“Penny Slain” is a classic sounding twee single resulting from the collaboration of two Australian musicians: Jazz composer and pianist Jason Whatley accompanied by rock artist Anthony Rochester. The vocals are written and sung by Whatley, while Rochester produced the track and can be heard on the drums, bass, guitar, melodica, organ, and even the glockenspiel. The title is a silly, yet dark play on words as an ode to the beloved anthem “Penny Lane”, with even the album art giving a nod to the UK city of Liverpool, home of the Beatles.
The distinctive sound of the melodica is the first instrument listeners hear, soon joined with slight glassy percussion in the distance. The instrumentals already sound reminiscent of “Penny Lane” within the first few seconds of the track. It’s an optimistic, upbeat melody, yet the opening lyrics tell a bit of a different story.
She did, she died
She gone ceased to be
Penny was slain, believe me
The contrast between the happy-go-lucky instrumentals and the apparent death of Penny is so Beatles-esque in the best way possible (Think “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” or “Misery”). This is a common trope in music, but it’s one that we’ll never get tired of. It’s witty, unique, and maybe a little humorous. But, this song is more than just simply a silly reference to the Beatles and their discography.
Lurched back to life
Like it was Halloween
God bless Pavement and Lou Reed
Presumably a reference to the indie rock band and Velvet Underground’s frontman, these lyrics show how they actually feel about the Beatles. Lou Reed notoriously trashed the Beatles, claiming they were never as good as everyone said, and Pavement was jokingly mistaken as the Beatles on an Adult Swim episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. One of the most popular bands in the world, from their songs, to their costumes and live performances, the Beatles transformed the world of music, though it seems as if Whatley is thanking these other artists for the death of that genre. Bands such as Pavement and the Velvet Underground changed the trajectory of music the Beatles had set just a few years prior, and desperately tried to shake themselves from that comparison.
I want to live my life
Like all the others do
A little less I like
A little more like you
From what started out as an ode to the Beatles, the track quickly changes meaning with just those few lyrics. It’s easy to compare bands and other artists to each other, especially considering I did that multiple times in this review. But “Penny Slain” says absolutely not, and basically pranked me. Penny is merely a symbol of the nostalgic aura of the Beatles’ and their songs, and she’s dead. Whatley’s lyricism in this track is impressively figurative in nature, and also just plain funny. With the combination of this message to Beatles megafans and the playful melody, we not only get an amazing song, but a little chuckle as well.
