Flying (Beatles song)
| "Flying" | |
|---|---|
| Instrumental by the Beatles from the album Magical Mystery Tour | |
| Released | 27 November 1967 |
| Recorded | 8 September 1967, EMI Studios, London |
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, instrumental rock, space rock |
| Length | 2:17 |
| Label | Parlophone |
| Writer(s) | Harrison/Lennon/McCartney/Starkey |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
"Flying" is an instrumental recorded by the Beatles which first appeared on the 1967 Magical Mystery Tour release (two EP discs in the United Kingdom, an LP in the United States). It is one of the few songs credited to all four members of the band: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
The first instrumental written by the Beatles since "12-Bar Original" in 1965, this was the first song to be credited as being written by all four members of the band with the writing credits of "Harrison/Lennon–McCartney/Starkey". It was recorded on 8 September 1967 with mellotron, guitar, bass, maracas, drums, and tape loops overdubs on 28 September.
"Flying" was originally titled "Aerial Tour Instrumental", The end of the recording originally included a fast-paced traditional New Orleans jazz-influenced coda, but this was removed and replaced with an ending featuring tape loops created by John Lennon and Ringo Starr during the 28 September session. The loops initially made the song last 9 minutes 38 seconds, but the track was cut down to only 2 minutes 17 seconds. Part of the loops were used alongside an element of the ending jazz sequence to make "The Bus", an incidental piece used at various points, for the TV movie.
On the track as recorded and officially released, Lennon plays the main theme on mellotron, accompanied by McCartney and Harrison (both on guitars, plus a later bass overdub) and Starr (on maracas and drums). All four Beatles sing the melody without lyrics of any kind, and the track fades in an assortment of tape effects created by Lennon and Starr. This released version is identical to that heard on the soundtrack of the Magical Mystery Tour film; the music is accompanied in the film by colour-altered images of landscape in Iceland taken from an aeroplane, as well as some unused footage from the 1964 Stanley Kubrick film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
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