30 Day Music Challenge: Day Eight

Day Eight: A Song That You Know All The Words To

My first thought upon reading today's question/challenge thing was how do I narrow this down? As I'm a bit musically challenged I tend to remember words better than tunes anyway. Also, all the words?! Will there be some kind of test at the end? Anyway...

When I was 15 I somewhat pretentiously decided to "get into music" as opposed to listening to Now That's What I Call Music compilations for ever more and the first band I turned to was of course The Beatles. I knew Beatles songs of course, it's impossible to avoid them, but my knowledge was limited to When I'm 64 and Yesterday. So I stole the One album from my parents and listened to it on repeat for about six months straight. As a consequence I know a lot of Beatles lyrics off by heart... Everyone waxes lyrical about The Beatles but I always think that's justified - every time I hear a Beatles song I'm struck by how fresh it sounds, despite the fact that these are songs written over half a century ago and still played a lot. I love their lyrics as well - from the breezy poppiness of She Loves You to the aching melancholy of Eleanor Rigby to the psychedelic drug inspired lunacy of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. My all-time favourite Beatles song and the one that I know I know all the words to is Penny Lane.

I can't really explain why - maybe it's all the quirky little anecdotes (I'm a sucker for a daft story) or maybe it's because I can really paint a picture of Penny Lane in my head. Maybe it's just a damn good song!

"Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs
Of every head he's had the pleasure to have known
And all the people that come and go
Stop and say hello

On the corner is a banker with a motorcar
The little children laugh at him behind his back
And the banker never wears a mac
In the pouring rain...
Very strange

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile backIn Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen.
He likes to keep his fire engine clean
It's a clean machine

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
Four of fish and finger pies
In summer, meanwhile back

Behind the shelter in the middle of a roundabout
A pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And though she feels as if she's in a play
She is anyway

Penny Lane the barber shaves another customer
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim
Then the fireman rushes in
From the pouring rain...
Very strange

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies...
Penny Lane."