Your Mother Should Know: Introduction
“Your Mother Should Know” is a Beatles’ song from 1967, of course. Indeed, this song is on their “Magical Mystery Tour” album. This release was an album in the United States but came in the form of 2 EP’s in the United Kingdom.
The song also features in the Magical Mystery Tour film as well. This is the dance segment while they are wearing their white tuxedoes after descending the grand staircase.
As we understand it, this song could easily have been in the “Our World” satellite broadcast on June 25, 1967. However, to better please a worldwide audience, The Beatles chose “All You Need Is Love,” and the rest is history in that respect.
For those who like alternative versions of Beatles’ songs, ‘take 27’ appears on their “Anthology 2” album.
In Detail
- Release Date: December 8, 1967 (UK) (EP), November 27, 1967 (US) (LP), then November 19, 1976 (UK) (LP)
- Recorded: August 22 & 23, also September 16 & 29, 1967
- Studio/Location: Chappell Recording Studios, London
- Genre: Pop, music hall, vaudeville-rock
- Track Duration: 2:29
- Record Label: Parlophone, Capitol, EMI
- Songwriters: Lennon-McCartney
- Producer: George Martin
- Engineers: John Timperley, Geoff Emerick, and Ken Scott
Performers And Instruments
- Paul McCartney: lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, and also the piano
- John Lennon: backing vocals, Hammond organ, as well as the cymbals
- George Harrison: backing vocals, also the guitar
- Ringo Starr: drums, as well as the tambourine
Where To Find “Your Mother Should Know”
You can still buy this song because the original is on a major studio album. The original is on the Magical Mystery Tour, while one of their takes from a remake is in Anthology 2. Click on the album images to see exactly what is on the albums.
Your Mother Should Know: Background
Writing this track while at his London home, Paul McCartney gave it the title from the screenplay, ‘”A Taste Of Honey.”
“I wrote it in Cavendish Avenue on the harmonium I have in the dining room there. My Aunty Jin and Uncle Harry and a couple of relatives were staying, and they were in the living room just across the hall, so I just went to the dining room and spent a few hours with the door open with them listening.
And I suppose because of the family atmosphere, Your Mother Should Know came in. It’s a very music-hall kind of thing, probably influenced by the fact that my Aunty Jin was in the house.”
Paul McCartney quote.
Many Years From Now, by Barry Miles
Paul demanded something grand from the video production; here’s what he says:
“The big prop was that great big staircase that we danced down; that was where all the money went—in that particular shot on that big staircase. I said, ‘Sod it, you’ve got to have the Busby Berkeley ending,’ and it is a good sequence. Just the fact of John dancing, which he did readily. You can see by the fun expression on his face that he wasn’t forced into anything.”
Recording Studio
Abbey Road Studios were unavailable to The Beatles when they first started to record this track due to the fact that other bands were using them all. So, on August 22, 1967, they decided to record at the Chappell Recording Studios in Maddox Street, London.
On August 23, 1967, Brian Epstein came along to the studios, but this was to be his last visit to a Beatles recording session. Epstein died on August 27, 1967.
After attempting a remake with further sessions on September 16, 1967, the band decided that the original Chappel recording tapes were the best. So, after a little adjustment with the bass and organ, etc., on the original tapes, we finally got another beautiful Beatles’ sound.
It is take eight from the eleven during this remake attempt that we hear on the Anthology 2 album.
You should be familiar with this song from both the album and the film. Who could forget those elegant stairs and the Beatles gracefully descending? This is where they wore white tuxedos with red roses in their lapels. Except, that is, for Paul McCartney, who had a black rose. This further fuelled the “Paul Is Dead” theory.
Take A Listen
Finally, let us listen to the song again. So, what do you make of it all? Of course, we would love to hear from you in the comments below. However, you can further interact with other fans in our massive Beatles Forum.
