"Dear Prudence" written by Lennon and credited
to Lennon/McCartney is the second track from the double LP The Beatles
(colloquially known as The White Album). The White Album is The Beatles'
licorice (as Jerry Garcia said, not a lot of people like licorice, but those
who like licorice, really like licorice), an anti-concept with each track
taking an individualized approach, with only one concurrent theme: most of the
tracks were written in India. The track's subject is actress Mia Farrow's
sister, Prudence, who was at the ashram when the Beatles studied with the
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi early in 1968. Farrow became so serious about her
meditation that she became a recluse and rarely venturing out of the cottage in
which she was living. Someone asked Lennon make sure she came out more often to
socialize.
In the song, Lennon asks Prudence to "open up your
eyes" and "see the sunny skies" reminding her that she is
"part of everything." The song was a simple plea to a friend to snap
out of it. Lennon said later that "She'd been locked in for three weeks
and was trying to reach God quicker than anyone else." According to
Farrow: "I would always rush straight back to my room after lectures and
meals so I could meditate. John, George and Paul would all want to sit around
jamming and having a good time and I'd be flying into my room. They were all
serious about what they were doing, but they just weren't as fanatical as
me."
Lennon didn't play the song for Farrow while they were in
India together. Prudence later said that "George was the one who told me
about it," as The Beatles were leaving the ashram. According to Farrow:
"I was flattered. It was a beautiful thing to have done." The lyrics
of the song are simple and innocent and praise the beauty of nature: "The
sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful, and so are you, Dear
Prudence."
