Paul McCartney has said he does not regret leaving “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane” off The Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. He views the singles as precursors to the album rather than missing tracks, and said the band wanted to use its freedom after stopping touring to test how far pop music could be stretched.

McCartney made the comments to Mojo in 2026 while discussing the album’s continued legacy through remasters and reissues. The 50th-anniversary edition, released in May 2017 with a new stereo mix by Giles Martin, includes five takes of “Strawberry Fields Forever” and three of “Penny Lane”; McCartney said he now welcomes revised versions after comparing them closely with the originals.