Piggies
Song by The Beatles • Harrison
The White Album (1968) — Each track its own room. Minimal. Sprawling.
Background
Piggies is a song by The Beatles, written by Harrison and led on vocal by George Harrison. Baroque pastiche on greedy authority; harpsichord by Chris Thomas. Within the catalogue, its harpsichord thread connects it to Fixing a Hole, Because; its george-original thread connects it to Don't Bother Me, I Need You, You Like Me Too Much.
What's distinctive
At 2:04 it's bottom fifth by length. One of 28 UK songs led primarily by George. One of 22 solely Harrison-credited compositions in the canon. Recorded approximately 32 of 34 into the The White Album (1968) sessions. Carries the unique tag 'satire-of-class' — no other UK song shares it.Opening line — "Have you seen the little piggies…" (brief identification excerpt; full lyrics © Sony Music Publishing — see Genius link in References.)
Recording
The session work falls within the band's The White Album (1968) period, recorded 10 Oct 1968 at EMI Studios + Trident Studios (Soho. George Martin (with Chris Thomas covering) produced; Ken Scott (early), Geoff Emerick walked off — replaced engineered. The track was committed to Studer A80 8-track (Trident), 4-track at EMI until late 1968 via the REDD/TG12345 prototype; Trident A-Range, with the era's standard signal chain — EMI RS124, EMT 140 & 250 (Trident), Fairchild 660, ADT, tape flanging, fuzz, wah (Vox/CryBaby). Likely instrumental setup followed the era's working kit: Epiphone Casino, Fender Strat (Rocky), Gibson J-200 acoustic, Martin D-28, Fender Telecaster Bass, amplified through Fender Twin Reverb, Fender Bassman, Vox UL730. For session-by-session detail, see Mark Lewisohn's account on p.156 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below).
| Studio | EMI Studios + Trident Studios (Soho — first Beatles 8-track sessions: 'Hey Jude' onward) |
|---|---|
| Tape machine | Studer A80 8-track (Trident), 4-track at EMI until late 1968 |
| Console | REDD/TG12345 prototype; Trident A-Range |
| Microphones | U47/U48, AKG C12, U67 introduced |
| Outboard / effects | EMI RS124, EMT 140 & 250 (Trident), Fairchild 660, ADT, tape flanging, fuzz, wah (Vox/CryBaby) |
| Guitars | Epiphone Casino, Fender Strat (Rocky), Gibson J-200 acoustic, Martin D-28, Fender Telecaster Bass |
| Amplifiers | Fender Twin Reverb, Fender Bassman, Vox UL730 |
| Producer | George Martin (with Chris Thomas covering) |
| Engineer / 2nd | Ken Scott (early), Geoff Emerick walked off — replaced • John Smith, Mike Sheady, Barry Sheffield (Trident) |
Pattern analysis
Legacy & release history
In the UK canonical discography it appears on the LP The Beatles (White Album). Documented alternate versions include Anthology 3 (1996), Mono Masters (2009 box), White Album 50th Anniversary (2018). Mono and stereo histories vary by era — see the dedicated section below.
Mono & stereo
- Both mono and stereo mixes were prepared; the UK mono White Album (PMC 7067/8) has many distinct edits, mixes and effects vs. the stereo (PCS 7067/8) — collectors prize the mono.
Documented alternate versions
- Anthology 3 (1996) — alternate take or demo
- Mono Masters (2009 box) — Allan Rouse / Guy Massey remaster
- White Album 50th Anniversary (2018) — Giles Martin stereo remix
Released on
- The Beatles (White Album) — LP, 22 November 1968
Cross-references
Other songs sharing themes (harpsichord, satire-of-class, george-original, baroque)
Other songs led by the same vocalist
Other songs from this era
harpsichordsatire-of-classgeorge-originalbaroque