The Beatles created some of the most enduring music in history, but several iconic tracks began with remarkably strange working titles before evolving into familiar classics. According to band members and producers, songs like “Sexy Sadie,” “Yesterday,” and “Tomorrow Never Knows” underwent significant creative changes during the songwriting and recording process.
How “Maharishi” Became “Sexy Sadie”
“Sexy Sadie” is a tribute to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian spiritual leader, disguised as a pop song, according to interviews compiled in The Beatles Anthology. John Lennon began writing the track while waiting for a taxi in India as he prepared to leave, originally using the spiritual leader’s actual name in the lyrics.
“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,’” George Harrison told The Beatles Anthology. Harrison suggested the alternative title, prompting Lennon to change the name to “Sexy Sadie” before flying back to Yoko in England.
From “Scrambled Eggs” to “Yesterday”
The Lennon-McCartney collaboration known worldwide as “Yesterday” spent its early development under the working title “Scrambled Eggs.” Paul McCartney initially used placeholder lyrics before the song’s actual opening verse was written.
Early draft lyrics recorded by McCartney included the lines: “Scrambled eggs/Oh my baby how I love your legs/Not as much as I love scrambled eggs.” Producer George Martin later persuaded McCartney to adopt a single-word title, according to Mark Lewisohn.
“Paul said he wanted a one-word title and was considering ‘Yesterday’, except that he thought it was perhaps too corny. I persuaded him that it was all right,” producer George Martin told Mark Lewisohn.
Changing “The Void” to “Tomorrow Never Knows”
The track “Tomorrow Never Knows” was originally supposed to be called “The Void.” Lennon altered the name to make the song more digestible for Beatles fans.
The song’s lyrical themes drew inspiration from drug experimentation and literature. Specifically, Lennon utilized Timothy Leary’s adaptation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, as explained by Paul McCartney in The Beatles Anthology.
“For the first time we got the idea that, as with ancient Egyptian practice, when you die you lie in state for a few days, and then some of your handmaidens come and prepare you for a huge voyage,” McCartney said. “With LSD, this theme was all the more interesting.”
Did You Know?
George Martin is referred to as the “fifth Beatle” and persuaded Paul McCartney to change “Scrambled Eggs” to “Yesterday.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the original title of “Yesterday”?
The original working title for “Yesterday” was “Scrambled Eggs,” complete with placeholder lyrics about loving legs and eggs.
Who inspired the song “Sexy Sadie”?
According to The Beatles Anthology, “Sexy Sadie” was written about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian spiritual leader.
Why was “Tomorrow Never Knows” renamed?
John Lennon changed the title from “The Void” to “Tomorrow Never Knows” to make the track more digestible for Beatles fans, drawing inspiration from Timothy Leary’s interpretation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead.
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