Beatles Answers

Strawberry Fields Forever

(Lennon/McCartney)

status: review

On this page

First lyric line — "Let me take you down…" (brief identification excerpt; full lyrics © Sony Music Publishing — see Genius link in References.)

Story Outdated

"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released on 13 February 1967 as a double A-side single with "Penny Lane". It represented a departure from the group's previous singles and a novel listening experience for the contemporary pop audience. [Wikipedia]

Lennon wrote it in Almería, Spain, while filming Dick Lester's How I Won the War in autumn 1966. Strawberry Field was the name of a Salvation Army children's home in Woolton, near Lennon's Aunt Mimi's house, where he had played as a child. The lyric is among the most explicitly autobiographical and Lennon-vulnerable of his career. George Martin left to his own creative devices during sessions, composing the distinctive cello line moving in counterpoint to the melody while Lennon was uncertain (Kozinn 1995, p.16).

Two completely separate takes, recorded in different keys and at different tempos, were spliced together by George Martin and Geoff Emerick on Lennon's instruction (he liked the beginning of one and the end of the other). The slower take was sped up; the faster one slowed down — and by chance the two converged in approximately the same key. The splice point is at roughly the one-minute mark. Mellotron, slide cellos, brass, backwards drums and Indian percussion swarm across the four-track. Final mixing was completed only days before its 17 February 1967 release as a double A-side single with Penny Lane. The splice between two recordings in different keys and tempos was executed at a shallow angle to resemble a crossfade rather than an abrupt cut, requiring hours of meticulous work by Martin and Emerick (Emerick 2006, Strawberry Fields Forever chapter). The composition reflected Lennon's childhood nostalgia and introspective impulse; the elaborate studio arrangement by Martin, initially rejected by Lennon, eventually became iconic through creative splicing (MacDonald 1994, p.103).

What's distinctive

At 4:10 it's among the very longest tracks in the canon (≥95th percentile). One of 101 songs led primarily by John. Recorded approximately 1 of 11 into the Magical Mystery Tour (late 1967) sessions. Carries the unique tag 'spliced-takes' — no other song shares it. Take count: 26 (highest take number documented in Lewisohn (1988)).

Recording

  • Strawberry Fields Forever is the band’s most studied production puzzle and the canonical worked example for both the site’s mix-variant taxonomy and the technique taxonomy in Kehew & Ryan’s Recording the Beatles (2006). Per Lewisohn (The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, 1988, pp. 87–91), the released master is a splice of Take 7 — the band’s intended slower, brighter arrangement, bounced from take 6 and overdubbed on 29 November 1966 — and Take 26, the faster, heavier orchestral arrangement, bounced from take 25 and overdubbed on 15 December 1966. The two takes were in different keys (a semitone apart, per Lewisohn) and at different tempos.
  • On 22 December 1966 George Martin and Geoff Emerick varispeeded Take 7 up and Take 26 down until the two converged on approximately the same key — Martin describes it as with the grace of God, and a bit of luck we did it — and the splice was executed at approximately the one-minute mark, at a shallow angle to resemble a crossfade rather than an abrupt cut. The 1967 UK mono single mix (issued 17 February 1967) is the canonical reference: the only mix the band attended and signed off in 1967.

Equipment Outdated

StudioEMI Studios, Abbey Road
Tape machineTwo synced Studer J37 four-tracks, run as an ad-hoc eight-track for orchestral overdub bouncing (Kehew & Ryan, Ch 6; corroborated by Lewisohn 1988)
ConsoleREDD.51
MicrophonesU47/U48, AKG C12, ribbon mics (4038)
Outboard / effectsEMI RS124, EMT 140, Fairchild 660, ADT, tape phasing, Leslie cabinet
GuitarsEpiphone Casino, Fender Stratocaster (Harrison — psychedelic 'Rocky' Strat), Mellotron, clavioline
AmplifiersVox AC100, Vox UL730, Fender Showman, Fender Bassman

Recording Timeline

Now they had decided to reunite and start the recording of a new album. 'Strawberry Fields Forever' was the first song to be taped although, of course, it was later whipped away for a single and never appeared on a Beatles LP apart from compilations put together outside of the group's direct control. 'Strawberry…— Mark Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, p.87

Studio Notes

Releases

References & external databases

Frequently asked

Who wrote Strawberry Fields Forever?

“Strawberry Fields Forever” is credited to John Lennon (Lennon–McCartney).

Who sings lead on Strawberry Fields Forever?

The lead vocal on “Strawberry Fields Forever” is by John Lennon.

When was Strawberry Fields Forever recorded?

“Strawberry Fields Forever” was recorded 24 Nov 1966 at EMI Studios, Abbey Road.

How many takes did Strawberry Fields Forever require?

Mark Lewisohn's session log documents up to 26 numbered takes for “Strawberry Fields Forever”.