Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
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"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is the title of a 1967 song from the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Though attributed to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, it was largely the work of Lennon.
Lennon wrote the song taking inspiration from a 19th century circus poster which he purchased in an antique shop in January or February of 1967, while filming the promotional video for the song "Strawberry Fields Forever" in Kent.
The poster begins:
- PABLO FANQUE'S CIRCUS ROYAL,
- TOWN-MEADOWS, ROCHDALE.
- Grandest Night of the Season!
- AND POSITIVELY THE
- LAST NIGHT BUT THREE!
- BEING FOR THE
- BENEFIT OF MR. KITE,
- (LATE OF WELLS'S CIRCUS) AND
- MR. J. HENDERSON,
- THE CELEBRATED SOMERSET THROWER!
- WIRE DANCER, VAULTER, RIDER, &c.
- On TUESDAY Evening, February 14th, 1843.
- Mssrs. KITE and HENDERSON, in announcing the following Entertainments ensure (sic) the Public that this Night's Production will be one of the most splendid ever produced in this Town, having been some days in preparation.
The poster also mentions "The Celebrated Horse Zanthus" (not Henry, the horse's name in the song), contains several references to the Hendersons, and advertises Mr. Henderson's "TRAMPOLINE LEAPS AND SOMERSETS! Over Men & Horses, through Hoops, over Garters and lastly through a Hogshead of REAL FIRE!"
Lennon wanted the track to have a "carnival atmosphere" - he is even said to have told producer George Martin that he wanted the song to smell like sawdust. In the middle eight bars, multiple recordings of pipe organ, calliope, and harmonium music were edited together to attempt to produce this request, and the result was then added to the backing track.
Although Lennon originally stated of the song that he "wasn't proud of that", in 1980, he described it as "pure, like a painting, a pure watercolour."
External links
- Discussion of the original poster, with images and text (http://www.beatlesagain.com/bkite.html)
- Lyrics (http://frogcircus.org/beatles/sgt_peppers_lonely_hearts_club_band/being_for_the_benefit_of_mr_kite)
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