Sexy Sadie

Religion turns up in the lyric (Spiritual teacher's betrayal), next to the motifs of anger and autobiography, one of 12 songs spread over 5 years of writing. It uses anaphora (every verse opens 'Sexy Sadie'). The title names a person, and the language is full of nonsense words ('Waw-waw-waw' backing vocals).

Written in G major and taken at about 104 BPM, 'Sexy Sadie' is a psychedelic and rock piece. Listen for an appoggiatura, a note taking its time to resolve. It reaches for a maj7 chord, which 21 Beatles songs use, such as 'No Reply' and 'Michelle'. Also, the performance shows a descending bass. One for the curious, the chords run Bm → C → D → G, which is 'You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)''s F♯m → G → A → D in another key. 'Ask Me Why' plays E → F♯m7 → G♯m7 → A and 'Please Please Me' plays E → F♯m → G♯m → A, the same progression in different keys, which 'Here, There and Everywhere' and this song also make.

The tape rolled at EMI Studio 2, sessions opened on 19 July 1968 with multiple unsatisfactory takes. The band finally cut a usable arrangement on 13 August, with overdubs and mixing completed on 21 August. The Hamburg Steinway was played by Paul McCartney, and they played the Ludwig Super Classic. The record carries tape echo, flanging/phasing and leslie speaker processing, in use since 1964 and heard on twenty Beatles records in all, such as 'Tomorrow Never Knows' and 'I Want to Tell You'. It is taken out on a fade-out, as it does in 'Baby It's You', 5 years earlier. This was the 16th of the 37 songs the Beatles began recording in 1968, and the 162nd of their career.

The words and the music are both Lennon's (You can hear 'Sexy Sadie, she's the greatest' on it). There is a role swap on it, McCartney on guitar. It has nobody but the four of them playing or singing, true of 12 of the 37 songs they cut in 1968. McCartney is credited with a Hammond organ.

The song was released November 22, 1968, as part of The Beatles (The White Album). This song was the 26th of the 34 records they released in that year, and the 168th in their whole run.