The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper, and Writing

/ Joan Hall

My copy of a Sgt. Peppers vinyl picture disc.

Hi, SE Readers. Joan here. I’ve been a Beatles fan since I was six years old. Ever since I heard that first song on the radio back in 1964 (yes, I’m dating myself), I was fascinated by those four young men from Liverpool, England.

I can’t remember which of their songs I heard first—it may have been “She Loves You” or “From Me to You,” but most likely it was “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” It doesn’t matter. From that point on, all other music that I listened to seemed almost obsolete. (Having a teenage brother with a rather extensive record collection helped develop my love of music.)

The hit songs kept coming, the group kept touring, and finally, in August 1966, they performed their last on-stage concert at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park. The reason they quit? Stage sound equipment was primitive in the sixties, and it was nearly impossible for them to hear themselves over tens of thousands of screaming fans.

But more importantly, they wanted to grow as a group and individually as songwriters. They knew they could never replicate on stage what they could do in the studio. So, enter the era of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

This single album helped change the course of music history. It was, in many ways, before its time. I didn’t realize how much until I watched a documentary in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the album’s release.

While Lennon and McCartney were tagged as a songwriting duo, in reality, each wrote their own songs. In late 1966, Lennon penned the words to “Strawberry Fields Forever,” a song much different from any previous work. Not to be outdone, McCartney wrote “Penny Lane.” Originally slated to be part of the Sgt. Pepper album, the two songs were released as a double-sided single in early 1967. But the innovative work continued on other songs such as “A Day in the Life,” “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” and “Within You, Without You.”

So how to the Beatles and Sgt. Pepper relate to writing?

  • As writers, we should continually strive for growth. Each short story, novella, or novel we pen should be better than the previous one. The Beatles wanted Sgt. Pepper to be better than any of their preceding work. Consider the simplicity of “Please, Please Me,” to the complexity of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”
  • Don’t be afraid to experiment with something different. Branching out, trying new things, and new genres will help us grow as writers. With Sgt. Pepper, the Beatles used a wide range of styles including, vaudeville, circus, and avant-garde, as well as Western and Indian music. They incorporated the use of different instruments not usually heard in rock music, such as a piccolo trumpet, a mellotron, and the sitar. To overcome the limitations of a four-track recording machine, they blended multiple recordings of songs to achieve the desired result.
  • Allow other authors to inspire you to grow. I hesitated to put this one because we should never allow jealousy to interfere with our work. But when another author whose work you admire achieves something great, strive to accomplish more for yourself. Lennon and McCartney had a “healthy” competition with one another as songwriters. Each one spurred the other to do more.

A word of warning. Never allow a healthy competition to break a friendship like John and Paul during the Beatles’ break-up. Envy for other authors is something we should never do! (For the record, when Lennon was murdered in 1980, it’s been said one of the first people Yoko Ono called was Paul McCartney because she knew that’s what John would have wanted. In the long run, their friendship withstood the test of time.)

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band changed the course of music history. Do we dare change the course of writing history?

47 thoughts on “The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper, and Writing”

  1. Joan, looks like we’re the same age….and this dates me, too! I was 6 when the Beatles first came over; I remember that night Feb 9 watching the Ed Sullivan show, I had a glass of cream soda and was so excited to see my first love, Paul. I had a big I LOVE PAUL button, and my very first 45 record was She Loves You which I still have!
    Diana

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    • Great memories! At first, I liked Ringo best, but it wasn’t long before I decided George was my favorite. (Thought he was so darn cute and his son could pass for his twin!) My brother had a 45 of She Loves You sung in German and I now have it packed away.

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  7. Greetings fellow Beatles fan! Thanks for sharing. I have a poetry blog here on WordPress and today’s poem is about self acceptance and love in case you have time to look? Wishing you a fulfilling day ahead, Sam 🙂

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  8. Great post, Joan! And definitely good points on writing (relating writing to Sgt Pepper is just a bonus 😀 ) I love the Beatles, but I didn’t appreciate them until I was in college; I was a serious Beach Boys fan (then again, by the time I was old enough to really pay attention, the band was long broken up). The Beatles’ progression with their music reminds me of the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson’s experiments, notably their Pet Sounds album.

    And so true about friendships!

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    • It’s good we can still appreciate their music (both Beatles and Beach Boys). And we certainly can learn to grow as writers through these examples. I agree about the friendships. It pains me to see jealousy and strife between writers.

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  14. You know I’m a Beatles fan, so clearly this post resonates with me. There are a lot of great points in here, but I love what you ended with. Friendships are more important than career choices. Jealousy costs more than a few minutes of time—it can rob you of years of new memories and leave you with regret. What a poignant thought to leave us with today. Loved the post, Joan.

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  16. Wow, Joan. I can’t tell you much I love this post! The Beatles and writing in one place. It doesn’t get any better than that. 🙂

    I “discovered” them about a year after they broke up and went on to purchase every album they ever made, including reading a number of books about their history. Their story is extraordinary, and I remain a Beatles fan to this day. I love how you tied their journey into what we can accomplish as writers…always challenging ourselves, growing and experimenting. I think most writers can look back over their years in the field and see growth the same way the Beatles grew from Please Please Me to I Am the Walrus. Thanks for an awesome read to start my day!

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    • Mae, I have all their albums (both on vinyl disc) and CD. They changed the course of music history and it’s interesting to look back now and see how their music matured. I still enjoy some of the early stuff, however. And I agree – Beatles and writing. It just doesn’t get any better.

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  18. What a lovely post, Joan. And I agree wholeheartedly on your words about inspiration and avoiding envy/jealousy. Friendships are far more important. 🙂

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    • Absolutely, Harmony. IMO, there is no room for strife and jealousy within the writing world. I’ve seen it, however, and it’s sad. Much better to keep those friendships intact.

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