Randoms by Rach

A Day In The Life

A Day In The Life
Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967
Lead vocalist: John & Paul




Lyrics ▶︎

I read the news today oh boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure
If he was from the House of Lords
I saw a film today oh boy
The English Army had just won the war
A crowd of people turned away
But I just had to look
Having read the book
I'd love to turn you on
Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
And somebody spoke and I went into a dream
I read the news today oh boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall
I'd love to turn you on

I adore this song! John always claimed it was one of his, and I think, probably, that was true. It was he who had the inspiration for the song, he wrote the main part of the song. But Paul came along and added his happier, more upbeat section that complemented so well John’s original parts that it blows the song into another universe. So, in reality, this song wouldn’t be as great as it is without Paul’s contribution. Which makes it a good example of the magic that could happen when these two songwriters worked together.

I read that John got inspiration for the song from newspaper articles. He read the papers every day and was often inspired by stories he noticed. The main story here, though, was more personal than most. Tara Browne, a friend of both Paul and John, had died in a car crash. He was the heir to the Guinness Empire, and he had crashed into a parked vehicle at high speed. It was an accident, though. Not like the person in the song. He also read an article saying there were four thousand potholes in the roads in Blackburn, Lancashire, and so he referenced that in the song.

I just have to give a nod to Ringo’s drumming in this song. Once again, it is deceptively difficult. I get annoyed when people say Ringo wasn’t a great drummer. Like, have they ever really listened to him, tried to do what he does? He is exceptional. (Slightly subjective) fact.