Sea of Time
| "Sea of Time" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by George Martin | ||||
| Recorded | 22–23 October 1968 | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic, Indian classical, orchestral | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Apple | |||
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |||
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"Sea of Time" is an instrumental piece composed by George Martin and performed by his 41-piece orchestra for the Beatles' film Yellow Submarine and was included on the orchestral Side 2 of its soundtrack album. The piece is significant among the orchestral tracks, as it features Indian classical instrumentation. It opens with a tampura drone and a winding melody similar to that of George Harrison's "Within You Without You", from the Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The piece, as with the others in the film, is tailored to the vibrant visuals of the Yellow Submarine film, so contains novelty sounds, effects, and musical experimentation that are better understood when paired with these visuals for some, but it can be appreciated for its beauty on its own by others.
On American LP versions of the Yellow Submarine album, "Sea of Time" was paired with "Sea of Holes" as a single track titled "Medley: Sea of Time & Sea of Holes", whereas on all other versions, they are counted as separate tracks.