Inspiration
Lennon was inspired to write the song by a 19th century circus poster for Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal, Rochdale, that he purchased in an antique shop on 31 January 1967, while filming the promotional video for "Strawberry Fields Forever" in Sevenoaks, Kent. Lennon explained: "Everything from the song is from that poster, except the horse wasn't called Henry." (The poster identifies the horse as "Zanthus.") Mr. Kite is believed to be William Kite, who worked for Pablo Fanque from 1843 to 1845.
The full text of the original Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal poster is:
- PABLO FANQUE'S CIRCUS ROYAL
- TOWN-MEADOWS, ROCHDALE
- Grandest Night of the Season!
- AND POSITIVELY THE
- LAST NIGHT BUT THREE!
- BEING FOR THE
- BENEFIT OF MR. KITE,
- (LATE OF WELLS'S CIRCUS) AND
- MR. J. HENDERSON,
- THE CELEBRATED SOMERSET THROWER!
- WIRE DANCER, VAULTER, RIDER, etc.
- On TUESDAY Evening, February 14, 1843.
- Mssrs. KITE and HENDERSON, in announcing the following Entertainments ensure the Public that this Night's Production will be one of the most splendid ever produced in this Town, having been some days in preparation.
- Mr. Kite will, for this night only,
- introduce the
- CELEBRATED
- HORSE, ZANTHUS!
- Well known to be one of the
- best Broke Horses
- IN THE WORLD!!!
- Mr. HENDERSON will undertake the arduous Task of
- THROWING TWENTY-ONE SOMERSETS,
- ON THE SOLID GROUND.
- Mr. KITE will appear, for the
- first time this season,
- On The Tight Rope,
- When Two Gentlemen Amateurs
- of this Town will
- perform with him. Mr. HENDERSON will, for the first time
- in Rochdale,
- introduce his extraordinary
- TRAMPOLINE LEAPS
- AND
- SOMERSETS!
- Over Men & Horses, through Hoops,
- over Garters and lastly through a
- Hogshead of REAL FIRE!
- In this branch of the profession Mr. H challenges THE WORLD!
- For particulars see Bills of the day.
"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."
Read more about this topic: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
Famous quotes containing the word inspiration:
“Although this garrulity of advising is born with us, I confess that life is rather a subject of wonder, than of didactics. So much fate, so much irresistible dictation from temperament and unknown inspiration enter into it, that we doubt we can say anything out of our own experience whereby to help each other.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“For a painter, the Mecca of the world, for study, for inspiration and for living is here on this star called Paris. Just look at it, no wonder so many artists have come here and called it home. Brother, if you can’t paint in Paris, you’d better give up and marry the boss’s daughter.”
—Alan Jay Lerner (1918–1986)
“What is called eloquence in the forum is commonly found to be rhetoric in the study. The orator yields to the inspiration of a transient occasion, and speaks to the mob before him, to those who can hear him; but the writer, whose more equable life is his occasion, and who would be distracted by the event and the crowd which inspire the orator, speaks to the intellect and heart of mankind, to all in any age who can understand him.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)