I am sat listening to She’s Leaving Home by the Beatles off the 1967 Sgt. Peppers album and I am sat here I am thinking this is one of the most perfect songs ever written.
The lyrics are phenomenal, they paint extraordinary pictures with every word and the orchestral accompaniment wrap around the words to make it complete, and just when you think it cant get any better they add the touch of genius at the end with a nod to amen.
Next year the song will be 50 years old and it sounds as fresh as when I heard it all those years ago first time around. This was Lennon and McCartney at the top of their game, a perfect combination of two extremely talented individuals who kept pushing each other to make the ever elusive perfect song and if you add the genius of George Martin into the mix then it was a created in what was a perfect collaboration of very talented writers and a commensurate producer.
Once the Beatles split neither of them ever came close to creating anything as good individually but of all of the Beatles my personal favourite was George Harrison, his Here Comes the Sun is what I think of as the anthem to the arrival of spring and is joyous. But it does not have the same quality lyrically or musically as She’s Leaving home.
Many people will disagree with me I am sure but I will bet that it is in your top five Beatles songs. Just in case you need a reminder of how good it is here is the link on Spotify.
John D Eccles 