A Day in the Life of a Beatle Matthew Sanders Matthew Sanders is an economics major When the Beatles recorded"A Day in the Life", they did not know the impact it would have on generations to come. Although the lyrics may seem random and abstract, they still hold relevance today even more because of the timeless melody that accompanies them. However, upon considering the lives of John Lennon and Paul McCartney at the time the song was written, there is a wealth of information that can be obtained as to the inspiration of the song and the meaning of the lyrics. With the combined work of both artists, this song was unlike any other that had been recorded, pulling from many different levels of the authors' lives. In "A Day in the Life," John Lennon and Paul McCartney illustrate events inspired from their lives and the world around them.

"A Day in the Life" is one of the most relevant products of the changes taking place in the lives of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and the Beatles. Both "A Day in the Life" and the Beatles greater work "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band," drew from a theme of change and evolution. While at the height of their career, the Beatles became exhausted by the rigorous lifestyle of musicians. To them, there was more to being an artist than performing for vast audiences and writing songs with the aspiration of success. "We were fed up with being Beatles We were not boys, we were men . . . artists rather than performers" (Rolling Stone). The Beatles, frustrated by their inability to escape from their name as well as the persona that followed it, demanded respect and freedom from the barriers that kept them from exploring new horizons in music. With this in mind, they took upon themselves the daring task of reinvention. The concept was to make an album that would totally redefine who they were as artists. But this was not the only change that the Beatles wanted. They desired to create something new, fresh and exciting. They wanted to change rock and roll. Issued in Britain on June 1st, 1967, and a day later in America, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is rock's ultimate declaration of change. For the Beatles, it was a decisive goodbye to matching suits, world tours and assembly-line record-making "(Rolling Stone). "A Day in the Life" is not an exception to the theme of change and reinvention. Rather, it exemplifies more than any other song what Lennon, McCartney and the rest of the Beatles wanted to say, which is that things were not going to be done like they used to. Inspiration also came to the Beatles for their burst of creativity after hearing the album "Pet Sounds" by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. The Beatles, particularly John Lennon and Paul McCartney, were so amazed by the creativity and genius behind "Pet Sounds" that they wanted to create something like it.

The Beatles made a point of echoing [the Beach Boys] on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" an acknowledgment that "Pet Sounds" was the inspiration for the Beatles' masterpiece" (Rolling Stone). The foremost product of this inspiration was "A Day in the Life." Wilson's influence can be heard throughout the track in melodic bass lines, the addition of ambient sounds such as an alarm clock and heavy breathing, and a forty-piece orchestral arrangement. "The rather avant-garde-like deployment of a mid-sized orchestral makes it totally impossible to categorize the 'style' of this track, as if it would have been all that much easier to pigeon-hole without the orchestra" (Pollack). "A Day in the Life" was unlike anything that had been done before. It redefined who the Beatles were as artists and took music writing and production to a new level. Indeed, through this track, the Beatles achieved what they had hoped, which was to redefine themselves as artists and be innovative and revolutionary in the process.

Pulling from events that occurred in his daily life, John Lennon was inspired to write "A Day in the Life." Often inspired by life that occurred around him, John Lennon pulled ideas from people he knew, places he had seen or even articles he read in the newspaper."Such is the case when the first line of the song is sung,I read the news today, oh boy" (Lennon/McCartney). Lennon, who wrote the opening line as well as the beginning and end of the song, is not speaking figuratively. Three of the verses for "A Day in the Life" were written as Lennon played and read the news "with the Daily Mail propped in front of [him] on the piano" (Dalla Bona). The first two verses are inspired by a news story about Tara Browne, a friend to the Beatles and great-grandson to brewer Edward Guinness, who was killed in a car accident in London. Ironically, had he lived, he would have inherited much of his great-grandfather's fortune. As Lennon relates this story in "A Day in the Life," he writes "He blew his mind out in a car/He didn't notice that the lights had changed" (Lennon/McCartney). Although Lennon relates certain details of the story found in the news such as a man dying in a car at a traffic light, he intentionally changes the cause of death to suicide. This is conducive to the notion previously mentioned relating to the theme of change and inventiveness. Lennon purposefully tells the story differently to illustrate that things are not always as they appear. In this case, a man did not commit the horrendous act of suicide but was fatally injured in a car accident. Paul McCartney related that "'blew his mind out' was a bit dramatic. In fact, he crashed his car. But that's what we were saying about history All history is a lie, because every fact that gets reported gets distorted" (Dalla Bona). Similarly, the Beatles, who were perceived by many as a boy-band that performed enjoyable songs, are commenting that that is not who they are. They are something far more refined and creative. This is also illustrated in the second newspaper article "about four thousand potholes in the streets of Blackburn, Lancashire that needed to be filled"(Dalla Bona). Any street with four thousand holes is obviously in need of a change. To improve this condition the holes would have to be filled. However, in "A Day in the Life," Lennon makes no reference to filling the holes at Blackburn, Lancashire. "However, he does express that now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall" (Lennon/McCartney). The Albert Hall is a premier venue for performers such as the Beatles. Those that would "fill" it would be fans. These fans are referred to by Lennon as "holes" meaning that their perspective of the Beatles is skewed and is in need of a change. Thus, inspired by the world around him, Lennon creates the work of "A Day in the Life" to illustrate innovation and change in perspective.

Paul McCartney, who was also stirred by daily events, combined his efforts with Lennon to add his creative genius to "A Day in the Life." Inspired by his days of waking up in the morning and going to school, he wrote what is now the middle section of the work. With "McCartney's burst of hot piano and school-days memoir" (Rolling Stone), the song shifts to a more upbeat and fast-paced tempo. This complements McCartney singing "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" (Lennon/McCartney). The speaker is late for something and the pressure that he feels to be on time is artfully portrayed by the sounding of the alarm clock and the semi-staccato notes that are being played on the piano. The image of the speaker getting out of bed, combing his hair, and being almost lost to himself because he is in such a hurry as he goes downstairs and leaves before he even has time to think is exemplary of a day in the life of a schoolboy. McCartney, being familiar with what it is like to be a boy off to school in the morning, is able to capture what it was like for him and what it might be like for any boy who is obligated to go to school. Just as McCartney was inspired by his days of going to school, he was also motivated to write about his current situation as a musician. "Off the road for good, the Beatles were free to be a band away from the hysteria of Beatlemania" (Rolling Stone). They began their work as artists rather than performers and focused solely on recording their music. This allowed for a greater amount of experimentation, ushering in the genera of psychedelia. "Sgt. Pepper defined the opulent revolutionary optimism of psychedelia which has a heavy influence from drug use" (Rolling Stone). McCartney alludes to the inspiration from the use of drugs in "A Day in the Life" when he writes, "found my way upstairs and had a smoke/ somebody spoke and I went into a dream" (Lennon/McCartney). McCartney was not only commenting about his days as a boy going to school but a day in the life as musician and artist. This involves getting up out of bed to go to the studio and using drugs as a means of inspiration for art, which is also the cause of some idleness as McCartney relates going into a dream. Thus, McCartney was inspired by his own personal life to write his portion of "A Day in the Life."

"A Day in the Life" is a landmark song both musically and lyrically. It can be analyzed many different ways but to truly capture the essence of its meaning, one must turn to the lives of the artists. Within the lives of John Lennon and Paul McCartney are several things that confirm the inspiration for this song and many others. At the time the song was written, the band began to shift their focus more toward the studio, allowing them to explore new ways to express themselves as musicians and artists. "Also, pulling from daily life, they were able to capture events and personal experiences in the form of a song. These biographical elements allow one to understand the meaning of the work in greater depth.