Good Morning Good Morning

Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
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Songfacts®:

  • John Lennon watched a lot of TV. He wrote this after hearing "Good Morning, Good Morning" in an ad for Corn Flakes.
  • The animal sounds were dubbed in from a sound effects disc. They were arranged in order of creatures capable of eating the one before, at Lennon's request.
  • George Martin edited the chicken at the end to go right into the guitar of the Sgt. Pepper reprise. One of the innovations of the album was the songs blending together.
  • Lennon: "It's a throwaway, a piece of garbage."
  • The lyrics, "it's time for tea and Meet the Wife" refer to the BBC sitcom Meet The Wife, starring Freddie Frinton and Thora Hird. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Dan - Indianapolis, IN

Comments: 51

  • Bob from Milwaukee, WiI really think this is a terrific, rocking song. The horns kick, the drumming is outstanding, the brief guitar solo just roars, and the lyrics perfectly encapsulate what a rushed working day feels like. I never viewed this song as a throwaway. It adds punch to the second side of 'Pepper'.
  • Gudni from IcelandIf Paul played lead, who played bass?
  • Markmark from UsaThe variation about Anthology 3 is usually even better, rocks harder, improved creation, genuinely intense in addition to bracing, it truly is post-punk, pre-punk.
  • Tom from Tampa, FlAnytime John referred to his or their music being garbage or a throw-away was after he met Y.O. in 1966. She definitely mind-screwed John Lennon.
  • Julia from Milton, Pago chickie-ens!
  • Jim from Hammond, InMike Nesmith said John play Sgt Pepper for him privately...John wanted his criticism"-Don't you think the bass is too high?" Nesmith said "Are you kidding? This is changing my life!!"
  • Tom from Los Angeles, CaThe version on Anthology 2 is even better, rocks harder, clearer production, really fierce and bracing, it's post-punk, pre-punk. Where XTC got half their tricks.
  • Alif from Surabaya, IndonesiaYou noticed that they repeated Good Morning until the end, but it wasn't. I heard this song in The Beatles : Rock Band and after several Good Morning they sang in German, so they sang Guten Morgen, Guten Morgen, Gut they just sound like Good Morning, Good Morning-a and lyric said Gewözel teuer, what does it means ???
  • Giovanni from Lynhurst, NjGood Morning Good Morning" is characterized by it's highly irregular meter combinations. The song starts with a sound of a rooster then followed by followed by a horn section that dominates the song. Paul McCartney contributes with a highly distorted raga-influenced guitar solo. On the fade-out it has a collage of animal sound that finally connects to the Sgt Pepper Reprise.
  • Nick from Seattle, Albaniai like to play this song after johns, "Im only Sleeping". i think the 2 go well together, cause when this one comes on, your like, "okok im up!no more sleeping! " lol
  • James Tanglewood from Chicago, IlActually Ringo did the drums, not Paul? (to: June from Memphis)
  • Adam from Los Angeles, Cachloe - i seem to have heard he [John]said the same thing about "And Your Bird Can Sing"....i don't get it either-----both of those songs are great in their own right. I have also read that he had said "Eight Days A Week" was a real pain to record. be that as it may, that's another really great song. I honestly don't think they really ever had a bad song..i mean think about it...as songwriters, Lennon & McCartney were outstanding!
  • Chloe from St. Louis, Modoes anyone else agree that john seemed to hate everything? i think "throwaway" is his favorite word.
  • Dave from Sterling, FlThis song changes time sigs like the weather. I think its great." Somebody needs to know the time ,glad that Im here" ha ha
  • June from Memphis, TnLittle know fact: Paul played the drums on this song and many other Beatles songs. Paul is "The Man"!
  • Linc from Beaumont, TxMike, I don't think Strawberry Fields or Penny Lane would have worked well on Sgt. Pepper because this album takes place in Pepperland so to speak and the aforementioned are actually places...so part of the concept of taking an imaginative journey would have been lost I think...but as far as theme and composition - yeah they would have worked - but then we might not have concept albums.
  • Samantha from Bowie, MdI like this song just the "Good Morning Good Morning" parts can get to me a bit. and the horns are a bit much.
    but I like this song because it's so Happy, it's usually my alarm in the morning.
  • Forrest from Rochester, MnYeah I always wished they would have brought down the horns and brought up the guitars a bit, this could have been a monster rocker like She Said She Said or And Your Bird Can Sing.
  • Michael from Carbondale, IlRingo's drumming on this one is great. A song like this could easily fall apart and he really holds it together well.
  • John from Woburn, MaLittle known fact:the Guitar solo is played by Paul
  • Allen from Bethel, AkWhat? A "throw-away"? How so? Even "garbage" Beatles songs sound good!
  • Joe from Montvale, NjPaul played the Indian style guitar solo. The song has the animal fade out with the fusion of the psychedelic brass band. The song is one of the many Sgt Pepper's songs in mixed meter or sections in mixed meters.
  • Rob from Vancouver, CanadaHe was flirting AND had a wife? ..He must of been....a guy.
  • Eireann from Las Vegas, NvIn this song he says "meet the wife" making it sound like he has a wife. and then later in the song he says "watching the skirts you start to flirt". He was flirting! And he has a wife!
  • Julian from Anaheim, CaOne of My favorite Beatle songs! I remeber the first time I heard the Sgt. Peppers Album... I fell in love with this, A Day In The Life, and With A Little Help from my friends. that was a few years ago and still they are great!
  • Mike from Germantown, MdI Wonder what would have happened if the Beatles had kept Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane on Sgt. Pepper and Released this and Lovely Rita as a Double A Side Single.
  • Mike from Germantown, MdAnyone find it wierd that every animal at the end is a predator of the one heard before it?
  • Steve from Fenton, MoI think this song is partially a social commentary on the mundane things people say to other people in passing during the business day where a phrase is said almost automatically but people don't really mean it...Good Morning...How are you? etc..
  • Sarah from Pittsburgh, PaFor the fact about the Corn Flakes ad, a funny yet ironic fact is that John's favorite food was Corn Flakes. =]
  • Annabelle from Eugene, OrWhat exactly were all of the animal sounds in this song? I'd really like to know.
  • Dirk from Nashville, TnThat line "It's time for tea and meet the wife" slid right past me in the 1960s. Why would this guy wait to have tea WITH his wife? ...Turns out (anyone in the Beatles' home market of Great Britain would've known this) "Meet the Wife" was a popular TV show over there. It was as if John was saying "It's time to have dinner and watch I Love Lucy." duh.
  • Jon from Danville, CaNASA also woke up the inhabitants of the columbia(i think) with the song "Imagine" by John Lennon, this information was in the Lennon musical that was released earlier this year. In my opinion the show was quite well done.
  • Paul from Flagstaff, Azyes, very good song indeed. not much more i can say.
  • Nessie from Sapporo, JapanElliot, good call on the brass. It gives an otherwise trebly song some bottom end. Check it out on Savy Truffle, too. Love the sax. Good solo, too, Paul. What a sharp lead sound.
  • Cheyanne from Allegan, MiJohn called it garbage. I think I heard somewhere that he didn't care too much for really any of the song by the Beatles.
  • Jordan from Ontario, Canadathought it was the song from the viagara commercial before i bought the album, lol
  • Elliott from Douglassville, PaA very good song - if the preceding "Lovely Rita" was a kicker, "Good Morning" was even more so. I particularly like the brass - During the Sgt. Pepper sessions the Beatles, with the help of engineer Geoff Emerick, would do things such as place microphones deep within the bells of brass instruments - you can really hear it here.
  • Tom from Brisbane, Australiaif pauls playing lead guitar, makes me wonder what george did at all this stage in the group.
  • Robb from Hamburg, NyHence the world basically. It has the same body, neck and headstock shape. A telescaster is more familiar and recognizable anyways.
  • Joe from Allston, MaLove this song. One of the best songs on Sgt. Pepper. Another fun fact about this song is that it appears at the beginning of an episode of "The Monkees." The first verse of the song wakes the boys up in the morning.
  • Alan from City, MiA Fender Esquire is one-pickup, Telecaster has two.
  • Kathy from Jasper, AlI used to like to hear this song at 1:00 in the morning on my radio!
  • Nick from Buffalo, NyGreat drumming in this song.In my opinion compared to there other masterpieces this song is average. I like it don't get me wrong but the horns in it wreck it for me...
  • Matt from Durham, NhOne of the better songs on SGT. PEPPER.
  • Mike from Jackson, NjIt's pretty damn catchy if you ask me.
  • Paulo from New York, NyOne of my favorite Beatles songs, as well. What was Lennon thinking when he called this "garbage?" Then again, I seem to recall reading that he didn't think that much of the Peppers album itself.
  • Tyson from Ruidoso, NmOne of my favorite Beatles songs.
  • Robb from Hamburg, NyPaul played the guitar solo in this song. For it, he uses a Fender Esquire which is basically a Telescaster. This is a good solo as well.
  • Don from Rapid City, SdJohn told George Martin that he wanted the animal sounds in this song to be in such an order that each animal was capable of eating, or at least firghtening, the one preceeding it (worked for the most part)
  • Shelli from Madison, WiCorrection: According to George Martin, the chicken at the end/guitar note was a happy coincidence that he kept in.
  • Bob from Okc, OkNASA wakes up it's astronauts in space with the verse "Good Morning, Good Morning"!
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