Only a Northern Song

The story behind

The Beatles recorded Only a Northern Song in 1967, during the sessions for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but did not include it on that album. The song was finished later, after finishing Sgt. Pepper, and became part of the soundtrack for the film Yellow Submarine. George Harrison wrote the song out of frustration with his situation as a minor songwriter in the publishing company of the Beatles, Northern Songs. In the music and lyrics, he expressed his dissatisfaction with how the company kept the rights to his songs, and how the major shareholders made more money than he did. The recording includes a Hammond and a montage of sounds, such as trumpets and voices, that foreshadow what John Lennon would do in Revolution 9. The song was difficult to mix, and that is why it did not come out in stereo until 1999. Today it is heard as part of the album Yellow Submarine, and some artists have played it, such as Gravenhurst. The phrase "only a Northern song" was a joke about Liverpool, the birthplace of Harrison.