Lady Madonna

For other uses, see Madonna (disambiguation).

"Lady Madonna"
Single by The Beatles
B-side	"The Inner Light"
Released	15 March 1968
Format	7" single
Recorded	3 and 6 February 1968, EMI Studios, London
Genre	Rock
Length	2:16
Label	Parlophone (UK) Capitol (US)
Writer(s)	Lennon–McCartney
Producer	George Martin
Certification	Platinum (RIAA)
The Beatles singles chronology
"Hello, Goodbye" (1967) "Lady Madonna" (1968) "Hey Jude" (1968)

"Lady Madonna" is a song by The Beatles, primarily written by Paul McCartney^{[citation needed]} (credited to Lennon–McCartney). In March 1968, it was released as a single, backed with "The Inner Light." The song was recorded on 3 and 6 February 1968 before the Beatles left for India. This single was the last release by the band on Parlophone in the United Kingdom, where it reached #1, and Capitol Records in the United States, where it reached #4. All subsequent releases, starting with "Hey Jude" in August 1968, were released on their own label Apple Records, under EMI distribution, until the late 1970s, when Capitol and Parlophone re-released old material.

Inspiration

The piano playing on this song was inspired by 1950s rock/blues pianist, Fats Domino. McCartney recalled in 1994, "'Lady Madonna' was me sitting down at the piano trying to write a bluesy boogie-woogie thing ... It reminded me of Fats Domino for some reason, so I started singing a Fats Domino impression. It took my voice to a very odd place." Domino himself covered the song later in 1968 and it became a US Hot 100 hit (peaking at exactly #100). The song, and in particular the introduction, are similar to Humphrey Lyttelton's "Bad Penny Blues" from 1956.

John Lennon helped write the lyrics, which give an account of an overworked, exhausted (possibly single) mother, facing a new problem each day of the week. The lyrics miss Saturday and in a 1992 interview, McCartney, who only realised the omission many years later, half-jokingly suggested that, given the difficulties of the other six days, the woman in the song likely went out and had a good time that night.

Saxophone solo

The saxophone solo was played by British jazz musician and club owner Ronnie Scott. The mix used in the single had much of Scott's saxophone playing removed, but the versions on Anthology 2 and Love feature a more prominent use of Ronnie's solo, at the end of the song. In a BBC documentary, Timewatch, McCartney explained the decision behind this saying that, at the time, Scott had not been impressed that his music had been hidden behind other instruments, so McCartney had decided to fix it with the most recent mix.

Other releases

A variation of this song can be heard on McCartney's Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road DVD (PBS Great Performances). McCartney calls it "An Old Lady in New Clothes". McCartney also performed it during various concert tours. As a result, live versions appear on Wings over America, Paul Is Live, and the two 2002 tour albums, Back in the U.S. (released in North America) and Back in the World (released in other countries).

"Lady Madonna" has been a regular staple on various compilation albums released by Apple Records:

• Hey Jude, 1970
• 1967–1970, 1973
• 20 Greatest Hits, 1982
• Past Masters, Volume Two, 1988
• Anthology 2, 1996 (takes 3 and 4)
• 1, 2000
• Love, 2006

Love version

A remixed version of this song was featured in the Cirque du Soleil show Love. In this form, the saxophone solo is played almost un-accompanied at the very beginning of the song. The drum intro to "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" can be heard at the beginning. After the first two verses, it changes to the riff from "Hey Bulldog" in A minor, with a remixed version of Billy Preston's Hammond organ solo from "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and parts of Eric Clapton's guitar solo from "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." It then returns to the original form of the song, and at the very end the final Ronnie Scott saxophone solo (not heard on the final master) is played.

Promotional films

Two promotional films were made for "Lady Madonna", which were syndicated to television broadcasting companies. The material was shot on 11 February 1968 in Abbey Road Studios and was distributed by NEMS Enterprises to US and UK TV stations. The films were directed by Tony Bramwell.

The footage consisted of the Beatles recording in the studio. The song they were working on at the time was "Hey Bulldog." In 1999, the material was re-edited by Apple to create a new promo for "Hey Bulldog."

A cut of the film on The Beatles Anthology includes not only footage of the "Hey Bulldog" session but also a session from roughly five months later where the band rehearsed "Hey Jude" during the White Album sessions. Visible differences in lighting, clothing and hair (both head and facial) indicate the difference in time between the shoots. Some footage of McCartney's session with Cilla Black for the song "Step Inside Love" is also included.

Personnel

• Paul McCartney – vocals, piano, bass, handclaps
• John Lennon – backing vocals, rhythm guitar, handclaps
• George Harrison – backing vocals, lead guitar, handclaps
• Ringo Starr – drums, handclaps
• Ronnie Scott – tenor saxophone
• Bill Povey – tenor saxophone
• Harry Klein – baritone saxophone
• Bill Jackman – baritone saxophone
• George Martin – Producer
• Ken Scott – Engineer
• Geoff Emerick – Engineer

Personnel per The Beatles Bible and Geoff Emerick's "Here, There and Everywhere." (2006)

Cover versions

• Fats Domino covered the song in 1968. McCartney says he may have told record producer Richard Perry that it was "based on Fats," leading to Domino's version.
• Elvis Presley covered the song in 1971.
• A cover version of the song performed by Aretha Franklin was used as the theme song for the ABC sitcom Grace Under Fire from 1993 until 1996. The syndicated run of the series used the 1996-98 opening as its theme song.
• Romanian band Phoenix performed this song on their first EP, Vremuri ("Old times", 1968), because the Electrecord studios did not trust the sales success of the band's own songs ("Vremuri" and "Canarul"). This was a common practice in communist countries and the predominant way western music was reaching there officially.
• Caetano Veloso covered the song in his 1975 album Qualquer Coisa.
• Cal Tjader performed this song on the album Cal Tjader Plugs In with a cool jazz approach.
• Gary Puckett and the Union Gap did a cover version of the song.
• Rajaton released an a cappella cover version in their 2001 album Boundless and later also in Out of Bounds.
• Assembly of Dust perform the song on their 2011 live album Found Sound.

Preceded by "The Legend of Xanadu" by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich

UK number-one single 27 March 1968 (two weeks)

Succeeded by "Congratulations" by Cliff Richard

See also

• Ananke (mythology)
• Mother Goddess

References

• Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 54 - Hail, Hail, Rock 'n' Roll: Getting back to rock's funky, essential essence. (Part 3)" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu. http://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/partners/UNTML/browse/?start=53&fq=untl_collection%3AJGPC. 
• "Lady Madonna". The Beatles Bible. 2008. http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/lady-madonna/. Retrieved 13 October 2008. 
• Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1. 
• Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6. 
• "RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - The Beatles Platinum Singles". RIAA. 2009. http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=The%20Beatles&format=SINGLE&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=Platinum&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 9 July 2009. 
• Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-25464-4. 

External links

• Alan W. Pollack's Notes on "Lady Madonna"