57 years ago today, The Beatles began recording Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!

February 17, 2024

57 years ago today, on February 17 1967, The Beatles set out to record one of the most musically complex and avant-garde tracks of their illustrious career – Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!

This masterpiece from the groundbreaking Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album serves as a testament to the band's ability to innovate and push musical boundaries. John Lennon wanted the track to evoke the presence of the Victorian circus that inspired the song: from the carnival atmosphere to the sawdust on the circus floor.

The band worked with George Martin to employ an array of unconventional recording techniques to achieve this, including Martin playing the Hammond organ and speeding it up to achieve the desired effect. Efforts were also made to find a steam organ for hire in London, but they proved unsuccessful. Undeterred, Martin, in a stroke of experimental brilliance, instructed recording engineer Geoff Emerick to literally chop the tape into pieces with scissors, toss them into the air, and re-assemble them at random. This unorthodox method created a cacophony of sound that perfectly encapsulated the whimsical and chaotic nature of a carnival.

Although the song has been praised by both critics and fans, John Lennon expressed mixed opinions on the track. He once described the song as ‘going through the motions’, but he later acknowledged its artistic merit, likening it to a ‘pure watercolour’.

57 years after the recording of the song, Beatles’ fans continue to appreciate it. In fact, we even created our limited edition Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite print to pay homage to this Beatles track.

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