| "It's All Too Much" | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the Northern Songs sheet music | |
| Song by the Beatles | |
| from the album Yellow Submarine | |
| Released | 13 January 1969 |
| Recorded | 25–26 May and 2 June 1967 |
| Studio | De Lane Lea, London |
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, acid rock |
| Length | 6:26 |
| Label | Apple |
| Songwriter(s) | George Harrison |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
"It's All Too Much" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album Yellow Submarine. Written by George Harrison in 1967, it conveys the ideological themes of that year's Summer of Love. The Beatles recorded the track in May 1967, a month after completing their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was one of four new songs they then supplied for the 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine, to meet their contractual obligations to United Artists.
Harrison wrote "It's All Too Much" as a celebration of his experiences with the hallucinogenic drug LSD, but following a visit to Haight-Ashbury in August 1967 he distanced himself from its usage. He later drew parallels between drug-induced "realisations" and his experiences with Transcendental Meditation. The song features a Hammond organ, which gives the track a drone-like quality typical of Indian music, electric guitar feedback, and an overdubbed brass section. Largely self-produced by the band, the recording displays an informal approach that contrasts with the discipline of the Beatles' previous work, particularly Sgt. Pepper. The song's sequence in the Yellow Submarine film has been recognised for its adventurousness in conveying a hallucinogenic experience.
Although several Beatles biographers dismiss the track as aimless, "It's All Too Much" has received praise from many other commentators. Peter Doggett considers it "one of the pinnacles of British acid-rock",[1] while Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone rates it among "the top five all-time psychedelic freakouts in rock history".[2] Former Gong guitarist Steve Hillage adopted the song during his early years as a solo artist in the late 1970s. Journey, the House of Love, the Grateful Dead and the Church are among the other artists who have recorded or performed the track.
- ^ Doggett 2003, p. 79.
- ^ Brackett & Hoard 2004, p. 53.