附注:
Recording started on 'Penny Lane' days after the
completion of 'Strawberry Fields Forever'. Undoubtedly
looking to match the sonic triumph of John's
masterwork, Paul devoted nine days in the studio to
'Penny Lane' - the most spent on any Beatles song.
A breakthrough in sound quality, 'Penny Lane'
innovated the recording process of 'bouncing down', to
overcome the limitations of four track recording.
On 'Penny Lane' three piano pieces and a harmonium
were recorded to individual tracks. These were then
mixed and 'bounced down' to a single track. This
cleared three tracks for further instruments and vocals,
allowing a gorgeous range of sound and tone, that to
this day still sounds advanced.
Exploiting this new range of sound to the full, a piccolo
trumpet played by London Symphony Orchestra player
David Mason reaches notes as high as the 'blue
suburban skies' the lyrics suggest.
Paul had been planning to write a song called 'Penny
Lane' as early as November 1965. He probably
discussed this with John, as John's 'In My Life' written
around this time, also referred to Penny Lane in its first
draft. It is generally accepted that the recording of
'Strawberry Fields' finally motivated Paul to write a song
about his childhood neighbourhood in Liverpool.
In contrast to John's isolation, Paul's lyrics (some of his
best ever) are a celebration of community. Strawberry
Fields was a place John could be at one with himself,
yet Penny Lane - a name given to an area of shops,
banks and a fire station over several streets - was
where Paul could be like everybody else. The two
places are actually only about half a mile from each
other.
Both songs though are tinged with an air of sadness;
the Beatles enormous success meant they were
unlikely to go back to living their old lives in Liverpool.
Despite writing these wonderful songs in recognition of
the city that raised them, to this day there are many in
Liverpool who feel bitter at the lack of recognition the
Beatles gave to their home town. Tellingly the success
of the Beatles careers paralelled a long term decline in
the wealth and fortunes of Liverpool.
