Mother Nature's Son

"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.

For other uses, see Mother Nature's Son (disambiguation).

"Mother Nature's Son"
Cover of the song's sheet music
Song by the Beatles
from the album The Beatles
Released22 November 1968
Recorded9 & 20 August 1968
StudioEMI, London
GenreFolk[1]
Length2:48
LabelApple
Songwriter(s)Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s)George Martin
Audio sample
"Mother Nature's Son"
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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, 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 it whenever McCartney recorded 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]

Covers and mashups

Notes
  1. Carlin 2009, p. 172.
  2. Miles 1997, pp. 423, 490.
  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
  5. The Beatles Bible 2009.
  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.
  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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References
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