"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" | ||||||||
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The 1996 US jukebox single release of the song, backed with "When I'm 64"
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Song by the Beatles from the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | ||||||||
Published | Northern Songs Ltd. | |||||||
Released | 1 June 1967 | |||||||
Recorded | 1 March 1967 EMI Studios, London |
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Genre | Psychedelic rock | |||||||
Length | 3:28 | |||||||
Label | Parlophone R6022 | |||||||
Writer(s) | Lennon–McCartney | |||||||
Producer(s) | George Martin | |||||||
ISWC | T-010.434.501-8 | |||||||
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"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" | ||||
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Single by Elton John | ||||
B-side | "One Day (At a Time)" | |||
Released | 18 November 1974 | |||
Recorded | Summer 1974 | |||
Genre | Psychedelic rock | |||
Length | 6:16 5:54 (7" version) |
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Label |
MCA (US) DJM (UK) |
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Writer(s) | Lennon–McCartney | |||
Producer(s) | Gus Dudgeon | |||
Elton John singles chronology | ||||
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"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Single by The Flaming Lips featuring Miley Cyrus and Moby | ||||||||||||||||||||
from the album With a Little Help from My Fwends | ||||||||||||||||||||
Released | May 18, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||
Format | Digital download | |||||||||||||||||||
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Length |
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Label | Warner Bros. | |||||||||||||||||||
Writer(s) | Lennon-McCartney | |||||||||||||||||||
The Flaming Lips singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||||||
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"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a song written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, for the Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Lennon's son Julian inspired the song with a nursery school drawing he called "Lucy—in the sky with diamonds". Shortly after the song's release, speculation arose that the first letter of each of the title nouns intentionally spelled "LSD". Lennon consistently denied this, insisting the song was inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland books, a claim repeatedly confirmed by Paul McCartney.
Despite persistent rumours, the song was never officially banned by the BBC, and aired contemporaneously on BBC Radio at least once, on 20 May 1967.
Most of the song is in simple triple metre (3
4 time), but the chorus is in 4
4 time. The song modulates between musical keys, using the key of A major for verses, B♭ major for the pre-chorus, and G major for the chorus. It is sung by Lennon over an increasingly complicated underlying arrangement which features a tamboura, played by George Harrison, lead electric guitar put through a Leslie speaker, played by Harrison, and a counter melody on Lowrey organ played by McCartney and taped with a special organ stop sounding "not unlike a celeste". Session tapes from the initial 1 March 1967 recording of this song reveal Lennon originally sang the line "Cellophane flowers of yellow and green" as a broken phrase, but McCartney suggested that he sing it more fluidly to improve the song.