Yellow Submarine ( song ) - wikipedia Yellow Submarine ( song ) `` Yellow Submarine '' US picture sleeve Single by the Beatles from the album Revolver and Yellow Submarine A-side ( double A-side ) `` Eleanor Rigby '' Released 5 August 1966 Format 7 '' Recorded 26 May and 1 June 1966, EMI Studios, London Genre Children 's music folk pop Length 2 : 38 Label Parlophone Capitol Songwriter ( s ) Lennon -- McCartney Producer ( s ) George Martin The Beatles singles chronology `` Paperback Writer '' ( 1966 ) Paperback Writer 1966 `` Eleanor Rigby '' / `` Yellow Submarine '' ( 1966 ) Eleanor Rigby Yellow Submarine1966 `` Strawberry Fields Forever '' / `` Penny Lane '' ( 1967 ) Strawberry Fields Forever Penny Lane 1967 Music video `` Yellow Submarine '' on YouTube `` Yellow Submarine '' is a 1966 song by the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, with lead vocals by Ringo Starr. It was included on the Revolver ( 1966 ) album and issued as a single, coupled with `` Eleanor Rigby ''. The single went to number one on every major British chart, remained at number one for four weeks, and charted for 13 weeks. It won an Ivor Novello Award `` for the highest certified sales of any single issued in the UK in 1966 ''. In the US, the song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the most successful Beatles song to feature Starr as lead vocalist. It became the title song of the animated United Artists film, also called Yellow Submarine ( 1968 ), and the soundtrack album to the film, released as part of the Beatles ' music catalogue. An orchestral reprise to the song arranged by George Martin titled `` Yellow Submarine in Pepperland '' is featured at the end of the film and its soundtrack. Although intended as a nonsense song for children, `` Yellow Submarine '' received various social and political interpretations at the time. Contents 1 Composition 2 Recording 3 Release 4 Reception and interpretations 5 Personnel 6 Charts and certifications 6.1 Charts 6.2 Certifications 7 Tribute 8 Cover versions 8.1 Protester adaptation 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links Composition In a joint interview in March 1967, McCartney and Lennon recalled that the song 's melody was created by combining two different songs they had been working on separately. Lennon noted that McCartney brought in the chorus ( `` the submarine... the chorus bit '' ) which Lennon suggested combining with a melody for the verses that he 'd already written. McCartney also noted : `` It 's a happy place, that 's all. You know, it was just... We were trying to write a children 's song. That was the basic idea. And there 's nothing more to be read into it than there is in the lyrics of any children 's song. '' In 1980, Lennon talked further about the song : `` ' Yellow Submarine ' is Paul 's baby. Donovan helped with the lyrics. I helped with the lyrics too. We virtually made the track come alive in the studio, but based on Paul 's inspiration. Paul 's idea. Paul 's title... written for Ringo. '' Donovan added the words, `` Sky of blue and sea of green ''. In 1994, McCartney discussed his inspiration for the song 's concept : `` I was laying in bed in the Ashers ' garret... I was thinking of it as a song for Ringo, which it eventually turned out to be, so I wrote it as not too rangey in the vocal, then started making a story, sort of an ancient mariner, telling the young kids where he 'd lived. It was pretty much my song as I recall... I think John helped out. The lyrics got more and more obscure as it goes on, but the chorus, melody and verses are mine. '' The song began as being about different coloured submarines, but evolved to include only a yellow one. Recording Produced by George Martin and engineered by Geoff Emerick, `` Yellow Submarine '' was finished after five takes on 26 May 1966, in Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios ; special effects were added on 1 June. Martin drew on his experience as a producer of comedy records for Beyond the Fringe and The Goon Show, providing an array of zany sound effects to create the nautical atmosphere. On the second session the studio store cupboard was ransacked for special effects, which included chains, a ship 's bell, tap dancing mats, whistles, hooters, waves, a tin bath filled with water, wind, and thunderstorm machines, as well as a cash register, which was later used on Pink Floyd 's song `` Money '' ( 1973 ). Lennon blew through a straw into a pan of water to create a bubbling effect ; McCartney and Lennon talked through tin cans to create the sound of the captain 's orders ; at 1 : 38 - 40 in the song, Starr stepped outside the doors of the recording room and yelled like a sailor, acknowledging `` Cut the cable ! Drop the cable ! '', which was looped into the song afterwards ; and Abbey Road employees John Skinner and Terry Condon twirled chains in a tin bath to create water sounds. After the line, `` and the band begins to play '', Emerick found a recording of a brass band and changed it slightly so it could not be identified, although it is thought to be a recording of Georges Krier and Charles Helmer 's composition, `` Le Rêve Passe '' ( 1906 ). The original recording had a spoken intro by Starr, but the idea was abandoned on 3 June. When the overdubs were finished, Mal Evans strapped on a marching bass drum and led everybody in a line around the studio doing the conga dance whilst banging on the drum. Release Original US release single The `` Yellow Submarine '' single was the Beatles ' 13th single release in the United Kingdom. It was released in the UK on 5 August 1966 as a ' double A side ' with `` Eleanor Rigby '', and in the United States on 8 August. In both countries, the album Revolver ( which also featured both songs ) was released on the same day as the single. Reception and interpretations The single went to number 1 on every major British chart, remained at number 1 for four weeks and charted for 13 weeks. It won an Ivor Novello Award for the highest certified sales of any single issued in the UK in 1966. In the United States, the single reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 1 in Record World, and number 2 in Cashbox, where it was held off number 1 by the Supremes ' `` You Ca n't Hurry Love ''. The single was released during the controversies about the `` Butcher Cover '' ( the Yesterday and Today album cover ) and Lennon 's remarks about Christianity, which are cited as part of the reason the song failed to reach number 1 on all US charts. It sold 1,200,000 copies in four weeks and earned the Beatles their twenty - first US Gold Record award, beating the record set by Elvis Presley. Although intended as a nonsense song for children, `` Yellow Submarine '' received various social and political interpretations at the time ; music journalist Peter Doggett wrote that the `` culturally empty '' song `` became a kind of Rorschach test for radical minds. '' The song 's chorus was reappropriated by schoolchildren, sports fans, and striking workers in their own chants. At a Mobe protest in San Francisco, a yellow papier - mâché submarine made its way through the crowd, which Time magazine interpreted as a `` symbol of the psychedelic set 's desire for escape ''. A reviewer for the P.O. Frisco wrote in 1966, `` the Yellow Submarine may suggest, in the context of the Beatles ' anti-Vietnam War statement in Tokyo this year, that the society over which Old Glory floats is as isolated and morally irresponsible as a nuclear submarine. '' Writing for Esquire, Robert Christgau felt that the Beatles `` want their meanings to be absorbed on an instinctual level '' and wrote of the interpretations, `` I ca n't believe that the Beatles indulge in the simplistic kind of symbolism that turns a yellow submarine into a Nembutal or a banana -- it is just a yellow submarine, damn it, an obvious elaboration of John ( Lennon ) 's submarine fixation, first revealed in A Hard Day 's Night. '' Personnel Ringo Starr -- drums, lead vocals Paul McCartney -- bass, backing vocals John Lennon -- acoustic guitar, backing vocals, sound effects ( bubbles ) George Harrison -- acoustic guitar, tambourine, backing vocals Mal Evans -- bass drum, backing vocals George Martin -- backing vocals, producer Geoff Emerick -- backing vocals, tape loops, engineer Neil Aspinall -- backing vocals Alf Bicknell -- sound effects ( rattling chains ) Pattie Boyd -- backing vocals Marianne Faithfull -- backing vocals Brian Jones -- backing vocals, sound effects ( clinking glasses ) Brian Epstein -- backing vocals Personnel per Ian MacDonald Charts and certifications Charts Chart ( 1966 ) Peak position Australia ( Go - Set Top 40 ) Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) Canadian RPM Top Singles Germany ( Official German Charts ) Irish Singles Chart Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) New Zealand ( Listener ) Norway ( VG - lista ) Swedish Kvällstoppen Chart UK ( Official Charts Company ) US Billboard Hot 100 Chart ( 1986 ) Peak position UK ( Official Charts Company ) 63 Chart ( 2012 ) Peak position Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Back Catalogue Singles Flanders ) 16 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales United States ( RIAA ) Gold 1,000,000 sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone Tribute The Yellow Submarine sculpture ( 1984 ). A 51 - foot ( 16 m ) - long yellow submarine metal sculpture was built by apprentices from the Cammell Laird shipyard, and was used as part of Liverpool 's International Garden Festival in 1984. In 2005, it was placed outside Liverpool 's John Lennon Airport, where it remains. Cover versions It has entered popular usage as a children 's song, such as in Fun Song Factory, when it was once combined with colourful props and actions, and on Sesame Street, where a group of Anything Muppets sang the song inside a yellow submarine ( resembling the one from the animated movie ). Protester adaptation The tune of the song has been used in Britain and America by those protesting government actions, with the lyrics changed to `` we all live in a Fascist regime ''. Notes Jump up ^ `` The Beatles Album Review ''. Condé Nast. September 9, 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2016. Jump up ^ Cohen, Norm ( 2005 ). Folk Music : A Regional Exploration. Greenwood Press. p. 335. ISBN 0 - 313 - 32872 - 2. Jump up ^ `` The Beatles Revolver Review ''. BBC. 2007. Retrieved July 29, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Doggett, Peter ( 6 May 2009 ). There 's a Riot Going On : Revolutionaries, Rock Stars, and the Rise and Fall of the ' 60s. Canongate U.S. pp. 107 -- 108. ISBN 1 - 84767 - 193 - 4. Jump up ^ `` Lennon & McCartney Interview : Ivor Novello Awards, 3 / 20 / 1967 ''. Beatles Interviews Database. Retrieved 22 February 2017. ^ Jump up to : Beatles Interview Database 2008. Jump up ^ Gilliland 1969, show 39, track 2. ^ Jump up to : Fontenot 1999. Jump up ^ Miles 1998, p. 106. Jump up ^ Turner 2005, p. 109. Jump up ^ `` 74 - Yellow Submarine ''. 100 Greatest Beatles Songs. Rolling Stone. ^ Jump up to : Spitz 2005, p. 612. Jump up ^ Spitz 2005, p. 629. Jump up ^ Spitz 2005, p. 627. Jump up ^ `` US single release : Eleanor Rigby / Yellow Submarine ''. The Beatles Bible. Retrieved 26 October 2016. Jump up ^ Christgau, Robert ( December 1967 ). `` Columns : December 1967 ''. Esquire. Retrieved 6 January 2013. Jump up ^ MacDonald 2005, p. 206. Jump up ^ `` Yellow submarine in Australian Chart ''. Poparchives.com.au. Retrieved 17 July 2013. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- The Beatles -- Yellow Submarine '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- The Beatles -- Yellow Submarine '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Jump up ^ `` Yellow submarine in Canadian Top Singles Chart ''. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 17 July 2013. Jump up ^ `` Offiziellecharts.de -- The Beatles -- Yellow Submarine ''. GfK Entertainment Charts. Jump up ^ `` Yellow submarine in Irish Chart ''. IRMA. Retrieved 17 July 2013. Only one result when searching `` Yellow submarine '' Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- The Beatles '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- The Beatles -- Yellow Submarine / Eleanor Rigby '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Jump up ^ `` flavour of new zealand - Home ( 23 September 1966 ) ''. www.flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 30 December 2016. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- The Beatles -- Yellow Submarine ''. VG - lista. Jump up ^ `` Swedish Charts 1966 -- 1969 / Kvällstoppen -- Listresultaten vecka för vecka > Augusti 1966 '' ( PDF ) ( in Swedish ). hitsallertijden.nl. Retrieved 25 June 2017. Jump up ^ `` Beatles ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 July 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` The Beatles awards on Allmusic ''. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 17 July 2013. Jump up ^ `` 50 Back Catalogue Singles -- 27 November 2010 ''. Ultratop 50. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 July 2013. Jump up ^ `` American single certifications -- The Beatles -- Yellow Submarine ''. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 14 May 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH Jump up ^ Icons of England 1999. Jump up ^ Robert Booth ( April 29, 2011 ). `` Royal wedding : police criticised for pre-emptive strikes against protesters ''. The Guardian. Jump up ^ Carl O'Brien ( July 7, 2005 ). `` Three Irish mammies in vanguard of demonstration ''. The Irish Times. Jump up ^ Philip Marsh ( May 15, 2015 ). `` No One Would Riot for Less : the UK General Election, `` Shy Tories '' and the Eating of Lord Ashdown 's Hat ``. The Weeklings. Jump up ^ Rachel Campbell ( January 21, 2005 ). `` Feeling blue about the inauguration ''. The Journal Times. References `` Badmeaningood 2 ''. MTV. 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2008. The Beatles ( 2000 ). The Beatles Anthology. San Francisco : Chronicle Books. ISBN 0 - 8118 - 2684 - 8. Fontenot, Robert ( 20 August 1999 ). `` Yellow Submarine ''. About.com. Gilliland, John ( 1969 ). `` The Rubberization of Soul : The great pop music renaissance '' ( audio ). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu. Lewisohn, Mark ( 1988 ). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York : Harmony Books. ISBN 0 - 517 - 57066 - 1. MacDonald, Ian ( 2005 ). Revolution in the Head : The Beatles ' Records and the Sixties ( Second Revised ed. ). London : Pimlico ( Rand ). ISBN 1 - 84413 - 828 - 3. Martin, George ; Hornsby, Jeremy ( 1994 ). All You Need Is Ears. New York : St. Martin 's Press. ISBN 0 - 312 - 11482 - 6. `` Maurice Chevalier - de `` Valentine '' à `` Yellow Submarine '' ``. Database.cd. 2008. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2008. `` Maurice Chevalier Songs ''. Allmusic. 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2009. Miles, Barry ( 1997 ). Paul McCartney : Many Years From Now. New York : Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 0 - 8050 - 5249 - 6. Spitz, Bob ( 2005 ). The Beatles : The Biography. Boston : Little, Brown. ISBN 0 - 316 - 80352 - 9. Turner, Steve ( 2005 ). A Hard Day 's Write ( Third ed. ). HarperResource. ISBN 0 - 06 - 273698 - 1. `` Yellow Submarine ''. The Beatles Bible. 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2008. `` Yellow Submarine ''. Beatles Interview Database. 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2008. `` Yellow Submarine ''. Icons of England. 20 August 1999. Archived from the original on 10 April 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2008. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ( 2008 ). Yellow Submarine. YouTube. Emlyn Ellis Addison ( 2012 ). Elegy For A Stranger - A Realization of `` Yellow Submarine '' by the Beatles. YouTube. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Revolver ( Beatles album ) Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yellow Submarine. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Preceded by `` With a Girl Like You '' by the Troggs UK Singles Chart number one single 18 August 1966 -- 8 September 1966 Succeeded by `` All or Nothing '' by Small Faces Revolver Songs Side one `` Taxman '' `` Eleanor Rigby '' `` I 'm Only Sleeping '' `` Love You To '' `` Here, There and Everywhere '' `` Yellow Submarine '' `` She Said She Said '' Side two `` Good Day Sunshine '' `` And Your Bird Can Sing '' `` For No One '' `` Doctor Robert '' `` I Want to Tell You '' `` Got to Get You into My Life '' `` Tomorrow Never Knows '' Non-album single `` Paperback Writer '' `` Rain '' Related articles Yesterday and Today More popular than Jesus The Beatles ' 1966 tour of Germany, Japan and the Philippines The Beatles ' 1966 US tour The Beatles discography Please Please Me With the Beatles A Hard Day 's Night Beatles for Sale Help ! Rubber Soul Revolver Sgt. Pepper 's Lonely Hearts Club Band Magical Mystery Tour The Beatles ( White Album ) Yellow Submarine Abbey Road Let It Be Past Masters Yellow Submarine Songs Side one `` Yellow Submarine '' `` Only a Northern Song '' `` All Together Now '' `` Hey Bulldog '' `` It 's All Too Much '' `` All You Need Is Love '' Side two `` Pepperland '' `` Sea of Time '' `` Sea of Holes '' `` Sea of Monsters '' `` March of the Meanies '' `` Pepperland Laid Waste '' `` Yellow Submarine in Pepperland '' Outtakes `` Across the Universe '' Non-album single `` Lady Madonna '' `` The Inner Light '' Related articles Film Yellow Submarine ( sculpture ) Yellow Submarine Songtrack The Beatles discography George Martin Blue Meanies Chief Blue Meanie Jeremy Hillary Boob Ringo 's Yellow Submarine Please Please Me With the Beatles A Hard Day 's Night Beatles for Sale Help ! Rubber Soul Revolver Sgt. Pepper 's Lonely Hearts Club Band Magical Mystery Tour The Beatles ( White Album ) Yellow Submarine Abbey Road Let It Be Past Masters The Beatles singles discography UK and US ( all labels ) 1963 `` Please Please Me '' / `` Ask Me Why '' `` From Me to You '' / `` Thank You Girl '' `` She Loves You '' / `` I 'll Get You '' 1964 `` Ca n't Buy Me Love '' / `` You Ca n't Do That '' `` I Feel Fine '' / `` She 's a Woman '' 1965 `` Ticket to Ride '' / `` Yes It Is '' `` Help ! '' / `` I 'm Down '' `` We Can Work It Out '' / `` Day Tripper '' 1966 `` Paperback Writer '' / `` Rain '' `` Yellow Submarine '' / `` Eleanor Rigby '' 1967 `` Penny Lane '' / `` Strawberry Fields Forever '' `` All You Need Is Love '' / `` Baby, You 're a Rich Man '' `` Hello, Goodbye '' / `` I Am the Walrus '' 1968 `` Lady Madonna '' / `` The Inner Light '' `` Hey Jude '' / `` Revolution '' 1969 `` Get Back '' / `` Do n't Let Me Down '' `` The Ballad of John and Yoko '' / `` Old Brown Shoe '' `` Something '' / `` Come Together '' 1970 `` Let It Be '' / `` You Know My Name ( Look Up the Number ) '' 1978 `` Sgt. Pepper 's Lonely Hearts Club Band / With a Little Help from My Friends '' / `` A Day in the Life '' 1982 `` The Beatles Movie Medley '' / `` I 'm Happy Just to Dance with You '' 1995 `` Free as a Bird '' / `` Christmas Time ( Is Here Again ) '' `` Real Love '' / `` Baby 's in Black '' UK only ( Parlophone, Apple ) 1962 `` My Bonnie '' / `` The Saints '' `` Love Me Do '' / `` P.S. I Love You '' 1963 `` I Want to Hold Your Hand '' / `` This Boy '' 1964 `` Ai n't She Sweet '' / `` If You Love Me, Baby '' `` A Hard Day 's Night '' / `` Things We Said Today '' 1976 `` Yesterday '' / `` I Should Have Known Better '' `` Back in the U.S.S.R. '' / `` Twist and Shout '' US only ( Vee - Jay, Swan, Tollie, Capitol, Apple ) 1963 `` I Want to Hold Your Hand '' / `` I Saw Her Standing There '' 1964 `` Twist and Shout '' / `` There 's a Place '' `` Do You Want to Know a Secret '' / `` Thank You Girl '' `` Love Me Do '' / `` P.S. I Love You '' `` Sie liebt dich '' / `` I 'll Get You '' `` I 'll Cry Instead '' / `` I 'm Happy Just to Dance with You '' `` And I Love Her '' / `` If I Fell '' `` A Hard Day 's Night '' / `` I Should Have Known Better '' `` Matchbox '' / `` Slow Down '' 1965 `` Eight Days a Week '' / `` I Do n't Want to Spoil the Party '' `` Yesterday '' / `` Act Naturally '' 1966 `` Nowhere Man '' / `` What Goes On '' 1970 `` The Long and Winding Road '' / `` For You Blue '' 1976 `` Got to Get You into My Life '' / `` Helter Skelter '' `` Ob - La - Di, Ob - La - Da '' / `` Julia '' Other countries ( Odeon, Parlophone, Apple ) 1963 `` All My Loving '' / `` This Boy '' ( Canada ) 1964 `` Komm, gib mir deine Hand / Sie liebt dich '' ( Germany ) 1966 `` Norwegian Wood ( This Bird Has Flown ) '' / `` Nowhere Man '' ( Australia ) 1968 `` Ob - La - Di, Ob - La - Da '' / `` While My Guitar Gently Weeps '' ( Europe, Japan, Australia ) `` Ob - La - Di, Ob - La - Da '' / `` I Will '' ( Philippines ) `` Back in the U.S.S.R. '' / `` Do n't Pass Me By '' ( Sweden ) 1969 `` You 're Going to Lose That Girl '' / `` Tell Me What You See '' ( Japan ) 1970 `` Oh ! Darling '' / `` Here Comes the Sun '' ( Japan ) 1972 `` All Together Now '' / `` Hey Bulldog '' ( Europe ) 1978 `` Sgt. Pepper 's Lonely Hearts Club Band / With a Little Help from My Friends '' / `` Within You Without You '' ( Germany ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yellow_Submarine_(song)&oldid=829780496 '' Categories : The Beatles songs The Beatles ' Yellow Submarine 1966 singles Pinky and Perky songs Parlophone singles Fictional submarines UK Singles Chart number - one singles Number - one singles in Germany Number - one singles in Norway Irish Singles Chart number - one singles Number - one singles in New Zealand Song recordings produced by George Martin Songs written by Lennon -- McCartney Songs published by Northern Songs RPM Top Singles number - one singles Submarines Capitol Records singles Children 's songs Ringo Starr songs Songs written by Donovan 1966 songs Hidden categories : CS1 Swedish - language sources ( sv ) Use British English from June 2011 Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Austria Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Germany2 Singlechart usages for Dutch40 Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for Norway Certification Table Entry usages for United States Use dmy dates from June 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Sicilianu Suomi Svenska Tiếng Việt 中文 15 more Edit links This page was last edited on 10 March 2018, at 19 : 45. 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Question: who wrote we all live in a yellow submarine
Answer: Paul McCartney