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| This is an autobiographical song about John Lennon's life. He wrote most of the lyrics after being asked why a book he wrote, In His Own Write, revealed more about him than his songs did. |
| The lyrics about friends refer to Stu Sutcliffe, an early Beatle and great friend of John's who died in 1962, and another friend named Pete Shotton. |
| The Beatles left a hole for the instrumental break when they recorded this. Producer George Martin filled it in the next morning by playing a piano solo and speeding up the tape to make it sound like a harpsichord. Lennon had asked him to fill it with something "baroque." |
| This was one of George Harrison's favorites. The other Beatles were not pleased when he played it with different lyrics at one of his concerts in 1974. |
| Both Lennon and McCartney thought this was one of the best Beatles songs. |
| There is controversy over how involved McCartney was in writing this. Lennon claimed in later interviews that he wrote the whole thing, while McCartney claimed it was an equal collaboration. |
| This was voted the best song of all time by a panel of songwriters in a 2000 Mojo magazine poll. The panelists included McCartney, Brian Wilson, Lamont Dozier, and Carole King. |
| Dave Matthews played this at the 2001 special Come Together: A Night For John Lennon's Words And Music. The song took on new meaning, as the show aired 3 weeks after the terrorist attacks on America. |
