Lady Madonna

Lady Madonna is a single on Parlophone (catalogue R 5675), released 15 March 1968. Last Beatles single on Parlophone before Apple.

Recorded during the band's The White Album (1968) period, produced by George Martin (with Chris Thomas covering) with Ken Scott (early), Geoff Emerick walked off — replaced engineering. The tracks were committed to tape at EMI Studios + Trident Studios (Soho) on Ampex AG-440 8-track at Trident (3M M23 8-track at EMI from late 1968; J37 four-track until then) via the REDD/TG12345 prototype mixer and Trident's Sound Techniques 20/8 desk.

Lady Madonna is a Beatles single issued in the United Kingdom on 15 March 1968 by Parlophone under catalogue number R 5675. It sits in the band's The White Album (1968) period. The release followed the parent LP Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by roughly 10 months.

Sessions were produced by George Martin (with Chris Thomas covering) with Ken Scott (early), Geoff Emerick walked off — replaced engineering, working at EMI Studios + Trident Studios (Soho). The signal chain ran through the Ampex AG-440 8-track (Trident); 3M M23 8-track at EMI from late 1968 (J37 four-track until then) • REDD/TG12345 prototype; Sound Techniques 20/8 (Trident), with vocals captured on U47/U48, AKG C12, U67 introduced. This combination of room, tape format and outboard chain is the same one heard across the band's other releases from the era — meaning the release shares its sonic identity with its parent LP rather than departing from it.

The release features Lady Madonna.

Documented alternate masters and remaster passes can be found via the linked entries above; the editorial position throughout Beatles Answers is that the original UK mono master is the canonical point of reference for any single from this era, with the 2009 and 50th-anniversary stereo remasters treated as documented variations rather than replacements. Catalogue numbers, label copy and matrix data are taken from EMI/Parlophone primary documentation and cross-checked against Mark Lewisohn's The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (1988).

Each track on this single carries its own session history on the dedicated entry. The summary below pulls the most distinctive editorial detail from each:

• Lady Madonna — Recorded 3 February 1968 in Studio Three at Abbey Road, the track featured Ringo Starr's crisp drumming and a distinctive honky-tonk piano performance. The session required careful timing to capture McCartney's lead vocal and the accompanying band arrangement with precision, utilizing the Abbey Road recording facilities.

• UK Singles Chart peak: #1 (Wikipedia, citing the relevant chart publication)
• US Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (Wikipedia)
• RIAA certification: Platinum (Recording Industry Association of America)

Chart positions and certifications sourced from the relevant Wikipedia article infoboxes and citation footnotes.

• Hey Jude