The Beatles – I Am the Walrus
Following on from posting The Dukes of Stratosphear’s ‘The Mole From the Ministry’ earlier today, I thought it would be nice to throw down the Beatles’ ‘I Am the Walrus’, so comparisons can be made.
Musically, ‘The Mole From the Ministry’ borrows elements of both ‘I Am the Walrus’ and ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’, whilst the video is clearly an affectionate pastiche of this and the ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ promo.
‘I Am the Walrus’ is one of The Beatles’ finest compositions, certainly in the top three of their classic psychedelic phase (along with ‘Across the Universe’ and the aforementioned ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’) and features on both the 1967 album and TV movie Magical Mystery Tour.
Magical Mystery Tour in both its formats has been much maligned over the years, but as an album HFoS likes it. As to our deeper thoughts on the matter, all will be revealed when we finally get round to reviewing the Beatles backcatalog -- Rubber Soul onwards.
Written and composed by John Lennon, ‘I am the Walrus’ has a multitude of things going on in it -- understandable for a track said to be the combination of three different unfinished songs. The nonsensical verses are an amalgamation of Lewis Carroll, a couple of acid trips and the bemused reaction to the news that an English teacher at Lennon’s old school was having his pupils analyse Beatles’ lyrics as part of class. “Let the fuckers work that one out,” he would remark upon its completion.
Aside from all that, it’s bloody great. Feel free to take a gander.
Useless trivia: The parents of this HFoS scribe were in Newquay, Cornwall in 1967 when parts of the Magical Mystery Tour were being filmed. Suffice to say there are one or two off-guard photos of Lennon, McCartney et al knocking about in the Head Full of Snow vaults.
Don’t just read and applaud. Subscribe to the rather splendid RSS Feed
Recent Comments