MR KITE

On this day in music history: January 31, 1967 - John Lennon purchases a vintage nineteenth century circus poster from an antique shop in Sevenoaks, Kent, UK. It inspires Lennon to write the song “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite”. Lennon finds the poster while browsing in the shop, while a break from making the promotional film for “Strawberry Fields Forever”. Most of the songs lyrics are taken directly from the poster. The Beatles begin recording “Kite” on February 17, 1967 during the sessions for “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. The song starts off simply, but grows in complexity as recording progresses. Wanting to create the sonic atmosphere of a circus, producer George Martin looks for a calliope to play on the recording. When all he finds are ones that are automated, the sounds are created by using the studios’ Hammond organ as well as transcribing tapes from the Abbey Road sound effects library, that are incorporated into the final recording. “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” is completed and mixed on March 31, 1967. A reproduction of the circus poster, is included with copies of the Super Deluxe edition of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, released in May of 2017.