Friday January 14, 2022 “Lady Madonna” The Beatles
It wouldn’t be 1968 without the Beatles and “Lady Madonna” is such an iconic tune that it had to be included. Paul McCartney said that this song is a tribute to women everywhere and that it was partially inspired by a National Geographic photo of a woman in Vietnam suckling her child, over the caption "Mountain Madonna."
Lennon and McCartney said they frequently took inspiration from their favorite artists, often going into musical character as some of them when they crafted songs. When McCartney started playing the boogie-woogie piano on this track, he said he thought of Fats Domino, specifically his 1956 song "Blue Monday," which also includes a days of the week reference as does “Lady Madonna”. That is everyday of the week in “Lady Mdonna” except Saturday.
It has been suggested that the distinctive piano arrangement for “Lady Madonna” may have been lifted from a 50s jazz classic: "Bad Penny Blues" by Humphrey Lyttleton. You can check the undeniable similarities here and add to the equation that Paul’s dad Jim McCartney led a jazz band and frequently played piano pieces at family gatherings.
Lady Madonna is a pretty straightforward song. Guitar chords are A D A D F G A Dm with a slightly problematic Bm thrown in for the chorus.
Stay safe and well…and now that you know Paul skipped Saturday, do you wonder what Lady Madonna does on Saturday.