The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British orchestra based in Lond… Read Full Bio ↴The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra". The RPO was founded in 1946 by Sir Thomas Beecham and played its first concert in Croydon on September 15, 1946. Beecham was principal conductor until his death in 1961. He was followed by then assistant conductor Rudolf Kempe, who was given the title of Conductor for Life in 1970. Subsequent musical directors and principal conductors have been Antal Doráti, Walter Weller, André Previn, Vladimir Ashkenazy. Yuri Temirkanov was appointed principal conductor in 1992. Daniele Gatti became the RPO's music director in 1996. He will step down from this post in 2009 and become Conductor Laureate. In 2009, Charles Dutoit will become the Orchestra's artistic director and principal conductor.[1]

The orchestra toured the United States in 1950, thus becoming the first British orchestra to visit America since the London Symphony Orchestra in 1912.

A Review of the orchestral scene of 1950 said of the RPO:
Leader David McCallum … Royal Philharmonic Society concerts (Beecham 4, Celibidache, Sargent). Number of concerts: 32 (approx)…. The Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic share a very serious disability: that neither is a permanently constituted orchestra. Both assemble and disperse more or less at random…there is no style which is distinctively RPO or Philharmonia.[2]

Later the orchestra began to develop its own character, particularly in the woodwind section, led by Jack Brymer (clarinet), Gwydion Brooke (bassoon), Terence McDonagh (oboe), and Gerald Jackson (flute), sometimes referred to as ‘The Royal Family’.[3]

After Beecham's death, the orchestra reorganised itself as a self-governing limited company. and soon encountered difficulties.[4] The Royal Philharmonic Society decided not to engage the RPO for its concerts in 1963, Glyndebourne engaged the London Philharmonic instead of the RPO from 1964 onwards and the management of the Royal Festival Hall also severed its connections with the orchestra. Some senior players left, and Kempe resigned as chief conductor, though he returned shortly afterwards. Helped by strong support from Sir Malcolm Sargent the orchestra successfully mounted its own concerts at a cinema in the London inner suburb, Swiss Cottage. [5]

A further threat to the orchestra's existence came in 1984, when a review carried out on behalf of the Arts Council by the journalist William Rees-Mogg opined that England lacked 'a great eastern symphony orchestra': the suggestion was that the RPO should move to Nottingham. However, another Arts Council report of the same period recommended that the RPO should supplement the London Symphony Orchestra as resident orchestra at the Barbican Centre; neither proposal came to fruition.[6]

In 1992 the orchestra appointed Peter Maxwell Davies as associate conductor and composer. The same year, UEFA commissioned the orchestra to sing the UEFA Champions League Hymn[citation needed].

On April 7, 1994, the Royal Philharmonic under the direction of Sir Gilbert Levine performed at the Vatican in the historic "Papal Concert to Commemorate the Holocaust", with cellist Lynn Harrell and Academy Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss as narrator.

In July 2008 it was announced that the RPO would continue its residency in Lowestoft for a fifth year, bringing four concerts a year to England's most easterly town.

I Am The Walrus
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Lyrics

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I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together
See how they run like pigs from a gun
See how they fly
I'm crying

Sitting on a cornflake
Waiting for the van to come

Corporation T-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday
Man you've been a naughty boy
You let your face grow long

I am the eggman
They are the eggmen
I am the walrus
Goo goo g' joob

Mr. City policeman sitting
Pretty little policemen in a row
See how they fly like Lucy in the sky
See how they run
I'm crying
I'm crying, I'm crying, I'm crying

Yellow matter custard
Dripping from a dead dog's eye
Crabalocker fishwife
Pornographic priestess
Boy, you've been a naughty girl
You let your knickers down

I am the eggman
They are the eggmen
I am the walrus
Goo goo g' joob

Sitting in an English garden
Waiting for the sun
If the sun don't come you get a tan
From standing in the English rain

I am the eggman
("How do you do sir")
They are the eggmen
("The man maintains a fortune")
I am the walrus
Goo goo g' joob Goo Goo Goo g' joob

Expert, texpert choking smokers
Don't you think the joker laughs at you
(Ho ho ho hee hee hee hah hah hah)
See how they smile like pigs in a sty
See how they snide
I'm crying

Semolina Pilchard
Climbing up the Eiffel tower
Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna
Man, you should have seen them kicking
Edgar Allen Poe

I am the eggman
They are the eggmen
I am the walrus
Goo goo g' joob
Goo goo goo g' joob
Goo goo g' joob
Goo goo goo g' joob
Goo goo
Juba juba juba
Juba juba juba
Juba juba juba
Juba juba

(Oh I'm tired, servicible villain
Set you down father, rest you)

Overall Meaning

The Beatles' "I Am The Walrus" is a psychedelic song full of paradoxes and surrealistic elements. The first verse, "I am he as you are he as you are me, And we are all together", suggests the concept of oneness or unity, where everyone is connected and equal, and there is no hierarchy. The line "See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly, I'm crying" could reference humanity's tendency to blindly follow authority, even when it leads to destruction, and the singer's sorrow about it.

The second verse features the singer sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van (possibly a metaphor for a mental hospital). The reference to the "corporation T-shirt" and "stupid bloody Tuesday" could be a criticism of organized capitalist society and the monotony of the 9-5 workweek. The third verse contains some of the song's most famous lines, "I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob". The eggman and eggmen could refer to the Beatles and their fans, who are all "eggs", embryonic beings with potential, waiting to hatch into something new. The "walrus" could represent the singer himself, who is the leader of the group and has a certain amount of ego.

The rest of the song contains more surrealistic imagery, such as "yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye" and "elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna". The song ends with a series of nonsensical phrases and sounds, as if the singer has slipped fully into a dreamlike state. Overall, the song could be interpreted as a commentary on the absurdity and inanity of contemporary society and the possibility of transcending it through unity and imagination.

Line by Line Meaning

I am he as you are he as you are me And we are all together See how they run like pigs from a gun See how they fly I'm crying
We are all connected in some way, and it's disturbing to see people react to danger in panicked ways. It is also upsetting to see the innocent killed.

Sitting on a cornflake Waiting for the van to come Corporation T-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday Man you've been a naughty boy You let your face grow long
You are waiting for something important, but it hasn't come yet. Everything feels meaningless, especially the trivial distractions of society. You've done something wrong, which makes you feel guilty and anxious.

I am the eggman They are the eggmen I am the walrus Goo goo g' joob
I am unique and mysterious, and those who are trying to understand me are baffled. It's like everyone is trying to be one and the same, but I'm standing out in a way no one can comprehend.

Mr. City policeman sitting Pretty little policemen in a row See how they fly like Lucy in the sky See how they run I'm crying I'm crying, I'm crying, I'm crying
People in positions of power seem to be acting foolishly, and it's all too much to bear. It's hard to comfort oneself in such an overwhelming and distressing situation.

Yellow matter custard Dripping from a dead dog's eye Crabalocker fishwife Pornographic priestess Boy, you've been a naughty girl You let your knickers down
The world is a grotesque, disgusting place, and people who are supposed to carry themselves with dignity or be looked up to are hypocrites. There are those who are punished for breaking social norms, but others who are treated as symbols of authority despite their darker secrets.

Sitting in an English garden Waiting for the sun If the sun don't come you get a tan From standing in the English rain
Life is like spending time in a garden, with everything in its proper place and waiting for the natural order of things. But unexpected circumstances can leave you feeling unprepared and exposed.

I am the eggman ("How do you do sir") They are the eggmen ("The man maintains a fortune") I am the walrus Goo goo g' joob Goo Goo Goo g' joob
I am unique and baffling, but it seems like others are trying to imitate or emulate me. I might even represent something greater than myself, an allegory or symbol for a larger concept.

Expert, texpert choking smokers Don't you think the joker laughs at you (Ho ho ho hee hee hee hah hah hah) See how they smile like pigs in a sty See how they snide I'm crying
Intelligence and knowledge can be used as weapons, and the foolish and ignorant can become the butt of a joke. It's tragic how people smile through their pain, and how other negatively judge them for their struggles.

Semolina Pilchard Climbing up the Eiffel tower Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allen Poe
People can achieve the impossible, but their actions might be foolish or devoid of meaning. They can turn to unconventional spiritual practices, but others might not understand their motivations. Everything seems like a chaotic mess, like a Poe story.

I am the eggman They are the eggmen I am the walrus Goo goo g' joob Goo goo goo g' joob Goo goo g' joob Goo goo goo g' joob Goo goo Juba juba juba Juba juba juba Juba juba juba Juba juba (Oh I'm tired, servicible villain Set you down father, rest you)
I am different and unique, but it seems like others are trying to dehumanize or categorize me. My strange behavior and symbolism mediate between the real world and something beyond it, perhaps a dimension of dreams or the unknown. Sometimes it's overwhelming and I just want peace and quiet.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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