how to build it into a masterpiece. They also wrote the songs third part together (or coda)
Lennon & McCartney
& George Martin.
I think this is one of the few Beatles songs that truly was a John&Paul collaboration.
But this song wouldn’t be so great without the orchestration.
@@ricardocima lol,Pauls old lady stuff,tis true tho.
@@robertbrown8362 Sure Paul wrote most of the slower, more emotional songs like Yesterday, For No One and Martha My Dear - but they aren't old lady songs they are heartdelt and are some of the best Beatles songs. Paul is the best beatle in my opinion - and polls in the UK agree
The little drum fill after the lyric "the holes were rather small" is one of my favorite coulpe of seconds of sound ever recorded.
This was a groundbreaking album that used tech never used before. It blew us away back in the day. When I bought this album and listened for the first time I cried because I had never heard anything so beautiful.
So did I Richard, so did I! After the first listen, it was one of the very rare times that the only way to describe what I had just heard was to say that my mind was blown! Nothing else could describe it!
Respect 🫡
The most influential song (at the time, and probably ever) - it expanded what modern music could try and do. It blew the genre up and led to an amazing growth of music in the late sixties and seventies/eighties when other musicians grew up realising you did not have to stick to the formulaic songs/structures of the 40s/50/s/60s.
exactly! You have to put this against the backround of the music that was prevalant before this to appreciate the directional change this song ushered in.
I’ve mulled over through the years whether they were overrated or not. They weren’t. They absolutely deserve their status in music history. They were the real deal. Legendary, and they did it in such a short period of time.
I used to not like the beatles, they'd give me a headache, they were classics at the time and the only songs the radio ever had of theirs were the same damn..5 or so songs, but then about 15 years back I got into the beatles, found alllllll their stuff that isn't on the radio, the stuff blew my mind, especially when hearing it through headphones, I really don't see how anyone could not like the beatles, their music is great and always will be great, they weren't just some boy band, they really experimented with their stuff and didn't just stick to the 2.5minute poppy songs, and you can't argue they weren't talented when 3/4 of the band went solo and were successful haha
The ironical thing is that the Beatles thought they were over rated. They were constantly trying to improve. I have heard John, macca, George saying those guys were good referring to some other band. They were constantly trying to improve. That is the greatness of this band
Whether you like the beatles or not they changed world music ..black white etc they where the first they copied everyone and brought them along just like bowie just like mozart ripped off bach
Glad you finally reached that conclusion, better late than never !
I was 15 in 1967 and the Beatles with all their brillance kept bringing new sounds with their music. Can I please go back to those days?
The Beatles influenced a whole generation of artists & beyond. This song was groundbreaking!
They influence even current artists.
Many times I've heard this picked a the best Beatles song.
One of the greatest songs of the 20th century. You have to view it (listen to it) through the lens of the time. So much that we take for granted musically, was not present at that time. Discordant melody, noise generation, big orchestration in a rock song, these are all ground-breaking musical breakthroughs that the Beatles did first. See it through that lens, and you can begin to appreciate it, I think.
At the end of the song 3 pianos overdubbed 3 times, giving the impression of 9 piano's, hitting the same note at the same time and it reverberated for over 20 seconds. They really started experimenting a lot when they did Sgt. Peppers making it so iconic. Thanks and God Bless.
If I remember right, that last note lasts 34 seconds.
I always heard and recently too that it was held for over 40 seconds if you turn up your volume as it fades out, you can hear it longer. They did the same thing when they were recording that last chord. Oh, it was NOT NINE pianos. It was 3 pianos shared by John, Paul , Ringo and Mal Evans (their roadie) along with their producer George Martin on a harmonium. They all played an E-major chord simultaneously.
I think it was 69 seconds
For that final chord, there are some great outtakes on the 50th anniversary box set where they are all trying to hit the chord at exactly the same time, it took about 8 or 9 attempts before they were happy with it but when they did it, you just know they must have been looking at each other thinking, that's the perfect one!
It's not a note, it's a chord. Gees
I've been listening to the Beatles since 1972 and they still impress after all these decades. They just never date or get stale....
This album was made back in the sixties, and the only sound effects they had was echo. So that makes it pretty amazing. They were musical geniuses.
4 track recording was all they needed.
I was 12 in 1967
This is a
Classic
♥️♥️♥️♥️
For the record, the note played on the piano at the end of this tune, is the longest "held" note in music recording history.
Who cares??
They used 9 pianos for that chord
@@jamminjoe44"GET OUT if you don't care!!!"
@@jamminjoe44 me
@@zenpuppy6025 NO, it was 3 pianos played by Ringo, Mal Evans (their long time roadie since before they became famous), Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and their producer George Martin on a harmonium. It lasted over 40 seconds
1967. The Beach Boys had just released their Pet Sounds album which was a great album and had some really nice technical advances. They were so excited about the album. Then Sargent Peppers came out and they were blown away along with the rest of the world. The transition from the first two verses to Paul’s bridge was done using the London Symphony. Classical musicians are used to using sheet music and playing to perfection. They had to instruct them to randomly play out of time. Starting on the low E note and playing in half steps to the E octave. They moved several acoustic pianos in the studio and Played an E chord as loud as they could on each one then let them fade. The whole album was full of innovations. In 67 no one had heard anything like it. As a matter of fact many fans didn’t like the new sound at first and it took a while for them to come around. Ironically that helped the album to stay on the charts for a really long time because late comers were buying it long after it was released. A true masterpiece
John had a partial song, Paul had a partial song, they put those two songs together & made this breath taking presentation. They were like no others before or since.
They actually did it again on "happiness is a warm gun"
@@africanfartingfrog no they didn't. Paul didn't write anything on Warm Gun, it was all John. He had different parts of the song meshed. Bathroom Window was Paul's song puzzle
This was the first album to contain the lyrics on the cover. The first album that doesn't have a gap between songs. The first album to be released without any previously released songs. The first pop rock album designed to be listened to, not danced to. The album was recorded on a 4 track anolog recorder.
A driving force of why so many individuals love Beatles music, is the perfect melodies, always the eclectic melodies.
Quite possibly THE BEST.. Hard to say any particular song is the best but this comes close..
Ringo's drumming is exceptional.. John's voice, full of rasp and intention combined with the lyrics and Paul's addition make this one iconic.
Next time you review or react try not breaking it up by interrupting the song... it loses something when that happens and you'll never know what you really missed... Just think about it.
My favourite Beatles song!!! Absolute genius. Wrote it in the studio by using the newspaper headlines that day. They were experimenting with lsd at that time in the late 60s like most bands. They created their best music and broke boundaries. I love u Asia and BJ for doing this one. Loved your reaction. Don't think u knew what to think. Imagine hearing that in 1967.
They gave up playing live coz they couldn't hear themselves play. The screaming girls were too loud. It led to massive studio experimentation and modern music was never the same again.xxx
I was 16 when this came out. I ran and bought the record, and when I heard it for the first time, my mind was absolutely blown, there was nothing like this at the time. You can't imagine that in a span of just a few years they went from being the 4 mop tops singing teenage pop tunes to sophisticated compositions with complex themes. One of the first songs that really took you on a trip.
Great that you are exploring the Beatles… Most influential band ever!!!! A definite rabbit hole to discover for sure…. Please do more reactions from them. Let’s get Asia and BJ to 200,000 subscribers…. come on y’all!!!!!!!
The person he mentioned didnt commit suicide. It was a famous person that got high and passed out driving. The light went from red to green and he didnt move. The Police and Paparazzi found him there and the lookers on.
So the part where 'he blew out his mind in a car' is about him smoking a joint and didnt understand what the effects of Marijuana would do.
He passed out behind the wheel at a traffic light.
A January 7th report in The Daily Mail talked about potholes in Blackburn, Lancashire that needed to be filled. “We looked through the newspaper and both wrote the verse ‘how many holes in Blackburn, Lancashire,'” McCartney said. “I liked the way he said, ‘Lan-ca-sheer,’ which is the way you’d pronounce it up north.” According to Lennon, “There was still one word in that verse when we came to record. I knew the line had to go: ‘Now they know how many holes it takes to - something - the Albert Hall.’ It was nonsense verse, really, but for some reason I couldn’t think of the verb. What did the holes do to the Albert Hall? It was Terry [Doran; Lennon’s friend and later the managing director of Apple] who said ‘fill’ the Albert Hall. And that was it.”
It was one of the Beach Boys that said, and I paraphrase “you know we were sitting around pretty proud of ourselves after the release of Pet Sounds, then we heard Sgt Pepper”.
This music was revolutionary.
The musical crescendo that appears twice in this song was created by George Martin, the Beatles Producer, instruction an orchestra to start in one key and, individually, move up the musical scale at their own pace so they hit the correct key at a certain time. Hence the random build up.
This was the type of experimentation the Beatles were into at the time.
My parents had a huge record collection. Opera, chamber, symphonic, jazz, blues, folk. The only rock allowed in the house was the Beatles, and this album in particular they considered a work of genius. I'm glad people are still discovering them.
THE most Haunting song ever recorded.
An incredible record for it's time. The mixing, production, orchestration, editing, vocals. A marvel of studio work.
For its time? Today such songs are not made any more period.
@@jaysimoes3705 They are my friend. Dig deeper.
@@ripped181 Not that I am aware of.
@@jaysimoes3705 That's precisely my point.
@@jaysimoes3705 “if I personally can’t find good music, it must not exist!” adorable 😂
John's voice and the piano tapping eighth notes are so hypnotic.
You hit the nail on the head. It actually is two songs. John wrote the “news” part, and Paul wrote the “woke up” part, and they decided to put them together. Genius.
This entire album, IMO, is easily the best Beatles album.
What’s so mind boggling for me about The Beatles is they recorded 13 albums in a 7 year span…and by the time they broke up in 1970, they were between the ages of 27-30 years old.
To make so much iconic, influential music in such a short time by the time they were no more than 30 years old is unbelievable.
The Beatles were allways setting records and precedents in various things like crowd size, music videos, and production. This is when the sixth Beatle, their producer George Martin, helped them create new intricate sounds with orchestrations, special sounds and effects, and unusual instrumentations.
5th Beatle, George Martin, not the 6th!
@@patticrichton1135 5th Beatle, Brian Epstein, the manager...?
Martin pretty much just did what John and Paul told him to do and how they wanted it. He did his job but he wasn't anywhere near the same league as the Beatles, musically or creatively.
There was no fifth or sixth Beatle.
The closest anyone could come to that title was Epstein, who polished their live act to help get them noticed commercially.
Best way to appreciate this song is to listen to the entire album from start to finish. Now that is the journey...
The first time I heard this album was in a hooch in Vietnam. A young buck sergeant, our team leader, had gotten a copy somewhere and we had gathered around a record player he had to listen to it. While the record was playing another soldier came in to tell the young sergeant to report to the orderly room. He left and the soldier that told him he needed to report to the orderly room told us why. It seems the young sergeant's father, also in Vietnam, had been killed that morning in a firefight with the NVA. Our commander wanted to know if he wanted to accompany his father's body back home to the United States. I was 18 years old and the young buck sergeant was 20. That was 55 years ago. Whenever I hear any song from that album, I am cursed with that sad remember.
Such a tragic story, I can understand why hearing the album would take you back to that devastating moment. So sorry for all that.
I can’t imagine. Thank you for your service.
War is insane
My favorite Beatles song. There’s something about how everywhere it is, yet so perfectly executed. Love the react!
John Lennon and Paul McCartney… two of the most important musical acts of all time
Edit: also the strange noise you heard at the end is because when you play the album on vinyl and it hits the end of the album that noise just plays on repeat until you lift the needle
What about George?All those beautiful songs.And Ringo.There’d be no beat,n the Beatles,without him.
@@eh-i1841 Ringo does great on this song. It's a Ringo masterpiece, the Beatles without Ringo would be lost
Tough song to get on a first-time hearing. It also really has to be heard as the finale on that entire album. It pulls all of these psychedelic sounds and concepts together. Also, you have to know that "I'd love to turn you on" is a reference to LSD.
Teens and college students during June of "The Summer Of Love" in 1967 smoked joints.. put on their headphones.. sat back and listened to Sargent Pepper and the page was turned on music. Brian Wilson and many other composers of the era took what they were working on and threw it in the garbage. The Beatles had raised the bar so high with this album that everything else was immediately outdated.
PLEASE WATCH PBS's 50th Anniversary of Sargent Pepper! It'll give you an idea of their innovations.
Truly one of the most atmospheric songs ever recorded.
Oh hear we go guys!! Great song from a one of a kind band!! You guys rock, I luv your reactions. RIP George and John
This is the Beatles album that absolutely changed "pop" music forever. Released on 26 May 1967, Sgt. Pepper is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composition, extended form, psychedelic imagery, record sleeves, and the producer in popular music.
My big brother had this on vinyl in the late 70s. I listened with giant headphones as a preteen. So much love for this whole album, straight through.
Ringo's drums are just SO good. He's just excellent. All feel and execution.
Like many I’ve heard Beatles’ songs since 1964. These days, however, I spend more of my listening to appreciate Ringo’s drumming. He’s not a drum god... but he’s the drummer that the drum gods reference most.
You can never go wrong with the Beatles! Best band on the planet. John Lennon literally wrote this song from items he say in the newspaper. Geniuses! Love your channel🌺✌️
Beatles are mind blowers just love them❤
There's a bit at the very end that you stopped before it ran. "Never could be any other way" -- That strange bit of laughter at the end contains a dog whistle tone -- 15kHz -- so it might make any dogs within ear shot bark. It was placed on the record in what is called the "run-out groove" or the "lead-out groove" which usually would guide the phonograph to stop playing the record but in this case it would loop over and over as a reminder to get up and turn the record over and play the album again from the beginning.
TRUE!!!!
Good description. That last bit at the end is also one the most famous examples backward masking in music. Played in reverse, the line revealed is, "We'll all be magick supermen."
Good luck getting 15khz from ANY stereo system in 1967.
an entire symphony work its way up to a crescendo...so simple.but so great to hear. LONG LIVE THE BEATLES!!!
John Lennon starts out on vocals for a couple verses and then they have the "transition"/orchestral part, then Paul McCartney takes over on vocals. Then he "had a smoke and somebody spoke..." and he "went into a dream...". After that part, John picked up vocals again for the last verse, before the outtro. Awesome song!
John Lennon sings the verses. The middle of the song is Paul. The transition is not fx. Its a symphony orchestration with each instrument going from it's lowest note to it's highest note at each players own timing. It's the last song on the album. The drumming is dramatic and perfection. It is a true masterpiece.
all the "effects" are in the hands of musicians. no synthesisers!
I like the journey of the song, one of my favorites from The Beatles.
Rewatched this reaction tonight. After nearly 12 months of requesting. Y’all’s faces were epic reacting! 195K views though. Not too shabby! Love y’all!🤓🤠❤️
The Beatles at their crazy best!. Such diverse in sounds. You never really knew what to expect from them. Classic!
Really need to listen to that whole album back to front. For a 'boy band', they changed music forever with this output. I'm glad you are reacting to the Beatles. They are unique in their abilities.
PLEASE don't refer to the Beatles as a "boy band" good grief they were NOT. The term "boy band" didn't exist then, and when it started being it was describing groups of male singers and dancers that DIDN'T PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS, so WHY did they use the term "BAND" for groups like The Backstreet Boys, and INSYNC? They were NOT a BAND. LOL
They are not a boy band….that’s for a group of dancers not musicians
I know it’s sarcasm but young uns say it
I meant that 'boy band' comment as a joke.
You need to listen to the whole album - the way it was recorded was revolutionary at the time, and changed forever what musicians thought was possible to do to get the sounds they wanted.
This song was from the Sergent peppers album guys. Most music historians rank this album the greatest to ever be done. It was done by Paul and John.
And George and Ringo
George wrote material too! Ringo was the glue.
@@grahamhowes6904 The majority of songs were done by Paul and John.
Lovely reaction. Really liked how you guys were waiting for more. My favourite thing, having listened to this track 9 million times, is what a stupendous drummer Ringo is. He nails this song.
That last note is the longest single sustained note in recording history. No doubling. No special effects.
Per the Beatles, the 3 pianos were overdubbed to sound like 9.
A few facts about the song for anyone interested:
The last note was actually all of them hitting the same chord on several grand pianos at the same time.
The guy who died in the first verse was a member of the "House of Lords" or english parliament, meaning he was a politician
The massive orchestra crescendos in the transition parts, was a very fancy orchestra who had all been instructed to play from the lowest note of their instrument to the highest note. They had that idea because at first they couldn't think of anything to transition John's part with Paul's part.
As an added Easter Egg, if the vynil was left playing long enough after the song ended, a very high pitched note would play that only your pets could hear
Your facts are true except the one about the guy who died in an accident. It was not a politician, it was Tara Browne, the Guinness heir and friend of the Beatles. He died on Dec.18 in 1966 in a car crash.
The longest held note in rock history at the end. We studied and broke down this album in music class when I was in 9th grade. I had already been listening to the Beatles at that point, so when I found out what we were doing that semester, I was pumped! The rabbit hole is deep with the Fab Four.
I loved your reactions. Sergeant Peppers' lonely Hearts Club Band came out when I was impossibly young. My friends and I felt that this album changed EVERYTHING: musically, culturally, socially, politically, philosophically--everything! Music and pop culture were never the same again. This song was the best on an album with nothing but Great Songs. It was a watershed moment and we couldn't get enough of it. I'll never forget the first time I heard it. It thought to myself, what is this! I had never heard anything like it before. When he sang "Went upstairs and had a smoke, somebody spoke and I went into a dream" What do you think he was smoking? Thank you. I like listening to young people's reactions to music that meant so much when I was your age.
John sang the beginning, Paul sang the middle and then John sang the end!!! The song is like it was originally released and before this no one had heard anything like it from the Beatles or anyone else!!!🎼👌🎶👍🎵😀
The Beatles is a awesome group.In 1967 I was 1.They did alot of great songs ❣️ May John Lennon and George Harrison RIP 💐
This period was one of the most creative and ground-breaking in pop music history and the Beatles were at the forefront of that. They really did revolutionise music. Don't forget they recorded this in 66! They opened up so much, including sampling techniques, using non-instrumental sounds and taking the listener on a journey. Redefining what a song could be, rather than the "jingle-style" pop songs we had gotten used to. Having said that, remember they were exploring the effects of mind-altering substances at the time too.
The Outro was the sound of 8 pianos (one might have been a harpsichord?) playing the same 2 notes at the same time, and the sensitivity of the recording equipment being slowly raised for the entire 40-something (going off the top of my head here, so that's an approximate) seconds it took before it completely faded away. Oh, and they had a dog whistle after that.
Also, it's important to note that every sound on this song was 'genuine' (as in 'not a synthesizer', as synthesizers were bleeding edge technology at the time). The orchestra? A real 40-something piece orchestra they brought into the studio to record the climaxes.
In my opinion, this is the greatest song ever recorded.
Oh man oh man, the look on yalls face at the end is priceless...
Wish you could have been there when the album came out, I'm sure a lot of us had the same look.
An amazing album, changed music forever ❤
Only one of the most superb, influential and revolutionary pieces of music ever recorded...Lennon's voice..McCartneys bass playing..the incredible engineering...
When John, Paul George and Ringo got together in the studio with George Martin and full orchestration, you get results like this. Something epic, memorable and timeless.