McCartney On Lost "Carnival" Track: Don't Expect "Strawberry Fields"

Paul McCartney has revealed more about the Beatles' lost song "Carnival of Light," a 14-minute track the band recorded in 1967 but never released. While McCartney wants people to hear the track, which he has described as a "happening," he recommends fans keep their expectations in check. "People are thinking there's another 'Strawberry Fields' somewhere [and] you know, this is more plinky-plonky," McCartney told the Times U.K.. "I mean, I like it, but it's not to everyone's taste."

The song was apparently not for George Harrison's taste either, since the guitarist blocked "Carnival" from appearing on the Fab Four's Anthology 2 collection. The track was recorded for the Million Volt Light and Sound Rave at the Roundhouse and earned a place in Beatles lore over the decades. "The time has come for its moment," McCartney said in November. "I like it because it's like the Beatles free." Still, no plans to release the track have been unveiled, but it's a safe bet that you shouldn't expect the epic-length track to show up anywhere on that Beatles' Rock Band game.

Related Stories:
• Paul McCartney Wants to Release "Lost" 14-Minute Beatles Track
• Beatles to iTunes "Stalled," Says McCartney
• The Beatles, "Rock Band" Makers To Release New Video Game in 2009

• 
  MUSIC The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments
• 
  MOVIES & TV 'Game of Thrones': The Show Vs. the Books
• 
  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Facebook IPO vs. Shareholders
• 
  VIDEOS Exclusive: Garbage Rip Through 'I Think I'm Paranoid'

Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter