The Beatles“I am the Walrus” is very different from the plays of William Shakespeare. Despite this, there are hardly any audible lines King Lear are present in the song. During an interview, John Lennon explained why these lines are part of the mix.
John Lennon compared creating Beatles songs to creating solo songs
According to the book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon, John spoke about his music during a Rolling Stone interview in 1975. He was asked if it took him long to write the Beatles’ songs. That “ImagineSinger said that wasn’t the case. “If there’s one trait that occasionally gets in the way of my talent, it’s that I get bored easily when I’m not fast,” he said.
John said it took him no longer to produce The Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus” than it did to produce his solo song “Whatever gets you through the night“But ‘I Am the Walrus’ sounds like a wonderful production,” he said. “‘strawberry fields [Forever]‘ sounds like a big production. But I do them as quickly as possible without losing (a) the feeling and (b) the aim.”
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Little did John Lennon know that lines from “King Lear” are number 1 in “I Am the Walrus”.
Barely audible lines King Lear are in “I Am the Walrus” towards the end of the song. During a 1974 interview, John explained why the passage was part of the song. “When I was mixing the record I just had a radio in the room tuned to some BBC channel the whole time and we did about, I don’t know, half a dozen mixes and I just used whatever came through at the time ‘ he recalls.
John was initially unaware of the song’s Shakespearean connection. “I never knew it was like that king Lear until years later someone told me because I could barely understand what he was saying,” he said. “But I just kind of … it was interesting to mix the whole thing with a live radio.”
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The way “I Am the Walrus” was performed in the United States and the United Kingdom
“I Am the Walrus” failed to make any impact on the charts United States much. The single hit No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100. It lasted four weeks on the chart. “I Am the Walrus” was part of the soundtrack for the Beatles TV movie Magical Mystery Tour. The soundtrack hit #1 on the poster 200 and stayed on the chart for 93 weeks.
In Britain, “I Am the Walrus” had even less impact. The Official Charts Company reported that it was not charted there. On the other hand, Magical Mystery Tour peaked at number 31 and stayed on the chart for 10 weeks.
“I am the Walrus” has a connection to Shakespeare, even if it’s hard to hear.
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https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/can-hear-part-king-lear-the-beatles-i-am-the-walrus.html/ Why you can hear part of “King Lear” in The Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus”.
