All Together Now

"All Together Now" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song was recorded during the band's Magical Mystery Tour period, but remained unreleased until it was included on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack. It was released as a single in 1972 in European countries such as France and Germany, backed by "Hey Bulldog". [Wikipedia]

All Together Now is a song by The Beatles, written by Lennon–McCartney and led on vocal by Paul McCartney. Children's singalong written for the film; banjo-uke jaunt. Within the catalogue, its singalong thread connects it to Yellow Submarine. Written specifically for the Yellow Submarine film, 'All Together Now' emerged as a children's singalong featuring Paul McCartney's lead vocal over banjo-ukulele and multiple percussion layers. The track exemplifies the Beatles' willingness to adapt their studio approach for film-specific material, balancing accessibility with the instrumental complexity characteristic of 1967 production (Lewisohn 1988, p.112). Taped in May 1967 as one of three new songs for Yellow Submarine, McCartney's "popsy" contribution stood in marked contrast to Harrison's heavier "It's All Too Much" (Kozinn 1995, p.167).

The session work falls within the band's Yellow Submarine (1969) period, recorded 12 May 1967 at EMI Studios. George Martin produced; Geoff Emerick (1967 sessions); George Martin orchestral score side B engineered. For session-by-session detail, see Mark Lewisohn's account on p.112 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below). Recorded in a single evening session totaling less than six hours, the track was completed without producer George Martin present, with engineer Geoff Emerick managing the control room. Nine takes were captured, with the ninth deemed best, followed by mono mixing completed the same evening. The session's efficiency and lack of formal producer direction suggest the group's complete arrangement preparation for this straightforward song (Lewisohn 1988, p.112). Recorded without producer George Martin present - he was vacationing in the south of France - Emerick was officially listed as both producer and engineer, a rare role reversal that underscored the band's confidence in the straightforward arrangement (Emerick 2006, p.520, 522). The song's communal principle echoed 'All You Need Is Love,' condensing democratic sentiment into a children's singalong framework where anyone could participate in the repeated title phrase (MacDonald 1994, p.113).

In the canonical discography it appears on the LP Yellow Submarine. Documented alternate versions include 2009 Stereo Remasters. Mono and stereo histories vary by era — see the dedicated section below. Paul McCartney lead vocals appear in 65 canon songs (1 in Yellow Submarine era), making this his sole vocal lead in that era. At 2m 11s, it falls at the 27th percentile of canon duration yet the 70th percentile within era, shorter than most Beatles material but typical of children's material. The party-style recording with handclapping and party vocals anticipated later communal recording approaches and cemented the Beatles' range across demographic audiences (Lewisohn 1988, p.112).

Other recordings sharing era, vocalist, writer, key, studio, or producer with this one. Higher scores indicate stronger overlap on documented attributes.

• Get Back (score 10)
• Hey Bulldog (score 8)
• Maggie Mae (score 8)
• Carry That Weight (score 7)
• Drive My Car (score 7)
• Golden Slumbers (score 7)
• Her Majesty (score 7)
• Hold Me Tight (score 7)