Recorded - October 2, 19, 20, 25 & November 1 and 2, 1967.
Released - November 24, 1967 (UK), November 27, 1967 (US)
#1 for weeks of December 30, 1967 & January 6 and 13, 1968.
The last four months of '67 were troubled times for The Beatles. On August 27, 1967, their longtime manager Brian Epstein died. After meeting up about a week later, the group decided to carry on, and buckle down on producing the film Magical Mystery Tour, and its soundtrack. Now, I don't exactly hide the fact that I'm a huge Beatles fan, but even I have to admit that the film is for the most part, pretty bad.
As far as the fans and critic were concerned, this was the first time that The Beatles had truly flopped. On the other hand, the soundtrack to Magical Mystery Tour contains some of the best psychedelic era Beatles songs, and remains critically acclaimed. In the UK, it was released as a six song EP and thus, isn't considered a full length album. However, in the US, and for the CD reissues, the EP was expanded to include all five non-album singles from 1967. One of those being "Hello, Goodbye".
Primarily written by Paul, "Hello, Goodbye", with John's fantastic "I Am The Walrus" on the B-side, was the only single released from the film project. Compared to much of the film's songs, "Hello, Goodbye" is a bit less psychedelic and more grounded in pure rock. While it may be a bit more lyrically simple than say, "I Am The Walrus", all of the music elements in the piece sound heavier and more pronounced than some of The Beatles' past work. This includes everything from Ringo's powerful drum fills, to the stinging guitar parts, to Paul's thumping bassline.
The vocal arrangement is rather complex, with several nice counter-melodies added as the song progresses. One of my favorite parts of the song is the surprise ending. After a brief fadeout, the song comes back at double the intensity and features a catchy wordless singalong section. It's an exciting way to end the song.
Incidentally, I would also recommend you checking out one of the three music videos produced for "Hello, Goodbye", even if you are familiar with the piece. One of them features the group dressed in their Sgt. Pepper outfits with Ringo playing a miniature drum set. Due to The Beatles having long ceased touring, all of their future singles would feature music videos. This was long before the days of MTV or Youtube, so you could say that once again, The Beatles were ahead of the times.
Final Verdict - "Hello, Goodbye" may not be the most lyrically complex song every written by The Beatles, but it is nonetheless a very entertaining number to listen to. With a powerhouse music track and plenty of hooks, I always enjoy listening to it any chance I get.
Coming Up Next - 1967 Reflection -
Until Next Time - I am Dr. Rock, Goo Goo G'Joob -
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