Strawberry Fields Forever

Album: Not included on an original Beatles album; issued as a single

Year: 1967

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

Often considered one of the band's masterpieces, Strawberry Fields Forever was released as a double A-sided single with another classic, Penny Lane. Both songs are about places in the Beatles' hometown of Liverpool, England.

One of John's fondest memories as a child was hanging out on the grounds of a local home for children, which was called Strawberry Field. In the autumn of 1966 John was in Spain, working on a movie called How I Won the War. He was lonely without his Beatle brothers and other friends, so he became very nostalgic for home and started writing this song.

Recording the song was quite an experience. When the band went into Abbey Road Studio in late 1966, they had permanently given up touring a few months earlier because life on the road had become too crazy for them. They decided to let their their creativity flow in the studio instead, excited to experiment with new sounds and ideas. Strawberry Fields Forever took over 55 hours to record and it includes many interesting instruments, including a mellotron, a swarmandal, and a guiro; as well as the sound of John muttering "cranberry sauce" near the end. The song also changes pitch about a minute in, with John's voice sounding deeper and the music moving slower.

John sings a very dreamy lead vocal (double-tracked, of course!), with Paul playing the cool mellotron that opens the song. Soon after completing the recording of the song, The Beatles headed to Knole Park, just outside of London, to romp about and record the video above.