“Saint Paul” is a song by Terry Knight, released in 1969.
Let me tell you about this fascinating piece of music history! “Saint Paul,” released in 1969, was Terry Knight’s most well-known song before he became famous as the manager of Grand Funk Railroad.
Terry’s musical journey started back in 1965 with his band Terry Knight and the Pack. They had some success covering hits like “(You’re a) Better Man Than I” (originally by The Yardbirds) and “I (Who Have Nothing)” (Ben E. King’s song). Terry Knight was quite talented, writing songs and producing for other artists at Cameo-Parkway Records.
In 1968, Terry Knight headed to London with big dreams of working with The Beatles’ Apple Records. He even got to meet Paul McCartney and witnessed some of the White Album recording sessions! Though things didn’t work out with Apple, this experience would inspire something special later.
Saint Paul
After returning to America, Knight landed a producer role at Capitol Records, where he also got the chance to record his own music. That’s when he wrote “Saint Paul,” released in May 1969. The song is quite remarkable because it incorporates melodies and arrangements from several Beatles songs – like “Hey Jude,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Hello, Goodbye,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” and “She Loves You.”
An interesting business development followed: Northern Songs’ American branch, McClean, which owned The Beatles’ publishing rights, became involved with the song. This led to a professional arrangement where Terry Knight was allowed to use elements of Beatles songs, with McClean receiving royalties. It’s actually the only non-Beatles-written song in their publishing catalog!
The lyrics of “Saint Paul” reflect Knight’s observations of The Beatles’ internal dynamics and Apple Records’ situation. It turned out to be quite prophetic, as the band would announce their break-up the following year.
This song in May 1969, months before all the “Paul is dead” rumours started circulating
The song created quite a buzz among Beatles fans, with various interpretations of its meaning. This is where the rumours started that Paul was dead.
Terry Knight himself maintained a diplomatic silence about the specific meanings, letting the music speak for itself.
The lyrics of “Saint Paul” are really interesting – it’s like a musical letter to Paul McCartney. Here’s the cool part: Knight cleverly wove in references to multiple Beatles songs while telling his own story. Let me show you some of the most intriguing parts:
When he sings “Let me take you down,” it’s a direct nod to “Strawberry Fields Forever.” And that line “Hey there, Paul, what’s new?” mirrors the melody of “Hey Jude.” Super clever, right?
There’s this really powerful verse:
Saint Paul
Lyrics
I looked into the sky
Everything was high
Higher than it seemed to be to me
Standing by the sea
Thinking I was free
Did I hear you call or was I dreaming then, St. Paul?
This part seems to reflect Knight’s experience of meeting Paul in London – there’s this sense of both awe and disappointment in the lyrics.
Then there’s this fascinating bit:
You knew it all along Something had gone wrong They couldn't hear your song of sadness in the air While they were crying out, "beware" Your flowers & long hair While you & Sgt. Pepper saw the writing on the wall
This part really captures the tension within The Beatles at the time. Knight had witnessed some of their studio sessions during the White Album period, so he had a front-row seat to the band’s internal struggles.
You say you want to live your life to the future
They say they've got dues to pay today
You say it's the fool who plays it cool, Sir
And if tomorrow comes, you know, they'll all hear St. Paul say:
Let me take you down
You have a different view
Hey there, Paul, what's new?
Did Judas really talk to you
or did you put us on?
I think there's something wrong
It's taking you too long
To change the world
Sir Isaac Newton said it had to fall
Hey St. Paul!
You say you want to live your life to the future
They say they've got dues to pay today
You say it's the fool who plays it cool, Sir
And if tomorrow comes, you know, they'll all hear St Paul say:
I read the news today, oh boy.
You had a different view
Hey there, Paul, what's new?
Did Judas talk to you
or did you put the whole world on?
I think there's something wrong
It's taking you too long to change the world
Sir Isaac Newton told you it would fall
You didn't listen, St. Paul!
One of the most interesting parts is how he references Newton:
“Sir Isaac Newton said it had to fall”
this was Knight’s way of suggesting that even something as mighty as The Beatles couldn’t last forever. Pretty prophetic, considering the band would break up the following year!
and the Judas reference might be talking about the business tensions at Apple Records.