Mother Nature's Son: Difference between revisions

"Mother Nature's Son"
"Mother Nature's Son"
	Cover of the song's sheet music
Song by the Beatles
from the album The Beatles
Released	22 November 1968
Recorded	9 & 20 August 1968
Studio	EMI, London
Genre	Folk
Length	2:48
Label	Apple
Songwriter(s)	Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s)	George Martin
Audio sample
	"Mother Nature's Son" file; help;

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"Mother Nature's Son" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was inspired by a lecture given by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi while the Beatles were in India.^[2]^[3] The same lecture inspired Lennon's song "Child of Nature", the tune of which he later re-used for "Jealous Guy".^[2]^[3] Although credited to the group, the song was performed by McCartney alone (with a brass arrangement by George Martin), while the other Beatles were working on other "White Album" songs.

According to Paul McCartney he was inspired by Nat King Cole's song "Nature Boy" he heard growing up. He wrote the song in Liverpool when he visited his father.^[4]

Recording

McCartney recorded the song during the height of the tensions that marred the sessions for the White Album. On 9 August 1968, he recorded 25 takes singing and playing acoustic guitar simultaneously. Take 24 was perceived to be the best (take 2 later appeared on Anthology 3). McCartney recorded overdubs of timpani, another guitar, fingers slapping on a book and drums on 20 August, when George Martin's orchestral contributions were also added.^[5] The drums were put halfway down an uncarpeted corridor with the microphones at the far end, resulting in a bongo-like staccato sound.^[6] John Lennon did not play on the recording, but McCartney said he contributed some words to the song in India. When Lennon (who hated McCartney recording without the rest of the band) and Ringo Starr walked into the studio after McCartney had finished, "you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife", recalled engineer Ken Scott.^[7]

Legacy

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its release, Jacob Stolworthy of The Independent listed "Mother Nature's Son" at number 15 in his ranking of the White Album's 30 tracks. He praised McCartney's vocals, writing "the anguish [in them] alone makes this one of the album's most emotional songs."^[8]

Personnel

Personnel per Ian MacDonald:^[9]

Paul McCartney – double-tracked vocal, acoustic guitars, timpani, bass drum, book slaps
Unknown – two trumpets, two trombones

Covers and mashups

Mikey Erg recorded a pop-punk influenced cover of the song on his 2020 EP "Bon Voyage."
Jack White covered the song at the White House when McCartney was being given the Gershwin Prize on 2 June 2010.
Ramsey Lewis covered the song and used it as the title of his 1968 album Mother Nature's Son. The album includes other Beatles songs.
Harry Nilsson covered the song in 1969 for his album Harry.
John Denver covered the song on his Grammy winning An Evening with John Denver album and his 1972 album Rocky Mountain High, and after his death it became the title of a biography of Denver by John Collis.
Gryphon covered the song in 1974 on the album Raindance.
Sheryl Crow covered it for the movie I Am Sam.
Danger Mouse included a sample of the song in his "mashup" version of the Jay-Z song "December 4th" for his The Grey Album.
Phish covered the song on 31 October 1994 as part of a full set covering the entire White Album. It can be found on Live Phish Volume 13.^[10]

Notes

^ Carlin 2009, p. 172.
^ ^a ^b Miles 1997, pp. 423, 490.
^ ^a ^b Sheff 2000, p. 200.
^ In The Life of...The Beatles (8 July 2018), Paul McCartney Explains "Mother Nature's Son" – Unreleased Oobu Joobu Part 6, retrieved 28 July 2018^{[dead YouTube link]}
^ The Beatles Bible 2009.
^ Morin 1998.
^ "80 – 'Mother Nature's Son'". Rolling Stone. 100 Greatest Beatles Songs. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
^ Stolworthy, Jacob (22 November 2018). "The Beatles' White Album tracks, ranked – from Blackbird to While My Guitar Gently Weeps". The Independent. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
^ MacDonald 2005, p. 305.
^ "Live Phish, Vol. 13: 10/31/94, Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, NY – Phish". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 September 2017.

References

"Mother Nature's Son". The Beatles Bible. 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (2nd ed.). London: Pimlico. ISBN 1844138283.
Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
Morin, Cari (1998). The Evolution of Beatles' Recording Technology.
Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.
Carlin, Peter (2009). Paul McCartney: A Life. Touchstone. ISBN 978-1-4165-6209-2.

External links

Alan W. Pollack's Notes on "Mother Nature's Son"

[FOOTNOTECarlin2009172-1] Carlin 2009, p. 172.

[FOOTNOTEMiles1997423,_490-2] Miles 1997, pp. 423, 490.

[FOOTNOTESheff2000200-3] Sheff 2000, p. 200.

[4] In The Life of...The Beatles (8 July 2018), Paul McCartney Explains "Mother Nature's Son" – Unreleased Oobu Joobu Part 6, retrieved 28 July 2018^{[dead YouTube link]}

[FOOTNOTEThe_Beatles_Bible2009-5] The Beatles Bible 2009.

[FOOTNOTEMorin1998-6] Morin 1998.

[7] "80 – 'Mother Nature's Son'". Rolling Stone. 100 Greatest Beatles Songs. Retrieved 17 June 2012.

[8] Stolworthy, Jacob (22 November 2018). "The Beatles' White Album tracks, ranked – from Blackbird to While My Guitar Gently Weeps". The Independent. Retrieved 27 March 2019.

[FOOTNOTEMacDonald2005305-9] MacDonald 2005, p. 305.

[10] "Live Phish, Vol. 13: 10/31/94, Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, NY – Phish". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 September 2017.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{other uses}}
 {{Use British English|date=July 2011}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2011}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
 {{Infobox song
-| Name     = Mother Nature's Son
+| name     = Mother Nature's Son
+| cover    = [[File:Mother Nature's Son sheet music cover.jpg|160px]]
-| Artist    = [[the Beatles]]
+| alt      =
-| Album    = [[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]
+| caption  = Cover of the song's sheet music
-| Released   = 22 November 1968
-| track_no   = 3 of disc 2
+| type     =
-| Recorded   = 9 & 20 August 1968
+| artist   = [[the Beatles]]
+| album    = [[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]
-| Genre    = [[Folk music|Folk]]{{sfn|Carlin|2009|p=172}}
+| released = 22 November 1968
-| Length    = 2:48
+| format   =
-| Writer    = [[Lennon–McCartney]]
-| Label    = [[Apple Records]]
+| recorded = 9 & 20 August 1968
-| Producer   = [[George Martin]]
+| studio   = [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]], London
+| venue    =
-| Tracks    = {{The Beatles tracks}}
+| genre    = [[Folk music|Folk]]{{sfn|Carlin|2009|p=172}}
-| Misc     = {{Extra music sample |filename=Beatles mother nature.ogg |title="Mother Nature's Son" |Type=song}}
+| length   = 2:48
+| label    = [[Apple Records|Apple]]
+| writer   = [[Lennon–McCartney]]
+| producer = [[George Martin]]
+| misc     = {{Audio sample
+ | type        = song
+ | file        = Beatles mother nature.ogg
+ | description = "Mother Nature's Son"
 }}
+}}
-"'''Mother Nature's Son'''" is a [[Lennon–McCartney]] song, written primarily by [[Paul McCartney]] and released by [[the Beatles]] on ''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'' (''The White Album''). It was inspired by a lecture given by the [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]] while the Beatles were in [[India]].{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=423, 490}}{{sfn|Sheff|2000|p=200}} The same lecture inspired Lennon's unreleased song "Child of Nature", the tune of which he later re-used for "[[Jealous Guy]]".{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=423, 490}}{{sfn|Sheff|2000|p=200}}
+"'''Mother Nature's Son'''" is a song by the English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Beatles]] from their 1968 double album ''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'' (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written primarily by [[Paul McCartney]], and credited to [[Lennon–McCartney]]. It was inspired by a lecture given by the [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]] while the Beatles were [[The Beatles in India|in India]].{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=423, 490}}{{sfn|Sheff|2000|p=200}} The same lecture inspired Lennon's song "Child of Nature", the tune of which he later re-used for "[[Jealous Guy]]".{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=423, 490}}{{sfn|Sheff|2000|p=200}} Although credited to the group, the song was performed by McCartney alone (with a brass arrangement by [[George Martin]]), while the other Beatles were working on other "White Album" songs.
+According to Paul McCartney he was inspired by [[Nat King Cole]]'s song "[[Nature Boy]]" he heard growing up. He wrote the song in [[Liverpool]] when he visited his father.<ref>{{Citation|last=In The Life of...The Beatles|title=Paul McCartney Explains "Mother Nature's Son" – Unreleased Oobu Joobu Part 6|date=8 July 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLAx9J8pTk4|access-date=28 July 2018}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref>
 ==Recording==
-McCartney recorded it on 9 August 1968. He recorded 25 takes singing and playing acoustic guitar simultaneously. Take 24 was perceived to be the best (take 2 later appeared on [[Anthology 3]]). McCartney recorded overdubs of timpani, another guitar, and drums on 20 August when George Martin's orchestral contributions were also added.{{sfn|The Beatles Bible|2009}} The drums sound more like bongos and this was achieved by putting the drums halfway down an uncarpeted corridor with the mics at a far end which resulted in a [[staccato]] sound.{{sfn|Morin|1998}} Lennon did not play on the recording, but McCartney said he contributed some words to the song in India.  When Lennon, who hated it whenever McCartney recorded without the rest of the band, walked into the studio with [[Ringo Starr]] after McCartney had finished, "you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife," recalled engineer Ken Scott.<ref>{{cite web|title=80 - 'Mother Nature's Son'|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-20110919/mother-natures-son-19691231|work=100 Greatest Beatles Songs|publisher=Rolling Stone|accessdate=17 June 2012}}</ref>
+McCartney recorded the song during the height of the tensions that marred the sessions for the White Album. On 9 August 1968, he recorded 25 takes singing and playing acoustic guitar simultaneously. Take 24 was perceived to be the best (take 2 later appeared on ''[[Anthology 3]]''). McCartney recorded overdubs of timpani, another guitar, fingers slapping on a book and drums on 20 August, when [[George Martin]]'s orchestral contributions were also added.{{sfn|The Beatles Bible|2009}} The drums were put halfway down an uncarpeted corridor with the microphones at the far end, resulting in a bongo-like [[staccato]] sound.{{sfn|Morin|1998}} [[John Lennon]] did not play on the recording, but McCartney said he contributed some words to the song in India.  When Lennon (who hated McCartney recording without the rest of the band) and [[Ringo Starr]] walked into the studio after McCartney had finished, "you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife", recalled engineer Ken Scott.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=80 – 'Mother Nature's Son'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-20110919/mother-natures-son-19691231|series=100 Greatest Beatles Songs|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=17 June 2012}}</ref>
+==Legacy==
+Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its release, Jacob Stolworthy of ''[[The Independent]]'' listed "Mother Nature's Son" at number 15 in his ranking of the White Album's 30 tracks. He praised McCartney's vocals, writing "the anguish [in them] alone makes this one of the album's most emotional songs."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-beatles-white-album-tracks-ranked-paul-mccartney-john-lennon-george-harrison-50-anniversary-a8643431.html|first=Jacob|last=Stolworthy|title=The Beatles' White Album tracks, ranked – from Blackbird to While My Guitar Gently Weeps|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=22 November 2018|access-date=27 March 2019}}</ref>
 ==Personnel==
+Personnel per [[Ian MacDonald]]:{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|p=305}}
-*[[Paul McCartney]] &ndash; double-tracked [[Singing|vocal]], [[acoustic guitars]], [[timpani]], [[bass drum]]
+*[[Paul McCartney]] – [[double-tracked]] vocal, acoustic guitars, [[timpani]], [[bass drum]], book slaps
-*[[George Martin]] &ndash; brass arrangement
+*Unknown – two trumpets, two trombones
-:Personnel per [[Ian MacDonald]]{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|p=305}}
 ==Covers and mashups==
+*[[Mikey Erg]] recorded a pop-punk influenced cover of the song on his 2020 EP "Bon Voyage."
 *[[Jack White (musician)|Jack White]] covered the song at the [[White House]] when McCartney was being given the [[Gershwin Prize]] on 2 June 2010.
-*[[Ramsey Lewis]] covered the song and used it as the title of his 1968 album ''[[Mother Nature's Son (album)|Mother Nature's Son]]''. The album includes other songs from ''The Beatles''.
+*[[Ramsey Lewis]] covered the song and used it as the title of his 1968 album ''[[Mother Nature's Son (album)|Mother Nature's Son]]''. The album includes other Beatles songs.
 *[[Harry Nilsson]] covered the song in 1969 for his album ''[[Harry (album)|Harry]]''.
-*[[John Denver]] covered the song and after his death it became the title of a biography of Denver by [[John Collis]].
+*[[John Denver]] covered the song on his Grammy winning ''An Evening with John Denver'' album and his 1972 album ''[[Rocky Mountain High (album)|Rocky Mountain High]]'', and after his death it became the title of a biography of Denver by [[John Collis]].
 *[[Gryphon (band)|Gryphon]] covered the song in 1974 on the album ''[[Raindance (Gryphon album)|Raindance]]''.
 *[[Sheryl Crow]] covered it for the movie ''[[I Am Sam]]''.
 *[[Danger Mouse (musician)|Danger Mouse]] included a sample of the song in his "mashup" version of the Jay-Z song "[[December 4th (song)|December 4th]]" for his ''[[The Grey Album]]''.
+*[[Phish]] covered the song on 31 October 1994 as part of a full set covering the entire White Album. It can be found on ''[[Live Phish Volume 13]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Live Phish, Vol. 13: 10/31/94, Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, NY – Phish|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-phish-vol-13-10-31-94-glens-falls-civic-center-glens-falls-ny-mw0000226969|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=7 September 2017}}</ref>
-*[[DJ Reset]] used it along with [[Slick Rick]]'s "[[La-Di-Da-Di]]" for the "mashup" song "Mother Nature's Rick".
-*[[Glay (band)|Glay]] covered the song on their 2007 single "Ashes".
-*[[Brad Mehldau]] covered the song in a medley on his album ''[[Largo (album)|Largo]]'' and also on the album ''Don't Explain'' with tenor saxophonist [[Joel Frahm]].
-*[[Chihiro Onitsuka]] covered the song in her 2012 cover album ''[[FAMOUS MICROPHONE]]''.
-*On ''[[Angel Heart, a music storybook]]''. Arranged by [[David Sanford (composer)|David Sanford]] and performed by countertenor [[Daniel Taylor (countertenor)|Daniel Taylor]], baritone [[Sanford Sylvan]], mandolinist [[Mike Marshall (musician)|Mike Marshall]], and cellist [[Matt Haimovitz]] and his all-cello ensemble [[Uccello]].
-*[[Phish]] covered the song on October 31, 1994 as part of a full set covering the entire White Album. It can be found on [[Live Phish Volume 13]].
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 52: / Line 62: @@
 | title=Mother Nature's Son
 | url=http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/mother-natures-son/
-| accessdate=14 April 2009
+| access-date=14 April 2009
 | ref={{SfnRef|The Beatles Bible|2009}}
 }}
+* {{cite book |last=MacDonald |first=Ian |date=2005 |title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties |edition=2nd |location=London |publisher=Pimlico |isbn=1844138283}}
 * {{cite book
 | last=Miles
 | first=Barry
 | year=1997
-| authorlink=Barry Miles
+| author-link=Barry Miles
 | title=Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now
 | publisher=Henry Holt & Company
 | location=New York
 | isbn=0-8050-5249-6
+| url=https://archive.org/details/paulmccartneyman00mile
-| ref=harv
 }}
 * {{cite book
@@ Line 71: / Line 82: @@
 | year=1998
 | title=The Evolution of Beatles' Recording Technology
-| ref=harv
 }}
 * {{cite book
@@ Line 77: / Line 87: @@
 | first=David
 | year=2000
-| authorlink=David Sheff
+| author-link=David Sheff
 | title=All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono
 | publisher=St. Martin's Press
 | location=New York
 | isbn=0-312-25464-4
+| url=https://archive.org/details/allwearesayingla00lenn
-| ref=harv
 }}
 * {{cite book
@@ Line 89: / Line 99: @@
 | year=2009
 | title=Paul McCartney: A Life
+| publisher=Touchstone
-| isbn=1-4165-6209-5
+| isbn=978-1-4165-6209-2
-| ref=harv
+| url=https://archive.org/details/paulmccartneylif00carl
 }}
 {{Refend}}
@@ Line 99: / Line 110: @@
 {{The Beatles (White Album)}}
+{{authority control}}
-[[Category:The Beatles songs]]
-[[Category:John Denver songs]]
-[[Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin]]
 [[Category:1968 songs]]
+[[Category:The Beatles songs]]
 [[Category:Songs written by Lennon–McCartney]]
-[[Category:Harry Nilsson songs]]
+[[Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin]]
 [[Category:Songs published by Northern Songs]]
+[[Category:The Beatles and India]]
+[[Category:British folk songs]]
+[[Category:John Denver songs]]
+[[Category:Harry Nilsson songs]]