Yellow Submarine (song)
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- For the film, see Yellow Submarine (film). For the soundtrack, see Yellow Submarine (album).
| "Yellow Submarine" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by The Beatles | ||
| from the album Revolver | ||
| A-side(s) | "Eleanor Rigby" | |
| Released | 5 August 1966 (UK) 8 August 1966 (U.S.) |
|
| Format | 7" | |
| Recorded | Abbey Road Studios 26 May and 1 June 1966 |
|
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 2:38 | |
| Label | Parlophone (UK) Capitol (U.S.) |
|
| Writer(s) | Lennon/McCartney | |
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |
| Chart positions | ||
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||
| The Beatles singles chronology | ||
| "Paperback Writer" (1966) |
"Eleanor Rigby" / "Yellow Submarine" (1966) |
"Strawberry Fields Forever" / "Penny Lane" (1967) |
| Music sample | ||
|
"Yellow Submarine" (file info) |
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| Revolver track listing | ||
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| Yellow Submarine track listing | ||
| "Yellow Submarine" | "Only a Northern Song" (2) |
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"Yellow Submarine" is a 1966 song by the Beatles (written by the Lennon-McCartney duo) and the theme song for the a 1968 animated United Artists film based on the music of the Beatles. It is also the title for the soundtrack album to the film, released as part of The Beatles' music catalogue. The song was recorded on 26 May and 1 June 1966, at Abbey Road Studios.
The "Yellow Submarine" single was the Beatles' thirteenth UK single. Ringo Starr performed lead vocals. It was released in the UK on 5 August 1966 and in the United States on 8 August. It includes uncredited lyric contributions and backing vocals by Donovan, and was promoted in Britain as a 'double A side' with its flip side, "Eleanor Rigby".
The single went to #1 on every major British chart, remained at #1 for four weeks and charted for 13 weeks. It won an Ivor Novello Award for the highest certified sales of any single issued in the UK in 1966. No promotional film clip was made, so some TV programs (including the BBC's Top Of The Pops) created their own clips from stock footage.
Following its release in August 1966, the song received bad publicity through rumors that it referred to hallucinogenic Nembutal capsules. McCartney vehemently denied the allegations, saying he had written the song as a children's tune.
In the United States, the single was #2 on the Billboard "Hot 100", #1 in Record World, and #2 in Cashbox, where it was held off #1 by The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love". The single was released at the height of the controversy surrounding Lennon's remarks about Christianity and this has been cited as part of the reason that it failed to reach #1 on all US charts. Despite this, it sold 1,200,000 copies in only four weeks and earned the Beatles their twenty-first US Gold Record award, beating the record set by Elvis Presley.
In 1968, Apple Records issued a single by the Black Dyke Mills Band—a brass band—which featured a cover version of "Yellow Submarine" as the B-side.
There are differences in the released versions. In the mono version, Lennon sings "a life of ease" after Starr sings "As we live a life of ease." In the stereo version, Lennon's line is missing. In the Yellow Submarine Songtrack edition, Starr's vocals are more centered and the sound effects are more prominent, as well as Lennon's line, "a life of ease", being back in the song. The mono version opens with two guitar chords over the "In the town..." line, whereas the one-chord guitar opening from the stereo version begins on the word "town".
[edit] Credits
- John Lennon — acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Paul McCartney — bass guitar, backing vocals
- George Harrison — acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Ringo Starr — lead vocals, drums
- Brian Jones — clinking glass (together)
