Which Beatles song did Lennon write from a circus poster about Pablo Fanque?

The Beatles song Lennon wrote from a circus poster about Pablo Fanque was “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” The song appeared on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967 and turns a Victorian circus advertisement into a vivid, surreal musical scene.

Lennon bought the poster on January 31, 1967, at an antiques shop in Sevenoaks, Kent, while the Beatles were filming promotional material nearby. It advertised Pablo Fanque’s Circus Royal in Rochdale and featured Mr. Kite, Mr. Henderson, acrobatic acts, horses, hoops, and a performance schedule. Lennon later said that nearly everything in the song came directly from the poster.

The real Mr. Kite was William Kite, a nineteenth-century circus performer. Pablo Fanque, born William Darby, was a pioneering Black British circus proprietor and equestrian. Lennon altered some details for the lyrics: the poster’s horse was named Zanthus, not Henry. The song’s title itself was taken from the wording of the original advertisement.