It’s January 1969. The Beatles are falling apart in a cold film studio, trying to "Get Back" to their roots, but meanwhile, a cartoon version of them is saving Pepperland. Most fans today see the Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack as a classic piece of the psychedelic era. But if you look at the actual history, the band kinda hated the project at first. They viewed it as a contractual obligation—a way to get United Artists off their backs without having to actually star in a movie.
The result? An album that is half masterpiece and half orchestral film score. It’s arguably the most lopsided release in their entire discography. You have four "new" songs that the band basically threw into a pile because they weren't "good enough" for Sgt. Pepper or Magical Mystery Tour, paired with a side of George Martin’s instrumental arrangements. It’s weird. It’s uneven. And yet, it contains some of the most sophisticated studio work of the late sixties.
The songs The Beatles "gave away"
When you talk about the Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack, you’re really talking about the scraps from the table of 1967. The Beatles didn't want to write new music for the film. They told the producers to just take whatever was lying around.
"Only a Northern Song" is the prime example. George Harrison wrote it during the Sgt. Pepper sessions. George Martin famously told him it wasn't up to snuff for that album. You can almost hear Harrison’s resentment in the lyrics—he’s literally complaining about the copyright of his own songs. It’s a sarcastic, dissonant, organ-heavy track that perfectly captures his growing frustration with being the "junior" songwriter in the group. It shouldn't work as a "kids' movie" song, but in the context of the Blue Meanies, it’s brilliant.
Then there’s "Hey Bulldog." Honestly, this is the hidden gem of the whole record. Recorded while they were filming the "Lady Madonna" promotional clip, it features one of Paul McCartney’s best bass lines and a barking-mad vocal performance from John Lennon. It’s heavy. It’s riff-driven. It feels more like a precursor to the White Album than a companion to "All You Need Is Love."
"All Together Now" is the opposite. It’s a simple, McCartney-penned singalong. It’s the kind of song people love to hate because it’s so basic, but it’s actually incredibly effective for what it was meant to be: a way to get kids to scream along in the theater.
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The George Martin factor
Side B of the original LP is where things get controversial for rock purists. It’s all George Martin. No Beatles. Just a full orchestra.
Some fans feel ripped off by this. Why pay full price for a Beatles album that’s 50% classical score? But Martin’s work on "Sea of Monsters" and "Pepperland" is actually quite revolutionary. He was blending avant-garde textures with traditional symphonic sounds. If you listen closely to "Sea of Time," you’ll hear him experimenting with Indian influences—sitar and tabla—mixed with Western strings. It’s a bridge between the band's pop world and the world of high-art composition. It's sophisticated. It's lush. It’s also very different from the fuzzy guitars on Side A.
Why the Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack sounds so different today
The version of the Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack you probably listen to on Spotify isn’t the one released in 1969. In 1999, Apple Corps released the Yellow Submarine Songtrack. This was a game-changer.
They ditched the George Martin instrumentals. Instead, they packed it with every Beatles song that actually appeared in the movie—including "Eleanor Rigby," "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," and "Nowhere Man." More importantly, they remixed everything from the original four-track and eight-track tapes.
The difference is staggering. On the original '69 release, the mixing is a bit muddy. On the '99 Songtrack, the drums are centered. The vocals have a clarity they never had before. It’s one of the few times a "remaster" or "remix" actually fundamentally changed how people perceive an album. It went from being a "minor" Beatles release to a "best-of" collection with some cool rarities mixed in.
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The mystery of "All You Need Is Love"
One thing people forget is that the Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack was the first time "All You Need Is Love" appeared on a UK LP. It had been a massive hit single, but it wasn't on an album in Britain until this movie came out.
The song itself is a technical marvel. It was the first global satellite broadcast ever. It has a complex time signature—mostly 7/4—which is incredibly rare for a pop song that becomes a world anthem. Lennon was a genius at making something mathematically complex sound like a simple nursery rhyme.
The cultural impact of a "throwaway" project
You’d think a movie the band didn't even voice themselves (the voices in the film are actors, not the actual Beatles) would be a footnote. It wasn't. The aesthetic of the film, and the sound of the Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack, defined the "look" of the sixties for future generations.
It was a pivot point. Before this, animation was mostly Disney-fied—sweet, round, and predictable. Yellow Submarine was sharp, surreal, and loud. The music had to match that. The screeching feedback at the end of "It’s All Too Much" isn't just noise; it’s a sonic representation of the psychedelic experience. That track, by the way, is arguably the most underrated song in the entire Beatles catalog. It’s over six minutes of shimmering, droning bliss that sounds like it could have been recorded by a Britpop band in the 90s.
The technical legacy of the recording sessions
The Beatles were using Abbey Road as their personal playground by this point. For the Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack sessions, they were pushing the limits of what a four-track recorder could do.
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They were using:
- ADT (Artificial Double Tracking) to thicken vocals.
- Vario-speed to change the pitch and texture of instruments.
- Backwards tapes (especially on the Harrison tracks).
- Physical sound effects, like the bubbles and bells heard in the title track.
"Yellow Submarine" (the song) was actually recorded during the Revolver sessions in 1966. It was a Ringo showcase. But putting it as the lead track for this album gave it a second life. It’s a masterclass in foley work. They had Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones clinking glasses. They had Mal Evans marching. It’s a soundstage in a song.
Is it actually a "Beatles" album?
There’s an ongoing debate among collectors. Does the Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack count as one of the "core" albums? Some say no. They argue it’s a soundtrack, not a studio album.
But if you look at the "Yellow Submarine" title track or "All You Need Is Love," these are essential pillars of their career. Without this album, songs like "Hey Bulldog" might have been lost to the vaults or relegated to a "Past Masters" b-side collection where they wouldn't get the spotlight they deserve. Honestly, the album is essential precisely because it shows the band at their most relaxed. There was no pressure to top Sgt. Pepper. They were just having fun, barking like dogs and singing about clocks and Northern Songs.
What to listen for next time
If you’re going to revisit the Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack, do it with a good pair of headphones.
- Listen to the bass in "Hey Bulldog." Paul is playing it like a lead instrument, darting around John’s piano riff.
- Check the brass section in "All You Need Is Love." It’s intentionally chaotic, quoting everything from "La Marseillaise" to Glenn Miller’s "In the Mood."
- Pay attention to the textures in "Only a Northern Song." It’s meant to sound "wrong." The trumpets are out of tune, the glockenspiel is random. It’s a deliberate deconstruction of a pop song.
The Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack represents a moment in time when The Beatles were so big they could turn their "leftovers" into a cultural phenomenon. It’s a testament to their sheer density of talent. Even when they weren't trying, they were changing the world.
How to experience the soundtrack today
If you want the "true" experience of the Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack, start by watching the 4K restoration of the film. The visual saturation helps the music make sense. After that, compare the original 1969 stereo mix to the 1999 Songtrack remixes. You’ll notice how the older version feels more "vintage" and separated, while the newer version feels like a modern rock record. For the best of both worlds, track down the 2009 mono remasters, which contain the original intended punch of the four "new" tracks. If you're a vinyl collector, look for the original UK Apple pressings; the American Capitol versions had different sleeve notes and slightly different mastering characteristics that purists often argue about.