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"Penny Lane" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul
McCartney and credited to Lennon/McCartney. Recorded during the
Sgt. Peppersessions, "Penny Lane" was released in
February 1967 as one side of a double A-sided single, along
with "Strawberry Fields Forever". The song was later included
on the
Magical Mystery TourLP (1967). The single was the result
of the record company wanting a new release after several
months of no new Beatles releases. In 2004,
Rolling Stoneranked the song at #449 on its list of the
500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song's title is derived from the name of a street in the
band's hometown, Liverpool. The area that surrounds its
junction with Smithdown Road is also commonly called Penny
Lane. Locally the term "Penny Lane" was the name given to
Allerton Road and Smithdown Road and its busy shopping area.
Penny Lane is named after James Penny, an 18th century slave
trader. McCartney and Lennon grew up in the area and they would
meet at Penny Lane junction in the Mossley Hill area to catch a
bus into the centre of the city. The street is an important
landmark, sought out by most Beatles fans touring Liverpool. In
the past, street signs saying "Penny Lane" were constant
targets of tourist theft and had to be continually replaced.
Eventually, city officials gave up and simply began painting
the street name on the sides of buildings. This practice was
stopped in 2007 and more theft-resistant "Penny Lane" street
signs have since been installed though some are still stolen.
The Abbey Road sign is also frequently stolen for the same
reason.
Beatles producer George Martin has stated he believes the
pairing of "Penny Lane" with "Strawberry Fields Forever"
resulted in probably the greatest single ever released by the
group. Both songs were later released on the US
Magical Mystery Touralbum in November 1967. In the UK,
the pairing famously failed to reach #1 in the singles charts,
stalling one place below Engelbert Humperdinck's "Release Me".
In the US the song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a
week before being knocked off by The Turtles song "Happy
Together". The song features contrasting verse-chorus form and
was credited "Lennon/McCartney", although McCartney was the
main contributor to the song.
Following the success of the double A-side "Yellow
Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby", Brian Epstein inquired if they had
any new material available. Both songs, though recorded during
the sessions for
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, were left off the
album, a decision Martin regretted, although the Beatles
usually did not include songs released as singles on their
British albums. This was also the first single by the Beatles
to be sold with a picture sleeve in the UK, a practice rarely
used there at that time, but common in the US and various other
countries (such as Japan).
Production began in Studio 2 at Abbey Road on 29 December
1966 with piano as the main instrument. On 17 January 1967,
trumpet player David Mason recorded the piccolo trumpet solo.
The solo, inspired by a performance of Bach's 2nd Brandenburg
Concerto, is in a mock-Baroque style for which the piccolo
trumpet (a small instrument built about one octave higher than
the standard instrument) is particularly suited, having a clean
and clear sound which penetrates well through thicker midrange
textures. Mason was paid 27 pounds and 10 shillings for his
performance on the recording. Penny Lane production effects
include percussion effects, piano through a Vox guitar
amplifier with added reverb.
The original US promo single mix of "Penny Lane" had an
additional flourish of piccolo trumpet notes at the end of the
song. This mix was quickly superseded by one without the last
trumpet passage, but not before a handful of copies had been
pressed and sent to radio stations. These recordings are among
the rarest and most valuable Beatles collectibles. A stereo mix
of the song with the additional trumpet added back in was
included on the US
Raritiescompilation in 1980, and is included on an
alternate take of the song released on
Anthology 2in 1996.
In August 1987, the piccolo trumpet Mason played on "Penny
Lane" and two other Beatles tracks ("All You Need Is Love" and
"Magical Mystery Tour") was sold in an auction at Sotheby's for
$10,846.
The verse and chorus in "Penny Lane" are in the keys of B
major and A major, respectively.
A feature of the song was the piccolo trumpet solo played by
Mason. This is thought to be the first use of this instrument
(a distinctive, speciality instrument, pitched about an octave
higher than the standard B-flat trumpet) in pop music. Martin
later wrote, "The result was unique, something which had never
been done in rock music before." McCartney was dissatisfied
with the initial attempts at the song's instrumental fill (one
of which, featuring cors anglais, was released on
Anthology 2), and was inspired to use the instrument
after seeing Mason's performance on a BBC television broadcast
of the second Brandenburg Concerto by Johann Sebastian
Bach.
During the recording process, McCartney helped incorporate
several incidental sound effects in keeping with the lyric,
which can be heard on the final mix. These include a clanging
bell in references to the fireman, a wispy flute depicting the
children laughing, a splashy cymbal illustrating the rain, and
a deep-seated bass string as the banker sits down in a
chair.
Lyrically there are several ambiguous and surreal images,
which Ian MacDonald has interpreted as evidence of the song's
hallucinogenic nature derived from McCartney's LSD intake. The
song is narrated at the height of summer sun, despite the fact
that it is simultaneously raining, and the clear blue skies
appear in what seems to be November (as reference to poppies
would be associated with Remembrance Day). MacDonald also notes
LSD-induced perception in the fact that the nurse feels she is
in a play - and is, anyway. Conflicting with MacDonald's
interpretation, McCartney has repeatedly stated that he took
LSD for the first time in March 1967, several months after the
song was recorded.
The 'shelter in the middle of the roundabout' refers to the
old bus shelter, later developed into a cafe/restaurant with a
Beatles theme, but now derelict and abandoned, despite its
popularity as a tourist attraction. This is also Penny Lane Bus
Terminus and is officially on Smithdown Place.
The mysterious lyrics "Four of fish and finger pies" are
British slang. "A four of fish" refers to fourpennyworth of
fish and chips, while "finger pie" is sexual slang of the time,
apparently referring to intimate fondlings between teenagers in
the shelter, which was a familiar meeting place. The
combination of "fish and finger" also puns on fish fingers. The
lyrics as printed on the Blue (1967-1970) Album, however, are
"Full of fish and finger pies" which are incorrect.
Prior to securing international fame, Penny Lane's chief
renown was as the terminus for several bus routes from the city
centre and as the site, in the middle of the roundabout, of a
handily located public convenience. The area remained largely
unremarkable for the remainder of the 1960s and the 1970s; its
most distinguishing feature was, perhaps, the regular arrival
of tour buses from which tourists would alight, take a
photograph or two, and then get back on the bus.
Towards the end of the 1970s, businesses there included
Penny Lane Records, Sven Books (Liverpool's first high-street
sex shop), and a wine bar known in the early years as Harper's
Bizarre, now called Penny Lane Wine Bar. In the mid-1980s, the
bus shelter and public convenience were converted into a café
that marketed itself as Sgt. Pepper's. Following privatisation,
the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive bus depot,
slightly up the hill past Bioletti's, was demolished and
replaced with a shopping precinct complete with a supermarket
and a public house.
Since then, the general Penny Lane area has acquired a
distinct trendiness and desirability. The "alternative"
businesses (wholefood outlets, charity shops), the now expanded
array of cafés, bars, bistros, and takeaway food emporiums, as
well as handily located traditional businesses (Woolworths,
WHSmiths and Clarke's cake shop) make the neighbourhood the
most sought-after among Liverpool's large student population.
Though the song refers to the "Penny Lane junction" on
Smithdown Road, the street itself also leads down at the other
end to the University of Liverpool's student halls of
residence, near Sefton Park.
In July 2006, a Liverpool Councillor proposed renaming
certain streets because their names were linked to the slave
trade. It was soon discovered that Penny Lane, named after
James Penny, a wealthy 18th-century slave ship owner and strong
opponent of abolitionism, was one of these streets. Ultimately,
city officials decided to forego the name change and
re-evaluate the entire renaming process.
On 10 July 2006, it was revealed that Liverpool officials
said they would modify the proposal to exclude Penny Lane.
The fireman and fire engine referred to in the lyrics is
based upon the fire station at Mather Avenue. This is some
distance from Penny Lane. The station is still in use
today.
Universal Recording artist, Michael Barber, released a
single to FM radio for his debut album on Universal Records,
titled, "She's My Pennie Lane". Universal Records Leak
The promotional film for the song was not filmed at Penny
Lane — The Beatles were reluctant to travel to Liverpool.
Street scenes of the Beatles were filmed in and around Angel
Lane in London's East End. The outdoor scenes were filmed at
Knole Park in Sevenoaks on 30 January 1967, where the
promotional film for "Strawberry Fields Forever" was also shot.
Both videos - directed by the Swede Peter Goldmann - were
selected by New York's MoMA as some of the most influential
music videos in the late 1960s. Film of Penny Lane was included
- with some scenes of green Liverpool buses and a brief
overhead view of the 'shelter in the middle of the roundabout',
but none of the Beatles attended.