Seven of The Beatles' original lyric sheets arrived at Northwestern's Music Library in the early 1970s. Now, NU students have the opportunity to take a glimpse into music history usually confined within the library's archives.
Deering Library is the only academic library in the country with original Beatles lyric sheets, said D.J. Hoek, head of the NU Music Library. Reproductions of the original documents are now on display on the library's main floor.
The exhibit contains seven lyric sheets: "The Word" from the 1965 album "Rubber Soul" and six tracks from 1966's "Revolver": "Eleanor Rigby," "Yellow Submarine," "Good Day Sunshine," "For No One," "And Your Bird Can Sing" and "I'm Only Sleeping."
Before this year, the documents could only be viewed by appointment. But after the lyric sheets were featured as a "hidden treasure" in the library's publication last summer, requests to see them increased and the Music Library decided to display high-resolution copies.
The manuscripts are so unique that it is impossible to put a price on them, Hoek said, calling them "most likely the most valuable materials that the University Library owns."
Every piece in the collection has personal touches from its writers: penned in Paul McCartney or John Lennon's hand or scrawled on a manila envelope or a torn-out piece of notebook paper. Some of the sheets offer a glimpse into how the band's music evolved.
In one draft of "Yellow Submarine," the lines "And we live a life of ease / Every one of us has all we need" are crossed out with the plea "Disgusting!! See me." in the right margin. The same two lines are repeated directly below, with "And" changed to "As" - the way the lyrics appear in the song's final version.
"There's a lot of important history in the development of the songs that's reflected in these documents," said Music Prof. Gary Kendall, who offers a summer session course on The Beatles. "It is the only kind of hard evidence we have of how The Beatles' creative process took place."
2008 Woodie Awards
The DAILY encourages you to share your thoughts on this story. Please help us keep the discussion lively, but civil. Comments that are abusive to others, off-topic or vulgar, or comments that misrepresent someone's identity, will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to delete any comments in violation or to close comment threads on articles.
Please e-mail online@dailynorthwestern.com to flag a comment or for more information.
Be the first to comment on this story