Magical Mystery Tour

Travel is one of its subjects (Bus/coach tour conceit), along with the motifs of smoking and surrealism, and the words are sung in a persona, a thing the Beatles returned to 23 times across 4 years. The title is also the album's and also turns up in the chorus, a thing they had done before, on 'Yellow Submarine' eleven months earlier, and the language is built on a limited vocabulary. The writing draws on music hall, and as it happens, the line "Waiting to take you away" turns up in one other Beatles song, 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'.

'Magical Mystery Tour' is a rock and psychedelic song, and it is written in E major. The tune carries call and response, the backing vocals answering behind the lead (lead 'Roll up' answered by parenthetical asides), a thing the Beatles returned to 50 times across 4 years. The key moves from E major to D major in the chorus. Also, the record has a descending bass. The intro departs from the rest of the song (spoken/shouted barker intro before band enters). A small coincidence, but the chords run D → G/B → Gm/B♭ → D/A → A, the same move 'If I Fell' makes as D9 → G → Gm → D → A7.

The record was put together at EMI Studio 3, basic tracks were cut April 25-27, 1967. The four-trumpet fanfare was overdubbed on April 27 with George Martin's score, and coach/bus sound effects were added at the November 7 mixing session. The sessions for it ran from 25 April to 7 November 1967. Lennon brought the Gibson J-160E, his guitar, which they used more in 1964 than in any other year. Double tracked vocal, flanging/phasing, leslie speaker processing and close mic'ing were used on it. This one came 14th of the 25 songs they began recording in 1967, and 135th in the whole career.

McCartney wrote it and took the lead vocal. Past the usual instruments it also carries Harrison on percussion, as on 'Real Love' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever'. It features the Beatles’ own team, Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans. McCartney's piano underpins the verses and chorus.

This track was issued in the UK as a double-EP on December 8, 1967. In the US as Side 1 Track 1 of the Magical Mystery Tour LP on November 27, 1967. It sits first on Magical Mystery Tour and made the top ten at home (double-EP reached UK #2). This song was the 20th of the 24 records the Beatles released in that year, and the 138th counting from the start.