Everyone’s a critic, so they say, and that included long-time Beatles producer George Martin. The “fifth Beatle” helped the Fab Four create their extensive and iconic discography since the early 1960s days of “P.S. I Love You” and “Love Me Do.” This means that Martin saw many sides to the Beatles, both personally and sonically. Every time the band switched gears and started a new creative project, Martin was there to oversee the transition.
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That process wasn’t without its pitfalls. The producer-artist relationship can grow tense if egos bruise or artistic visions go unmet. Martin and the Beatles shared a close relationship, but sometimes, one would make the other bristle. One such instance occurred between Martin and John Lennon in the initial stages of what would become one of the Beatles’ most iconic songs.
The Beatles Song George Martin “Flat Out Didn’t Like”
In a fitting testament to what is arguably the most psychedelic albums in their catalog, the recording sessions for the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour were rife with tension as the band struggled to handle manager Brian Epstein’s worsening substance abuse. Epstein was absent for most of the recording process, leaving the Beatles to work with producer Brian Martin. As always, Martin refused to sugarcoat his opinion on the band’s work.
So, when John Lennon first presented the group with “I Am the Walrus,” Martin had no problem speaking his mind. Producer Geoff Emerick recalled the tense moment in his book Here, There, and Everywhere. “There was a pallor across the session that day,” he wrote. “We were all distracted, thinking about Brian. But there was a song to be recorded, too. It was one of John’s, and, somewhat fittingly, it might well have been his strangest one yet.”
“Lennon sang in a dull monotone, strumming his acoustic guitar as we all gathered around him in the dim studio light,” he continued. “Everyone seemed bewildered. The melody consisted largely of just two notes, and the lyrics were pretty much just nonsense. There was a moment of silence when he finished, then Lennon looked up at George Martin expectantly. “‘That one was called “I Am the Walrus,”’ John said. ‘So, what do you think?’”
Emerick wrote, “George looked flummoxed. For once, he was at a loss for words. ‘Well, John, to be honest, I have only one question. What the hell do you expect me to do with that?’ There was a round of nervous laughter in the room, which partially dissipated the tension, but Lennon was clearly not amused. Frankly, I thought George’s remark was out of line.”
The Producer Couldn’t Get Over John Lennon’s Lyrics
Part of the wacky allure of the Beatles’ iconic “I Am the Walrus” is the fact that John Lennon wrote his nonsensical lyrics not for the sake of poetry but simply for the sake of being nonsensical. After learning that his alma mater, the Quarry Bank High School for Boys, was dissecting his lyrics in the classroom, Lennon set out to write a song that was purposefully indecipherable. “Let the f***ers work that one out, Pete!” Lennon once said. British schoolboys certainly weren’t the only ones at a loss for what to make of Lennon’s song.
“George Martin simply couldn’t get past the limited musical content and outrageous lyrics [of “I Am the Walrus”],” producer Geoff Emerick wrote. “He flat-out didn’t like the song. As John sang provocative lines about a pornographic priestess and letting her knickers down, George turned to me and whispered, ‘What did he just say?’ He couldn’t believe his ears, and after the experience the Beatles had gone through with “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “A Day in the Life,” I guess he was worried about more censorship problems from the BBC.”
In addition to its inclusion in Magical Mystery Tour, the Beatles released Lennon’s “I Am the Walrus” as the B-side to Paul McCartney’s “Hello, Goodbye,” contributing to the growing discontentment Lennon felt from the Beatles’ prioritization of commercial-friendly music over his more experimental offerings.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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