Song

A Day In The Life

Release date: 01 June 1967

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, fell 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.
And 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.

"A Day in the Life"
Song by the Beatles from the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Released1 June 1967
Recorded19 and 20 January and
3 and 10 February 1967,
EMI Studios, London
GenrePsychedelic rock, progressive rock, baroque pop
Length5:03
LabelParlophone, Capitol
WriterLennon-McCartney
ProducerGeorge Martin
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band track listing

"A Day in the Life" is the final song on The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Credited to Lennon-McCartney, the song comprises distinct sections written independently by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with orchestral additions. While Lennon's lyrics were inspired by contemporary newspaper articles, McCartney's were reminiscent of his youth. The decisions to link sections of the song with orchestral glissandos and to end the song with a sustained piano chord were made only after the rest of the song had been recorded.

The supposed drug reference in the line "I'd love to turn you on" resulted in the song initially being banned from broadcast by the BBC. Since its original album release, "A Day in the Life" has been released as a B-side, and also on various compilation albums. It has been covered by other artists including Sting, Bobby Darin, Jose Feliciano, Wes Montgomery, the Fall, Neil Young, Tori Amos, Jeff Beck, the Bee Gees, Robyn Hitchcock, Chris Cornell, Phish and since 2008, by McCartney in his live performances. It was ranked the 28th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

©1967 Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Related Articles