"Penny Lane" | ||||
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US picture sleeve
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Single by the Beatles | ||||
A-side | "Strawberry Fields Forever" (double A-side) | |||
Released | 13 February 1967 | |||
Format | 7-inch record | |||
Recorded | 29 December 1966 – 17 January 1967 |
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Studio | EMI Studios, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:03 | |||
Label |
Parlophone (UK) Capitol (US) |
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Songwriter(s) | Lennon–McCartney | |||
Producer(s) | George Martin | |||
The Beatles singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Penny Lane" on YouTube |
Coordinates: 53°23′13″N 2°55′10″W / 53.38694°N 2.91944°W
"Penny Lane" is a song by the Beatles. It was written primarily by Paul McCartney but credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. The lyrics refer to a real street in Liverpool, England.
Recorded during the Sgt. Pepper album sessions, and intended for inclusion, "Penny Lane" was released in February 1967 as one side of a double A-sided single, along with "Strawberry Fields Forever", following pressure from EMI, the Beatles' record company, after several months' absence of new material. Although the song did not top the charts in Britain, it was still a top ten hit across Europe. The song would make its LP debut on the US version of the band's album, Magical Mystery Tour, rather than on the British double EP on which the LP was based.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Penny Lane" at number 456 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
During the 1960s, Penny Lane was a significant bus terminus for several routes, and buses with "Penny Lane" displayed were common throughout Liverpool. The name Penny Lane is also used for the area that surrounds its junction with Smithdown Road, Smithdown Place (where the terminus was located) and Allerton Road, including a busy shopping area.