Monday, September 23, 1968
Recording "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
For The Beatles
Last updated on November 11, 2024
Monday, September 23, 1968
For The Beatles
Last updated on November 11, 2024
"The Beatles" (aka the White Album) sessions
May 30 - Oct 18, 1968 • Songs recorded during this session appear on The Beatles (Mono)
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Sep 19, 1968 • Recording "Piggies"
Session Sep 20, 1968 • Recording "Piggies"
Session Sep 23, 1968 • Recording "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
Article Sept 24, 25 or 26 - Oct 20, 1968 • Linda Eastman visits Paul McCartney in London
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "The Beatles (Mono)" LP
On this day, The Beatles began working on John Lennon’s “Happiness Is A Warm Gun,” recording 45 takes between 7 pm and 3 am, yet none was satisfactory. John Lennon played the electric guitar and provided a guide vocal, while Paul McCartney handled the bass, George Harrison the electric guitar, and Ringo Starr the drums.
Take 19 was included in the re-release of the White Album for its 50th anniversary in 2018
The recording tape captured a lot of discussions between The Beatles and the engineering team about how to play the difficult time signature changes or comparing the difficulty of some sections of the song with others.
With George Martin away on holiday for most of September 1968, Chris Thomas produced this session.
The work on “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” continued the following day.
‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’ went to a great many takes. We used to make jokes out of it. ‘Take 83!‘
Steve Thomas – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, 1988
It’s very similar to Bungalow Bill in that it’s a piss-take of all the people who really do think happiness is a warm gun. There’s a great vocal on it, good lyrics, and it’s a very interesting song because it changes tempo a lot, it’s quite a complex piece. It’s very Lennon.
Paul McCartney – From “Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now” by Barry Miles, 1997
Incidentally, talking about George [Harrison] reminds me about the fabulous new guitar he gave to our great little Apple singer, Mary Hopkin. Mary came along to one of the LP sessions and, on the spur of the moment, George decided to go out and get her a guitar as a gift. It was a really good one, too. When he came back to the studio with it he must have felt a bit shy about handing it over. So, when we were leaving I gave Mary the guitar saying, very simply, ‘It’s a present from George’. She couldn’t say ‘thank you’, but her six-foot-deep smile seemed to fit the bill.
Mal Evans – From “The Monthly Beatles Book“, September 1968
I remember one time going along to the sessions for ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun’ at Abbey Road and seeing John sitting there strumming away. I guess I’d been there just watching for about an hour before the session really started. George had this beautiful acoustic guitar inlaid with mother-of-pearl and I complimented him on it. After a while George suddenly got up and left the studio for about an hour and came back without saying a word. Later, Mal [Evans] appeared and said, ‘Mary, come with me,’ and led me out of the studio. There, sitting on the reception desk, was this beautiful acoustic guitar, a Ramirez, which is an absolutely super instrument and very expensive. It was from George. He’d just spend an hour hunting around town for a new guitar for me and didn’t say a word. It was only later on, the day of the premiere of the film ‘Yellow Submarine,’ that I had a chance to thank him. George is a good man.
Mary Hopkin – Unknown source. There is an inconsistency in this account since the premiere of “Yellow Submarine” occurred on July 17, 1968, while “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” was not recorded until September of that year.
Recording • Take 1
Recording • Take 2
Recording • Take 3
Recording • Take 4
Recording • Take 5
Recording • Take 6
Recording • Take 7
Recording • Take 8
Recording • Take 9
Recording • Take 10
Recording • Take 11
Recording • Take 12
Recording • Take 13
Recording • Take 14
Recording • Take 15
Recording • Take 16
Recording • Take 17
Recording • Take 18
Recording • Take 19
AlbumOfficially released on The Beatles (50th anniversary boxset)
Recording • Take 20
Recording • Take 21
Recording • Take 22
Recording • Take 23
Recording • Take 24
Recording • Take 25
Recording • Take 26
Recording • Take 27
Recording • Take 28
Recording • Take 29
Recording • Take 30
Recording • Take 31
Recording • Take 32
Recording • Take 33
Recording • Take 34
Recording • Take 35
Recording • Take 36
Recording • Take 37
Recording • Take 38
Recording • Take 39
Recording • Take 40
Recording • Take 41
Recording • Take 42
Recording • Take 43
Recording • Take 44
Recording • Take 45
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions • Mark Lewisohn
The definitive guide for every Beatles recording sessions from 1962 to 1970.
We owe a lot to Mark Lewisohn for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - the number of takes for each song, who contributed what, a description of the context and how each session went, various photographies... And an introductory interview with Paul McCartney!
The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969)
The fourth book of this critically acclaimed series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969)" captures The Beatles as they take the lessons of Sgt. Pepper forward with an ambitious double-album that is equally innovative and progressive. From the first take to the final remix, discover the making of the greatest recordings of all time. Through extensive, fully-documented research, these books fill an important gap left by all other Beatles books published to date and provide a unique view into the recordings of the world's most successful pop music act.
If we modestly consider the Paul McCartney Project to be the premier online resource for all things Paul McCartney, it is undeniable that The Beatles Bible stands as the definitive online site dedicated to the Beatles. While there is some overlap in content between the two sites, they differ significantly in their approach.
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