Enlarge image
The legendary band The Beatles (1964 recording)
Photo: Bob Dear/AP
The Beatles made Penny Lane in Liverpool world famous. In 1967, they released their song of the same name, which became a number one hit in several countries. After that, Penny Lane street signs were stolen again and again for decades. A street sign stolen by students in 1976 has now resurfaced, as British media unanimously report. A former student had anonymously contacted The Beatles Story and stated that he wanted to return the stolen street sign. It is now to be exhibited.
According to the Guardian newspaper, the sign is in pristine condition. The former student told the museum that he and his fellow students were heavily intoxicated at the time of the theft. Now he is getting older and therefore wants to return the street sign. He had spent six very happy years in the city and had also met his wife, to whom he had been married for 44 years. "The sign was to spend the rest of its days in Liverpool now." According to the museum, it is the oldest returned sign.
"It's great to see that something of such great importance has finally returned to its rightful place after almost half a century," Mayor Steve Rotheram said, according to the PA news agency. But Penny Lane is so much more than a street.
The true meaning of the song lies not in the street name or the sign, but in the scenes and characters that Paul McCartney remembered from his youth. "The nurse, the banker, the fireman, and the barber who brought the street to life—they're the real treasures of Penny Lane."
The Beatles had released the song in 1967. It was recorded in her studio in London's Abbey Road, which has also become world-famous.
max/dpa