Born of John Lennon’s post-touring retreat into suburban daydreaming, ‘Good Morning Good Morning’ was inspired by a Kellogg’s commercial he heard while working with the television playing in the background.
‘Good Morning’ is mine. It’s a throwaway, a piece of garbage, I always thought. The ‘Good morning, good morning’ was from a Kellogg’s cereal commercial. I always had the TV on very low in the background when I Was writing and it came over and then I wrote the song.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
The Kellogg’s jingle went:
Good morning, good morning
The best to you each morning
Sunshine breakfast, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes
Crisp and full of sun…
Sunshine breakfast, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes
Best for everyone
With time signatures varying almost from bar-to-bar, the unruly meter in ‘Good Morning Good Morning’ was a result of Lennon’s tendency to write words first before fitting the music around them.
John was feeling trapped in suburbia and was going through some problems with Cynthia. It was about his boring life at the time – there’s a reference in the lyrics to ‘nothing to do’ and ‘meet the wife’; there was an afternoon TV soap called Meet The Wife that John watched, he was that bored, but I think he was also starting to get alarm bells.
The sound effects at the end of the song were taken from EMI’s sound effects tapes: Volume 35: Animals and Bees and Volume 57: Fox-hunt, and were used in a particular order at Lennon’s insistence.
John said to me during one of the breaks that he wanted to have the sound of animals escaping and that each successive animal should be capable of frightening or devouring its predecessor! So those are not just random effects, there was actually a lot of thought put into all that.
Starting with a cock crowing, ‘Good Morning Good Morning’ later features a cat, dogs barking, horses, sheep, lions, elephants, a fox being chased by dogs with hunters’ horns being blown, then a cow and finally a hen.
‘Good Morning Good Morning’ was also adorned with brass, courtesy of session musicians from Sounds Inc, an instrumental group who had first met The Beatles at the Star-Club in Hamburg in April 1962.
In the studio
The Beatles began work on ‘Good Morning Good Morning’ on 8 February 1967. They recorded eight takes, the final of which was considered best.
On 16 February vocals and bass guitar were added. The somewhat chaotic recording as it stood at this stage can be heard on the Anthology 2 collection, with a different vocal but minus the various overdubs that were later added.
The song was then left until 13 March, when the brass overdubs were recorded.
They spent a long time doing the overdub, about three hours or maybe longer, but John Lennon thought it sounded too straight. So we ended up flanging, limiting and compressing it, anything to make it sound unlike brass playing. It was typical John Lennon – he just wanted it to sound weird.
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn
On 28 March Lennon recorded new lead vocals, and Paul McCartney performed the song’s guitar solo. Lennon and McCartney then taped backing vocals. The animal sound effects were also assembled, although they weren’t added until the next day.
What kind of saxophones where used? Bass? Tenor?
I can only hear one guitar played by John besides the solo. Is there a guitar by George
If you listen very closely George might be playing his rhythm riff while Paul is playing his Telecaster solo but the main guitar rhythm sounds like John, or vice versa. It is hard to distinguish on this track. Ringo’s cymbol hitting is fantastic.
Well maybe more fitting is that it sounds like George is playing lead guitar throughout this track and Paul’s lead solo is with a Fender Esquire. I thought it was his Telecaster but I corrected myself. I really can’t make out John’s contribution on rhythm guitar. Does anybody hear it??
John is playing guitar on this song, according to the book “Sgt. Pepper at Fifty: The Mood, The Look, The Sound, The Legacy of The Beatles’ Great Masterpiece”. Why would he just focus on his vocals if they were recording a song he wrote himself?
Either an alto, tenor, and a baritone, or two tenors and a bari were used. The bari is most prominent.
Interesting that both the guitar solo on this song and the one on “Taxman”, both among the best recorded ones they ever did, were done by Paul. One has to remember though that in the very early days when Stu Sutcliffe played bass for them, both George and Paul played guitar on stage so Paul was fully capable of excellent guitar work.
But Harrison far surpasses McCartney in guitar, just listen to Something, AHDN ect.
Perhaps in the early days, but come 1966-67, paul’s style of guitar playing provided the perfect backdrop for Sgt. Pepper as well as a number of other songs where he provides some of the leads. I think his approach to songs is more aggressive when it comes to solos, i.e, Taxman, Good Morning, etc.
Yeah, from 1965 on Paul’s lead guitar solo’s were superb. Ticket to Ride, Taxman, Good Morning, Helter Skelter. He proved he could do amazing lead riffs with a 6 string.
Harrison played many good solos, that in Something is wonderful, but very different from McCartney´s in Good morning, good morning and Taxman. McCartney´s solos in those two songs are really astonishing, where did that come from? So original and different.
John Lennon’s vocals on this song are so dry, biting, yet catchy this is one of the more adventurous and exciting songs on Sgt. Pepper.
Agree 100%…this is a fine song by John describing life in the suburbs, don’t know why he called it “a piece of garbage”
Lennon seemed to say that about a lot of his songs. I guess it’s true that “you are your harshest critic.”
You also have to wonder if he would have mellowed out a bit, critique wise, had he lived longer.
This song gets short shrift by many critics. The horns in this are terrifyingly brittle…they remind me of how annoying my alarm clock sounds to me in the morning. Very interesting track.
Love this song. It captures, for me, the nightmare that suburbia can be for some people.
I heard a version of just the backing vocals on a show called “Breakfast with the Beatles” where they weren’t saying Good Morning at all, but something odd, like Good Morbing, or Good Mornink, can’t remember what exactly. Anyone know what I’m talking about?
Yeah, as they approach the song’s end, John switches to “Guten Morgen” – “Good Morning” in German, for some reason. Pretty hard to hear on the final record with all the animal noises and everything.
Love this one, particularly for that amazing guitar solo.
The drums are the most impressive track here for me. They might have used double bass drum.
Giles Martin ( when doing the 50th Anniversary mix), said that Paul and Ringo played two bass drums…so you are right.
Paul playin along with Ringo probably. He is listed on drums
The final chicken clucking that mixes with the opening guitar of SPLHB Reprise is subtle genius.
Yeah, too bad you can only hear it properly on the mono mix! The stereo version cuts out the single speed-corrected guitar note that links the two tracks.
Always preferred the Anthology version to the Pepper version. McCartney’s dancing bassline really stands out there, almost by itself at some points.
And Ringo’s drumming here, along with Rain and I Am the Walrus, ranks as some of his absolute best
The solo in this one is rubbish. Paul’s done some flat-out brilliant lead guitar work, but this is not evidence of any of it.
But I definitely agree that Ringo’s drumming on this, and this entire album (the last three tracks especially!), is completely off the chart!
I Disagree. I think his solo nicely reflects the sort of odd time signatures the horns,trombone and saxes play throughout the song. He also gets some nice sustain from his amp during the middle of the solo.
Yea, as a guitarist, I agree. It’s not the choice I would have made, but I like how Paul just gets into the off-kilter feel of song and runs with it. For the year it was recorded, the sustain, fuzz and fast fingerwork would have been cutting edge and out there. Keep in mind this was recorded, literally, as Jimi Hendrix was recording Are You Experienced? (BTW, AYE? was also recorded in London, which makes one wonder if there was buzz going around London studios that may have prompted Paul to try to do something “on the next level.”)
The McCartney solo is very effective at conveying the exasperated, stifled feeling of the lyrics, as well as sounding great and innovative. I flat-out love the recording.
See list: Mojo Magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitar Solos. Both “And your bird can sing” and “Something” made the list. Hmmm… No sign of “Taxman” or “Good Morning Good Morning.”
I’m sure you’re happy to learn that Paul played one “half” of the “And your bird can sing” solo (btw, NOT one of the 100 greatest guitar solos, imo).
And I agree with those you praise Paul more for his insane bass-playing on this track and all other songs on Sgt. Peppers.
I’ve never thought of “And Your Bird…” as even HAVING a solo, not as I define it. Lotsa fine lead guitar(s), sure; but the parts they play are too obviously “composed” to function as a conventional solo per se. Just my opinion…
Oh, and describing Paul’s “Good Morning” solo as “rubbish” = madness.
paulsbass – right on, dude…the bass is wicked! Not so much difficult, no, just a way cool choice of notes to play. Yeah, man, the solo is sweet but imo no sweeter than the sweet-ass solo in Fixing A Hole.
The Good Morning solo is faster, `tis all. “Don’t get wooed by speed!” (as my late Uncle Yakov used to say).
yea I agree with, the solo was awesome and for the people that didn’t know, Paul used his Fender Esquire for the solo
Strange lyrics. A “Good Morning” greeting about a death. PID folks love this “clue”. Great Lennon stuff. Why put this song near the end of an album?… just before the “…Reprise”. Strange song placement. After all “Goodnight” is at the end of the “White Album”, and “The End” is well… at the end of “Abbey Road”.
Solo is pretty similar to Taxman, with the indian-style run down. Pauls guitar work – while aggressive- didnt possess the touch and the variety that we appreciate from George.
Wonderful, underrated. A song with all the Beatle hallmarks: great groove, vocal, production and lots of affectionate humor. I especially love the distorted sound on the brass. Richard Lush’s quote is illuminating. He sounds annoyed at what he views as Lennon’s arbitrary whim to make the bras sound “weird”. But let history be the judge. Was that an awesome decision or what? Straight brass would have brought the song down to earth. Instead it soars. Lennon may not have known what he was looking for but he knew when he heard it. Impeccable taste was one of the Beatle’s great strengths.
I could swear it sounds like George singing lead… anyone else think so?
no!
No.
Daft!
It is clearly John. Get some new ears man!
Honestly some of the comments on this and other Beatle sites are laughable.
I think some people just like to make stuff up for a laugh.
Yours Exasperated.
Fantastic guitar solo in this one. Love Paul’s “trippy, meter-less” style. I don’t know if Macca could’ve inspired future guitarists, since he didn’t do many leads, but this style sounds a lot like the styles adopted by Richard Lloyd of Television and Robert Quine of the Voidoids.
I always saw this as one of Lennon’s darker songs. Without the brass and animals, the beat is desperate, the words approaching existential. I mean, cmon: “Nothing to do to save his life, call his wife in” isn’t exactly Beatlie pop music. I’ve heard garage bands do this. It’s a pretty tough sounding song.
PS Ignore 98% of John’s self reviews.
Loved this song from the first time I obtained “Sgt Pepper”. I have the mono version I got for my 12th birthday in 1978 and I love the way the chicken noises lead into “Sgt Pepper” Reprise and McCartney counting down. Well known how John Lennon got the idea from a TV commercial. I for one love the guitar solo on this.
Interesting that Lennon could often be so dismissive of his own work. Except for “Day in the Life”, this has always been one of my favorite tracks on Sgt Pepper.
I wonder if this is one of those tracks where Paul snuck back in after Ringo and re-did the drums .. the reason is, this is one of my favourite Beatles tracks in terms of drums ..
You don’t give Ringo much credit as a drummer, do you..
My God.
Another one who thinks that Paul came in and redid Ringo’s drumming.
How many more times is someone going to say this.
Yours Exasperated.
“Go to a show, you hope she goes.” Is John going into a strip club, looking for a chippie? Know whatahmean, nudge nudge!
According to Phillip Norman’s biography of Lennon, it’s possibly a reference to an artist named Yoko Ono that John was hoping to run into at a gallery.
One of Lennon’s greatest songs, in my view. I don’t see why he dismisses it. Great acid song. We lived in suburbia. We were acid-drenched. And we had nothing to say, but it’s OK.
We saw life, the comings and goings of our parents and neighbors, in a very different light. This song captures this perspective perfectly. I guess that you had to be there.
It is indeed a rather perfect pop, rock song; IMHO. “A Day In The Life” seems rather pretentious next to it.
Giles Martin appears to have confirmed that Paul plays a floor Tom.
https://www.beatlesbible.com/forum/ringo-starr/did-ringo-use-double-bass-pedals-in-good-morning/#p262735
uhh the lyrics to this song are very dark and autobiographical… he’s probably talking about cynthia and julian in the beginning… uhh… paul said john was “disturbed.” seems accurate
great song though
I don’t think anyone has mentioned that the sounds of the dogs barking at the end of the song is from the fox hunt in the movie “Tom Jones.” I was watching the movie for the first time many, many years ago, and the fox hunt got going, and suddenly a little piece of my brain lit up and said, “That’s sounds exactly like the end of ‘Good Morning, Good Morning!”” Take a listen to the movie and you’ll see what I mean. It’s exactly the same sounds, same dogs, same horn blowing, etc.
That’s interesting! I assume the film used the same library recording, rather than the Beatles sampling the sound from the film.
In stereo – in the channel that has the saxes- when they aren’t playing, there’s a clicking – or at least that’s all I can hear. It almost sounds like close up valve fingering w/o any sound. Any ideas?
Since I’m not a native speaker of English, I’ve always been a little intrigued by the pronunciation: “Good morning, good morning, good morningAH”.
Why do they do this? Is it for comic effect? Does it sound ridiculously posh, or something?
not a brit but as an american, it’s common to add ah or ugh to the end of something you keep repeating as sort of a sigh. like when you enter your office and you keep mindlessly smiling and saying good morning on the way to your cubicle.
I’ve often heard the Beatles, particularly Paul pronounce a hard G on the end of his -ing endings of words, such as singing, adding a -ga, and it’s like they add another syllable to the word; hence, Good Morning-ga. I always assumed that was a Liverpudlian pronunciation that they are perhaps aware of and exaggerated in this song.
This isn’t the greatest piece of songwriting but, once again, the arrangement / performance / recording processes make something interesting and enjoyable out of it. I particularly like Paul’s go-for-it guitar solo.
Of course you don’t think the song writing is the greatest and of course you like Paul’s solo. And of course you get to have your opinion while you shut down others.
Of course, you can’t see the forest for the trees.
BTW – I CANT’T shut-down others; it’s not MY site , is it? Grow up a little, maybe read ALL my posts , and you might actually know something.
I stand by it – it ain’t a great song -doesn’t matter who wrote it. It is a great solo – doesn’t matter who played it. Untwist your panties and get over it. Smh…..
So where all the opinions that have been shut down here?
“Shut down” meaning forcing silence, with aggression and bullying, to discredit those whose opinions you don’t agree with.
Love this song, such a powerful arrangement with the brass and Paul’s aggressive guitar solo, and Lennon’s lyrics are brilliant too, and far from “throwaway”
“Somebody needs to know the time, glad that I’m here
Watching the skirts you start to flirt now you’re in gear”
That rhyme for the the skirts line always makes me smile, I wonder if it was a bit autobiographical too…
Great track, fantastic drumming. But Kevin Howlett in “Songs and Recording Details” (Sgt. Pepper’s … 50th Anniversary Edition) claims that Ringo and Paul played drums here: “On track one of the four-track tape Paul and Ringo both play drums; … “.
To give credit where it’s due, Paul’s solos in both “Taxman” and “Good Morning Good Morning” owe a LOT to Jeff Beck’s early work with the Yardbirds. Just listen to the solo of “Shapes of Things,” released in Feb. 1966, five months before “Revolver.” Paul even played the same model of guitar (Fender Esquire) as Beck.
There are many pictures showing Paul and Ringo on the same kit playin together.
Such a stinging, acid guitar solo. One of my favorite moments in their whole pantheon. John does a quick, dry sketch of dull suburbia then Paul shreds the canvas with that slashing guitar solo. That the “sweet” half of the songwriting partnership contributed that to the song just shows how you could never quite pigeonhole either Lennon or McCartney. Both could do the opposite end of the “sweet/tough” spectrum people always put them on. (The mirror image of this going-against-type for me is John’s jaunty calliope piano on “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”.)
In less than two years the Beatles wrote
Good Morning, Good Day and Good Night.
‘Good Day Sunshine’