A Pictorial Guide to the Beatles - Part 2 Quiz

Answer: Sergeant

The song "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band", is the title song of the Beatles' 1967 album. The album was considered a masterpiece by many, and spent 15 weeks in the coveted number one position on the Billboard charts in the US (27 weeks at number one in the UK).

Although credited to Lennon/McCartney, the song was written by Paul, who saw it as a way to make the album a theme one, tied together by this fictional band.
The song was released as a single, with "With a Little Help From My Friends" on the same side and "A Day in the Life" on the B side.

Answer: fields

"Strawberry Fields Forever" was released in 1967, as a double A side single, with "Penny Lane". Although both songs were attributed to Lennon/McCartney, Lennon wrote the first and McCartney the second. The single only reached number two on the British charts.

The reason for this was because the record, as a double A sided release, split the number of sales between each song, allowing Engelbert Humperdinck's single "Release Me" to surpass each song. It was later included on the "Magical Mystery Tour" album, also in 1967.

Answer: garden

"Octopus' Garden" was written by Ringo Starr, with a little help from George Harrison. It was the second song written by Ringo. It was released on the 1969 album "Abbey Road". Ringo's inspiration for the song was said to come from being told, by the captain of a boat he was on, that octopuses liked to build gardens out of stones and other objects.

Answer: weep

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was written by George Harrison and released on the album "The Beatles" (more commonly known as "The White Album") in 1968. Eric Clapton contributed a guitar solo to the final version. Harrison said that he wrote the song after reading the book "I Ching".

He determined that he would write a song about the first words he saw when opening a random book. Those words were "gently weeps".

Answer: U.S.S.R.

"Back in the USSR" was also released on "The White Album" in 1968. Although a Lennon/McCartney composition, it was written by Paul while studying in Rishikesh, India. Beach Boy Mike Love (who was in Rishikesh at the same time) claimed to have influenced the writing of the song, which was allegedly a response to the Beach Boys hit "California Girls".

It was released as a single in 1976 with "Twist and Shout" on the B side and then re-released with "Don't Pass Me By" on the B side.

Answer: Rita

Another Lennon/McCartney attribution, "Lovely Rita" was written by McCartney and was released on the "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album in 1967. The expression "meter maid" was an American one, which was virtually unknown in the U.K. prior to the album's release. Of course now the expression would be considered politically incorrect and has been replaced with the more generic "parking attendant".

Answer: drive it

"Drive My Car" was one of those songs that really was a McCartney/Lennon composition. Paul came up with the tune, but the lyrics were worked out by John (who is given credit for the "Drive My Car" theme) and McCartney in a somewhat difficult session.

It was released in the U.K. on "Rubber Soul" in 1965 and on the "Yesterday and Today" album in the U.S.

Answer: in the dirt

The Harrison written song opens with the line, "Have you seen the little piggies, crawling in the dirt?" It was released on "The White Album" (or "The Beatles" as it was formally called) in 1968.

Harrison intended the song as an observation on greed. Unfortunately the line about them needing a good whacking was seized upon by the Manson family as a justification for their murders, in their attempt to start a race war.

Answer: day

Released on the "Revolver" album in 1966, "Good Day Sunshine" was largely written by McCartney, although attributed to the Lennon/McCartney team. The song has been covered by Claudine Longet and Lulu and McCartney played it live in 2005, to the International Space Station.

Answer: Martha

"Martha My Dear" was released on "The Beatles" (or "The White Album") in 1968. Although credited to Lennon/McCartney, it was a Paul composition, and in fact Paul was the only Beatle, but not the only musician, who contributed to the recording.

Although the song is, on one level, about his Old English Sheepdog, Martha, McCartney has admitted that many of the lines apply to his former fiancée, Jane Asher. Their engagement was broken off by Asher in 1968.