All Together Now

When you dive into All Together Now, you encounter a melody that evokes a sense of unity and simple joy. Paul McCartney envisioned it as a piece for everyone to sing together, drawing inspiration from those old folk music traditions where the audience was invited to join in. But there's something more, a subtle layer that McCartney himself pointed out: a double meaning in the main phrase, suggesting that 'we are all together now' in a deeper sense. The idea was to capture that same lighthearted spirit that had already worked with Yellow Submarine.

The recording of this track, on May 12, 1967, at EMI studios, had a particularity: George Martin was not present, leaving engineer Geoff Emerick in charge. It was a quick process, completed in less than six hours and in just nine takes, the last of which served as the basis for adding other elements. The choir vocals, described as festive in style, were contributed by whoever was nearby at the time. Although it was recorded during the Magical Mystery Tour period, the song did not see the light of day until January 13, 1969, forming part of the album Yellow Submarine. Later, in 1972, it was released as a single in European countries like France and Germany, accompanied by Hey Bulldog. The piece also had its moment in the animated film Yellow Submarine, appearing in animated sequences and in a final scene with The Beatles themselves.