Book Review: Let Me Take You Down

John Lennon wrote “Strawberry Fields Forever” in Almería, Spain, in fall 1966, and in November, in response to that song, Paul McCartney wrote “Penny Lane” at his home in London. A culmination of what was one of the most life-altering and chaotic years in the Beatles’ career, these two songs composed the 1967 double A-side 45 rpm record that has often been called the greatest single in the history of popular music and was, according to Beatles producer George Martin, “the best record we ever made.”

In Let Me Take You Down: Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever, Jonathan Cott recounts the conception and creation of these songs; describes the tumultuous events and experiences that led the Beatles to call it quits as a touring band and redefine themselves solely as recording artists; and details the complex, seventy-hour recording process that produced seven minutes of indelible music. In writing about these songs, he also focuses on them as inspired artistic expressions of two unique ways of experiencing and being in the world, as Lennon takes us down to Strawberry Fields and McCartney takes us back to Penny Lane.

Let Me Take You Down will be published on April 30, 2024. University of Minnesota Press provided an early galley for review.

I have been a Beatles fan since childhood. One of the first albums I ever remember actively listening to was 1964's Meet The Beatles. And, of course, the two songs that are the subject of this book are certainly favorites.

Cott's approach is an interesting one, starting from the position that the songs are two sides of the same coin. He structures his book in a similar fashion which carries the analogy further. His detailed historical research lays out where the band was at the time and how they arrived at the point the songs were composed and recorded. As I get older, I find myself fascinated by the recording process and details of songs.

The second part of the book consists of five insightful conversations as the author discusses the two songs and more with Laurie Anderson, Bill Frisell, Richard Gere, Margaret Klenck and Jonathan F.P. Rose. Cott's choices come from all walks of life, some I knew and some I did not. I liked that Cott formatted it all as a narrative conversation rather than a standard script-interview approach. It was like having a fly-on-the-wall position while these interesting conversations were taking place.

Overall, I would say that Let Me Take You Down would be of interest to both casual Beatles fans as well as diehard ones (though the latter will likely be well-versed in the information found in the first part). It definitely gives the reader something to think about.