My favorite Beatles commentator, Allan W. Pollak, beautifully captures the poetic breakthrough represented by this song:
Among the several new musical directions explored by The Beatles from mid-career onward, none was more astonishing at the time, nor is still so compelling today, as their emerging preoccupation with the existential joy, wonder, and sorrowful angst of self-discovery, childhood memory, and post-adolescent adjustment to the realities of the human condition.
More than anyone before them, the Beatles poeticized popular music, making it today's unchallenged venue for the development and expression of a poetic sensibility. That poeticization began as soon as John and Paul decided to record only their original compositions; but it was "Strawberry Fields Forever" that really announced their arrival as poets.
In 2008, Curvebender Publishing released a special, limited edition book of photographs by Henry Grossman called Kaleidoscope Eyes: A Day in the Life of Sgt.Pepper. The reportage-style photographs reflect the entire 6 hour recording session at Abbey Road on the evening when John, Paul, George and Ringo first began working on "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." There are several photos taken by Grossman of both The Beatles and George Martin reading from e.e. cummings 50 Poems, a 1940 collection of his work. First, Grossman captures George Harrison reading from the book. A couple frames later, George Martin appears to be reading aloud as JPG&R are gathered around the piano. John is looking over GM's shoulder while he reads and Ringo also looks on while Paul sits at the piano and George Harrison on the other side of Paul. The book is then set down on the piano and ends up in many of Grossman's shots - so many, in fact, that "50 Poems" becomes like a character in the scene.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, a little while later during a break, Grossman again captures George Martin reading poetry. This time, he is reading Poetic Gems by William McGonagall from 1890. McGonagall's More Poetic Gems is also visible on a console in the foreground. In Kaleidoscope Eyes, Grossman is quoted as saying "I found it fascinating that George Martin was reading a book of poetry during the break. I'm not entirely sure if the books were his or if they belonged to the Beatles, but I thought it was lovely."
Fascinating. I didn't know (but I'm not surprised) that Martin was such an avid reader of poetry. Helen Shapiro remembers that when she toured with the Beatles in early 1963, Paul and especially John would pass the time on the tour bus reading "avant-garde" poetry.
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