I’ve highlighted a “Paul album” and a “John album” so now it’s time to focus on one that’s a bit of both. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was a collaborative effort, with John and Paul sharing input on most of the album’s 13 tracks. The few exceptions mostly belong to McCartney (‘Fixing a Hole,’ ‘When I’m 64,’ ‘Lovely Rita’) although Lennon is credited with authorship of ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ and ‘Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.’
The album’s best-loved track, ‘A Day in the Life,’ is split in two, with John contributing the dreamy verses and Paul the upbeat center portion (as well as the cacophonous crescendos in the middle and at the end. One of the reasons that song rises to the upper tier of my list of favorite Beatles songs is how beautifully it combines the personalities and talents of those two songwriters.
‘Getting Better’ is another song that blends those two perspectives. Paul’s “it’s getting better all the time” is matched by John’s “it can’t get no worse.” It’s reminiscent of their collaboration on the wonderful ‘We Can Work It Out,’ where Paul’s optimistic title phrase is paired with John’s more downbeat (musically and lyrically) “Life if very short and there’s no time…”
Apart from ‘A Day in the Life’ and ‘With a Little Help From My Friends,’ ‘Getting Better’ is probably my favorite song on Sgt. Pepper. Much of this album hasn’t aged very well and is more notable for its production values and the creativity of the concept than actual songcraft. But ‘Getting Better’ showcases the best of both.
I used to get mad at my school
The teachers who taught me weren’t cool
You’re holding me down, turning me round
Filling me up with your rules
I’ve got to admit it’s getting better
A little better all the time
It can’t get no worse
I have to admit it’s getting better, it’s getting better
Since you’ve been mine
Me used to be a angry young man
Me hiding me head in the sand
You gave me the word, I finally heard
I’m doing the best that I can
I’ve got to admit it’s getting better
A little better all the time (It can’t get no worse)
I have to admit its getting better, it’s getting better
Since you’ve been mine (Getting so much better all the time)
It’s getting better all the time
Better
It’s getting better all the time
Better Better Better
I used to be cruel to my woman
I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved
Man, I was mean but I’m changing my scene
And I’m doing the best that I can
I admit it’s getting better
A little better all the time (It can’t get no worse)
Yes, I admit it’s getting better, it’s getting better
Since you’ve been mine (Getting so much better all the time)
It’s getting better all the time
Better Better Better
It’s getting better all the time
Better Better Better
Getting so much better all the time
Meet Me In Montauk 
Here I am smiling and singing along while reading your comments, only to come to a crashing halt when I read – and digested for the first time ever – the lyrics in the final verse: “I used to be cruel to my woman/ I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved”
Wow – that’s dark. Makes me hear this song in a whole different way. I’ve always thought of this as a sort of companion to “Here Comes the Sun,” another song where the speaker is taking an optimistic view about the ability to come through a tough time. Now I realize that this bozo is creating the tough time, so if “it’s getting better all the time,” does that “it” refer to his mental illness? His pathological need to beat his woman? Hmmmmmmm…..
Fascinating. Just fascinating.
Yeah, that beating line has always struck me as oddly dark in a song like this. I’m sure it was John’s contribution. 🙂
To me, this is really an example of a Paul song with some John infused lyrics, notably the response “it can’t get no worse” and the final verse. Would the song still be great without John’s contribution? Probably, but not quite as interesting. Lennon later admitted (and Cynthia Lennon confirmed) that John hit Cynthia and was deeply ashamed that he had done so. So, this lyric is his confession. Apparently, John’s passion for the peace movement in later years was, in part, reactionary to his physical abuse of Cynthia.
Anyway, I agree that there are some throwaway songs on Sgt. Pepper, but the highlights are so wonderful and the production so advanced for its day, that, as a whole, the album remains as one of the best ones to play start to finish.