Everyone gets songs stuck in their heads that just won’t go away. They sneak into your subconscious. They are epic earworms that you find yourself humming uncontrollably, singing in the shower, or tapping the beat to with your foot or ballpoint pen when you should be working. Sometimes they even keep you awake at night. Whether they are current hits, one-hit wonders, movie soundtrack gems, holiday favorites, or songs from your youth, their catchy vocals, riffs, hooks, and choruses seem to linger for days.
Here, those songs find a home, no matter the genre. Here, those epic earworms are revisited, explained, and celebrated. Here, you may find the song that haunts you tomorrow. Here is today’s unescapable song of the day…and the story behind it.
Today’s Epic Earworm: The Beatles — “Strawberry Fields Forever”
Today’s epic earworm, the Beatles‘ “Strawberry Fields Forever,” was a pioneering effort in so many ways. The song was a big boon to the burgeoning psychedelic genre, and its accompanying promotional film held huge advances in the medium of music video. Despite being a departure from the group’s previous work, the single shot to Number One on the charts in six countries and peaked in the Top Ten in the U.S. and the U.K.
The Best of Both Worlds
Perhaps, the most innovative work, though, was not done by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, or Ringo Starr. It was done by their producer, George Martin. The Beatles originally recorded multiple versions of the song. One was Lennon’s artistic vision of the song (which he had written), complete with a full orchestra. Another was a full band version with a different key, tempo, and mood.
The band was divided on which version to go with, but Martin had a solution. Experimenting with tape speed relays and tape loops, Martin was able to slow down one version of the song to match the pitch and tempo of the other. The final version also included reverse-recorded instrumentation, as well as a cello and brass arrangement by Martin. Everyone in the band ended up getting what they wanted included, and the world got a psychedelic masterpiece that was way ahead of its time.
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