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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment

Top marks for Sgt Pepper

The Beatles pictured outside the Sgt Pepper launch party in Belgravia, London, in 1967.
The Beatles pictured outside the Sgt Pepper launch party in Belgravia, London, in 1967. Photograph: David Redfern/Jan Oloffson/Redferns

The lyrics from pop songs have appeared in the classroom before those of Taylor Swift (Belgian university launches Taylor Swift-inspired literature course, 13 August). Realising, half an hour before an English class, that I hadn’t done my homework to submit a classic poem of our choosing, I hastily wrote out the words of the Beatles’ She’s Leaving Home from the recently released Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, hoping my teacher wouldn’t understand the reference.

Needless to say I was rumbled. Mr Arrowsmith’s comment as I left his class was “Mr Major. Not quite what I had in mind but thank you for at least not choosing Lovely Rita. Dreadful nonsense.” When my paper was returned, he had noted, “Inventive. I give McCartney an A”.
John Major
Shrewsbury, Shropshire

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