Song Information

Lady Madonna

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"Lady Madonna"
Single by The Beatles
B-side	"The Inner Light"
Released	15 March 1968 (UK) 18 March 1968 (U.S.)
Format	7" single
Recorded	Abbey Road Studios, 3 February-6 February 1968
Genre	Rock
Length	2:16
Label	Parlophone (UK) Capitol Records (U.S.)
Writer(s)	Lennon/McCartney
Producer	George Martin
Certification	Platinum (RIAA)
The Beatles singles chronology
"Hello, Goodbye" (1967) "Lady Madonna" / "The Inner Light" (1968) "Hey Jude" / "Revolution" (1968)

Lady Madonna" (sometimes "The Lady Madonna") is a song by The Beatles credited to Lennon/McCartney. In March 1968, it was released as a single, backed with "The Inner Light". The song was recorded at Abbey Road Studios during sessions on 3 February and 6 February 1968 before the Beatles left for India. This single was the last release by the band on Parlophone in the UK, where it reached number one, and Capitol Records in the U.S., where it reached number four. All subsequent releases, starting with "Hey Jude" in August 1968, were released on their own label Apple Records, under EMI distribution, until the late 1970s, when Capitol and Parlophone re-released old material.

Inspiration

The piano playing on this song was inspired by 1950s rock/blues pianist, Fats Domino. McCartney recalled in 1994, "'Lady Madonna' was me sitting down at the piano trying to write a bluesy boogie-woogie thing ... It reminded me of Fats Domino for some reason, so I started singing a Fats Domino impression. It took my voice to a very odd place." Domino himself would cover the song later in 1968, and it would become his most recent U.S. Hot 100 hit (peaking at exactly #100).

The song and in particular the introduction are similar to Humphrey Lyttelton's "Bad Penny Blues" from 1956.^[3] John Lennon helped write the lyrics.^[4] The line "see how they run" was included after his suggestion (and was a theme that had been used in the previous year's "I Am the Walrus").

The saxophone solo was played by British jazz musician and club owner Ronnie Scott. The mix used in the single had much of Scott's saxophone playing removed, but the versions on Anthology 2 and Love feature a more prominent use of Ronnie's solo, at the end of the song.^[5] In a BBC documentary, Timewatch, McCartney explained the decision behind this saying that at the time, Scott had not been impressed that his music had been hidden behind other instruments, so McCartney had decided to fix it with the most recent mix.

A variation of this song can be heard on McCartney's Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road DVD (PBS Great Performances). McCartney calls it "An Old Lady in New Clothes". McCartney also performed it during various concert tours. As a result, live versions appear on Wings Over America, [Paul is Live]], and the two 2002 tour albums, Back in the U.S. (released in North America) and Back in the World (released in other countries).

"Lady Madonna" has been a regular staple on various compilation albums released by Apple Records:

• Hey Jude, 1970
• 1967-1970, 1973
• 20 Greatest Hits, 1982
• Past Masters, Volume Two, 1988
• Anthology 2, 1996 (takes 3 and 4)
• 1, 2000
• Love, 2006

LOVE version

A remixed version of this song was featured in the Cirque du Soleil show LOVE. In this form, the saxophone solo is played almost un-accompanied at the very beginning of the song. The drum intro to "Why Don't We Do It In the Road" can be heard at the beginning. After the first two verses, it changes to the riff from "Hey Bulldog" in A minor, with a remixed version of the Hammond Organ solo from "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and parts of Eric Clapton's guitar solo from "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". It then returns to the original form of the song, and at the very end a saxophone solo outro is played.

Two promotional films were made for Lady Madonna, which were syndicated to television broadcasting companies. The material was shot on 11 February 1968 in Abbey Road Studios, and was distributed by NEMS Enterprises to US and UK TV stations.

The footage consisted of The Beatles recording in the studio. The song they were working on at the time was Hey Bulldog. In 1999 the material was re-edited by Apple to create a new promo for Hey Bulldog.^[5]

• Paul McCartney – vocals, piano, bass, handclaps
• John Lennon – backing vocals, lead guitar, handclaps
• George Harrison – backing vocals, lead guitar, handclaps
• Ringo Starr – drums, handclaps
• Ronnie Scott – tenor saxophone
• Bill Povey – tenor saxophone
• Harry Klein – baritone saxophone
• Bill Jackman – baritone saxophone

Personnel per The Beatles Bible^[5]

• Fats Domino covered the song in 1968. McCartney says he may have told record producer Richard Perry that it was "based on Fats," leading to Domino's version.^[2]
• "Lady Madonna" was performed by Romanian band Phoenix on their first EP, Vremuri ("Old times", 1968). The Electrecord studios didn't trust the sales success of the band's own songs ("Vremuri" and "Canarul"). This was a common practice in communist countries and the predominant way western music was reaching there officially.
• The main guitar riff from "Lady Madonna" is recycled in 1969 the song "Space Cowboy" on the Steve Miller Band album Brave New World. This was presumably by agreement since Paul McCartney was a collaborator on that album singing backing vocals on some songs.
• In 1977, Lenny White covered "Lady Madonna," featuring Chaka Khan, on his album Streamline.
• "Lady Madonna" was covered twice by Norwegian musician Øystein Sunde, including a bluegrass instrumental version.
• The Punkles did a Punk cover of this song on their second album Punk!.
• Aretha Franklin covered the song, and her version served as the theme song to Grace Under Fire from 1993-1997.
• Beatallica has a mashed song named "Leper Madonna" which is a combination between "Lady Madonna" and Metallica's "Leper Messiah". It's included on their album Beatallica, also known as "The Grey Album".
• Canadian a cappella group The Nylons covered the song on their 1996 album Run For Cover.
• Covered by Finnish a cappella band Rajaton.
• Earl Scruggs performed a bluegrass version of the song live on July 14, 2008 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.
• The melody of hit song What I Got by 1990s ska punk band Sublime is almost identical to that of Lady Madonna.
• Ray Charles performed the song live during the 1990 Grammy Awards as a tribute to Paul McCartney, who was receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award on that ceremony.