Lyrics:
I read the news today oh, boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well, I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure
if he was from the House of Lords
I saw a film today oh, boy
The English army had just won the war
A crowd of people turned away
But I just had to look
Having read the book
I'd love to turn you on.
Woke up, got out of bed
dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
and looking up, I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
Somebody spoke and I went into a dream
Ah
I read the news today oh, boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes
it takes to fill the Albert Hall
I'd love to turn you on
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Availability:
Anthology 2 (CD)
1967-1970 (Blue Album) (CD)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (CD)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (UK)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (US)
Lead Singer: John/Paul
Recording: 1/19/67, 1/20/67, 2/3/67, 2/10/67, 2/22/67, 3/1/67
Mixing: 1/30/67, 2/13/67, 2/22/67, 2/23/67
Length: 5:03
Take: 7
What Goes On? Anomalies
1:43
Switch click as orchestra comes in (Right) |
1:44-2:16, 3:50-4:19
Mal Evans is heard counting the bars from 1 to 24; only about the first dozen are audible, starting at about three to 12 |
2:17
Right ear - intake of breath |
2:18
An alarm clock sounds to mark the end of the first 24 bars [1] |
2:18-2:20
Someone says "One" to mark the downbeat. Quieter, but audible on the CD is the trailing "two three four" (right) |
2:42-2:48
Just before and after the words "had a smoke", Lennon starts talking and carrying on, most audibly a loud "hoooo" under the word "smoke" (Right) |
2:58
(Left channel) sounds like a cough |
4:50-4:52
A chair squeaking (three creaks total). Also reported as a "nose sniffle", paper rustling, someone saying "Shh!", sustain pedal being released on the piano ... |
4:52-end * NEW *
I'm failing to verify reports I occasionally get of the sound of an air conditioning fan in this area of the track. I've read it in Lewisohn, but I can't find it to verify for myself. If anyone can actually hear this, give me some precise pointer as to where it is supposed to be, please! If I can find it and extract it I will put an audio clip of this section up. Also, remind me I said that if you do find it! |
[1] Rumour has it that the alarm clock was timed to go off after 24 bars to mark where the downbeat is. Common sense should tell you that this is nonsense. You cannot set an alarm clock to go off with anything like that accuracy. The more likely explanation is that the alarm was "let off" -- deliberately triggered by hand at that moment. Lewisohn states this was a mechanism to mark the end of the passage. However, it seems an odd thing to do, especially when there was already a vocal count of bars. * NEW * However odd this seems, it may well be true. I've had justifications of why the count of bars (on its own) is insufficient to cue the orchestra.
JustToJess@aol.com writes:-
I've spent my entire life since I was three in musical theatre, and I can assure you that many people do need to "wake up" after 24 bars of music. Not that they have poor concentration, or that they would have missed the cue, but after rehearsing this song over and over and over again, and after countless takes, it is VERY reasonable to assume that the alarm clock (most likely hit from the piano - people do have slips of the tongue, you know) got them back into the music, and started that "umph" that they needed to maintain the same quality of . . . atmosphere? carisma? I don't know the right word, but just that little bit of enthusiasm and excitement by the performers that gives the song that special somthing. I know that many a director I have worked with has done something like this during long, tedious rehersals.
* NEW * Yes, it fits in with the "Woke up..." line. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but it is widely written that fitting with the lyrics was only coincidental, and the alarm clock's purpose was primarily and originally as a marker. Nothing more.
* NEW * I'm still getting reports on this alarm clock entry, perpetuating the idea that the alarm was set and timed to go off after 24 bars. Please feel free to try it with any wind up alarm clock of your choice, if you can do it, I'd like to hear about it.
* NEW * There is a very subtle distinction between "setting an alarm clock to go off" and "setting an alarm clock off". The former implies an interval passing between doing something with the clock, and having it sound 24 bars later. The latter implies direct interference with the clock to make it sound now. The latter is the only reasonable explanation.
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Note: I did not write or compile these anomalies. Please don't email me with new anomalies and please read the WGO Info page.
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