Beatles Countdown #88 – Fixing A Hole
Mar 05
1960s paul mccartney, the beatles No Comments
About to pick her up in his 88 (Little Richard reference for you guys), Paul McCartney brings us the next pick in the countdown with a “controversial” track from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: “Fixing A Hole!”
Bunch of random stories here for the recording of the song. The song was actually the first Beatles song to appear on an EMI album that wasn’t recorded at Abbey Roads as the studio was booked for the night. The crew had to pack up and head to Regent Sound Studio on a February 9th. They didn’t stay long though as the next day, they were back at Abbey Road recording “A Day In The Life.” The different location got them a funny story though as Paul has said he encountered a man outside the gates claiming to be Jesus Christ. Not wanting to be the one to leave his savior in the cold, Paul invited him for a cup of tea and let him sit in the corner of the session if he remained quiet. The man eventually left never to be heard or seen again according to lore…or maybe they were all high? You decide. Back to the recording though, George Harrison was supposedly upset over the amount of time Paul spent re-recording vocals for the song and that all Paul did during the recording of the album was listen to him sing “Fixing A Hole.” It wouldn’t be out of character for Paul, but we’ll get into that more with “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.”
On the song itself though, the controversy arose over the lyrics. Sadly, it wasn’t the overt reference to the Apple Scruffs (zealous Beatle groupies) – that’s just funny. No, listening to the song straight through, you might imagine he’s just fixing a hole where the rain gets in. Thinking about it a bit more after it’s over; you might get a reference to heroin. It’s a stretch, but you could interpret the hole as a reference to “track marks” and the “fixing” as a junkie’s fix. Appearing on the same album with “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” carrying a subtle psychedelic vibe, & knowing the band’s penchant for overt metaphors, it’s no surprise people jumped on the heroin meaning. It’s especially no surprise as to why the BBC quickly banned the song (wouldn’t be the first or last one either). Proponents to the straight-forward definition would point to Paul repairing the roof on his Scottish farmhouse, but in the end, both parties were actually wrong. The song was ultimately about both, Paul would later say. Just like number 92 in our countdown, it was another ode to pot that Paul wrote. “Saw” Jesus Christ, huh? But anyway, Paul was finally on his own and smoking a lot of pot. He would recall how he felt like he could do anything he wanted and be content with. Like painting a wall or fixing a hole. So the song is really about fixing a hole then…and pot. Well, I guess that kind of makes sense. Can’t really blame anyone for thinking the heroin thing though, can you? Why don’t you take a listen and let me know?
Song: Fixing A Hole
Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Year: 1967
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