Liverpool, England—where Lennon grew up, encountered formative musical influences, and met fellow band members Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr)—influenced and inspired his music. One influential place was a nearby Salvation Army Children's Home named Strawberry Fields, which Lennon transformed into a song by that name; this children's home was located near his Aunt Mimi's home in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool. Another important setting was a Liverpool street called Penny Lane, a name that McCartney used for a song. Liverpool was also an important site for contemporary musicians; it was Europe's busiest transatlantic passenger port, so the sailors returning from New York brought with them the most recent American records. The presence of avant-garde music in Liverpool no doubt influenced the progressive direction the sound of The Beatles' music was to take.

Germany serves as another important setting in the...