STATS:
Title: Dear Prudence
Artist: The Beatles
Album: The White Album
Year: 1968
Track Number: CD 1, track 2
Length: 3minutes 40 seconds
Written by: John Lennon
Recorded: 28-30 August 1968
First Released: 22 November 1968 (UK), 25 November 1968 (US)
Label: Apple
Number Ones: None, the Beatles peaked at #3 as did Siouxsie.
Weeks at Number One: N/A
Covers: Too many to list! But Siouxsie and the Banshees reached #3 in
1983 and Sean Lennon covered the song in 1991.
Interesting
Facts:
·
John
Lennon wrote the song about Prudence Farrow (actress Mia Farrow’s sister). She
was at the Maharish Mahesh Yogi retreat with the Beatles. Apparently Prudence
was so obsessed with attaining enlightenment that she "turned into a near
recluse" and "rarely came out" of the cottage she was living
in.” It was up to John Lennon to check on her and help her to socialise more
with the other members. Lennon describes
the song as a simple plea to a friend to 'snap out of it'" Lennon said later
"She'd been locked in for three weeks and was trying to reach God quicker
than anyone else".
·
What
did Mia think of the song?? "I was flattered. It was a beautiful thing to
have done". The lyrics of the song are simple and innocent and praise
the beauty of nature in the lines: "The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's
beautiful, and so are you". She didn’t hear it until after they had all
returned from India, yet another source states that Paul was quoted in 1994
saying that John went in and sang it to her.
·
This
song was recorded on 8-track recording, not 4.
·
Ringo
had left the Beatles at the time so Paul played drums for this track
·
It is
said that this was one of Lennon’s favourite Beatles songs
·
It is
one of 17 Beatles songs that has the word ‘sun’ or ‘sunshine
·
This
was recorded over three days in Trident Studios, and independent in London’s
Wardour Street
·
This song uses a finger-picking
technique taught to the Beatles by Donovan when in India. It is usually a
technique for acoustic guitar and was the first song to be recorded using it.
·
The hand-written
lyrics were auctioned in 1987 for nearly $20 000
As I’m
just compiling information and paraphrasing, I’m not using citations but list
below all of the resources I have
used in the post and in general reading.
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| Thanks for reading! |
