Magical Mystery Tour (Song): Introduction
The “Magical Mystery Tour” song comes from the album of the same name, of course. Furthermore, it is also the title of the 1967 documentary film. The UK record release was originally a double EP. However, the US album later became standard.
In Detail
- Release Date: November 27, 1967 (US) (LP), December 8, 1967 (UK) (EP), November 19, 1976 (UK) (LP)
- Recorded: April 25, 26 & 27, then May 3, 1967
- Genre: Psychedelic pop
- Track Duration: 2:51
- Record Label: Parlophone, Capitol, EMI
- Songwriter: Lennon-McCartney
- Producer: George Martin
- Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Performers And Instruments
- Paul McCartney: lead vocals, piano, bass guitar, also the ringmaster’s voice
- John Lennon: lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar, percussion
- George Harrison: backing vocals, lead guitar, percussion
- Ringo Starr: drums, percussion
Other Performers
- Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall: percussion
- David Mason, Roy Copestake, John Wilbraham, and Elgar Howarth: trumpet
Where To Find “Magical Mystery Tour” (Song)
You can still buy this song, which is on the following album:
Magical Mystery Tour Song: Background
The title tracks from The Beatles’ previous two films became singles: A Hard Day’s Night and Help! However, Magical Mystery Tour stayed firmly on the album and double EP.
Written mostly By Paul McCartney, the credits obviously go to the songwriting partnership of Lennon-McCartney:
“Magical Mystery Tour was co-written by John and I, very much in our fairground period. One of our great inspirations was always the barker. ‘Roll up! Roll up!’ The promise of something: the newspaper ad that says ‘guaranteed not to crack’, the ‘high class’ butcher, ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ from Sgt Pepper. ‘Come inside,’ ‘Step inside Love‘; you’ll find that pervades a lot of my songs. If you look at all the Lennon-McCartney things, it’s a thing we do a lot.”
Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
Inspiration For The Song
The concept is easy enough to understand, of course. In the 1960s, when coach trips were all the rage in the UK, some firms would offer a mystery tour. These tours would take you to a destination of their choice; hence, it was a mystery.
Meanwhile, in America during 1964, Ken Kesey lived communally with the Merry Pranksters. They set about a bus journey, travelling across America in a psychedelic-painted school bus while organising LSD-fuelled events. Therefore, The Beatles’ film was to combine these and expand their own mystery tour. They would make it magical while filming at their stopping points along the way.
“John and I remembered mystery tours, and we always thought this was a fascinating idea: getting on a bus and not knowing where you were going. Rather romantic and slightly surreal! All these old dears with the blue rinses going off to mysterious places.
Generally, there’s a crate of ale in the boot of the coach, and you sing lots of songs. It’s a charabanc trip. So we took that idea and used it as a basis for a song and the film.”
Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
Drug References
This was the psychedelic era, of course. With this in mind, drugs played a big part.
“‘Roll up! Roll up!’, which was also a reference to rolling up a joint. We were always sticking those little things in that we knew our friends would get—veiled references to drugs and to trips. ‘Magical Mystery Tour is waiting to take you away,’ so that’s a kind of drug; ‘it’s dying to take you away’ so that’s a Tibetan Book of the Dead reference.
We put all these words in and if you were just an ordinary person, it’s a nice bus that’s waiting to take you away, but if you’re tripping, it’s dying….”
Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
The resulting film was not all that good as a spectacle; however, the songs from the film and soundtrack album were amazing.
Recording Studio
The Beatles recorded the “Magical Mystery Tour” song on April 25, 1967, in Studio Three at the EMI Studios, London, during the 7.00 p.m.–3.45 a.m. session. They recorded three takes, with the last one being suitable for the rhythm track.
On the following two days, overdubbing occurred using further recordings of vocals and other instruments. Further tweaks to the song occurred on the 3rd of May and finally on the 7th of November in order to complete the track.
Take A Listen
Finally, listen to the track, then leave your opinions below. Remember, we are talking about the song here.
