Just like it's companion piece "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Penny Lane" is a song dealing with childhood nostalgia. Or to be more precise, a now grown up man achingly trying to reach for that youthful perspective of the world, which obviously makes him happy, since he is nowadays probably stuck in a more troubled life.
Because the storyteller is not really there, you see. His "observations" are rather a kaleidoscopic collage of images and impressions, assembled during his childhood days (and adolescence as well, judging from the veiled sexual allegorys - the "clean machine" part could be a reference, the "finger pie" one certainly is). Instead he quite literarily sits "behind the blue suburban skies", not so much imaging the place as reminiscing it.
While both "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields" are essentially happy nostalgic song, there are disturbing things lurking just beneath the surface. While the latter has a slightly frightening theme underlying it, the nature of "Penny Lane" is more of a sad one (would Macca ever write a truly frightening song? - never mind "Helter Skelter"). While the refrain should count as one of the peppiest pieces of pop music ever written (exactly evocative of the feeling the storyteller is trying to get across), there are certain moments in the song where the melody, if only for a few seconds, turns moodier. The point where the mood gets most anxious coincides with the line "she feels as if she's in a play - she is anyway". This must be interpreted as the cynical grown up's rationalizing of the the Childhood Dreamer, even though they are the same person (or maybe the sober Paul reaching through to the high Paul - I'll leave the drug talk to others). And this is where the tragic aspects of the song (and the whole concept of nostalgia) becomes evident; the dream can never really be realized.
But we always find ourself returning to the bittersweet nursings of nostalgia, don't we? Just as we keep returning to "Penny Lane". This is truly one of the Beatles' very best songs.
Just like it's companion piece "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Penny Lane" is a song dealing with childhood nostalgia. Or to be more precise, a now grown up man achingly trying to reach for that youthful perspective of the world, which obviously makes him happy, since he is nowadays probably stuck in a more troubled life.
Because the storyteller is not really there, you see. His "observations" are rather a kaleidoscopic collage of images and impressions, assembled during his childhood days (and adolescence as well, judging from the veiled sexual allegorys - the "clean machine" part could be a reference, the "finger pie" one certainly is). Instead he quite literarily sits "behind the blue suburban skies", not so much imaging the place as reminiscing it.
While both "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields" are essentially happy nostalgic song, there are disturbing things lurking just beneath the surface. While the latter has a slightly frightening theme underlying it, the nature of "Penny Lane" is more of a sad one (would Macca ever write a truly frightening song? - never mind "Helter Skelter"). While the refrain should count as one of the peppiest pieces of pop music ever written (exactly evocative of the feeling the storyteller is trying to get across), there are certain moments in the song where the melody, if only for a few seconds, turns moodier. The point where the mood gets most anxious coincides with the line "she feels as if she's in a play - she is anyway". This must be interpreted as the cynical grown up's rationalizing of the the Childhood Dreamer, even though they are the same person (or maybe the sober Paul reaching through to the high Paul - I'll leave the drug talk to others). And this is where the tragic aspects of the song (and the whole concept of nostalgia) becomes evident; the dream can never really be realized.
But we always find ourself returning to the bittersweet nursings of nostalgia, don't we? Just as we keep returning to "Penny Lane". This is truly one of the Beatles' very best songs.