| Penny Lane, a simple street in Liverpool, England, inspired a song that touched tens of millions. John Lennon and Paul McCartney both grew up in Liverpool and spent a good deal of time in the Penny Lane area as children. Their fondness for this otherwise unremarkable shopping area is reflected in lyrics such as "Penny Lane is in my heart and in my soul . . . " In 1967, they released the song Penny Lane on the opposite side of the Strawberry Fields Forever single. As a result of the Beatles' song, fans began tearing down Penny Lane street signs to keep as mementos. Eventually, local officials decided to paint the name of the street on buildings rather than replace the stolen signs. One of the stores mentioned in the song is a barbershop. The barber who still works there claims to have cut the hair of George, Paul, and John when they were just children. One of the unusual features of the song Penny Lane is the piccolo solo in the middle. Paul McCartney is said to have come up with the idea for such a solo upon hearing the trumpet player David Mason broadcast on the BBC. Many dyed-in-the-wool Beatle fans have made the pilgrimage to Penny Lane in Liverpool to celebrate the great music of the Beatles. The Beatles turned their song into a music video in the late 1960s, but actually filmed the video in the East End of London. This video, along with the video for Strawberry Fields Forever, became incredibly influential. The New York's Museum of Modern Art recently recognized these two videos for their significant contribution to pop culture. |
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