| "A Day in the Life" | |
|---|---|
 US sheet music cover | |
| Song by the Beatles | |
| from the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | |
| Released | 26 May 1967[1] |
| Recorded | 19–20 January and 3, 10 & 22 February 1967 |
| Studio | EMI, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 5:35 |
| Label |
|
| Songwriter(s) | Lennon–McCartney |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
| Music video | |
| "A Day in the Life" on YouTube | |
| Audio sample | |
"A Day in the Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as the final track of their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the opening and closing sections of the song were mainly written by John Lennon, with Paul McCartney primarily contributing the song's middle section. All four Beatles played a role in shaping the final arrangement of the song.
Lennon's lyrics were mainly inspired by contemporary newspaper articles, including a report on the death of Guinness heir Tara Browne. The recording includes two passages of orchestral glissandos that were partly improvised in the avant-garde style. In the song's middle segment, McCartney recalls his younger years, which included riding the bus, smoking, and going to class. Following the second crescendo, the song ends with one of the most famous chords in popular music history, played on several keyboards, that sustains for over forty seconds.
A reputed drug reference in the line "I'd love to turn you on" resulted in the song initially being banned from broadcast by the BBC. Jeff Beck, Chris Cornell, Barry Gibb, the Fall and Phish are among the artists who have covered the song. The song inspired the creation of the Deep Note, the audio trademark for the THX film company. It remains one of the most influential and celebrated songs in popular music history, appearing on many lists of the greatest songs of all time, and being commonly appraised as the Beatles' finest song.
- ^ Everett 1999, p. 123. "In the United Kingdom Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ... was rush-released six days ahead of its official date, June 1."
- ^ Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On, Michael Campbell, page 213
- ^ J. DeRogatis, Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock (Milwaukee, Michigan: Hal Leonard, 2003), ISBN 0-634-05548-8, p. 48.
- ^ Wray, John (18 May 2008). "The Return of the One-Man Band". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.