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Friday, July 19, 1968

Recording "Sexy Sadie"

For The Beatles

Last updated on October 23, 2024


Master session

Location

  • Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Timeline

Master release

AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "The Beatles (Mono)" LP

Some of the songs from this session also appear on:

From 7:30 pm to 4 am on this day, The Beatles began recording John Lennon’s “Sexy Sadie.” They formally recorded 21 takes, featuring John on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, George Harrison on electric guitar, Paul McCartney on the organ (switching to electric piano for some takes), and Ringo Starr on drums. This session was largely exploratory, with the band trying out various arrangements. Ultimately, nothing was used from this session.

Take 3 was released on the 2018 re-release of the White album, and Take 6 on Anthology 3:

Recorded a month earlier and at a slower tempo than the master (which was numbered 117, although nowhere near as many takes had been recorded), this is Take 6 of Sexy Sadie, featuring the basic line-up of electric guitar, drums, organ, and a vocal from the composer John Lennon. The recording is faded out at the end because, at this point, the coda had not been finalised.

About Take 6 – From Anthology 3 liner notes

In this session, The Beatles also jammed, notably recording a six-minute instrumental rendition of George Gershwin’s “Summertime.” Additionally, John Lennon improvised a tune featuring rather crude lyrics about the Beatles’ former manager, Brian Epstein:

What about Brian Epstein and his brother Sam?
They was workin’ in a coal mine, doing what I am.
And what about brother Andy, he’s shuttin’ down the fire.
But if you tell the time about his brother Sam,
Wah dap, a wah dap bop
Wah dup, a ba ba bow…

About his brother Clive, he’s a dirty old man,
Well what about Brian Epstein, he’s god damned in jail.
He’s working in the coal mine sittin’ dead as a fail (?).
His mother’s dirty Queenie, well she’s the queen of them all.

Sexy Sadie” was initially titled “Maharishi“. While in India for a Transcendental Meditation training course, John Lennon grew disenchanted with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi after he allegedly made a sexual advance towards Mia Farrow. At some point during the session, John shared with Paul some crude alternative lyrics to the song “Sexy Sadie“:

Sexy Sadie, you little twat
Who the fuck do you think you are?
Who the fuck do you think you are?
Oh, you cunt.

The Beatles continued working on “Sexy Sadieon July 24.


Recording the Beatles was a wonderful experience, but while there were times when their creative juices were flowing and it was incredibly exciting, there were others when it was as boring as hell. For instance, I remember it took three days just to get the basic track of ‘Sexy Sadie’. Primarily, they were down in the studio, figuring out the different parts, and all we had to do was make sure the tape was constantly running. What got me through those times was the firm belief that, in the end, it would turn into something amazing, and generally that was the case. But then, I didn’t have to work on ‘Revolution 9’.

Ken Scott – From The Beatles ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ (soundonsound.com)


Session activities

  1. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 1

  2. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 2

  3. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 3

    AlbumOfficially released on The Beatles (50th anniversary boxset)

  4. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 4

  5. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 5

  6. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 6

    AlbumOfficially released on Anthology 3

  7. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 7

  8. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 8

  9. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 9

  10. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 10

  11. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 11

  12. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 12

  13. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 13

  14. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 14

  15. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 15

  16. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 16

  17. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 17

  18. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 18

  19. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 19

  20. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 20

  21. Sexy Sadie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 21

  22. Summertime

    Written by George Gershwin

    Recording

  23. Brian Epstein Blues

    Recording • A John Lennon improvisation about Brian Epstein and his brother Sam, bootlegged as "Brian Epstein Blues"


Staff

Musicians on "Sexy Sadie"

Production staff


Going further

The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions • Mark Lewisohn

The definitive guide for every Beatles recording sessions from 1962 to 1970.

We owe a lot to Mark Lewisohn for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - the number of takes for each song, who contributed what, a description of the context and how each session went, various photographies... And an introductory interview with Paul McCartney!

Shop on Amazon

The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969)

The fourth book of this critically acclaimed series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969)" captures The Beatles as they take the lessons of Sgt. Pepper forward with an ambitious double-album that is equally innovative and progressive. From the first take to the final remix, discover the making of the greatest recordings of all time. Through extensive, fully-documented research, these books fill an important gap left by all other Beatles books published to date and provide a unique view into the recordings of the world's most successful pop music act.

Shop on Amazon

If we modestly consider the Paul McCartney Project to be the premier online resource for all things Paul McCartney, it is undeniable that The Beatles Bible stands as the definitive online site dedicated to the Beatles. While there is some overlap in content between the two sites, they differ significantly in their approach.

Read more on The Beatles Bible

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