Good Night

Song facts

From Wikipedia:

“Good Night” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles (also known as the “White Album”). It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The lead vocalist on the recording is Ringo Starr, who was the only Beatle to appear on the track. The music was provided by an orchestra arranged and conducted by George Martin. Written for Lennon’s five-year-old son Julian, “Good Night” is the final song on the White Album.

Composition and recording

John Lennon wrote the song as a lullaby for his five-year-old son Julian.

The original version of “Good Night” featured Starr on lead vocal, George Harrison and John Lennon playing the melody on guitars, and Paul McCartney singing a harmony. Take 10 with a guitar part from take 5 was released on the 2018 50th Anniversary box set of The Beatles.

During rehearsals for the song on 28 June, the band arrangement was reduced to Lennon on piano and Harrison playing percussion. A fragment from this rehearsal and take 22 of the song, along with an overdub of the orchestra from the close of the released version, is heard on the Beatles’ 1996 compilation album Anthology 3.

Lennon recalled asking George Martin to give the song a lush orchestral arrangement in the style of old Hollywood films and admitted, “Yeah, corny.” The orchestra consisted of 12 violins, three violas, three cellos, one harp, three flutes, one clarinet, one horn, one vibraphone, and one string bass, played by 26 musicians. Eight members of the Mike Sammes Singers also took part in the recording, providing backing vocals.

With “Good Night”, Starr became the third Beatle, after McCartney and Harrison, to record a song credited to the group without the other members performing (Lennon was the fourth with “Julia“). The song ends with Starr whispering: “Good night … Good night, everybody … Everybody, everywhere … Good night.”

Reception

In musicologist Walter Everett’s view, “Good Night” uses chords that are uncharacteristic of Lennon’s writing, and its countermelodies and musical interludes are more typical of Martin’s music, particularly the compositions that show the influence of Maurice Ravel, his favourite composer. Everett concludes: “I have difficulty settling into ‘Good Night’ after ‘Revolution 9‘ dies away, but most no doubt take it as a welcome bromide.” […]

Love

The song makes three appearances on the Beatles’ soundtrack to the Cirque du Soleil production of Love. It is used as a transition between “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Octopus’s Garden“. It can be heard a minor third lower than originally recorded. After the orchestral intro to the third verse of “Good Night“, the same orchestral accompaniment is played over a sample of Starr freely, slowly singing the opening words to “Octopus’s Garden“. Later, at the end of the show, after the strains of “All You Need Is Love” have faded out, the orchestral coda of “Good Night“, in its original key, G major (as well as the last bits of dialogue in the Beatles’ fan club-exclusive Christmas album) brings the album to a close.

The final track I suppose is a wrap-up to the LP, and to the show tonight. And I would imagine that alot of people are probably going to record this track.

Yes. Umm, it’s very much that kind of track, you know. John wrote it, mainly. It’s his tune, uhh, which is surprising for John– ‘cuz he doesn’t normally write this kind of tune. It’s a very sweet tune, and Ringo sings it great, I think. The arrangement was done by George Martin, uhh, ‘cuz he’s very good at that kind of arrangement, you know– very sort of lush, sweet arrangement. And that’s all I can say about it. It’s very sweet. And in fact, it’s ‘Good Night.’

Paul McCartney – from interview with Radio Luxembourg, 1968

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:

[a] mono 11 Oct 1968.
UK: Apple PMC 7068 white album 1968.

[b] stereo 11 Oct 1968.
UK: Apple PCS 7068 white album 1968.
US: Apple SWBO 101 white album 1968.
CD: EMI CDP 7 46443 2 white album 1987.

Stereo [b] fades in; [a] does not.

From Anthology 3 liner notes:

Written by John as a lullaby for his five years old son Julian, and sung by Ringo, Good Night endowed the White Album with a lush finale. On the evidence of this eavesdrop into song’s first session, the transferral of composition to tape was very much a united effort, with all four Beatles and producer George Martin pitching in ideas and opinions. The performance was not numbered “take” but, rather, a rehearsal that happened to be recorded. Because it meandered to an indefinite close the piece has been suffixed here by a crossfade into the final master, Take 34, enhanced by a George Martin orchestral score played by a 26-piece ensemble the best part of a month later.

Last updated on September 11, 2021

Lyrics

Variations