George Harrison’s Wife Patti Boyd and John Lennon walk through the Airporten Route to India on February 15, 1968 (foto Keystone-France | Gamma-Rapho)

John was Never One to Pull his Punches When Writing Lyrics. Just ask Paul, Who was on the Receiving End of John S Famous Takedown, “How Do You Sleep?” On “Sexy Sadie,” the Maharishi had to Absorb A Numberof Shots. However, since he S Not Mentioned by Name, Listeners wouldn T know It.

That S because George – Whose Idea it was to Go to India in the First Place – Pushed John to Change the Lyrics. “John had A Song he had Started to Write which he was Singing ‘Maharishi, What Have You Done?‘” George Recalled in Anthology. “And I said, ‘You Can T say That, it S Ridiculous.’”

George suggested “Sexy Sadie,” which John Obviously Accepted. As It Turned Out, there wasn T Much to the Rumors After All. “Someone started the Nasty Rumor about Maharishi, which swept the Media for Years,” George said. “[But] this Whole Piece of Bull Shit was Invented. Just Go Ask Mia Farrow.”

Given Everything that Came Out about the Incident (or Lack Thereof), John was Probably Glad he didn T Call Out the Maharishi by Name After All. But Then Again, he wasn T Really One to Regret Things he D said in the Past.

ShowBizz CheatSheet, October 12, 2019

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/who-john-lennon-was-singing-about-on-the-beatles-sexy-sadie.html/

Beatles Music History Logo (foto beatlesebooks.com)

SEXY SADIE (John Lennon | Paul McCartney)

John Lennon (gif Gifer)

The Beatles Girls (foto Animaatjes))

Music Lovers around the World have come to Realize that their Enjoyment of Music in Many Cases is Heightened by their Understanding of A Song S Lyrics. Bruce Springsteen, for Example, is Known for Speaking for the Average Man. His Lyrics are said to Convey the Experiences of his Listeners in A Way they themselves Wish they could Convey It. Therefore his Songs Appeal to A Large Audience who Understand Exactly What his Lyrics Mean. There is Only One True Interpretation for his Songs and his Audience Most Generally understand What That Definite Meaning is.

World Renowned Sex Symbols The Beatles Fangirls (1) (gif Gifer)

World Renowned Sex SymbolThe Beatles Fangirls  (2) (gif tenor.com)

World Renowned Sex Symbols The Beatles Fangirls (4) (gif Twitter)

World Renowned Sex Symbols The Beatles Fangirls (5) (gif gifsoup.com)

World Renowned Sex Symbols The Beatles Fangirls (6) (gif sheknows.com)

World Renowned Sex Symbols The Beatles Fangirls (7) (gif musicfeeds.com.au)

World Renowned Sex Symbols The Beatles Fangirls (8) (gif posts.careerengine.us)

World Renowned Sex Symbols The Beatles Fangirls (9) (gif Giphy)

World Renowned Sex Symbols The Beatles Fangirls (10) (gif Twitter)

The Compositions of Lennon | McCartney from the Latter Years of The Beatles‘ Career don T Fall into that Category. Not in the least! Case in Point being “Sexy Sadie.” Upon First Listening in 1968, and for Many Years Thereafter, the Average Beatles Fan was likely to assume that this song was about a highly sophisticated, World Renowned Sex Symbol, or maybe even an infamous High Priced Call Girl, who Captured the Admiration of the singer. After all, she “broke the rules,” “laid it down for all to see,” her admirers “gave up everything they own” to be in her presence and, of course, she was “the latest and the greatest of them all.”

However, as the books and interviews became more abundant and the news spread throughout the music community, the specific identity of “Sexy Sadie” became Much More Commonly known. And this person wasn’t even a woman! We then might wish to re-listen to the song and readjust our perception of what Lennon was really going on about.

John Lennon, Pattie Boyd and the Maharishi, circa 1968 (foto Best Classic Bands)

John Lennon and the Maharishi, circa 1968 (foto ghp.papnet.eu)

The Beatles (foto Gfycat)

The Beatles (gif deviantart.com)

Songwriting History

“That was inspired by Maharishi. I wrote it when we had our bags packed and were leaving. It was the last piece I wrote before I left India. I just called him, ‘Sexy Sadie,’ instead of (sings) ‘Maharishi, what have you done, you made a fool...’ I was just using the situation to write a song, rather calculatingly but also to express what I felt. I was leaving the Maharishi with a bad taste. You know, it seems that my partings are always not as nice as I’d like them to be.”

The above quote from John Lennon was from 1980. His discontent with the Indian guru was first expressed on May 14th, 1968 during a New York press conference announcing the launch of The Beatles’ corporation Apple, saying, “I think Maharishi was A mistake, but the teachings have got some truth in them.” Interviews from John in 1970, however, reveal more pieces to the puzzle. “I wouldn’t write ‘Maharishi, what have you done, you made a fool of everyone,’ but now it can be told, fab listeners…That was about the Maharishi…There was a big hullabaloo about him trying to rape Mia Farrow, and things like that. So we went to see him. I was the spokesman, as usual whenever the dirty work came. I said, ‘We’re leaving.’ He asked, ‘Why?,’ and all that sh*t, and I said, ‘Well, if you’re so cosmic, you’ll know why.’”

Ringo Star (gif Tumblr)

To India for Transcedental Meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, july 1966 (gif tumblr)

The Beatles left for India to study Transcendental Meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in February of 1968. Ringo, Paul and their significant others left by the end of March but George, John and their wives were planning on staying to complete the course, which wasn’t due to end until April 25th. However, other developments occurred that resulted in them leaving early as well.

The Beatles’ Indian Retreat, the Interatiotal Denominal Ashram in the City of Rishikesh, Funded in 1950 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as A Center for Social Reform and Spreading Knowledgt (foto ABC)

The Beatles’ Indian Retreat Is Open to the Public (foto Newsweek)

The Beatles in india (foto lwlies.com)

George’s wife Pattie Boyd, in her Book “Wonderful Tonight,” explains: “When we had been there for four weeks, Magic Alex arrived. He was a young Greek who had attached himself to The Beatles, and Jenny Boyd (Pattie S sister) was renting A Room in his house. His name was Alex Mardas .He came because he didn T approve of The Beatles’ Meditating, and he wanted John Back.” In Paul S Book “Many Years From Now,” Co Author Barry Miles writes “Alex had been Introduced to the Others as John S Guru and he could see that his Position was about to be Usurped by the Maharishi, particularly if John gave up Drugs Permanently.”

Pattie Boyd (foto Beatles Music History)

Pattie Boyd & George Harrison (foto Pinterest)

Pattie Boyd continues: “Then everything went horribly wrong. Mia Farrow told John she thought Maharishi had been behaving inappropriately. I think he made a pass at her. John threw a hissy fit. ‘Come on, we’re leaving.’ Then Magic Alex claimed that Maharishi had tried something with a girl he had befriended. I am not sure how true that was. I think Alex wanted to get John away from Rishikesh – he seemed convinced that Maharishi was evil. He kept saying, ‘It’s black magic.’ And perhaps John had been waiting for an excuse to leave – he wanted to be with Yoko. Whatever the truth, they left.”

Cynthia Lennon Alone (foto Billboard)

John & Cynthia (gif Gfycat)

Cynthia & John (gif Tumblr)

John & Cynthia (gif Pinterest)

John S Wife Cynthia (Lennon) concurs “Alexis (Magic Alex) and A Fellow Female Meditator began to sow the Seeds of Doubt into Very Open Minds. Alexis S statements about how the Maharishi had been indiscreet with a certain lady, and what a blackguard he had turned out to be, gathered momentum. All, may I say, without a single shred of evidence or justification. It was obvious to me that Alexis wanted out and more than anything he wanted The Beatles out as well.”

Mia Farrow(foto IMDb)

Mia Farrow (foto Paul Saltzman | San Francisco Art Exchange)

George, of Course, was also an Eyewitness to these Events in India. It the Book “Beatles Anthology,” he writes “Someone started the Nasty Rumor about Maharishi, A Rumor that swept the Media for Years (…) his Whole Piece of bullshit was Invented. It S Probably even in the History Books that Maharishi ‘Tried to Attack Mia Farrow’ – but it S Bull Shit, Total Bull Shit. Just Go Ask Mia Farrow. There were A lot of flakes there; the whole place was full of flaky people. Some of them were us.”

George Harrisson (gif harrisonsdong.tumblr.com)

Mia Farrow & Maharishi (foto Vogue)

Harrison continues: “The story stirred up a situation. John had wanted to leave anyway, so that forced him into the position of thinking: ‘OK, now we’ve got a good reason to get out of here.’ We went to Maharishi, and I said, ‘Look, I told you I was going’…He couldn’t really accept that we were leaving, and he said, ‘What’s wrong?’ That’s when John said something like: ‘Well, you’re supposed to be the mystic, you should know.’ We took some cars that had been driven up there…We drove for hours. John had a song he had started to write which he was singing: ‘Maharishi, what have you done?‘ and I said, ‘You can’t say that, it’s ridiculous.’ I came up with the title of ‘Sexy Sadie‘ and John changed ‘Maharishi’ to ‘Sexy Sadie.’

Together, February 1968 j(gif janeashersource.tumblr.com)

Beatles in India (foto sankei.com)

A 1974 Lennon interview validates these events. “That was written just as we were leaving, waiting for our bags to be packed in the taxi that never seemed to come. We thought: ‘They’re deliberately keeping the taxi back so as we can’t escape from this madman’s camp.’ And we had the mad Greek with us (Magic Alex) who was paranoid as hell. He kept saying, ‘It’s black magic, black magic. They’re gonna keep you here forever.’ I must have got away because I’m here!”

Does anyone know who this girl is? (foto Gfyvat)

Paul Playingthe Girl like A Guitar (gif moicani.over-blog.com)

Many Years from Now (foto bol.com)

Paul was filled in about these events after they returned. In the book “Many Years From Now,” he relates: “What happened amazed me. They all came storming back and they came round to Cavendish Avenue…It was a big scandal. Maharishi had tried to get off with One of the Chicks. I said, ‘Tell me what happened?‘ John said, ‘Remember that blonde American girl with the short hair? Like a Mia Farrow loo -alike. She was called Pat or something.’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Well, Maharishi made A pass at her.’ So I said, ‘Yes? What’s wrong with that?‘ He said, ‘Well, you know, he’s just a bloody old letch just like everybody else. What the fuck, we can T go following that!‘”

Paul & Maharishi (foto beatlesebooks.com)

In India (foto culturesonar.com)

Maharishi (foto stmargarets.london)

Maharishi on TV (gif Gfycat)

Paul continues: “They were scandalized. And I was quite shocked at them; I said, ‘But he never said he was a god. In fact very much the opposite. He said, ‘Don’t treat me like a god, I’m just a meditation teacher.’ There was no deal about ‘you mustn’t touch women,’ was there? There was no vow of chastity involved. So I didn’t think it was enough cause to leave the whole meditation center…Perhaps they had been looking for something more than a guy and found he wasn’t a god, whereas I’d been looking at a guy who was saying, ‘I’m only giving you a system of meditation.’”

Although the original version of the song, however complete it was at the time, was never recorded, John did briefly demonstrate his original conception of the song to Paul during an early recording session at EMI Studios. Committed to tape, John sang: “You little twat / Who the fuck do you think you are? / Who the fuck do you think you are? / Oh, you cunt.”

The Beatles – Anthology, the  Book (foto amazon.com)

Beatles in India (foto ok.ru)

Donovan & The Beatles in Inda (foto thetimes.co.uk)

Donovan and the Beatles in India (foto donovan.ie)

“John wrote ‘Sexy Sadie’ about that,” Paul continues in “Many Years From Now.” “Righteous indignation! I remember being quite shocked with that. It’s really funny, John’s reaction to this sexual thing. I mean, maybe say, ‘Hey, we thought he was better than that,’ but it seemed a little prudish to me, to do that. So I was quite glad I’d left the week before (…) George persuaded John to change the title and he made the suggestion of ‘Sexy Sadie’ to protect the innocent. I think George was right. It would have been too hard and it would have actually been, as it turned out, rather untrue, because it was Magic Alex who made the original accusation and I think that it was completely untrue.” And in the “Beatles Anthology” book, Paul adds: “He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would [make a pass]. I’ve since wondered, ‘How would a maharishi go about making a pass?’ It’s not so easy. I don’t think any of that happened.” In retrospect, John himself admitted to Rolling Stone’s Jann Wenner that he made a mountain out of a molehill, saying, “I was a bit rough on him. I always expect too much. I’m always wanting my mother and don’t get her.”

Smokey Robinson (foto Beatkes Music Jistory)

The Beatles (gif wifflegif.com)

The Beatles Rock Band (foto deviantart.com)

From the Above Quotes it appears that this “Lennon | McCartney” composition was indeed A 100% Lennon song without any Contribution from Paul, A Slight Nod of Acknowledgement to George for the Title Suggestion being due. Lyrically, however, A Slight Contribution Acknowledgment should also be given to Smokey Robinson because of his Song “I ve Been Good To You,” an Early Favorite of Lennon S, which begins with the Line, “Look what you’ve done | You ve made A Fool of Someone.” Since the Date that John confronted the Maharishi and began his Trip home was April 12th, 1968, the song began it’s formation on this date and was fully written by May 29th of that year, the day he demoed the song at George’s ‘Kinfauns‘ home.

The Beatles wiith Parrot (foto Pinterest)

The Beatles in India (foto infobae.com)

Song Structure and Style

Sexy Sadie Sheet Music over (foto stringfixer.com)

The structure chosen for “Sexy Sadie” is somewhat typical for The Beatles, in this case being ‘verse | verse | bridge | verse | verse | bridge‘ (or AABAABAA) with a simple introduction and faded instrumental conclusion. One thing here that isn T typical is the omission of a concluding verse, although the conclusion actually consists of three instrumental renditions of the verse with little snippets of lyrics from the first and fourth verses thrown in by John.

The introduction is three measures long and is A near replication of what is heard as measures three through five in each of the verses. Paul S piano is the primary focus here, being augmented by some clicks and A couple tambourine hits from Ringo S overdub, as well as Ringo S introductory drum fill in the third measure which brings us nicely into the first verse.

Rngo (foto archive.org)

This verse, as well as all of the others, is seven measures long and begins with John on single tracked lead vocals and quiet rhythm guitar, Pau S piano being the lead instrument along with his overdubbed bass guitar thumping out an impressive (mostly) eighth note melody line, and Ringo S hi-hat-based simple 4/4 drum beat. George S guitar is present as well, but is discernible only periodically, such as at the end of the second measure. Ringo puts forth A drum fill at the end of the third and seventh measures which both consist of a hi hat splash followed by A simple fill on mostly the snare drum. John S vocals become double tracked in the fifth measure for the line “You ve made A fool of everyone,” which ushers in John and Paul S backing vocals for the sixth and seventh measures, their melody line consisting of descending eighth-note “wah-wah”s. John’s vocals then return to single tracked for the final portion of the verse, this time being “oh, what have you done.”

John singing (1968) (foto zdenekhanka.cz)

John & Paul (1968) (foto liveinternet.ru)

Meet the Beatles in India (foto Los Angeles Times)

Verse two is similar in most respects, the continuation of the background vocal “wah-wah”s from the first verse into the second measure of this verse being one difference. Ringo performs similar drum fills in the third and seventh measures but adds an additional one in the fifth measure which doesn’t include the hi-hat splash as the others have. It appears that the only double-tracking of John’s vocals in this verse is on the word “see” in the sixth measure while the background vocals repeat their performance from the first verse but as “see, see, see” this time around.

Paul at the Microphone (fotobeatlesbible.com)

The first bridge is heard next, which is five measures long. Ringo’s beat throughout the bridge is focused on the snare and kick drum only without any use of cymbals whatsoever. George plays a fragrant winding lead guitar passage throughout the chord changes of this bridge. The overdubbed background vocals play a somewhat big role in this section of the song, slowly holding out the syllables of “se – xy – sad – ie” throughout the first two measures and then, in the fifth measure, quickly singing “sexy sadie – she’s the greatest,” mimicking John’s lead vocals at that point. Double-tracking is evident in most of John’s lead vocals during the bridge, but Paul’s piano work is pushed more into the background, revealing instead his Hammond organ chords as a backdrop to the proceedings.

Paul on Piano in 1968 (foto ryanshistoryblog.tumblr.com)

The Beatles Kingdom (foto tenor.com)

Next comes the third verse, which begins with the background vocals returning to “wah-wah”s into the second measure. Ringo keeps up the snare and kick drum pattern for the first measure of this verse which then results in him performing a drum fill at the end of the first measure to go back to his hi-hat drum pattern from the previous verses, then adding another drum fill in the fifth measure. Paul puts in a frilly piano accent at the end of the second measure while John’s lead vocals go in-and-out of double-tracking throughout the verse, most notable on the final line “oh, how did you know.” The background vocals kick back in with “wah-wah”s in the sixth and seventh measures as in the first verse.

Paul sings Hey Jude in Studio (foto diariodosbeatles.blogspot.com)

The fourth verse is also similar in many respects, Ringo performing fills in the third, fifth and seventh measures again as he did in the second verse. Paul’s frilly piano accent is heard again in the second measure but more prominently this time. The background “wah-wah”s are heard in the usual places, measures one, two, six and seven, while John’s vocal double-tracking is still heard periodically as on the phrase “big you are” in the second measure. This goes directly into the second bridge which is virtually a repeat of the first bridge except with different lyrics.

George Harrison in 1968 Close Up (foto Pinterest)

George Harrison S Birthday in India (foto meetthebeatlesforreal.com)

This moves into the song’s conclusion which, as stated above, is an instrumental version of the verse repeated three times. (An instrumental bridge was also recorded here but edited out during mixing, as discussed above.) The first measure of the first instrumental verse features the background vocalists quickly singing “sexy sadie, she’s the latest and the greatest of them all” as John had just sung at the end of the second bridge. Ringo then comes out of the bridge in the same way as he did from the first bridge, drum fill and all. After a falsetto “Woooo” from John in the second measure, George begins an iconic double-tracked winding guitar figure that nicely permeates the song until it eventually fades away. The tambourine finally makes a reappearance in the song in the fifth measure of this conclusion and continues then throughout the rest of the recording.

Paul on Bass (foto beatlesebooks.com)

In the fifth and sixth measures of the first instrumental verse John reprises the line he sang in that spot in the first verse, namely “you made a fool of everyone,” followed by an almost whispered “sexy sadie” in the seventh measure. He repeats the process in the next instrumental verse, singing what he sang in the fourth verse, “however big you think you are.” Other notable features of this conclusion include Ringo adding an interesting added hi-hat beat at the end of many measures as well as various drum fills until the song concludes. Paul noodles around on the piano throughout this conclusion as well as playing chords on his overdubbed Hammond organ, thereby revealing Paul playing two keyboards simultaneously as well as bass guitar during this section of the song.

You Can T Do that Sheet Music (foto beatlesebooks.com)

After around thirty-five hours of studio time, all four Beatles became well acquainted with the song and put in a well seasoned performance amidst all the “Clowning Around,” as Ian MacDonald called it in his book “Revolution In The Head,” that transpired during these sessions. Lyrically, it is interesting, as well as unfortunate, that due to the change of title and subject matter resulting in a gender alteration, John here continues his usual misogynist view of women, even though it turns out that the song isn’t really about a woman at all. Other Lennon Beatle compositions, such as “Run For Your Life,” “You Can T Do That,” “Norwegian Wood” and “Girl” display his negative attitude toward the fairer sex at that time, and this is continued here with phrases like “however big you think you are…you’ll get yours yet” and the sarcastic “she’s the latest and the greatest of them all.” Fortunately, Yoko brought out much more of his feminist side in his solo career, such as in “Woman Is The Nigger Of The World.”

The Beatles – White Album (foto joaquinuno.blogspot.com)

American Releases

The “White Album” was Released in the US on November 25th, 1968, “Sexy Sadie” Fitting Nicely on Side Three as A Tasty Bridge between Two Hard Rockers. The Album was First Released on Compact Disc on August 24th, 1987, then as A 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Release on November 23rd, 1998, and then as A Remastered CD Set on November 9th, 2009. The First Mono Vinyl Version of the Album didn T hit American Shores until September 9th, 2014, while an Excellent New Stereo Vinyl Release came out on November 9th, 2018.

“Sexy Sadie” Song by The Beatles.(foto beatlesebooks)

The song was also featured on the fifth volume of “Playtapes” that Capitol released to comprise the highlights of the “White Album” sometime in 1969. Playtapes were small portable cartridges that only had the capability of including four songs or so, “The Beatles Volume V” being the title of the release that featured “Sexy Sadie” as its opening track.

White Album Original Master Recording (foto beatlesebooks.com)

Sexy Sadie (foto howtoplaybeatles.com)

Keep Calm and Love Sexy Sadie (foto keepcalms.com)

Peter Saltzman – The Beatles in India (foto bol)

An interesting US vinyl edition of the “White Album” was released on January 7th, 1982, this being manufactured by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab in Chatsworth, California as part of their “Origina Master Recording” series. Their practice was to prepare a new master utilizing half-speed mastering technology from the original master tapes, in this case using the leased sub master from Capitol Records. This release, which sounded superior to to all previous British and American Pressings, was packaged in A non-embossed unnumbered cover that did not include the usual poster/lyric sheet or individual Beatles portraits as contained in standard releases. Nonetheless, this excellent edition of the album was only available for a short time and is quite collectible today.

Sexy Sadie (foto risingboutique.com)

October 28th, 1996 was the release date for the compilation album “Anthology 3” which, as stated above, included the original “Take 6” as recorded on July 19th, 1968.

The mono version of the song was first released in America as part of the box set “The Beatles In Mono,” which was released on September 9th, 2009.

Sexie Sadie (foto boreallife.com)

Sexie Sadie Hydrating Shampoo (routinecream.com)

Various editions of the “White Album” were released on November 9th, 2018 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of its original release. The “Deluxe” edition, which was made available in a 3 CD set and A limited edition 180 gram 4 LP vinyl set, contained the newly created Giles Martin mix of the “White Album” as well as the complete set of Esher demos that The Beatles recorded in late May of 1968. The “Super Deluxe” 6 CD + 1 Blu Ray Edition also contains the original ‘Take 3‘ of the rhythm track (mislabeled as ‘Take 11‘ in the accompanying book) as recorded on July 19th, 2018.

Live Performances

Neither The Beatles as A group nor their individual solo members have ever performed “Sexy Sadie” on A live stage.  Isn T it a pity?

George Harrison and Deepak Chopra ((foto beatlemanix.co.il)

Conclusion

While the Maharishi was dumbfounded at Lennon and Harrison leaving India in April of 1968 in such an uproar over something based on such A slim premise, he apparently didn T hold A grudge. Twenty-five years later, in 1993, George and his friend, author Deepak Chopra, visited the Maharishi and took the opportunity to ask him for forgiveness for the song “Sexy Sadie” and any bad press he may have received because of their 1968 visit. “We were very young,” Harrison explained

Maharishi I1993) (fotyo YouTube)

Maharishi on TV (2) (gif Gfycat)

This world religious leader replied that he viewed The Beatles as angels in disguise, citing how he heard that, during their first Ed Sullivan Show appearance in February of 1964, no crime was reported in the US.during that hour. “I could never be upset with angels,” he replied.

Song Summary

“Sexy Sadie”

Written by John Lennon | Paul McCartney

• Song Written April 12 thru May 29, 1968
• Song Recorded August 13 and 21, 1968
• First US Release Date November 25, 1968
• First US Album Release Apple #SWBO 101 “The Beatles”
• US Single Release N|A
• Highest Chart Position N|A
• British Album Release Apple #PCS 7067 7068 “The Beatles”
• Length 03:15
• Key G Major
• Producer George Martin
• Engineers Ken Scott, John Smith

Instrumentation Most Likely

• John Lennon Lead and Backing Vocals, Rhythm Guitar 1964 Gibson J 160E
• Paul McCartney Piano, Hamburg Steinway Baby Grand, Organ Hammond L 100, Bass 1964 Rickenbacker 4001 S, Backing Vocals
• George Harrison Lead Guitar, 1957 Gibson Les Paul, Tambourine
• Ringo Starr Drums, 1964 Ludwig Super Classic Black Oyster Pearl, Tambourine

Written and Compiled by Dave Rybaczewski