“Yellow Submarine” is a song by the Beatles, released on their 1966 album “Revolver.” Written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership, the song was sung by Ringo Starr and is known for its whimsical lyrics and catchy melody. It also served as the title track for the band’s 1968 animated film and its soundtrack album.
The concept of “Yellow Submarine” began with Paul McCartney, who envisioned it as a children’s song. McCartney aimed to create a simple, sing-along tune that would appeal to both children and adults. The lyrics tell the story of a sailor who narrates his adventures living in a yellow submarine, a fantastical underwater vehicle that symbolizes a utopian world of harmony and fun.
John Lennon contributed to the song’s verses, helping to refine the whimsical narrative. The lyrics are characterized by their playful and surreal nature, fitting well within the psychedelic era’s themes. The chorus, “We all live in a yellow submarine,” is repetitive and designed to be easily memorable, encouraging audience participation. One couplet in the song was suggested by Donovan,
whose single ‘Mellow Yellow’ was released in October 1966. McCartney visited Donovan’s apartment in London on May 26, prior to the recording session for ‘Yellow Submarine’. Musically, “Yellow Submarine” is structured in a straightforward verse-chorus form.
He played one about a yellow submarine. He said he was missing a line and would I fill it in. I left the room and returned with this: ‘Sky of blue and sea of green/In our yellow submarine.’ It was nothing really, but he liked it and it stayed in.
Donovan
The song is set in the key of G major, contributing to its bright and cheerful tone. It opens with an acoustic guitar intro, followed by a steady rhythm section that includes bass, drums, and tambourine. The tempo is moderate, adding to the song’s relaxed, sing-along feel. The Beatles began recording “Yellow Submarine” during the eighth week of the sessions for Revolver at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) on May 26, 1966, but without producer George Martin, who was unwell.
After the afternoon and evening rehearsing the song they recorded four takes of the rhythm track, with Starr playing drums, Lennon on acoustic guitar, McCartney on bass, and Harrison on tambourine. The performance was taped at a faster tempo than appears on the completed track, which is in the key of G♭ major.
Following a reduction mix[1] of take 4, Starr recorded his lead vocal and he, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison sang vocals over the choruses. The vocal parts were again treated with varispeed[2]; in this instance, they were recorded a semitone lower. Harrison’s contribution is especially prominent, departing from his bandmates to sing an f1 note on the word “submarine”. The recording was given another reduction mix, reducing the four tracks to two, to allow for the inclusion of nautical and party-like sound effects
The Beatles dedicated their June first session to adding the song’s sound effects. For this, George Martin drew on his experience as a producer of comedy records for Beyond the Fringe and members of the Goons. The band invited guests to participate, including Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, Harrison’s wife Pattie Boyd, Marianne Faithfull,
Beatles road managers Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall, and Alf Bicknell, the band’s driver. The studio store cupboard was sourced for items such as chains, bells, whistles, hooters, a tin bath and a cash till.
- The sound of ocean waves enters at the start of the second verse and continues through the first chorus. Harrison created this effect by swirling water around a bathtub.
- A party atmosphere was evoked through a combination of Brian Jones clinking glasses together and blowing an ocarina.
- Pattie Boyd’s high-pitched shrieks and laughter
- Alf Bicknell rattling chains, and tumbling coins.
- To fill the two-bar gap following the line “And the band begins to play”, Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick used a recording of a brass band from EMI’s tape library. They disguised the piece by splicing up the taped copy and rearranging the melody.
- Lennon blew through a straw into a pan of water to create a bubbling effect.
- Other sounds imitate the whirring of machinery, a ship’s bell, hatches being slammed, chains hitting metal, and finally the submarine submerging.
- Lennon used the studio’s echo chamber to shout out commands and responses such as “Full speed ahead, Mr Boatswain.”
- From a hallway just outside the studio, Starr yelled: “Cut the cable!”
- In the final verse, Lennon echoes Starr’s lead vocal, delivering the lines in a manner that musicologist Walter Everett terms “manic”, with the microphone plugged into a Vox guitar amplifier.
- John Skinner and Terry Condon also made sound effects (chains in bathtub)
- All the participants and available studio staff sang the closing choruses, augmenting the vocals recorded by the Beatles on May 26. Evans also played a marching bass drum over this section. When the overdubs were finished, Evans led everybody in a line around the studio doing the conga dance while banging on the drum strapped to his chest
- The song originally opened with a 15-second section containing narration by Starr and dialogue by Harrison, McCartney and Lennon, supported by the sound of marching feet (created by blocks of coal being shaken inside a box). Written by Lennon, the narrative focused on people marching from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, and “from Stepney to Utrecht”, and sharing the vision of a yellow submarine. Despite the time taken in developing and recording this intro, the band chose to discard the idea, and the section was cut from the track on June 3.
“Yellow Submarine” became an instant hit, reaching number one in the UK charts and number two in the US. It is widely regarded as one of the Beatles’ most iconic songs, largely due to its association with the animated film of the same name. The film, which features a psychedelic visual style and a surreal narrative, helped cement the song’s status in popular culture. The song’s legacy extends beyond its initial release,
influencing various aspects of media and entertainment. It has been covered by numerous artists and remains a staple in children’s music. “Yellow Submarine” also exemplifies the Beatles’ ability to blend simplicity with sophistication, making it a timeless piece that continues to resonate with audiences of all ages.
Yellow Submarine written by Lennon/McCartney
In the town where I was born
Lived a man who sailed to sea
And he told us of his life
In the land of submarines
So we sailed on to the sun
'Til we found a sea of green
And we lived beneath the waves
In our yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
And our friends are all aboard
Many more of them live next door
And the band begins to play
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
Full steam ahead, Mister Boatswain, full steam ahead
Full steam ahead it is, Sergeant
(Cut the cable, drop the cable)
Aye-aye, sir, aye-aye
Captain, captain
As we live a life of ease (a life of ease)
Every one of us (every one of us)
Has all we need (has all we need)
Sky of blue (sky of blue)
And sea of green (sea of green)
In our yellow (in our yellow)
Submarine (submarine, aha)
We all live in a yellow submarine
A yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
A yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
Footnotes
- A reduction mix, also known as a reduction mixdown, is a recording technique where multiple individual audio tracks are combined into one or two tracks to free up space for additional recordings or to simplify the mix. This method was commonly used in the era of analog tape recording when the number of available tracks was limited. For instance, separate drum tracks might be mixed down into a single stereo track, allowing the freed-up tracks to be used for other instruments or vocals. [Back]
- Varispeed is a recording technique that changes the speed of a tape machine or digital audio recording to alter the pitch and tempo of the recorded sound. By speeding up or slowing down the playback or recording speed, musicians and producers can achieve unique effects, such as higher-pitched, faster tracks or lower-pitched, slower tracks. This technique was popularized by artists like the Beatles to create distinctive sounds and has since been used in various musical genres and recording practices. [Back]
Further Reading
Sources
- Emerick, Geoff, and Howard Massey. Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles. Gotham Books, 2006.
- Lewisohn, Mark. The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. Harmony Books, 1988.
- The Beatles Bible “Yellow Submarine” https://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/yellow-submarine/
- Wikipedia “Yellow Submarine (song)” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Submarine_(song)
- SongFacts “Yellow Submarine by The Beatles” https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-beatles/yellow-submarine
- McCartney Times “ANOTHER STAR ASSISTS PAUL MCCARTNEY IN WRITING THE BEATLES’ “YELLOW SUBMARINE” ACCORDING TO JOHN LENNON” https://mccartney.com/?p=22049
