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The Beatles - Being for the Benefit of Mr.
Kite!
Copyright - 1967 EMI Records Ltd.
"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a
song from the 1967 Beatles album Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was
composed primarily by John Lennon with input
from Paul McCartney and credited to
Lennon/McCartney.
Lennon wrote the song taking inspiration from
a nineteenth century circus poster for Pablo
Fanque's circus which he purchased in an
antique shop in January or February of 1967,
while filming the promotional video for the
song "Strawberry Fields Forever" in Kent. Mr.
Kite is believed to be William Kite, who
worked for Pablo Fanque from 1843 to 1845.
Recording
One of the most musically complex songs on
Sgt. Pepper, it was recorded on 17 February
1967 with overdubs on 20 February (organ
sound effects), 28 March (harmonica, organ,
guitar), 29 March (more organ sound effects),
and 31 March. Lennon wanted the track to have
a "carnival atmosphere", and told producer
George Martin that he wanted "to smell the
sawdust on the floor." In the middle eight
bars, multiple recordings of fairground
organs and calliope music were spliced
together to attempt to produce this request;
after a great deal of unsuccessful
experimentation, George Martin instructed
Geoff Emerick to chop the tape into pieces
with scissors, throw them up in the air, and
re-assemble them at random.
On 17 February, Lennon sings "For the benefit
of Mr. Kite" in a joke accent, just before
Emerick announces, "For the Benefit of Mr.
Kite!, take 1." Lennon immediately responds,
"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!",
reinforcing his title preference, a phrase
lifted intact from the original poster. The
exchange is recorded in The Beatles Recording
Sessions (slightly misquoted) and audible on
track 8 of disc 2 of Anthology 2.
Although Lennon once said of the song that he
"wasn't proud of that" and "I was just going
through the motions," in 1980 he described it
as "pure, like a painting, a pure
watercolour."
It was one of three songs from the Sgt.
Pepper album that was banned from playing on
the BBC, supposedly because the phrase "Henry
the Horse" combined two words that were
individually known as slang for heroin.
Lennon denied that the song had anything to
do with heroin. Despite Lennon's denials, the
version of the song recorded by British
comedian Eddie Izzard in the movie Across the
Universe still contains the phrase "turn on,
tune in, drop out" by noted drug advocate
Timothy Leary.
Recorded 17, 20 February,
28, 29, 31 March 1967
Lyrics:
For the benefit of Mr. Kite
there will be a show tonight on trampoline
The Hendersons will all be there
late of Pablo Fanques'fair, what a scene
Over men and horses hoops and garters
and lastly through a hogshead of real fire
In this way Mr. K will challenge the world
The celebrated Mr. K
performs his feats on Saturday at Bishopsgate
The Hendersons will dance and sing
as Mr. Kite flies through the ring, don't be
late
Messers K. and H. assure the public
their production will be second to none
And of course Henry the Horse dances the
waltz
The band begins at ten to six
when Mr. K performs his tricks without a
sound
And Mr. H will demonstrate
ten somersets he'll undertake on solid ground
Having been some days in preparation
a splendid time is guaranteed for all
And tonight Mr. Kite is topping the bill
Tags : The Beatles John Lennon 1967 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band |
