| "Your Mother Should Know" | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the Northern Songs sheet music | |
| Song by the Beatles | |
| from the EP and album Magical Mystery Tour | |
| Released | |
| Recorded | 22–23 August and 29 September 1967 |
| Studio | Chappell and EMI, London |
| Genre | Music hall,[1] vaudeville-rock[2] |
| Length | 2:29 |
| Label | Parlophone (UK), Capitol (US) |
| Songwriter(s) | Lennon–McCartney |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
"Your Mother Should Know" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, from their 1967 EP and LP, Magical Mystery Tour. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney.[3][4] Titled after a line in the 1961 film A Taste of Honey, its lyrical premise centres on the history of hit songs across generations. McCartney said he wrote it as a plea for generational understanding and respect for a mother's life experience. In the Magical Mystery Tour television film, the song serves as a big production number in the style of a 1930s Hollywood musical. Some commentators view the sequence as cultural satire, as the Beatles are seen dancing and dressed in white evening tails.
"Your Mother Should Know" is written in the music hall style, as was McCartney's earlier composition, "When I'm Sixty-Four". He first offered it as the Beatles' contribution to the Our World satellite broadcast in June 1967, but the band favoured John Lennon's "All You Need Is Love" for its social significance. The initial sessions for "Your Mother Should Know" took place at Chappell Recording Studios in London, towards the end of August. The group were visited there by their manager, Brian Epstein, the last time he joined them in the studio before his death on 27 August.
- ^ Shaar Murray 2002, pp. 129–30.
- ^ Harrington 2002, p. 191.
- ^ Miles 1997, p. 355.
- ^ Sheff 2000, p. 198.