The Beatles have had their fair share of hits; there’s no doubt about it. However, it’s hard to deny that Britain’s biggest boy band hasn’t left their fans slightly puzzled a time or two. Honestly, even I can’t explain some of these hits. Here are some Beatles songs that will either leave you scratching your head or singing along, or both!
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“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”
Out of all of the Beatles’ oddball songs, this one definitely toes the line between insane and strikingly poetic. I mean, “rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies” is kind of strange, sure. But “tangerine trees and marmalade skies”has to be the prettiest description of anything I’ve ever heard—nevertheless, the meaning of this song from Sgt. Pepper gives fans a run for their money, even to this day.
Many fans have speculated that Lucy is actually an acronym for LSD, since the lyrics are so weird. However, Lennon made this rumor seem less likely when he talked about the song in an old interview. He shared, “My son came home with a drawing that showed me this strange-looking woman flying around, and I said, ‘What is it?’ and he said, ‘It’s Lucy in the sky with diamonds.’” If Lennon was inspired by his son to write this song, I doubt that it’s about drugs, but honestly, who knows?
“I Am The Walrus”
The Beatles released this song from their Magical Mystery Tour album in 1967. Funnily enough, Lennon would later reveal that the song was written with the sole purpose of confusing fans who liked to try and decipher Beatles’ lyrics. Much like “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”, “I Am The Walrus” is totally nonsensical, but to a new level. Lennon even shared with Playboy that “The first line was written on one acid trip one weekend,” and that “The second line was written on the next acid trip the next weekend.” I think that alone tells you everything about the song you need to know.
“Blue Jay Way”
This one isn’t too weird, but it’s definitely repetitive. Half the track is just the lyrics “Please don’t be long, Please don’t you be very long,” accompanied by the occasional “Or I may be asleep.”
Perhaps the reason for that is that George Harrison was simply trying to keep his eyes open when he wrote this one. As The Beatles Bible explains, George had flown from Britain to California for a press conference in 1967 and was dealing with serious jet lag. While he was waiting for The Beatles’ publicist, Derek Taylor, he got to work on this song. The title was inspired by the street Harrison was staying on.
“To keep myself awake, just as a joke to pass the time while I waited, I wrote a song about waiting for him in Blue Jay Way,” he explained. “There was a little Hammond organ in the corner of this house which I hadn’t noticed until then… So I messed around on it and the song came.”
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