John Lennon’s Handwritten ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ Lyrics Sell for $200,000 – 15 May 2011
Sunday 15 May 2011 | Miscellaneous
On 15 May 2011, John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics for ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ — one of the most celebrated songs on Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band — were sold at auction by the Californian auction house Profiles in History for $200,000. With the addition of auction fees, the total cost to the buyer was $237,000. The same sale included a 1971 letter from Lennon to Paul and Linda McCartney — one of the most candid and combative documents of the post-Beatles period.
The Lyrics: Lot #1552
The handwritten lyrics were sold as lot #1552 and had a pre-sale estimate of $200,000–$300,000. The lot comprised two 1967 lyric sheets in Lennon’s hand, covering the full text of ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. The sheets also featured part of the opening line of ‘She’s Leaving Home’ — another Sgt Pepper song, written primarily by McCartney — suggesting the sheets were working documents from the same creative period rather than fair copies made for presentation.
On the reverse of the lyric sheets were two drawings: a sketch of four people in a room, and a drawing of two ‘rocking horse people’ — a direct reference to the imagery of the song itself (‘rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies’). The drawings give the sheets an additional dimension as artefacts: they are not merely transcriptions of the lyrics but evidence of the visual imagination that accompanied the writing.
The lot sold for $200,000 hammer price. With auction house fees added, the total cost to the buyer was $237,000.
‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’: The Song
‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ was recorded at Abbey Road Studios between 28 February and 2 March 1967 and released on Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on 1 June 1967. It was written primarily by John Lennon, inspired — according to Lennon’s consistent account — by a drawing made by his son Julian, then aged four, of his school friend Lucy O’Donnell. Julian had described the drawing to his father as ‘Lucy in the sky with diamonds’.
The song’s initials — L, S, D — led to widespread speculation that it was a coded reference to lysergic acid diethylamide. Lennon denied this throughout his life, maintaining that the title came directly from Julian’s description of his drawing. The debate has never been definitively resolved, and the song’s dreamlike imagery — tangerine trees, marmalade skies, cellophane flowers, rocking horse people — has ensured that it remains one of the most discussed and analysed songs in the Beatles catalogue.
The 1971 Letter: Lennon to Paul and Linda McCartney
The same Profiles in History auction also included a 1971 letter from John Lennon to Paul and Linda McCartney — one of the most remarkable documents of the post-Beatles period. Written from Tittenhurst Park, Lennon’s home in Ascot, Berkshire, the letter was a response to a letter from Linda McCartney in which she had criticised Lennon and Yoko Ono.
The letter is reproduced here in full as a primary historical document:
Bag Productions Inc.
Tittenhurst Park,
Ascot, Berkshire.
Ascot 23022Dear Linda and Paul,
I was reading your letter and wondering what middle aged cranky Beatle fan wrote it. I resisted looking at the last page to find out – I kept thinking who is it – Queenie? Stuart’s mother? – Clive Epstein’s wife? – Alan Williams? – What the hell – it’s Linda!
You really think the press are beneath me/you? Do you think that? Who do you think we/you are? The “self-indulgent doesn’t realize who he is hurting” bit – I hope you realize what s**t you and the rest of my ‘kind and unselfish’ friends laid on Yoko and me, since we’ve been together. It might have sometimes been a bit more subtle or should I say “middle class” – but not often. We both “rose above it” quite a few times – & forgave you two – so it’s the least you can do for us – you noble people. Linda – if you don’t care what I say – shut up! – let Paul write – or whatever.
When asked about what I thought originally concerning MBE, etc. – I told them as best as I can remember – and I do remember squirming a little – don’t you, Paul? – or do you – as I suspect – still believe it all? I’ll forgive Paul for encouraging the Beatles – if he forgives me for the same – for being – “honest with me and caring too much”! F*****g hell, Linda, you’re not writing for Beatle book!!!
I’m not ashamed of the Beatles – (I did start it all) – but of some of the s**t we took to make them so big – I thought we all felt that way in varying degrees – obviously not.
Do you really think most of today’s art came about because of the Beatles? – I don’t believe you’re that insane – Paul – do you believe that? When you stop believing it you might wake up! Didn’t we always say we were part of the movement – not all of it? – Of course, we changed the world – but try and follow it through – GET OFF YOUR GOLD DISC AND FLY!
Don’t give me that Aunty Gin s**t about “in five years I’ll look back as a different person” – don’t you see that’s what’s happening NOW! – If I only knew THEN what I know NOW – you seemed to have missed that point….
Excuse me if I use “Beatle Space” to talk about whatever I want – obviously if they keep asking Beatle questions – I’ll answer them – and get as much John and Yoko Space as I can – they ask me about Paul and I answer – I know some of it gets personal – but whether you believe it or not I try and answer straight – and the bits they use are obviously the juicy bits – I don’t resent your husband – I’m sorry for him. I know the Beatles are “quite nice people” – I’m one of them – they’re also just as big b******s as anyone else – so get off your high horse! – by the way – we’ve had more intelligent interest in our new activities in one year than we had throughout the Beatle era.
Finally, about not telling anyone that I left the Beatles – PAUL and Klein both spent the day persuading me it was better not to say anything – asking me not to say anything because it would ‘hurt the Beatles’ – and ‘let’s just let it petre out’ – remember? So get that into your petty little perversion of a mind, Mrs. McCartney – the c***s asked me to keep quiet about it. Of course, the money angle is important – to all of us – especially after all the petty s**t that came from your insane family/in laws – and GOD HELP YOU OUT, PAUL – see you in two years – I reckon you’ll be out then –
inspite of it all
love to you both,
from us twoP.S. about addressing your letter just to me – STILL….!!!
The Letter in Context
The letter was written in 1971 — a period of intense acrimony between Lennon and McCartney following the dissolution of The Beatles. The legal proceedings over Apple Corps and the management dispute between Allen Klein (favoured by Lennon, Harrison, and Starr) and the Eastman family (favoured by McCartney) were ongoing. Lennon had released ‘How Do You Sleep?’ on the Imagine album in September 1971 — a song widely interpreted as a direct attack on McCartney. McCartney had responded with ‘Too Many People’ on Ram.
The letter is a remarkable document for several reasons. It is candid to the point of brutality, and it touches on some of the most contested questions of the post-Beatles period: who left the group first, who was responsible for the public announcement of the split, the role of Klein and the Eastmans, and the question of how much credit The Beatles deserved for the cultural changes of the 1960s. Lennon’s claim that ‘PAUL and Klein both spent the day persuading me it was better not to say anything’ about leaving the Beatles — directly contradicting the public narrative in which McCartney was seen as the one who announced the split — is one of the most significant statements in the letter.
The letter also reveals the personal dimension of the dispute: Lennon’s anger at the treatment of Yoko Ono by McCartney and others, his frustration at what he saw as McCartney’s self-aggrandisement, and his genuine affection for his former partner beneath the fury (‘inspite of it all / love to you both’).
Profiles in History and the Broader Auction
Profiles in History is a Californian auction house specialising in Hollywood memorabilia and historical documents. The 15 May 2011 sale included a number of other significant lots alongside the Beatles material: the car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the crystal ball from The Wizard of Oz, a bathing suit worn by Marilyn Monroe, and the sweater worn by Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski.
Key Facts: 15 May 2011
- Date: Sunday 15 May 2011
- Auction house: Profiles in History, California
- Lot number: #1552
- Item: Two 1967 handwritten lyric sheets for ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ by John Lennon
- Also included: Part of the opening line of ‘She’s Leaving Home’; sketch of four people; drawing of two ‘rocking horse people’
- Pre-sale estimate: $200,000–$300,000
- Hammer price: $200,000
- Total with fees: $237,000
- Also sold: 1971 letter from John Lennon to Paul and Linda McCartney
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did John Lennon’s handwritten Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds lyrics sell for?
The two 1967 lyric sheets sold for $200,000 at auction at Profiles in History on 15 May 2011. With auction fees, the total cost to the buyer was $237,000. The pre-sale estimate had been $200,000–$300,000.
What else was on the Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds lyric sheets?
The sheets also featured part of the opening line of ‘She’s Leaving Home’, a sketch of four people in a room, and a drawing of two ‘rocking horse people’ — a direct reference to the imagery of the song.
Who wrote Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?
‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ was written primarily by John Lennon and recorded at Abbey Road in February–March 1967 for Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Lennon said the title came from a drawing made by his son Julian of his school friend Lucy O’Donnell.
What was the 1971 Lennon letter to Paul and Linda McCartney about?
The letter was Lennon’s response to a letter from Linda McCartney criticising him and Yoko Ono. It addressed the treatment of Yoko, the MBEs, who was responsible for the public announcement of the Beatles’ split, the roles of Klein and the Eastmans, and McCartney’s public statements about the group. It was written from Tittenhurst Park in Ascot.
What auction house sold the Lennon lyrics in 2011?
Profiles in History, a Californian auction house specialising in Hollywood memorabilia and historical documents. The same sale included the car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the crystal ball from The Wizard of Oz, a Marilyn Monroe bathing suit, and Jeff Bridges’ sweater from The Big Lebowski.
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