"A Day in the Life" is the final song on the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the song comprises distinct sections written independently by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with orchestral additions. While Lennon's lyrics were inspired by contemporary newspaper articles, McCartney's lyrics were based on reminiscences about his youth. The decisions to link sections of the song with orchestral glissandos (shifting from one musical pitch to another) and to end the song with a sustained piano chord were made only after the rest of the song had been recorded.