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Overview
"Flying" is an instrumental recorded by the English rock band the Beatles which first appeared on the 1967 Magical Mystery Tour release. It is one of the few songs credited to all four members of the band: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. [Wikipedia]
Background
Flying is a song by The Beatles, written by Lennon–McCartney–Harrison–Starkey and led on vocal by instrumental. Only Beatles instrumental on a UK album; mellotron flight. Within the catalogue, its instrumental thread connects it to Pepperland, Sea of Time, Sea of Holes; its mellotron thread connects it to Strawberry Fields Forever. The song served as functional incidental music for a fantasy sequence in the film, released after years without a Beatles instrumental since the early catalogue (Kozinn 1995, p.44).
What's distinctive
One of 8 purely instrumental Beatles tracks. Recorded approximately 9 of 11 into the Magical Mystery Tour (late 1967) sessions. Carries the unique tag 'four-credit' — no other song shares it. Take count: 25 (highest take number documented in Lewisohn (1988)).Opening line — "(instrumental)" (brief identification excerpt; full lyrics © Sony Music Publishing — see Genius link in References.)
Pattern analysis
Recording
The session work falls within the band's Magical Mystery Tour (late 1967) period, recorded 8 Sep 1967 at EMI Studios + Olympic Sound Studios (Barnes) for some MMT/All You Need Is Love work. George Martin produced; Geoff Emerick engineered. For session-by-session detail, see Mark Lewisohn's account on p.123 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below). Emerick characterized 'Flying' as merely a twelve-bar blues framework, wrapping up pre-vacation sessions with a minimal harmonic structure despite the Mellotron textures (Emerick 2006, p.559). The instrumental, credited to all four members, represented a playful return to four-instrument fundamentals following psychedelic experimentation, with blues-based harmonic simplicity (MacDonald 1994, p.116).
| Studio | EMI Studios + Olympic Sound Studios (Barnes) for some MMT/All You Need Is Love work |
|---|---|
| Tape machine | Synced J37 four-tracks; first Beatles 8-track session (Trident's Ampex AG-440) imminent — Hey Jude, July 1968 |
| Console | REDD.51 + Helios at Olympic |
| Microphones | U47/U48, AKG C12, ribbon mics (4038) |
| Outboard / effects | EMI RS124, EMT 140, Fairchild 660, ADT, tape phasing, Leslie cabinet |
| Guitars | Epiphone Casino, Fender Stratocaster (Harrison — psychedelic 'Rocky' Strat), Mellotron, clavioline |
| Amplifiers | Vox AC100, Vox UL730, Fender Showman, Fender Bassman |
| Producer | George Martin |
| Engineer / 2nd | Geoff Emerick • Ken Scott on some sessions |
| Estimated takes | 25 (highest take number documented in Lewisohn (1988)) |
Legacy & release history
In the canonical discography it on the EP Magical Mystery Tour. Documented alternate versions include 2009 Stereo Remasters. Mono and stereo histories vary by era — see the dedicated section below. Master tape from 4-track 2nd generation; the 1988 home-video stereo mix employed less backing-vocal phasing than the original mono version.
Mono & stereo
- Mixed primarily in mono at Abbey Road; the Beatles attended only the mono mixes through Sgt Pepper.
- Stereo mixes from this period were prepared (often without the band present) and are now considered secondary by purists.
Documented alternate versions
- 2009 Stereo Remasters — Allan Rouse / Guy Massey remaster
Released on
- Magical Mystery Tour — EP, 8 December 1967
Cross-references
Other songs sharing themes (instrumental, mellotron, four-credit, flight)
Other songs led by the same vocalist
Other songs from this era
instrumentalmellotronfour-creditflight
References & external databases
On screen with the same title
Film, TV, and other screen works whose primary title matches this song. Some are direct cultural references (the 1965 Beatles film, the 2019 Danny Boyle feature). Many are coincidental title shares -- worth knowing about but not claiming as soundtrack appearances. Sorted by IMDB vote count.
- Flying (2016, TV episode) IMDB 7.4 · 4,485 votes [IMDB]
- Teenage Dream (1986, film) IMDB 5.1 · 788 votes [IMDB]
- Flying (2021, film) IMDB 6.6 · 369 votes [IMDB]
Source: IMDB public dataset (title.basics.tsv + title.ratings.tsv) joined locally. Includes titles with sufficient vote counts to indicate cultural visibility.
Frequently asked
Who wrote Flying?
“Flying” was written by Lennon–McCartney–Harrison–Starkey.
Who sings lead on Flying?
The lead vocal on “Flying” is by instrumental.
When was Flying recorded?
“Flying” was recorded 8 Sep 1967 at EMI Studios, Abbey Road.
How many takes did Flying require?
Mark Lewisohn's session log documents up to 25 numbered takes for “Flying”.