JOHN LENNON ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT LYRICS FOR "LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS"

Extremely rare early draft of John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. One page, approx. 8 in. x 10 in., [1967]. John Lennon has penned an early draft of the lyrics to "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds". The manuscript features some notes by Paul McCartney; Lennon's writing is exhibited below in bold and Paul's is in regular typeface: "Picture yourself on a train in station with plasticine porters and looking glass ties Suddenly the girl someone is there at the turnstile The girl with kaleidoscope eyes" Below, in black ink, Lennon has begun the lyrics to another Sgt. Pepper song, "She's Leaving Home": "Wednesday morning at…" Contrary to the belief that the song title had a hidden reference to LSD, John Lennon's inspiration for the song came when his son, Julian, showed him a nursery school drawing he called "Lucy – in the sky with diamonds", depicting his classmate, Lucy O'Donnell. Although Lennon denied this, the BBC banned the song for what they thought were drug references. Rolling Stone magazine described "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" as "Lennon's lavish daydream" and music critic Richie Unterberger stated that it was one of the best songs on The Beatles famous Sgt. Pepper album, and one of the classic songs of psychedelia as a whole. Above the lyrics, Paul McCartney has penned a concept of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover featuring the four band members in buttoned jackets, surrounded by curtains and with frames in the background, presumably for the famous faces. On the verso is an ink drawing by McCartney, of "Rocking horse people" beside a palm tree. An incredible Lennon manuscript from one of the best, most memorable songs from The Beatles Sgt. Pepper album. Since its release in June 1967, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has become acclaimed as one of the most important albums in the history of popular music. In 2003, the album was placed at number one on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and it is one of the world's bestselling albums, having shipped 32 million copies. One of the most important John Lennon Beatles manuscripts in private hands. Provenance: Butterfield & Butterfield, December 12, 1993, lot 1274.