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  • Saturday, 22 November 2008

The Beatles - Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! video

The Beatles - Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! High Quality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGUB9Zc2Yos&feature=related&fmt=18 Copyright - 1967 EMI Records Ltd. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a song from the 1967 Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was composed primarily by John Lennon with input from Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon/McCartney. Lennon wrote the song taking inspiration from a nineteenth century circus poster for Pablo Fanque's circus which he purchased in an antique shop in January or February of 1967, while filming the promotional video for the song "Strawberry Fields Forever" in Kent. Mr. Kite is believed to be William Kite, who worked for Pablo Fanque from 1843 to 1845. Recording One of the most musically complex songs on Sgt. Pepper, it was recorded on 17 February 1967 with overdubs on 20 February (organ sound effects), 28 March (harmonica, organ, guitar), 29 March (more organ sound effects), and 31 March. Lennon wanted the track to have a "carnival atmosphere", and told producer George Martin that he wanted "to smell the sawdust on the floor." In the middle eight bars, multiple recordings of fairground organs and calliope music were spliced together to attempt to produce this request; after a great deal of unsuccessful experimentation, George Martin instructed Geoff Emerick to chop the tape into pieces with scissors, throw them up in the air, and re-assemble them at random. On 17 February, Lennon sings "For the benefit of Mr. Kite" in a joke accent, just before Emerick announces, "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!, take 1." Lennon immediately responds, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!", reinforcing his title preference, a phrase lifted intact from the original poster. The exchange is recorded in The Beatles Recording Sessions (slightly misquoted) and audible on track 8 of disc 2 of Anthology 2. Although Lennon once said of the song that he "wasn't proud of that" and "I was just going through the motions," in 1980 he described it as "pure, like a painting, a pure watercolour." It was one of three songs from the Sgt. Pepper album that was banned from playing on the BBC, supposedly because the phrase "Henry the Horse" combined two words that were individually known as slang for heroin. Lennon denied that the song had anything to do with heroin. Despite Lennon's denials, the version of the song recorded by British comedian Eddie Izzard in the movie Across the Universe still contains the phrase "turn on, tune in, drop out" by noted drug advocate Timothy Leary. Recorded 17, 20 February, 28, 29, 31 March 1967 Lyrics: For the benefit of Mr. Kite there will be a show tonight on trampoline The Hendersons will all be there late of Pablo Fanques'fair, what a scene Over men and horses hoops and garters and lastly through a hogshead of real fire In this way Mr. K will challenge the world The celebrated Mr. K performs his feats on Saturday at Bishopsgate The Hendersons will dance and sing as Mr. Kite flies through the ring, don't be late Messers K. and H. assure the public their production will be second to none And of course Henry the Horse dances the waltz The band begins at ten to six when Mr. K performs his tricks without a sound And Mr. H will demonstrate ten somersets he'll undertake on solid ground Having been some days in preparation a splendid time is guaranteed for all And tonight Mr. Kite is topping the bill

Running time: 02:37

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