The Greatest Rock Single of All Time

A Different Time

In the 1960s singles were still a big deal. Nowadays in people just really don't buy singles anymore, especially not rock fans. In the 60s it was a different story indeed. Many of the biggest hit songs were released only as singles and never even released on a full length album. This almost never occurs today.

To really set things up to understand how outstanding this single is you have to consider the general practice for rock singles at that time. Most artists would release a single that had a "throwaway" b-side. Usually the b-side would either be a song that just wasn't that good or perhaps a different version of the a-side or maybe a cover.

This single was a complete break from that idea. That is for sure. 1966's album Revolver already showcased that the Beatles were moving forward very fast with their musical evolution. But even taking that into consideration this was a stunning release in February of 1967 and a great example of the type of musical adventure that was to come (Sgt Pepper later that year.)

Strawberry Fields Forever

"Strawberry Fields Forever" is in my opinion one of the greatest Beatles songs ever. It's an incredible combination of two completely different recordings that were in different keys and tempos and were then spliced together by the Beatles genius producer George Martin. The instrumentation, including the use of the Mellotron for the first time, is complex and layered. There's so much to hear here that even on the 1000^th listen I feel like I'm hearing something new. The instrumentation, production, and arrangement nuances combined with thought provoking lyrics and a wonderful tunefulness produces a truly unique psychedelic pop experience that in many ways has never been matched. The fade out and fade back in includes some wild drumming and the faint sound of John Lennon repeating the phrase "Cranberry Sauce." This phrase has often been misheard as "I Buried Paul." This misperception played a big part in creating and furthering the "Paul is Dead" rumor.

Penny Lane