5 Things to Know About the Beatles' 'Strawberry Fields Forever' Recording

The song took about 55 hours of studio time That was an absurd amount for 1966, when most albums were recorded in a day or two. The entire Please Please Me album took under 13 hours.

The Beatles recorded dozens of takes over nearly two months They couldn’t settle on a final version. John Lennon kept changing his mind about which arrangement he preferred.

The final version is two different recordings spliced together They were in different keys and tempos. Producer George Martin slowed one down and sped the other up to make them match, which is why the song sounds slightly woozy.

This was a turning point for the studio as an instrument Before this, bands mostly aimed to capture a live performance. “Strawberry Fields” proved the studio could be used for creative experimentation.

The song cost more than four times the studio time of an entire album That level of perfectionism was unheard of at the time. It set a new standard for what was possible in pop music production.