The hazy memories of classic rock stars are part of what makes the genre so fascinating. A member of The Moody Blues said he paved the way for The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” by introducing the Fab Four to an important instrument. Paul McCartney has contradictory memories of how his band started using that instrument.
The Beatles’ ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ has an instrument the band found intriguing
During a 2020 interview with Uncut, Paul recalled an anecdote about a 1960s psychedelic instrument. “We used to go into Abbey Road every day; it was our workplace,” he recalled. “One day, in the middle of the studio, there was this … piece of furniture that none of us had ever seen before. It was a kind of wartime grey color. It wasn’t glamorous at all. We said, ‘What’s this?’ The engineer started explaining it to us: ‘It will synthesize strings. You can get flutes and organs and all sorts of stuff.’ So we became fascinated with it.
“We used it on a few things, like the intro to ‘Strawberry Fields,’” he added. “There’s a Spanish guitar line on ‘Buffalo Bill’ — that’s actually the Mellotron. These days, if you go a bit crazy on it and don’t allow it to do its full sample, you end up with a wacky piece of music.” Notably, “Strawberry Fields Forever” uses the Mellotron to create surreal effects, giving the song one of The Beatles’ most innovative soundscapes.
A member of The Moody Blues says he helped The Beatles explore the world of music
So, according to Paul’s recollection, The Beatles discovered the Mellotron for themselves and used it on “Strawberry Fields Forever.” A 2020 Rolling Stone article says The Moody Blues’ Mike Pinder introduced the Mellotron to John Lennon.
In the article, Pinder compared the world of music to a mansion with many rooms. “[The Beatles] opened up door after door, leaving those doors open for other musicians to enter and explore the room and its possibilities,” Pinder said. “And this is why I wanted the guys to have a Mellotron.” Pinder couldn’t imagine another band that could use the Mellotron better than The Beatles.
The Moody Blues’ Justin Hayward emphasized how close his band was to The Beatles. He said there were only a few bands in that particular scene and they all knew each other. Hayward also praised The Beatles’ music as the most memorable catalog of the era.
How much does the true history of ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ really matter?
Paul’s recollection doesn’t align with Pinder’s, but does that even matter? Regardless of how “Strawberry Fields Forever” came to be, it’s still one of the band’s best songs. It’s over 50 years old, and it sounds like nothing else that ever hit the radio. Other songs that include the Mellotron, such as The Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin” and The Rolling Stones’ “We Love You” simply cannot compete.
The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” is one of the best songs of all time — and its origins remain tantalizingly mysterious.
