“Story Teller” Reflection – “A Day in the Life” by The Beatles

                I think it’s safe to say that everyone knows the Beatles. As much as that statement is a logical fallacy it’s hard not to notice that The Beatles have remained a continuous and strong voice in the Rock Music community for ages. Since I come from a very traditional Sri Lankan family who rarely listened to “American Music” it was surprising to say the least that my parents actually liked a couple of The Beatles songs. They appreciated that the Beatles gathered many of their melodies, ideas, and lyrics from the places they traveled and the hardships they faced. I personally admire The Beatles because they are great story tellers and encapsulate their thoughts and ideas in a way that is memorable and fascinating.

            I think one of the best “story telling” songs by the The Beatles is “A Day in the Life”. This song is honestly a little strange in it’s set up but it tells the story of a person going about his /her daily routine. However the song is more than what it seems on the surface. This song reveals the struggles, joys, and pains of this particular person’s life. It is important to note that this person is not given a name or gender thus is a universal symbol for the working man/woman or everyday person.

         I believe the way this song is organized is a key part in trying to understand what its meaning is. The three initial stanzas is about lying in bed, wanting to fall asleep, and thinking of the day that has been completed. The person contemplates of the irony in life and can’t help but laugh at someone dying in such an absurd way, after “having made the grade” in the life. The orchestral section in the song is the moment when the person begins to falls asleep. With the plentiful amount of thoughts running through this person’s head before sleep it’s beautiful and funny how the last thing he thinks about is his.her loved one, and how they would like to be there for them with the lyric “I’d love to turn you on”.

        Then suddenly in the fourth stanza the person wakes up and starts their daily routine. This person has to hurry and has no time for think about the many things they contemplated on before sleep. However for a moment the person smokes and while people are talking about something that he/she probably doesn’t really care about the person’s mind starts to wander and think. Once again the person goes away with his/her mind like they are about to sleep, “I went into a dream”. Then the orchestral section begins and  is the division between the everyday world and the world the person has in their mind created by dreams and thoughts. Yet again, the last thought that comes to this person’s mind is that they would love to “turn on” their partner.

        This song story to me is funny and witty. The song’s instrumental parts are genius. The orchestra parts of the song represent a sort of lulling sleep when one is consumed by their thoughts, emotions, and life. Then the part in the song where this person awakens to start their day the melody is quite upbeat and hurried like world this person lives in. This juxtaposition of the busied hurried world of work  and the lulling world of sleep and mindless thoughts is very intriguing. It really showcases to the listener of the song that the world is in such a hurry and busy state that it is important to slow down and  think and sleep.

       “A Day in the Life” comes off the album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles. This whole album is quite amazing and has many of the famous Beatles hit songs. The Beatles in general are a great band to listen to and if you love rock/classic rock any album by them shall suffice. Personally I love this album because of the many story songs they have such as “With A Little Help From My Friends” and “Within You Without You”. However, to me the song “A Day in the Life” will remain the best story song on the album and by The Beatles. The song to me is very funny and at the same time meaningful and insightful.

Works Cited

               Lennon, John. By Paul McCartney. A Day in the Life. The Beatles. George Martin, 1967. CD.

Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/beatles/adayinthelife.html