Penny Lane
“Beneath the blue suburban skies”
McCartney's nostalgic portrait of a Liverpool bus terminus near his and Lennon's childhood haunts. Double A-side with Strawberry Fields Forever and a US number one – a baroque-pop high-water mark anchored by David Mason's piccolo trumpet solo. The Beatles shot a promotional film for it, directed by Peter Goldmann.
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The Surrealism motif is rare for Paul McCartney – it appears in just 4% of his sole-written songs (3 of 70), against 16% for John and 5% for George: 'Penny Lane', 'Magical Mystery Tour', and 'Fixing a Hole'.
Songwriter(s)McCartneyCredited as Lennon–McCartney
ReleasedFebruary 17, 1967 (Single)November 27, 1967 (Magical Mystery Tour)
Song familyTwin songsTwin of Strawberry Fields Forever: childhood-memory companion single (1967)., Character song
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Text309 tags
Word cloud
Recurring words
anywaybehindbeneathchildrencleanearsfeelsfingerfirefishknownlaughmacpeoplepiespleasurequeenrainshavesskieswearsa prettyand goand thoughas ifat himbehind thebeneath theears andhave knownhis backif she'sin hislaugh atmy eyespeople thatsay helloshe feelsshe's instop andthe cornerthe littlethe peoplethe queenthere isthough sheto keepwaiting forand in myand though shein my eyesis in mythere is awaiting for ain the middle ofin the middle of a
Lyric shape
[ADJ] of[NOUN] is[VERB] at[VERB] he's[VERB] very[WORD] hisand [NOUN]his [ADV]his [WORD]is [WORD]the [VERB]very [ADJ][ADV] is a[NOUN] is a[NOUN] with a[VERB] [VERB] at[VERB] [VERB] for[VERB] and [WORD][VERB] at him[VERB] in the[VERB] is [VERB][WORD] [NOUN] he's[WORD] [VERB] in[WORD] his [ADV]a [ADJ] [VERB]a [NOUN] witha [WORD] [VERB]and [WORD] thehe [VERB] toin a [NOUN]in his [WORD]in the [ADJ]in the [VERB]is [VERB] [WORD]is a [NOUN]of [WORD] [NOUN]of a [WORD]the [ADJ] [VERB]the [NOUN] inthe [NOUN] isthe [NOUN] tothe [VERB] [VERB]to [VERB] hiswith a [WORD][ADJ] [VERB] is [VERB][NOUN] is a [NOUN][NOUN] the [WORD] [VERB][VERB] [WORD] from a[VERB] is [VERB] [WORD][VERB] the [NOUN] [VERB][VERB] to [VERB] his[WORD] [VERB] a [WORD][WORD] the [ADJ] [WORD]and [WORD] she [VERB]and in my [NOUN]he [VERB] to [VERB]in the [ADJ] ofis in my [NOUN]she [VERB] as ifthe [ADJ] [WORD] [VERB]the [NOUN] in thethe [NOUN] that [NOUN]the [WORD] [VERB] into [VERB] his [NOUN]we [VERB] the [NOUN][VERB] in the [ADJ] ofa [WORD] of the [NOUN]in the [ADJ] of a
Cover-shared shape
[ADV] is[NOUN] and[NOUN] that[NOUN] the[NOUN] to[NOUN] with[VERB] a[VERB] and[VERB] as[VERB] for[VERB] his[VERB] in[VERB] is[VERB] the[VERB] to[WORD] from[WORD] is[WORD] of[WORD] she[WORD] the[WORD] witha [ADJ]a [NOUN]a [VERB]a [WORD]an [WORD]and [VERB]and [WORD]have [WORD]he [VERB]him [WORD]his [NOUN]i [VERB]in [NOUN]is [VERB]my [NOUN]of [VERB]of [WORD]she [VERB]that [NOUN]the [ADJ]the [NOUN]the [WORD]to [VERB]we [VERB][NOUN] [ADV] is[NOUN] that [NOUN][NOUN] the [WORD][VERB] a [WORD][VERB] and [VERB][VERB] for a[VERB] his [NOUN][VERB] the [NOUN][VERB] to [VERB][WORD] [VERB] a[WORD] from a[WORD] of [VERB][WORD] of the[WORD] she [VERB][WORD] the [ADJ][WORD] the [NOUN]a [VERB] [NOUN]a [WORD] ofand [VERB] [WORD]and the [NOUN]for a [NOUN]i [VERB] andin my [NOUN]is a [WORD]it's a [VERB]my [NOUN] andof the [NOUN]on the [NOUN]that [NOUN] andthe [ADJ] [WORD]the [NOUN] [VERB]the [NOUN] [WORD]the [NOUN] thatthe [WORD] [VERB]to have [WORD][VERB] and [VERB] [WORD][VERB] for a [NOUN][VERB] his [NOUN] [NOUN][WORD] of the [NOUN]is a [WORD] of
Distinctive word
bankercustomerenginefiremanhourglasslanelikesmachinemeanwhilemotorcarnursepennyphotographspocketpoppiesportraitpouringroundaboutrushessellingsheltershowingstrangesuburbantraytrim
Music190 tags
Chord shape
C → FC → BC → CC → F → FmC → B♭C → GC → CmC → F → AC → EC7 → FC → G → C → E7C7 → B♭Am → D → GAm → FAm → AmAm7 → D7Am → DC → EmAm7 → D7 → GC → DmAm → B♭ → FCsus4 → C7Am7 → B♭ → FC → B → B → AAm → F → E → EAm → D → G → GmAm → Am → F → EC → Em7Am7 → B♭C → Dm7C → Dm7 → G7C → B → BC → F → A7C → Em → FAm → F → EC → C → B♭Am → Am → FC → Dm → GAm → B♭C → E7
Studio16 tags
People25 tags
Line-up
Info27 tags
Sources & references
Tags on this page are original analysis, transcribed and cross-checked against the fine work of others: Alan W. Pollack's “Notes on…” series, the Beatles Complete Scores (Hal Leonard), Mark Lewisohn's session histories, Ian MacDonald's Revolution in the Head, Dave Rybaczewski's Beatles Music History and Andy Babiuk's Beatles Gear for the instruments and studio equipment, and others besides – then verified by ear against the recordings. Full bibliography: Sources & thanks.
External entity links: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz recording · MusicBrainz work · Wikidata
Updated
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