Дорогая Пруденс: История песни The Beatles

1968 song by the Beatles
the song by the Beatles

"Dear Prudence" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. Written in Rishikesh during the group's trip to India in early 1968, it was inspired by actress Mia Farrow's sister, Prudence Farrow, who became obsessive about meditating while practising with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Her designated partners on the meditation course, Lennon and George Harrison, attempted to coax Farrow out of her seclusion, which led to Lennon writing the song. Lennon wrote "Dear Prudence" using a finger picking guitar technique that he learned from singer songwriter Donovan. Its lyrics are simple and innocent and celebrate the beauty of nature. The Beatles recorded the song at Trident Studios in late August 1968 as a three piece after Ringo Starr temporarily left the group out of protest at McCartney's criticism of his drumming on "Back in the U. S. S. R." and the tensions that typified the sessions for the White Album. The final recording also features contributions from Mal Evans, Jackie Lomax and John McCartney. A demo for the song, recorded at George Harrison's Kinfauns home before the album's sessions, was later released on the 2018 Super Deluxe edition of the White Album. "Dear Prudence" has received praise from music critics, with many praising its lyrics and the band's performance. Lennon later selected it as one of his favourite songs by the Beatles. The song has been covered by many artists, including the Jerry Garcia Band, Ramsey Lewis and Siouxsie and the Banshees, whose version was a top five hit in the UK in 1983.

The inspiration and ostensible subject of the song is Prudence Farrow, the sister of actress Mia Farrow, both of whom were present when the Beatles went to India to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at his ashram in Rishikesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Farrow came to Transcendental Meditation and the Maharishi's teachings as a result of a highly disturbing experience with the hallucinogenic drug LSD. While in Rishikesh in early 1968, Farrow became intensely serious about meditating, refusing to venture out of her bungalow for days on end. Of all the Beatles, Farrow felt closest to John Lennon and George Harrison, who were assigned by the Maharishi to act as her "team buddies". Lennon and Harrison took the responsibility seriously, having similarly experimented with LSD before discovering meditation. The two musicians were asked to coax Farrow out of her seclusion to ensure she socialised with the other students on the course. As a result, Lennon wrote the song "Dear Prudence". In his lyrics, Lennon asks Farrow to "open up your eyes" and "see the sunny skies", reminding her that she is "part of everything". Singer songwriter Donovan remembered that "we were diving deep inside ourselves, not just for 20 minutes in the morning and the evening, but we had days of it deep exploration of the deep psyche So Prudence was in deep, and this [song] was John's way of saying, ‘Are you OK in there?’”

Lennon wrote "Dear Prudence" using a guitar finger picking technique that he learned from Donovan, who had followed the Beatles out to Rishikesh to study Transcendental Meditation. The technique, known as clawhammer picking, was later described by Donovan as "the Carter Family finger style". Author Mark Hertsgaard finds "Dear Prudence" typical of Lennon's work in that it "transcends its origins" to provide a wider message. He says that the lyrics further an idea first espoused by Lennon in "Nowhere Man" in 1965, namely: "Don't hide from life, you have reason to smile, wake up and play your part in the grand scheme of things." According to music critic Kenneth Womack, "Prudence" serves as one of the many literary figures the Beatles created for the White Album, along with Sexy Sadie (representing the Maharishi), Bungalow Bill, Rocky Raccoon and other characters named in the titles of the songs they wrote while in Rishikesh. He likens the collection of these figures in the context of the double album to Impressionistic art, whereby the diverse elements are brought together to form a unifying song cycle. Music critic Tim Riley acknowledges the inspiration of Farrow on Lennon's lyric but says that "ultimately it's a song about sexual awakening, the heady euphoria of natural pleasures wooed by a sublime musical arc."

"Dear Prudence" was one of the 27 songs demoed by the Beatles in late May 1968 in preparation for recording the White Album. Performed solo by Lennon on acoustic guitar, the song was taped at Harrison's house, Kinfauns, in Esher, Surrey. Lennon concluded the performance with a brief spoken commentary during which he says that the song is about "[a girl] who attended a meditation course in Rishikesh". In Hertsgaard's description of the recording, after McCartney interjects with "Cuckoo! ", Lennon adds sarcastically: "Who was to know that she would go completely berserk, under the care of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi?" In his book Revolution: The Making of the Beatles' White Album, David Quantick writes that the "cynicism" in Lennon's delivery reflects his disillusion with the Maharishi in light of rumours alleging that their teacher had made sexual advances towards Mia Farrow. He adds that Lennon now reinterpreted Prudence's episode "in an anti Maharishi light" and "Dear Prudence" was therefore "quite divorced from its original purpose".

The Beatles formally recorded the song at Trident Studios in London from 28 to 30 August. This period was marked by tension and hostility within the group, which had led to Ringo Starr temporarily leaving the band during the recent sessions for McCartney's song "Back in the U. S. S. R." On 28 August, the three remaining Beatles completed the basic track for "Dear Prudence", comprising various guitar parts by Lennon and Harrison, Over the fourth verse and ending, the song's musical arrangement includes an extended drum fill by McCartney, which author Jonathan Gould describes as a "ten bar drum solo", and an ascending countermelody played in two octaves by Harrison. In the opinion of author Ian MacDonald, the "richest ingredient" in the arrangement is Harrison's "Indian" style guitar parts.

Apple Records released The Beatles on 22 November 1968, with "Dear Prudence" sequenced as the second track on side one of the double LP. Its introduction was cross faded with the sounds of a jet aircraft landing which conclude the previous track, "Back in the U. S. S. R." On the Beatles' 1967–1970 compilation 2023 edition, the crossfade is cut off, and the track begins abruptly after the start of the original recording, the song starts cleanly, with no jet aircraft landing effects. In a contemporary review of the album, Record Mirrors writer said: "A shock to my mind was the second track opening with the old folk clawhammer pick done on an open tuned electric guitar. John sings 'Dear Prudence' as instrumentation fades in and out from wistful quiet to booming intensity." Writing more recently in The Beatles Diary, Peter Doggett commented that it was "strange" that the Beatles chose to begin the album with two songs recorded without Starr. He also said that, in expanding the narrative to encompass a "pantheistic vision of the world's beauty", Lennon's song served as "one of the few positive statements" he offered from his visit to Rishikesh. Tim Riley views it as a "key Beatles song about nature" and praises the band's ensemble playing. He says that, while Lennon regularly wrote about childhood and nature, "nowhere else does he sound as composed as he does here, as infatuated with the innocence he's singing about It counts amongst Lennon's finest songs." David Quantick writes that, given Lennon's falling out with the Maharishi in April 1968, the lyric to "Dear Prudence" instead became "an invitation to tune in or drop out". He detects an eeriness in the track that would have fitted with the implications evident in the phrase A Doll's House, which was the intended title for The Beatles. Julian Lennon named "Dear Prudence" as one of his favourite songs written by his father. Lennon is said to have selected it as one of his favourite songs by the Beatles. sold at auction for US$19,500. In the Rutles' 1978 parody of the Beatles' history, All You Need Is Cash, the song was parodied as "Let's Be Natural". In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked "Dear Prudence" at number 63 on the magazine's list of "The Beatles' 100 Greatest Songs". In a similar list compiled by Mojo in 2006, the song appeared at number 44. English post punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees released a cover version of "Dear Prudence" as a single in 1983. The single had been recorded at a tumultuous time for the band; guitarist John McGeoch had left the band due to his purported alcoholism and had temporarily been replaced by Cure frontman Robert Smith. Siouxsie Sioux explained, "It was an insane period for us, extremely busy. We were just being totally hyperactive. I think it took its toll maybe a year or so later. John had been hospitalised for stress and overworking, so he was suffering a bit. Robert stepped in, for the second time, as he did in '79, so the show was still going on, and the touring was all pretty intense and crazy. We went on to record Hyæna together, and then he imploded as well. He just couldn't cope with it." According to drummer Budgie, they were all big fans of the White Album except for Smith, and they settled on "Dear Prudence" because it was the one song he knew. Bassist Steven Severin recalled that the track particularly appealed to him because "John Lennon's version sounds a bit unfinished". They recorded the song at a studio in Stockholm in July 1983 and completed it at Angel Recording Studios in north London, where Smith's sister Janet added a harpsichord part. This version of the song became the band's biggest British hit, peaking at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. Gábor Szabó; the Five Stairsteps (#66/49 in USA, #65 in Canada); Katfish, whose version peaked at number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100; and Leslie West in 1976. In addition, Sean Lennon included the song on his 1991 Japanese CD release Happy Birthday, John, and Alanis Morissette performed it on the 2001 Lennon tribute Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music. Guitarist Tom Gamble arranged the song for solo guitar in 2021, which was featured as part of the John Lennon 80th Birthday celebrations on the official John Lennon website.