I Am the Walrus

"I Am the Walrus"
US picture sleeve (reverse)
Single by the Beatles
from the EP and album Magical Mystery Tour
A-side	"Hello, Goodbye"
Released	24 November 1967 (1967-11-24)
Recorded	5, 6, 27 and 29 September 1967
Studio	EMI, London
Genre	Psychedelic rock[1] psychedelic pop[2]
Length	4:33
Label	Parlophone (UK) Capitol (US)
Songwriter(s)	Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s)	George Martin
The Beatles singles chronology
"All You Need Is Love" (1967) "Hello, Goodbye" / "I Am the Walrus" (1967) "Lady Madonna" (1968)
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"I Am the Walrus" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 television film Magical Mystery Tour. Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released as the B-side to the single "Hello, Goodbye" and on the Magical Mystery Tour EP and album. In the film, the song underscores a segment in which the band mime to the recording at a deserted airfield.

Lennon wrote the song to confound listeners who had been affording serious scholarly interpretations of the Beatles' lyrics. He was partly inspired by two LSD trips and Lewis Carroll's 1871 poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter". Producer George Martin arranged and added orchestral accompaniment that included violins, cellos, horns, and clarinet. The Mike Sammes Singers, a 16-voice choir of professional studio vocalists, also joined the recording, variously singing nonsense lines and shrill whooping noises.

Since the "Hello, Goodbye" single and the Magical Mystery Tour EP both reached the top two slots on the British singles chart in December, "I Am the Walrus" holds the distinction of reaching numbers one and two simultaneously. Shortly after release, the song was banned by the BBC for the line "Boy, you've been a naughty girl, you let your knickers down".