All My CDs, pt 9: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

The Beatles is one of my favorite bands of all time, and from what I understand I’m not alone. You’d be hard-pressed to think of a group as skilled, as versatile, as innovative, as inspired, or as influential over as broad a period of history. So it’s especially incredible that apart from the Yellow Submarine disk I reviewed last time, this is the only album I own by the Beatles. I may have to change that at my next opportunity.

I haven’t been able to find any thoughts or impressions that apply to the album as a whole, so I’ll just write some thoughts on each of the songs.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - The title track doesn’t seem to do much except introduce the album. It paints an interesting image, like the front cover, that mixes modern and old-fashioned aesthetic elements and is just fun to listen to. The same applies to the reprise later in the album.

With A Little Help From My Friends - Songs about friendship are hard to come by in pop, with romantic love being the much more popular subject. This is a classic example, and it’s hard not to enjoy it. It simply rings true.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - The poet in me is enamored with the imagery and the creative use of unconventional modifiers in this song. An interesting note: for my whole life, I thought that one of the phrases used to describe Lucy was “the girl so incredibly high.” This morning, when listening, I suddenly realized that part of the song describes flowers “that grow so incredibly high.” Misheard lyrics. They’re a fact of life.

Getting Better: This song is more complex than it seems at first glance. I thought it particularly admirable that the narrator doesn’t simply describe life “getting better all the time,” but links the improvements in his life to changes in his own behavior, and his past troubles to harmful attitudes and deeds. It’s the kind of personal responsibility that isn’t easy to find these days.

Fixing a Hole: I’ve had this song stuck in my head more this week than any other, and would name it as my current favorite track on the album. I didn’t listen to it much before, but I very much dig it now. It puts me in the frame of mind to clean my apartment top to bottom, then sit somewhere with my feet up and watch people who are in a greater hurry than I am.

She’s Leaving Home: I’m not fond of this one. The lyrics strike me as passive-aggressive.

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!: Someone told me that this one was copied almost verbatim from an actual ad for the show it describes, which makes it a classic example of found art. I like how perfectly the instrumentation accompanies the lyrics.

Within You Without You - While it’s pleasant to listen to, I’m not really prepared to have coherent thoughts about this one. It seems to actively discourage logical thought, so perhaps that’s for the best.

When I’m Sixty-Four - This has always been a favorite, and as someone who always has at least one eye on the long-term future, it’s nice to see a pop song that acknowledges that life (and love) shouldn't end in one’s late twenties.

Lovely Rita - It’s also nice to see a narrative that admires a young lady for her less conventionally feminine characteristics.

Good Morning Good Morning - The sound of a crowing rooster makes an appropriate, even obvious addition to this song. The addition of more farm animal sounds following it is not hard to understand. The elephants and lions, however, are just silly. And silly is good.

A Day in the Life: The best thing about it is the instrumental crescendo that serves as a bridge between the first and second parts. You’ll know it when you hear it.

“Now we know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.”

Next: Beauty and the Beast.