The Beatles "I Am the Walrus" Released 50 Years Ago Today!

Photo by Luiz Fernando Reis (Bealtes cor 36 on Flickr) 

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Image courtesy of niteprowl3r Flickr page -  beatles: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sreichenbach/3025971406/in/photolist-5BoTSN-6Kp6DG-9oQPyZ-6Kp8vw-6Kp9oJ-6KjXm4-6KoV2S-6KjVca-eC4tTE-6Kp3Qm-6Kp3hq-6KoWdy-6KjLZg-6Kp5yf-6KjUgt-6Kp6TN-6KjXdM-6Kp45N-6Kp1WY-6KoUGs-6KoVYG-6KoUx9-6Kp153-6KoX3q-6KoZUu-6KjLoH-6KoVv9-6KoXvh-4vA8mP-6Kp4SW-6KjWq6-6Kp4xm-6KjVXZ-6Kp4hS-6Kk1G6-6KkdtD-6KjMRH-6KoVS5-r1ZqRn-6KjZfx-6KjMrx-6KjZue-6KjYzt-6Kp7D9-bCr2k3-aWjPYX-6KvxqP-6Kp7R7-aUXW5n-6KjZW8

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Yes, the album, and the song with the same name, when the Beatles reached their psychedelic peak was released on this day, half a century ago!

Frankly, I did not even realize this, until hearing it on the radio, on Canada's Q program.

They had someone (will get the name later) who discussed the significance of the song, "I am the Walrus," particularly.

He mentioned that this was the height of the Beatles experimentation in psychedlia, and that after this album, they returned to a "back to basics" approach. It was interesting, because John Lennon came up with some incredible stuff, but I never had known or heard some of these stories relating to this particular song before.

For example, the music was inspired by Lennon's having heard some police sirens, which is why the song kind of resembles the sound of European police sirens. When you listen to it, you can kind of hear it, and recognize it for what it is supposed to be reminiscent of.

Also, Lennon had been a bit critical of Bob Dylan, and suggested that he had liked Dylan when he was still rock, and that Dylan's lyrics tended to be popular lines that were simply fitted in for song lyrics, and which Dylan then received a lot of credit for. But Lennon also figured that maybe he could do the same thing, and that is what he did for "I am the Walrus." 

For example, the line "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye" were taken from a nursery rhyme from Liverpool, of all things. 

And the whole idea behind "I am the Walrus" was inspired by a writer, Lewis Carroll, specifically his poem, "The Walrus and the Carpenter." Lennon wanted to be on the hero's side, but it is actually the Carpenter who is the hero in that one, but walrus just sounded better, more exotic.

Some interesting stuff! And it all started 50 years ago today, when the Beatles "I am the Walrus" was released in the United States!