Today is a really important day in music history – for the world at large and for me personally. It’s the 42nd anniversary of the day the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released. It’s important for me because this is the album that introduced me to the Beatles and I’m still madly in love with them to this day. I wasn’t around for the original release, but I have very fond memories of hanging out in my friend Angie’s basement in the ’90s listening to the LPs on her dad’s old console record player. In celebration of Sgt. Pepper, I thought we’d have a little trivia about the album and the music.
1. The famous cover collage is known as “People We Like.” Each Beatle, except Ringo (who apparently didn’t really care) submitted a list of people they wanted to appear on the cover. John Lennon asked for Jesus and Hitler but was refused. Mae West almost didn’t allow her image to be used, asking, “What would I be doing in a lonely hearts club?” But when the Beatles personally wrote her a letter asking for permission, she relented.
2. You probably recognize most of the people on the cover, if you look closely enough. But one of them you won’t recognize unless you’re a Beatles buff is the first man in the third row of people to the far left. That’s Stuart Sutcliffe, the Beatles’ original bassist, who died of a brain hemorrhage in 1962 (he had already quit the Beatles when he died). In case there are others you can’t quite put your finger on, check out this interactive map of the cover. Just mouse over a person to see who they are.
3. There’s a tale going around that the album was originally supposed to be called Dr. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The Beatles quickly found out that Dr Pepper was an American soda company and switched the prefix to “Sgt.” instead. But I can’t find any interview that actually corroborates that fact, but it’s entertaining nonetheless – especially when you consider that John Lennon later came to adore Dr Pepper and had it shipped to him so he could get his fix when he wasn’t in the States. The story I’ve heard is that Paul McCartney was sitting with Mal Evans, one of the Beatles’ roadies, on a plane, and Mal asked what the “S” and the “P” on the little pots at their dinner plates stood for. Paul told him they were Salt and Pepper and the idea sort of grew from there. That’s the story from The Beatles Anthology, so I’m willing to bet that there’s more truth to that than the Dr Pepper story.
4. This was the album that started all of those pesky “Paul is Dead” rumors. Among the “clues” on this album alone – the fact that Paul is standing with his back to the camera in one of the pictures when everyone else is facing it; the “Billy Shears” reference at the end of the “Sgt. Pepper” song (supposedly Paul was replaced by a look-alike named Billy Shears Campbell); and the fact that the Shirley Temple doll wearing the Rolling Stones sweater has a driving glove on its left hand. You see, Paul supposedly died in a car accident, and he is lefthanded, so clearly that’s what the Beatles intended with the driving glove. You can see an extremely extensive list at Officially Pronounced Dead? The Great Beatle Death Conspiracy. It’s kind of nuts. And here’s a photo gallery comparing Paul to “Billy Shears,” which is almost laughable.
5. Automatic Double Tracking, or ADT, was invented for the Beatles specifically for this album. It was fairly standard practice for singers to record their vocals twice and then lay them on top of one another for a stronger sound, but most musicians really hated doing it – especially John Lennon. After much complaining by John, the ADT was invented by EMI engineer Ken Townsend. It used tape recorders to instantaneously double vocals without having to record them twice.
6. The Beatles originally wanted people who bought the album to get a whole incredible package that would have included pencils, pins and other little trinkets, but it ended up being way too much money. Instead, they included an insert with pieces that the buyers could cut out and have fun with. The cutouts included a mustache, badges and a mini stand-up of the whole band.
7. The New York Times hated Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and said it sounded like a spoiled, over-attended child, meaning that between the horns and the orchestra and the grand pianos and the sound effects, there was just too much going on.
8. The album’s second track, “With a Little Help from My Friends,” contains the lyric “What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me?” But that wasn’t originally the line. The line used to be, “Would you throw ripe tomatoes at me?” Then, after remembering that George Harrison had once mentioned that he liked jelly babies (a British gummy candy) and fans showered them with the candy at every concert afterward, Ringo decided “ripe tomatoes” maybe wasn’t the best idea. Which is for the best – “Would you stand up and walk out on me?” flows much better, don’t you think?
9. Sgt. Pepper was nominated for a whopping seven Grammy Awards and won four of them – Album of the Year, Best Album Cover, Best Engineered Recording and Best Contemporary Album.
10. Despite popular belief, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is not about drugs and was never intended to be about drugs. Even after admitting to other drug references, John Lennon maintained that the song was named after a drawing done by his son Julian. Snopes even has a picture of the original drawing.
My tastes have changed over the years. When I first discovered Sgt. Pepper, I probably would have told you that “Lucy” was hands-down my favorite. And there was a time in my teens when I thought “She’s Leaving Home” soooo described how underappreciated I was at home (teen angst, what can I say?). But these days I’d have to tell you that the haunted quality of “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” or the pure innovation of “A Day in the Life” would make them my favorites. How about you? Favorite Sgt. Pepper song? Or do you think the whole thing is overrated? Share in the comments!
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Should it be
prefix to “Sgt.†instead ?
posted by Julia on 6-1-2009 at 5:17 pm
Sgt. Pepper is absolutely not overrated, but that’s coming from a longtime Beatles obsessive.
My Sgt. Pepper faves have changed over the years as well…if you had asked me when I first heard the album at 13 or so, I probably would’ve said “When I’m 64″ because I had a crush on Paul. (I still use 64 in e-mail addresses and such when I need to add a number to things) I think now, I wouldn’t be able to choose :). “Lovely Rita” is underrated though, so I’ll vote for it.
By the way, it wasn’t so much the jelly babies that were the problem. While annoying, they’re pretty soft (and with a non-English palatte I find them awful). It was when the Beatles came to the US and fans threw jelly beans–which were much more painful :).
posted by Fruppi on 6-1-2009 at 5:19 pm
What moron thinks the whole thing overrated??? The technology was primitive, the innovations- genius. It is, without question the greatest achievement of the greatest band ever. It’s the Bloody Sgt Pepper album!!! Overrated!!!????? Balls!
posted by Daryl on 6-1-2009 at 5:20 pm
best f%^#ing band EVER. PERIOD. DOT. nothing more. best. bestest.
posted by luis on 6-1-2009 at 5:37 pm
I am not such a big Beatles fan, but I grew up listening to all their records and especially Sgt. Pepper because my parents were of just the right generation to have grown up listening to the Beatles the first time around.
I want to add my name to the list of people who agree that Sgt. Pepper is the greatest Beatles record and very possibly the greatest rock record of all time. Hardly a week passes that I don’t listen to it, and I think I should also point out that it is a great record to listen to while stoned.
posted by NG on 6-1-2009 at 5:52 pm
Sgt. Pepper is a great album, no doubt. Far be it from me to claim it’s overrated.
But people need to remember that as revolutionary as the Beatles were, other bands were changing the rock landscape at the time, too. Consider the following: Paul McCartney said that the Beach Boys’ album (and Brian Wilson work of genius), Pet Sounds, was a major influence on him in writing Sgt. Pepper, and the Beatles’ producer flat-out said that Sgt. Pepper never would’ve happened without Pet Sounds.
Food for thought, if nothing else.
posted by Peter on 6-1-2009 at 5:56 pm
Thank you for this article!
This was the first Beatles tape I bought. I was about 9 years old and had seen the promo video for Strawberry Fields Forever on t.v. and ran to the record store to get a copy of it.
The guy that worked there helped me go through all the Beatles tapes, but none had Strawberry Fields on them.
He suggested Sgt. Pepper as a substitute while he ordered what I wanted.
My favorite songs then were Lucy In the Sky and When I’m 64, but now when ever I put on the CD, I go to Good Morning, Good Morning, and Lovely Rita.
posted by holly on 6-1-2009 at 5:58 pm
Another interesting point(though I can’t verify it): Sgt. Pepper was the first album to have the lyrics printed inside the album, another things that is rather commonplace now.
As someone who was always a George Fan, I have to say “Within You Without You” is my favorite song, followed by “A Day in the Life”.
Also, Easy Star All Stars recently put out a great reggae version of the album called “Lonely Heart’s Dub Band”
posted by Zach on 6-1-2009 at 6:00 pm
The shirley temple doll is a death clue b/c there is a toy car pushed up against the word “stones” on her sweater, which is what indicates the car accident, not the driving glove.
posted by Kristine on 6-1-2009 at 6:02 pm
My favorite used to be “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” too, but after a couple years with the album, “A Day in the Life” has grown to push Lucy out of the spotlight.
On a related note, the Cirque du Soleil interpretation of “A Day in the Life” in the Beatles show “Love” is outstanding. Well, the whole show is excellent, actually.
posted by Eric on 6-1-2009 at 6:12 pm
@holly:
It’s not surprising that your record store clerk recommended “Sgt. Pepper’s” as a “Strawberry Fields” substitute. That song and “Penny Lane” were originally intended for the album. However, because so much time had passed since the release of “Revolver,” the Beatles were pressed to release a single. When “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane” were chosen the two songs had to be taken off the “Sgt. Pepper’s” album.
Wikipedia says it was simply the Beatles’ preference to exclude songs released as singles from new albums, but I seem to remember that some rule in place at the time related to sales charts actually prohibited this.
George Martin later said that he regretted the fact that the two songs were excluded from the album. I think “Sgt. Pepper’s” is incredible, but I agree. “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane” are two of my favorite Beatles songs, and I think they would have fit in perfectly on the album.
I strongly recommend the book “Revolution in the Head” for any Beatles fan. It’s chock full of stories like this, and is structured as a song-by-song history of the groups career. Awesome.
posted by Adam on 6-1-2009 at 6:57 pm
Just want to see if anyone else can hear the high pitched noise before the inner groove chatter at the very end. (It’s like the mosquito ringtone of its day.)
posted by Liz on 6-1-2009 at 8:59 pm
I am a first generation Beatles fan. They are the first band I was into. I saw the movies, “Help” and “Hard Day’s Night”, first run at a local theater. While some will say “The Beatles” (AKA “White Album”) is the best, I will go with this one. White had all the Beatles working on separate projects and put the together later. “Pepper’s” had all the Beatles working tightly together, hence the fine piece of work.
posted by gus on 6-1-2009 at 9:14 pm
Hooray! I love this album, especially just putting it on and listening all the way through, including every second of that final note. I think that was an amazing feat of an orchestra, maintaining it for record breaking time.
posted by Johnny Cat on 6-1-2009 at 11:32 pm
easily the most overrated beatles album which is made even more laughable when people try to describe it as “acid rock”. ill take white album, rubber soul, revolver, abby road, or any of their other albums in a second over this one. cocker ruled “with a little help from my friends” more than the beatles ever hoped to
posted by jah on 6-1-2009 at 11:49 pm
I love Sgt. Pepper and remember the afternoon I put it on on my (semi-) portable stereo. (It was the size of a Buick, but I took it to parties because it was one helluva piece of 1966 technology.)
Anyway. Anyway, I’m really weird because my favorite-est Beatles album is the Capital release “The Beatles’ 2nd Album.” They needed to to come up with another record in the wake of “Meet the Beatles” and Beatlemania… and the 2nd Album had a lot of covers from their Cavern Club days. There was Motown, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Everly Brothers… all their influences that made them one helluva cover band.
I like the White Album because it sorta re-does the whole Beatles catalog; those early influences are there, only with original stuff instead of covers. My favorite is probably Abbey Road because it was the culmination of eight or ten years of being The Beatles.
Still. Sgt. Pepper is truly remarkable. I thought the time (yeah, I’m a first-generation Beatles fan) it was a movie; provide your own pictures.
posted by MonkeyHawk on 6-2-2009 at 2:42 am
Even though I wasn’t even born when John Lennon was shot I have to say that this is easily one of my favorite albums of all time.
I “borrowed” my Dad’s copy of this album when I was 8 and he hasn’t had it back since. I still think that Leaving Home is possibly my favorite song on the Album but the sheer strangeness of songs like Within Without You and A Day in The Life keep bringing me back.
It is almost inconceivable that an album like this was done in the 60′s considering the recording technology available to them at the time.
posted by Chris on 6-2-2009 at 5:11 am
My favorite is a version of Lucy… done by Sir Elton John. In my book, it is wa-a-ay better than the original.
posted by Robert on 6-2-2009 at 7:58 am
Sgt. Pepper was an actual person – he was an officer with the Ontario Provincial Police who was part of the security detail at one of the early concerts in Toronto. He met the band backstage and they thought his name was hilarious and clearly remembered it for many years after that. This is why Paul is wearing an OPP badge on his left sleeve (you can see it quite well in the last picture above.)
As for my personal history with this album, it was one of the first CD’s my parents ever bought, and I would play ‘When I’m 64′ endlessly, mostly ignoring the rest of the album…
posted by Anne on 6-2-2009 at 8:36 am
I love Lovely Rita. And I get into the whole consipiracy of Paul McCartney so the fact the lady he was driving is supposedly named Rita adds to it all! Oh and I love the instrumentals of Within You Without You.
posted by Courtney on 6-2-2009 at 9:14 am
I THINK THEY LOOK A LOT ALIKE WHEN YOU COMPARE THE TWO PICTURES.I WOULD SWEAR THE FAUX PAUL LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THE REAL PAUL TODAY.(THE LAST PHOTO OF FAUX). MAYBE WE HAVE BEEN DUPED ALL THESE YEARS.I THOUGHT IT WAS B.S.,BUT TOO SIMILIAR TO ME….. JUST SAYING!
posted by wendy parish on 6-2-2009 at 10:11 am
My favorite is Fixin’ a Hole
This was the first album I’ve owned in it’s entirety. It was my absolute, unwavering favorite….until I got a hold of Rubber Soul. But as we all know, the Beatles are just amazing, in general!
posted by Meg on 6-2-2009 at 10:16 am
Lovely Rita appeals to me. It’s kind of creepy if you pay attention.
But I absolutely abhor ‘She’s Leaving Home.’ Total ham.
I agree with the person who prefers the White Album. Some friends and I decided that the whole album represented an acid trip and that the white cover was simply a square of blotter. (Beats Manson’s interpretation.)
posted by BassMan on 6-2-2009 at 10:40 am
Yes, “A Day In The Life” is one of my fave all-time as well. When I first borrowed the album from a friend in high school (about 20 yrs ago), my favorite piece was actually the Sgt Pepper reprise w/ the drum solo.
posted by Eden on 6-2-2009 at 11:08 am
As a life long Beatles fan, I must say that I love this album but it is not my favorite. My favorite is a tie between Abbey Road and Revolver. But one of my favorite Beatles songs is on Sgt. Pepper which is Within You Without You. I can’t even begin to count how many times I have listened to that song over and over. Best band of all time with the best songs!
posted by K on 6-2-2009 at 1:19 pm
This is going to sound sappy, but as much as I love the entire album, I would have to say my favorite song is “When I’m Sixty Four.” It may be the perfect love song. My leave favorite would be “Good Morning, Good Morning,” because when I was in college, a friend who lived down the hall would blast that song on the morning of a football game to get everyone moving.
posted by Paul on 6-2-2009 at 1:31 pm
I’d have to say the whole album! I can’t even pick a song. This album was the beginning of Prog(ressive) Rock as we know it! Sgt. Peppers paved the way!
posted by Jill...NOT Jillian on 6-2-2009 at 1:45 pm
It’s funny that you would mention listening to this album on an old console stereo (in the 90′s!!!) cuz I used to listen to the Beatles on my parents console (which they had gotten rid of in the early 80s).
My sister and I were forbidden from playing their Beatles albums, (they have almost all of them on vinyl) so we had to make do w/ other stuff, our fave was Jan and Dean. But occasionally, we’d sneak a Beatles album on.
Sgt Pepper’s was the first Beatles album I got when I went to CDs, and while my musical tastes have gone thru phases where I gravitate to one artist or another, I’ve always considered the Beatles my personal baseline.
I thought more would be said about Sgt Peppers being the Beatles response to Pet Waves and a Dylan album (Highway 61 revisited, I think or Blonde On Blonde).
posted by Jonny on 6-2-2009 at 3:49 pm
Jelly babies? Hehe. Every time I think of those, I think of Doctor Who. I’m tempted to go buy some off of Amazon, put them in a small white paper bag, and offer them to people (“Would you like a jelly baby?”). People who have watched the classic episodes know exactly what I’m talking about. If not, search for “jelly baby doctor who” on Youtube and click on the first link.
Julian was pretty good, IMO. I kinda think that’s a pretty neat drawing of Lucy.
‘A Day in the Life’ has always been my favorite song. It actually was one reason my first boyfriend started dating me. We were a very odd bunch.
posted by niconiconico on 6-2-2009 at 7:51 pm
thanks to my obsessive collecting and upgrading (via garage sales in my teenage years), I have a near-mint vinyl copy of Sgt. Pepper, including psychedelic album sleeve and paper insert. (I also have a copy of the White Album with three of the four portraits in it – it’s missing Paul – and a copy of Let It Be from France, with a red Apple Corps logo instead of the usual red!)
As for songs, I’ve always loved “She’s Leaving Home,” but that may have something to do with the fact that I listened to this album mostly in high school.
posted by Kat on 6-2-2009 at 8:03 pm
Great article, but I have to make a correction: Automatic Double Tracking, or ADT, was first used on “Tomorrow Never Knows”. Sgt. Pepper’s made great use of the technique, absolutely, but John despised the tedium of duplicating previously-sung lyrics, particularly in terms of pitch and phrasing, so the engineers came up with ADT.
Cheers!
posted by PJ on 6-3-2009 at 1:16 pm
Hey there. Just wanted to say a huge thank you for linking to my ‘Paul is Dead’ (OPD – The Great Beatle Death Conspiracy) here on Mentalfloss!! Mike.
posted by Mike on 6-4-2009 at 5:05 pm
Somewhere in the book pages that were in the album was a picture that had a lifesaver (round swimming device) that says \The Best Way To Go is M. & D. and Co.: the initials MDC, Mark David Chapman. Eerie.
posted by Scott on 6-26-2009 at 3:47 pm
darn it. When I read the title, I thought this post was about Hitchhiker’s Guide.
posted by isabelle on 11-21-2009 at 1:31 pm
I first discovered this album when I was in HS and I think it’s sheer perfection. (of course, I think just about every Beatles album is sheer perfection, but maybe that’s the joy of it)
My *Favorite Song* changes as I grow and have different experiences(obviously), but I constantly come back to ‘the Reprise and A Day in the Life’, but I think ‘within you, without you’ is so fun and I agree that ‘when I’m sixty-four’ is a perfect love song. I think my most ‘oh my god’ moment was listening to the cleaned up, re-released version of ‘lucy’ a few months ago. It was just SO clear and gorgeous, I almost cried.
Has anybody else bought one of the newly remastered albums – is there that much of a difference?
posted by OkieMelissa on 1-26-2010 at 1:51 pm
This was the first Beatles album I really got into when I was really young. I would have to say its hard to decide favorites but if I had to I would say either Sgt. Peppers reprise, Fixing a Hole, or A day in the life.
I am so happy they included it in it’s entirety on Beatles Rock Band.
posted by Jill on 1-26-2010 at 8:45 pm