Song: She’s Leaving Home
Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Performer: The Beatles
Writer: John Lennon / Paul McCartney
Year: 1967

I remember listening to the Sgt. Pepper’s album a lot throughout middle school. This was my favorite song. I remember wishing I could run away. I remember imagining the day I finally left my hometown. I remember really wanting to be on my own. Now, I listen to the song and I still enjoy it, but it makes me wish I didn’t want to leave so badly. It makes me wish I would have been more focused on what I had in the moment instead of constantly running away in my mind.

So, like almost every song I become obsessed with, it appealed to me on an emotional level. But it really is a beautiful song musically as well. It’s not often you hear harp as the primary comping instrument in a song. The song starts with very “harp-y” arpeggios and transitions into the chord progression of the ballad.

The instrumentation brings a lot of drama to the song. There’s harp, piano and a small string section orchestrated like a string quartet. I suppose the song could be a pop ballad… kind of… but the instrumentation makes you think more on the classical spectrum. It’s an interesting juxtaposition with a very singable melody. I think the drama of the orchestration helps to support the story in the song of a young girl running away and her parents coming to terms with that reality.