Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
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"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. It first appeared on their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was written and composed primarily by John Lennon (based on a circus poster from 1843) and credited to Lennon–McCartney.
The Residents have performed the song live exactly once, at the London Sinfonietta's Remembering The Beatles concert in Milan on September 21st 2007. To date, The Residents' version of the song has not seen an official release.
History
The Beatles' version
"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is credited to Lennon–McCartney, but Lennon said he had written it entirely himself. It was inspired by a 1843 circus poster for Pablo Fanque’s Circus Royal appearance at Rochdale, which Lennon had found in an antiques shop in Kent while The Beatles were shooting the "Strawberry Fields Forever" promotional film.
One of the most musically complex songs on their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, it was recorded by The Beatles on February 17th 1967, with additional overdubs on February 20th, March 28th, 29th and 31st. Lennon wanted the track to have a "carnival atmosphere", and told producer George Martin that he wanted "to smell the sawdust on the floor".
The song's lyrics (based on the original poster) detail the evening's program, which was to occur at Bishopsgate in the following sequence: On Saturday at 5:50 pm the band was to begin playing while Mr. Kite would perform, flying "through the ring." Meanwhile, Mr. Henderson would execute ten somersaults, and then perform on the trampoline, "over men and horses, hoops and garters," and "lastly through a hogshead of real fire." This act would be followed by the Hendersons dancing and singing. Finally, Henry the Horse would dance the waltz.
Mr. Kite is believed to be William Kite, who worked for Pablo Fanque from 1843 to 1845. "Mr. J. Henderson" was John Henderson, a wire-walker, equestrian, trampoline artist, and clown. While the poster made no mention of "Hendersons" plural, as Lennon sings, John Henderson did perform with his wife Agnes, the daughter of circus owner Henry Hengler. The Hendersons performed throughout Europe and Russia during the 1840s and 1850s.
The Residents' version
The Residents performed a live cover version of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" live as part of the London Sinfonietta's Remembering The Beatles concert at the Arena Concerti in Italy on September 21st 2007.
For this concert, the Sinfonietta performed the entirety of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with a different guest artist on lead vocals for each song. To date, this performance has never been released by The Residents in any official capacity.
This live performance was also the final live appearance (to date) of The Residents' iconic eyeball and skull masks.