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From album
The Beatles
The Beatles · 1968 · Track 3
Details
Duración2:17
ÁlbumThe Beatles
Año1968
ISRCGBAYE0601646
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The story behind
When John Lennon wrote Glass Onion, he did so with a clear intention: to play with the expectations of those who sought deep meanings in every line of The Beatles' songs. The lyrics are said to be a nod to previous themes such as Strawberry Fields Forever, I Am the Walrus, Lady Madonna, The Fool on the Hill, and Fixing a Hole, and even mention the "Cast Iron Shore," a coastal area of Liverpool. Lennon himself commented that the phrase "the Walrus was Paul" was just a poetic verse to confuse, a way to laugh at the excessive interpretations that arose, such as those surrounding Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The song's title, "Glass Onion," was a suggestion from Lennon to a group called The Iveys, who would later become Badfinger and sign with Apple Records in 1968.
This piece, recorded at EMI's studio in London between September 11-13 and October 10, 1968, is notable because it marks the first time Ringo Starr appears on drums on the album The Beatles, also known as the "White Album." Starr had temporarily left the group during the sessions, and the drum parts on Back in the U.S.S.R. and Dear Prudence were recorded by Paul McCartney. The song was produced by George Martin and Chris Thomas, with Ken Scott as recording engineer. A demo version of Glass Onion was recorded at George Harrison's home in Esher in 1968, and these demos were later released on Anthology 3 in 1996 and the deluxe edition of The Beatles in 2018. An alternative version of the demo, which included sound effects instead of string arrangements, also appeared on Anthology 3. The song has been recognized for its psychedelic style and its duration of 2:17. In 2022, the film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery took its name from this song, and in 2006, a remix for the Cirque du Soleil show Love incorporated elements from other The Beatles tracks.