symbol for some kind of vessel which would take us all to safety... the message in that thing is that good can prevail over evil." The song was also viewed as a code for drugs, at a time when it became common for fans to scrutinise the Beatles' lyrics for alternative meanings. "Yellow Submarine" was adopted by the counterculture as a song promoting the barbiturate Nembutal, which was nicknamed a yellow submarine for the colour and shape of its capsule. Some listeners interpreted the title as a reference to a marijuana joint stained by resin, while the lyrics' description of a voyage of discovery resonated with the idea of a psychedelic trip. Writing for Esquire in December 1967, Robert Christgau felt that the Beatles "want their meanings to be absorbed on an instinctual level" and dismissed such interpretations, saying: "I can't believe that the Beatles indulge in the simplistic kind of symbolism that turns a yellow submarine into a Nembutal or a banana – it is just a yellow submarine, damn it, an obvious elaboration of John [Lennon]'s submarine fixation, first revealed in A Hard Day's Night." Legacy The song inspired the 1968 United Artists animated film Yellow Submarine, which was produced by King Features Syndicate, the company behind the popular children's TV series The Beatles. King Features' Al Brodax first approached McCartney about making the film with a story outline based on "Yellow Submarine". Doggett writes that the song thereby became the most important track on Revolver "in business terms", since it staved off pressure from United Artists for the Beatles to fulfil their contractual obligations for a third feature film. The band's 1966 recording was the opening track on the accompanying soundtrack album, which closed with an orchestral reprise arranged by Martin, titled "Yellow Submarine in Pepperland". The Yellow Submarine film inspired a wealth of licensed products, including a Corgi Toys die-cast replica of the titular vessel. In 1984, a -long metal sculpture, built by apprentices from the Cammell Laird shipyard and titled Yellow Submarine, was used as part of Liverpool's International Garden Festival. In 2005, it was placed outside Liverpool's John Lennon Airport, in preparation for the city's year as the European Capital of Culture in 2008. Tying in with the restoration and re-release of the animated film in 1999, the United States Postal Service issued a "Yellow Submarine" postage stamp and Eurostar ran an 18-carriage train