| "Golden Slumbers" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by The Beatles
from the album Abbey Road |
||||
| Released | 26 September 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 2 July-15 August 1969 Abbey Road Studios |
|||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 1:31 | |||
| Label | Apple Records | |||
| Writer | Lennon/McCartney | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| Abbey Road track listing | ||||
|
||||
| Music sample | ||||
|
|
||||
"Golden Slumbers" is a song by The Beatles, part of the climactic medley on their 1969 album Abbey Road. The song begins the progression that leads to the end of the album and is followed by "Carry That Weight." The two songs were recorded together as a single piece,[1] and both were written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney).[2][3]
Contents |
Original ballad and poem
"Golden Slumbers" is based on the poem 'Cradle Song' by Thomas Dekker and written in a lullaby style. McCartney saw the sheet music for Dekker's lullaby at his father's home in Liverpool, left on a piano by his stepsister Ruth McCartney. McCartney could not read music at the time and was unable to read the score, and so he created his own melody and arrangement.[1][2]
The words originally come from a lullaby in The Pleasant Comodie of Patient Grissill written about 1603.[4]
Recording
McCartney was the lead vocalist. He begins the song in a soft tone appropriate for a lullaby, with piano, bass guitar, and string section accompaniment. Beginning with the line "Golden slumbers fill your eyes", the drums come in and McCartney switches to a stronger tone, both of which emphasize the switch to the refrain. McCartney said, "I remember trying to get a very strong vocal on it, because it was such a gentle theme, so I worked on the strength of the vocal on it, and ended up quite pleased with it."[2]
The main recording session for "Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight" was on 2 July 1969.[1] John Lennon was not present. He was injured in a motor vehicle accident in Scotland on 1 July 1969, and was hospitalized there until 6 July.[5]
Additional vocals were added in an overdub session on 30 July 1969, the same day the first trial edit of the side two medley was created.[6] Lennon did participate in this session. On 15 August, orchestral overdubs were made to "Golden Slumbers" and five other songs on Abbey Road.[7]
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – double-tracked vocal, chorus vocal, piano, rhythm guitar
- George Harrison – chorus vocal, bass, lead guitar
- Ringo Starr – chorus vocal, drums
- John Lennon – chorus vocal
- George Martin – producer, arranger
- Uncredited – twelve violins, four violas, four cellos, one double bass, four horns, three trumpets, one trombone, one bass trombone
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald[8]
Cover versions
| Year | Artist | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | George Benson | The Other Side of Abbey Road | |
| 1970 | John Denver | Whose Garden Was This? | |
| 1971 | Elis Regina | Ela | |
| 1991 | Jackson Browne and Jennifer Warnes | For Our Children: To Benefit the Pediatrics AIDS Foundation | |
| 1991 | The Simpsons episode "Lisa's Pony" | ||
| 1996 | Dread Zeppelin | The Fun Sessions | |
| 1998 | Phil Collins | In My Life | For the George Martin tribute album |
| 1998 | Andrés Calamaro | Las Otras Caras de Alta Suciedad | |
| 2002 | Ben Folds | I Am Sam soundtrack | |
| 2003 | Alex Lloyd | "Coming Home" | B-side of single |
| 2006 | k.d. lang | Happy Feet: Music from the Motion Picture | A mashup with "The End" |
| 2005 | Les Fradkin | While My Guitar Only Plays | Instrumental |
| 2009 | Cheap Trick | Sgt. Pepper Live |
Notes
- ^ a b c Lewisohn 1988, p. 178.
- ^ a b c Miles 1997, p. 557.
- ^ Sheff 2000, p. 203.
- ^ Dekker, Chettle & Haughton 1603.
- ^ Lewisohn, p. 177.
- ^ Lewisohn, p. 183.
- ^ Lewisohn, p. 184.
- ^ MacDonald 2005, p. 355.
References
- Dekker, Thomas; Chettle, Henry; Haughton, William (1603). The Pleasant Comodie of Patient Grissill. Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=G0JAAAAAIAAJ&dq=Pleasant%20Comodie%20of%20Patient%20Grissill&pg=PA55.
- Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
- MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-844-13828-3.
- Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
- Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
