John Lennon's surrealist masterpiece of 1967 found him at his surrealistic, sneering best. It was included on the soundtrack of the Magical Mystery Tour TV film, and first released as the b-side of Hello Goodbye. One of the best b-sides ever.
When Lennon found out that the school he attended as a boy was studying and analyzing the lyrics of the Beatles, he set out to create one of his most complicated and intricate texts. Full of nonsensical wordplay, random inspirations, childhood memories, and literary references, especially to Lewis Carroll (from whom The Walrus and the Carpenter in Through the Looking-Glass comes the title). All this while thinking, «Let's see if they can find an explanation for this too!» Thus, I Am the Walrus, John Lennon's surrealist masterpiece, was born.
Many have enjoyed trying to decipher every single verse of the song. But from this seemingly senseless chaotic jumble emerges a veiled social critique of the British establishment of the time. It is a fierce condemnation of the obtuse system that stifles any spark of originality, repressing art and culture. Lennon fiercely and playfully attacks the social order, common morality, education, law enforcement, and bureaucrats, who laugh like pigs in a pigsty and criticize everything they do not understand and fear.
Even the music, inspired by the two notes of a police siren (which later become «Mr. city policeman sitting pretty…»), recreates the same obsessiveness as the lyrics, never giving the listener a respite, with a sequence of ups and downs that only pauses for the short chorus. But just before it becomes too predictable, there comes a change in tempo and atmosphere that serves to reaffirm, if necessary, that there is no room for any certainty.
In this video, we have tried to include scenes from each phase of recording our cover, without any playback.
Recorded and mixed by Massimo Gerini.
Video by Brizio Romagnoli.
