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[nimrod]

Sun King.

Here comes the sun king
Here comes the sun king
Everybody's laughing
Everybody's happy
Here comes the sun king
Quando paramucho mi amore de felice carathon
Mundo paparazzi mi amore cicce verdi parasol
Questo abrigado tantamucho que canite carousel

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xarQh0BOkfU" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xarQh0BOkfU</a>

Much had to be decided about how “Here Comes The Sun-King” would be arranged musically.  In 1987, George explained how they approached the song: “At the time, 'Albatross' (by Fleetwood Mac) was out, with all the reverb on guitar.  So we said, 'Let's be Fleetwood Mac doing “Albatross,” just to get going.'  It never really sounded like Fleetwood Mac, but that was the point of origin.”

“Albatross” was a huge instrumental hit by a new British band called Fleetwood Mac which was released in November of 1968 and made it to #1 in Britain in 1969.  Written by their guitarist Peter Green, it was then re-released in 1973 in Britain and made it all the way up to #2 in that year, selling a total of over 900,000 copies in the U.K.  Having made such a huge impact in Britain, it was admired by The Beatles and called to mind when recording “Sun King,” George Harrison later taking an acetate of the song around to play to friends, impressing on them how much they sounded like Fleetwood Mac.

“That's where we pretend to be Fleetwood Mac for a few minutes,” John related shortly after the album's release.  “We did the introductions, we call it the 'Sun riff,' the little instrumental bit that's like Fleetwood Mac, before we start singing, and we did it again at the end, so we are able to sing it to make them different, you know, so it wasn't just the same riff.”

The singing that John mentioned here refers to the Spanish-like lyrics that were also concocted on this day.  Geoff Emerick relates:  “The vibe was so good that, this time around, Paul was invited by John to participate in both songs, which seemed to lift his spirits greatly.  They even disappeared behind the screens at one point for a puff on a joint, just the two of them, and when they came out they had a fit of giggles as they sang the pseudo-Spanish gibberish at the end of “Here Comes The Sun-King”; in fact, they found it impossible to get through a take without dissolving into laughter."

Taken on its own individual merit, "Sun King" is a prime example of what the cohesive unit of the four Beatles with George Martin all working together was capable of, even at this late stage in their career.  They took John Lennon's simple unfinished rhythm guitar idea with minimal lyrics and all contributed ideas to bring it to an accomplished piece of work.





John Lennon - Lead and Harmony Vocals, Rhythm Guitar (1965 Epiphone ES- 230TD Casino), maracas
Paul McCartney - Bass (1966 Fender Jazz Bass), harmony vocals, tape loops
George Harrison - Lead Guitar (1968 Fender Rosewood Telecaster), harmony vocals
Ringo Starr - Drums (1968 Ludwig Hollywood Maple), bongos
George Martin - Organ (1965 Lowery DSO Heritage Deluxe)

[Moogmodule]

Sun King.

Here comes the sun king
Here comes the sun king
Everybody's laughing
Everybody's happy
Here comes the sun king
Quando paramucho mi amore de felice carathon
Mundo paparazzi mi amore cicce verdi parasol
Questo abrigado tantamucho que canite carousel

In that last line I always heard that as “cake and eat it carousel”.

[zipp]

In that last line I always heard that as “cake and eat it carousel”.

Yes that's what he sings. Or more precisely "cake 'n' eat it". It's from the expresssion "You can't have your cake and eat it".

Also, it's not "cicce verdi" but "chicka ferdy" which is Liverpudlian playground language when you're taunting someone.

So here's a kind of translation :

Quando para mucho mi amore de felice corazon
WHEN FOR MUCH OF MY LOVE OF HAPPY HEART

Mundo paparazzi mi amore chicka/chica ferdy/verde para sole
WORLD PAPARAZZI, MY LOVE, CHICKA FERDY, FOR THE SUN

Cuesto obrigado, tanta mucho, que/cake and eat it, carousel
THIS THANKS, VERY MUCH, CAKE AND EAT IT, MERRY-GO-ROUND

Strangely enough this nonsense doesn't affect the song's dreamy romanticism. This shows how good the music and singing are.

[Loco Mo]

The most interesting part of this song to me is the stereo channel shifting during the instrumental prologue minus any vocals.  Although the final verses are considered to be gibberish without any specific meaning, they were sung in harmony by John, Paul and George.  So, they must have agreed on the wording of the gibberish beforehand.  It's still gibberish though.

[Mr Mustard]

John has to be the greatest purveyor of gibberish lyrics the world has ever heard. Only he could stream nonsense like I Am The Walrus or the Aahh Bowakowa Pousse Pousse passage from #9 Dream and make it all flow so naturally and beautifully. Genius.

Do you know it is literally only NOW, reading this thread, that I've realised the link between "Here Comes The Sun" and (Here comes the) "Sun King". It's been staring me in the face for half a century!

[Hello Goodbye]

They sing "Here come the sun king."

[Hello Goodbye]

Do you know it is literally only NOW, reading this thread, that I've realised the link between "Here Comes The Sun" and (Here comes the) "Sun King". It's been staring me in the face for half a century!

There's a bigger link between Sun King and Don't Let Me Down...


https://youtu.be/ffa433p5s54

[Hello Goodbye]

This is the mix I'm familiar with...


https://youtu.be/6bNMxWGHlTI

[Mr Mustard]

There's a bigger link between Sun King and Don't Let Me Down...


https://youtu.be/ffa433p5s54

Sorry....just don't "recognise" anything whatsoever to do with Sun King on that clip.

Maybe it's just me?

[nimrod]

This is the mix I'm familiar with...


https://youtu.be/6bNMxWGHlTI

When I listen to that through headphones Im truly gobsmacked by it.
I mean, everything about it is perfect, Ringo's percussion is bang on, the harmonies, superb, Johns vocal, the guitar catches just the right tone and atmosphere, god its so laid back, even the Cicadas are perfect 

Pauls Bass is mesmerising. 10/10 for Sun King.... I can listen 5 times in a row 

[Hello Goodbye]

Sorry....just don't "recognise" anything whatsoever to do with Sun King on that clip.

Maybe it's just me?

Listen again...


https://youtu.be/XhvxGj3Amws


https://youtu.be/Cnf1i1SwCgo

[Hello Goodbye]

...even the Cicadas are perfect 

Do you hear him moving back and forth through your head, Kev? 

[nimrod]

Do you hear him moving back and forth through your head, Kev? 

Absolutely Baz 

I remember reading that Sun King came from the writing of Dont Let Me Down, when the latter was in the early stages.

[nimrod]

In that last line I always heard that as “cake and eat it carousel”.

 This takes us to July 24th, 1969, where John premiers the song in EMI Studios to properly record what he now called "Here Comes The Sun-King" and, in the process, completes the writing.  “We just started joking,” John explained in 1969 about the session on that day.  “You know, singing 'Quando para mucho.'  So we just made it up.  Paul knew a few Spanish words from school, you know.  So we just strung any Spanish words that sounded vaguely like something.  And of course we got 'Chicka ferdy' in.  That's a Liverpool expression.  Just like sort of – it doesn't mean anything to me but (childish taunting) 'Na-na, na-na-na!'  The one we missed, we should have had, was 'Paranoia.'  We forgot all about it.  We used to call ourselves 'Los Paranoias.'  'Cake and eat it' is another nice line too, because they have that in Spanish – 'Que,' or something, can eat it.”

[tkitna]

Never cared for this song.  Always felt it was the buzzkill on Abbey Road.

[Moogmodule]

This is one of those songs I’ve never thought much about and my brain sort of switched off with the faux Spanish stuff at the end.  It was just part of that suite of songs like Mean Mr Mustard or Polythene Pam. Giving it another listen it does have nice guitar and bass and other elements  people here have mentioned. And the debt to Fleetwood Mac is pretty obvious.

[nimrod]

This is one of those songs I’ve never thought much about and my brain sort of switched off with the faux Spanish stuff at the end.  It was just part of that suite of songs like Mean Mr Mustard or Polythene Pam. Giving it another listen it does have nice guitar and bass and other elements  people here have mentioned. And the debt to Fleetwood Mac is pretty obvious.

I dont think much of any of the Medley songs - as stand alone songs (except of course Pauls Golden Slumbers).
The idea to create a medley of unfinished songs was fantastic though, Im not sure any band had done it before ?

I think George Martin did a fantastic job on the production.

[blmeanie]

I often come back to the entire medley is my favorite “collection” of Beatles work

[Moogmodule]

I dont think much of any of the Medley songs - as stand alone songs (except of course Pauls Golden Slumbers).
The idea to create a medley of unfinished songs was fantastic though, Im not sure any band had done it before ?

I think George Martin did a fantastic job on the production.

Yep. It’s like the overall big thingy that they did is somehow better than all the little thingies that make it up. 

It wasn’t the first suite of songs. The Who’s A Quick One is often credited with that but no doubt there were others.  But you might be right that it’s the first major band using lots of unfinished already written songs and turning them into a suite.

[nimrod]

Yep. It’s like the overall big thingy that they did is somehow better than all the little thingies that make it up. 

It wasn’t the first suite of songs. The Who’s A Quick One is often credited with that but no doubt there were others.  But you might be right that it’s the first major band using lots of unfinished already written songs and turning them into a suite.

The whole thing is like a massive orgasmic build up to the finale, it's brilliant