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TL;DR:

  • “All Together Now” from The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine was inspired by the band’s live shows.
  • Paul described “All Together Now” as “a play-away command song for children.”
  • “All Together Now” was not a single, but Yellow Submarine was an international hit.
The Beatles' Paul McCartney and John Lennon with guitars
The Beatles’ Paul McCartney and John Lennon | Bettmann / Contributor

Paul McCartney revealed the title of “All Together Now” from The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine soundtrack has a double meaning. In addition, he said the track was based on a tune he wrote to entertain children. Paul was wrongly dismissive of the song’s quality.

Paul McCartney said ‘All Together Now’ from The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ was for kids

In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed the origin of The Beatles’ “All Together Now” from the Yellow Submarine soundtrack. “When they were singing a song, to encourage the audience to join in they’d say ‘All together now!’ so I just took it and read another meaning into it, of we are all together now,” he said. “So I used the dual meaning.”

Paul discussed the song’s genre. “It’s really a children’s song,” he said. “I had a few young relatives and I would sing songs for them.”

Paul McCartney the song was 1 of The Beatles’ throwaways

Paul said “All Together Now” was similar to an earlier children’s song he wrote. “I used to do a song for kids called ‘Jumping Round the Room,’ very similar to ‘All Together Now,’ and then it would be ‘lying on your backs,’ all the kids would have to lie down, then it would be ‘skipping round the room,’ ‘jumping in the air,'” he said.

“It’s a play-away command song for children,” Paul added. “It would be in G, very very simple chords, only a couple of chords, so that’s what this is. There’s a little subcurrent to it but it’s just a sing-along really. A bit of a throwaway.”

Paul’s statement that the song is “a bit of a throwaway” feels a bit misguided. Although plenty of adults love it, The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine soundtrack is meant for children. Like the song “Yellow Submarine,” “All Together Now” has a lot of energy and it sounds great to kindergartners.

Related

John Lennon Said Another Star Helped Paul McCartney Write The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’

How ‘All Together Now’ and ‘Yellow Submarine’ performed on the pop charts

“All Together Now” was never a single, so it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune appeared on the album Yellow Submarine. The album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 25 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “All Together Now” did not chart in the United Kingdom either. On the other hand, the Yellow Submarine album reached No. 3 in the U.K. and lasted on the chart for 10 weeks. While “All Together Now” never became a standard on the level of “Let It Be,” the tune inspired covers by Lizzo and OutKast. That’s interesting considering Lizzo and OutKast make music that’s so far removed from the style of “All Together Now.”

“All Together Now” is no “A Day in the Life,” but it’s meant for a different audience.

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