Good Night: Beatles song sung by Ringo Starr.

Good Night: Introduction

“Good Night” is a Beatles’ song that is on their 1968 “White Album.” In fact, it is fittingly the last song on that double album. But their rehearsal & take 34 appear on their 1996 album, “Anthology 3,” as well.

  • Release Date: November 22, 1968
  • Recorded: June 28, also July 2 & 22, 1968
  • Genre: Orchestral pop, lullaby
  • Track Duration: 3:11
  • Record Label: Apple Records
  • Songwriters: Lennon-McCartney
  • Producer: George Martin
  • Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Peter Bown, and Ken Scott

Other Performers

  • The Mike Sammes Singers: backing vocals
  • Orchestra: twelve violins, three violas, three cellos, three flutes, clarinet, horn, vibraphone, double bass, harp

You can still buy this song on the following albums, but for the original song, get the White Album:

Written by John Lennon, but credit goes to the Lennon-McCartney partnership, “Good Night” is sung by Ringo Starr on the 1968 double album “The Beatles,” aka “The White Album.”

Lennon wrote the song with his five-year-old son, Julian, in mind. Obviously, it’s a sort of bedtime lullaby and a fitting end to one of the best albums ever produced. It is a calming song, very relaxing and dreamy; it had to be coming on after “Revolution 9!”

Only Ringo Starr appears on the track, while George Martin arranged the lush orchestral accompaniment using 26 musicians in total. Martin also conducted The Mike Sammes Singers for the backing vocals, like he did on “I Am The Walrus.”

Because Starr performed a Lennon-McCartney song on his own, it means that all band members have this distinction. However, he wasn’t the last to do this; that was John Lennon with “Julia” in November.

The 1996 album “Anthology 3” has John Lennon playing the piano while Ringo Starr sings the song. This recording is from June 28, 1968, when there were 5 takes, but these were basically rehearsals. Part of George Martin’s score also appears at the end of that track.

On July 2, Starr recorded his vocals again (takes 6–15), but it wasn’t until July 22 that a final version of the track became suitable. Discarding all previous recordings, they began recording the song again in Studio Two of the EMI Studios during the 7.00pm–4.30am session.

At this recording session, Martin conducted the orchestra and backing singers before Starr recorded his vocals for the overdub. With everyone happy at the outcome, the song was complete and ready for inclusion on the new album.

In the 2006 “Love” album, parts of “Good Night” appear three times. Firstly, there is the transition piece between “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Octopus’s Garden.” Secondly, on Octopus’s Garden itself, Starr sings slowly over Good Night’s orchestral piece. Thirdly, after the last song on the main album, “All You Need Is Love,” we hear the orchestral piece yet again.

Finally, leave us a comment about this song.

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