Of the 15 takes of the backing tracks to "Strawberry Fields Forever" recorded on 8 December 1966, parts of takes 15 and 24 were edited together and labeled take 25. Seven days later, on 15 December 1966, four trumpets and three cellos recorded overdubs on to that 25th take.

Lennon overdubbed vocals, and then double-tracked them, with the product being labelled take 26.

This take is a far cry from the Spain recordings and early Abbey Road takes - it is much faster, and much heavier and more aggressive in character. Lyrically, Verse 1 has been omitted. Tonally, too, the song is now back in C major - a major second higher pitched than the previous takes.

With these changes, overdubs, and edits, the song was (once again) deemed complete on 21 December 1966.

With the completion of take 7, "Strawberry Fields Forever" was deemed complete. John Lennon, however, decided otherwise. "Before the very first recording of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' John stood opposite me in the studio and played me the song on his acoustic guitar," said George Martin. "It was absolutely lovely. Then when we actually taped it with the usual instruments it began to get heavy. John didn't say anything but I knew it wasn't what he had originally wanted. So I wasn't totally surprised when he came back to me a week or so later and suggested we have another go at recording it" (Lewissohn, page 89).

This quote has always puzzled me a little bit because if Lennon thought take 7 was too heavy, why did they subsequently create an even heavier version? Wouldn't it make more sense to do a lighter version? Regardless, Martin agreed to write a score for four trumpets and three cellos, but before those could be recorded the band had to create a new backing track on to which the orchestral instruments could be overdubbed. On 8 December 1966, 15 additional takes were recorded (numbers 9 through 24 - takes 8 and 19 do not exist).

But those backing tracks weren't the only thing recorded that day. Producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick had prior commitments that particular evening and thus could not attend the recording session until rather late. "When Geoff and I strolled in at about eleven, Studio No. 2 was in the grip of a controlled riot. The boys had decided it would be fun to lay down an 'unusual' rhythm track for 'Strawberry Fields Forever' on their own, with anyone and everyone available simply banging away on whatever came to hand. The racket as we walked in was like something from a very bad Tarzan movie. ... Above it all, Ringo was struggling manfully to keep the cacophony together with his regular drum-kit. The Beatles were at play, and here was I coming in to party-poop! ... Towards the end of this rogue track ... everyone was whooping or yelling, and John can clearly be heard chanting very slowly, and in time to the rough-and-ready beat: 'Cranberry sauce, cranberry sauce . . .' Why cranberry sauce? Why not? It was coming up to Christmas! Some of that wild and whacky recording survived through to the release of the record, and you can still hear John chanting these words, if you listen closely. This gave rise to one of those absurd Beatle myths: that Paul was dead. Instead of 'Cranberry sauce', people heard 'I buried Paul' " (Martin, page 19-20).

Indeed, at the very end of the released version of "Strawberry Fields Forever" you can hear John slowly drawling "cranberry sauce" (about 4 minutes in to this video):

Those notorious words may also be heard - and more clearly - on The Beatles Anthology 2, CD 2, Track 3, from 3:57-4:07:

(I should point out, however, that in typical The Beatles Anthology fashion this track appears to have been inappropriately edited: The body of the song on this track - from the beginning through 2:56 - was taken from take 7, which was recorded on 29 November 1966; but the coda - from 2:56 through the end - was from the "Tarzan scene" George Martin described, which was recorded on 8 December 1966. On the Anthology, though, they are presented as a whole, as if they were recorded all at the same time.)


CITATIONS
Lewissohn, Mark. The Beatles Recording Sessions. Harmony Books, New York, NY, 1988.

Martin, George with William Pearson. With a Little Help From My Friends: The Making of Sgt. Pepper. Little, Brown and Company, New York, NY, 1994.

Two additional backing track takes of "Strawberry Fields Forever" were recorded on 29 November 1966 (numbers 5 and 6), the first of which was a false start, the second second of which was complete. Several overdubs (including Lennon's vocals) were added to that sixth take, and the product was labeled take seven.

This seventh take does not reveal any change from take 4 in terms of lyrics, chords, or formal structure. It does, however, show a more finished product - Lennon's vocals are double tracked and thus fuller, more present.

With take 7, "Strawberry Fields Forever" was deemed complete. At least for the moment.

The Beatles recorded three additional takes (numbers 2-4) of "Strawberry Fields Forever" on 28 November 1966, all of which were backing tracks (i.e. no vocals). The last of these takes was deemed the best, and Lennon's vocals were overdubbed.

A transcription of this fourth take is below. (Click the picture to enlarge.) Note: In many instances, the rhythms have been simplified for the sake of visual simplicity.

This fourth take differs significantly from the first take recorded at Abbey Road:
1. It's back in A major. Why is once again uncertain.

2. Harrison's slide guitar has been omitted. It was found in take 1, and used in later takes, but take 4 does not use it.

3. Paul's mellotron playing is now the intro instead of the outro.

4. That same mellotron progression now underscores the verses, too, replacing the guitar accompaniment found in previous takes.

5. This is the first instance of the chorus preceding the first verse. This provides a much more effective beginning because the lines "Let me take you down, 'Cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields" compel a listener to join Lennon on a journey, as opposed to opening with the philosophical lyrics "Living is easy with eyes closed..."

6. The coda has been completely revised. In addition to Paul's mellotron being put at the beginning instead of at the end, this take is clearly meant to fade out, whereas the ending of take 1 did not necessarily need such a fade.

On 24 November 1966, the Beatles entered the recording studio for the first time in the last 155 days (since 21 June ) - the longest such stretch of the Beatles' career. The entire seven-and-a-half-hour session was dedicated solely to rehearsing and recording take 1 of "Strawberry Fields Forever".

A transcription of this first take is below. (Click the picture to enlarge.) Note: In many instances, the rhythms have been simplified for the sake of visual simplicity.

Once again, this version shows significant changes from the previous version (Lennon's Kenwood Demo, blogged about on 2013.03.23):

There is yet another key change. It is now in B major instead of C major. The reason for this change is uncertain.

Also, a new verse has been added - not at the end, but at the beginning ("Living is easy with eyes closed..."). This brings the total number of verses to three, all of which would be retained (albeit slightly modified) through the song's release.

The biggest changes, however, are in instrumentation, because now for the first time the song is played by the band instead of just Lennon by himself. In addition to Lennon's guitar and lead vocals, Paul plays the mellotron (a predecessor to the modern-day synthesizer), George played around with his slide guitar, and Ringo adds percussion. Additionally, backing vocals are added to the third verse ("Always, no, sometimes..."). (Note that on The Beatles Anthology these harmonies are inexplicably removed. The version found on the album It's Not Too Bad retains those backing vocals, and that is the version above.)

Lastly, the coda has been greatly expanded - an instrument closing featuring Paul's mellotron playing that will ultimately be used as the intro instead of the outro.

John Lennon returned to England from Spain on 7 November 1966. At some point between then and 24 November, he recorded a demo at Kenwood, his mansion in Weybridge.

A recording of this demo may be found on this YouTube video from 8:48-10:56.

Note: A version of this take appears on Disc 2, Track 1 of the second Beatles Anthology album. The song has been edited, however, for reasons unknown, and is thus not an accurate portrayal of the actual demo that Lennon recorded. A more real and accurate recording can be found on the bootleg album "It's Not Too Bad", described in detail on this website: http://www.bootlegzone.com/album.php?name=pb1008&section=1. I have been unable to locate any way to purchase the album, but it may be downloaded for free from this website: http://beatlesfordownload.blogspot.com/2012/05/beatles-its-not-too-bad.html.

A transcription of the full Kenwood demo is below. (Click the picture to enlarge.)

Note: In many instances, the rhythms have been simplified for the sake of visual simplicity.

The first thing to notice is that instead of in being in A major, the song is now in C major. Why is unknown.

The next important aspect is that two verses are now complete - both musically and lyrically. The last take had just the first line of the second verse complete. Since then, Lennon finished the lyrics of the second line. All that is now missing is verse 1 ("Living is easy with eyes closed...").

Also, the chorus has been greatly modified - particularly the ending of the chorus, the lyrics of which at last take were "Strawberry Fields and nothing" (which may well be placeholder lyrics until he figured out something better), and is now "Strawberry Fields forever". This is, in fact, the first time the title lyrics are used in the song, and is therefore presumably when Lennon changed the song's name from "It's Not Too Bad" to "Strawberry Fields Forever". These changes would be retained through to the release.

Lastly, the Kenwood demo is the first instance of the coda ("coda" is Italian for "tail" - meaning the end of the song). This, too, would be retained through to the release (though the released version will add a great deal to it).

"Strawberry Fields Forever" was now ready for the recording studio.

The fifth Spain take was a false start (recording lingo for "broke down shortly after began"), but the sixth and final recording Lennon did of "It's Not Too Bad" shows substantial progress since the fourth take.

A recording may be found on this YouTube video, from 6:11-7:55 (though something weird happens around 7:41).

A transcription of this sixth take is below. (Click the picture to enlarge.)

Note: In many instances, the rhythms have been simplified for the sake of visual simplicity.

Take four contained the first instance of a melody and lyrics in the chorus. This sixth take, then, takes the next step by completing the melody and lyrics. Well, sort of. In this form, the chorus is complete in that it is not missing any parts. The chorus, however, would sound very different by the time Lennon recorded the next series of demos some weeks later back in England.

The fourth take Lennon recorded in Spain shows yet more development.

A recording may be found on this YouTube video, from 4:02-5:45.

A transcription of this fourth take is below. (Click the picture to enlarge.) Note: In many instances, the rhythms have been simplified for the sake of visual simplicity.

There are several minor changes to the verse (the addition of the word "is" to the first line, the furthered melodic ornamentation to the words "but it's alright", a slight melodic and lyrical variation on the words "You know I think it's not too bad"), but the most significant differences are in the chorus: the first half has been doubled in length (the second half remains the same), and a melody and lyrics have been added to all but the last three measures.

Though still lacking a few lines and word changes, the words to this chorus are very similar to those of the result.

This is, in fact, the first time the words "Strawberry Fields" have been used in the song - but it appears only in th first half of the chorus and not in the second half (as would be the case with the finished product). One wonders when Lennon stopped calling it "It's Not Too Bad" and started calling it "Strawberry Fields".

Strawberry Field (note: singular, not plural) was an orphanage in Woolton, very near to the house where Lennon grew up.  Woolton was “a delightful place for two rambunctious boys to grow up in,” said John's best friend from childhood, Pete Shotton. “Its fields and woods had yet to be superseded by housing projects, and John and I suffered no shortage of secret dens and playgrounds – whose allure was often enhanced by their being officially off-limits to the public. One of our favorites was Strawberry Fields, a large, wooded property attached to the castle-like lodgings of the Salvation Army Children's Home. During the summer, this institution regularly opened its strawberry-colored iron gates for a series of garden parties. John I, however, were in the habit of climbing over the walls whenever the spirit moved us – unless and until the resident nuns happened to chase us away” (page 38). John's aunt, Mimi, with whom he lived with for the majority of his childhood, recalled similar fond memories: "There was something about the place that always fascinated John. He could see it from his window, and he loved going to the garden party they had each year. He used to hear the Salvation Army band, and he would pull me along, saying, 'Hurry up, Mimi – we're going to be late!'” (Goldman page 255)

Paul McCartney saw a little bit deeper:  “I've seen Strawberry Fields described as a dull, grimy place next door to him that John imagined to be a beautiful place," he said. "But in the summer it wasn't dull and grimy at all: it was a secret garden. John's memory of it wasn't to do with the fact that it was a Salvation Army home; that was up at the house. There was a wall you could bunk over and it was a rather wild garden, it wasn't manicured at all, so it was easy to hid in. The bit he went into was a secret garden like in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and he thought of it like that, it was a little hide-away for him where he could maybe have a smoke, like in his dreams a little, so it was a get-away. It was an escape for John” (Many Years From Now page 306-7).

An escape from what? During his childhood, an escape from his caring but domineering Aunt, and from the emotional turmoil surrounding his mother (from whom John was forcibly taken to live with Aunt Mimi, and who died when John was 17 years old) and absentee father.  In 1966, however, Lennon would have been 25 years old, and his imaginary return to Strawberry Field in the form of song was an escape from the reality that, no longer touring, the Beatles were probably through as a band.


CITATIONS
Goldman, Albert. The Lives of John Lennon. William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York, NY, 1988.

Miles, Barry. Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now. Henry Holt and Company, New York, NY, 1997.

Shotton, Pete and Nicholas Schaffner. The Beatles Lennon and Me. Stein and Day, New York, NY, 1983.

The second take Lennon recorded of "It's Not Too Bad" in Spain is nearly identical to the first, and thus provides no real insight. More revealing is his next take. Therefore it is that third take that will be discussed here.

A recording may be found on this YouTube video, from 2:32-4:01.

A transcription of this third take is below. (Click the picture to enlarge.)

Note: In many instances, the rhythms have been simplified for the sake of visual simplicity.

There are two significant developments to be observed in this third take: First, lyrics to the initial line have been written - and they will change only slightly between this third take and the completed recording of "Strawberry Fields Forever".

Second, this take is the first instance of what would ultimately become the chorus. But the harmonic rhythm (the rate of chord changes) will change considerably, and the progression will be altered slightly near the end.

“It took me six weeks to write the song," Lennon said in a 1980 interview with David Sheff of Playboy magazine. "I was writing it all the time I was making the film. And as anybody knows about film work, there's a lot of hanging around. I have an original tape of it somewhere. Of how it sounded before it became the sort of psychedelic-sounding song it became on the record” (page 154). The original tape Lennon refers to is a series of six recordings, the first take of which will be discussed here.

A recording of that first take may be found in this YouTube video from 0:27-1:14.

A transcription of this first take is below. (Click the picture to enlarge.)

Note: In many instances, the rhythms have been simplified for the sake of visual simplicity.

True to his description, the recording contains just Lennon's vocals and guitar playing, and consequently is very light in nature - far removed from what "Strawberry Fields Forever" would eventually become, and rather evocative of the warm, breezy summer nights in the south of Spain. This very first version also reveals the lyrics that would ultimately become the second verse nearly in tact - save for the very first line.

The chord progression for the first half of the song will change greatly, but quite the opposite for the second half - just one additional chord will be added. That being said, everything else (including verse 1, verse 3, the introduction, the coda, and the chorus - with it's title lyrics) had yet to be written. There is, in fact, no mention of Strawberry Field at all in this initial version - no doubt why the song was originally called "It's Not Too Bad".


CITATIONS
Scheff, David. All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. St. Martin's Griffin, New York, NY, 1981.