All the Songs
Page 21
What Goes On
Lennon-McCartney-Starkey / 2:47
1965
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
Ringo: vocal, drums
John: backing vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: backing vocal, bass
George: lead guitar
RECORDED
Abbey Road: November 4, 1965 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 1
MIXING
Abbey Road: November 9, 1965 (Room 65)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Graham Platt, Jerry Boys
Genesis
“What Goes On” is one of John’s older songs. “That was an early Lennon, written before the Beatles when we were the Quarrymen or something like that,”1 he confirmed. The Beatles wanted to record it on March 5, 1963, during the sessions for “From Me to You,” but ran out of time. It turned up again for Rubber Soul in order to fill up the album. Originally sung by John, it was in the end performed by Ringo. John: “And resurrected with a middle eight thrown in, probably with Paul’s help, to give Ringo a song.”2 Indeed! The Beatles had to keep Ringo’s fans happy—particularly his American fans. It is one of the few Beatles songs where his name is associated with those of Lennon and McCartney. In a 1966 interview he explained that his contribution was limited to “about five words to ‘What Goes On.’ [Laughs] And I haven’t done a thing since!”3
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Right at the end of the song, at about 2:36, Ringo can be heard in the right channel repeating in your mind twice.
Production
The deadline had come to complete the new album. Paul recorded a homemade demo so that Ringo could learn the song faster. On November 4, the day of the recording, Ringo was ready. The rhythm track was recorded in one take. Ringo was on drums, Paul on bass, John on rhythm guitar and George performed a Chet Atkins–style solo on lead guitar. Then Ringo recorded his lead vocal and John and Paul overdubbed the harmony. “What Goes On” is not a masterpiece, but its country and western style is quite charming. It is nonetheless surprising that it was chosen to open the second side, unless perhaps this was done to please Ringo’s fans. The mono and stereo mixes were made on November 9 in Room 65.
Girl
Lennon-McCartney / 2:30
1965
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: backing vocal, bass, acoustic guitar (?)
George: acoustic guitar (?), bouzoukis (?), backing vocal
Ringo: drums
RECORDED
Abbey Road: November 11, 1965 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 2
MIXING
Abbey Road: November 15, 1965 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Richard Lush
Genesis
In an interview, John claimed, “I like this one. It was one of my best.” “Girl” was undoubtedly his response to “Michelle.” The instrumentation is similar, and the song offers the same intimate feelings. This magnificent ballad speaks of his dream girl, the one he was looking for. “It was Yoko,”1 he said in 1980. However, the lyrics are ambiguous. The girl hurts, humiliates, and manipulates him—she is far from a dream girl. One sentence is surprising: Was she told when she was young that pain would lead to pleasure? Paul claimed to have written the line, but in 1970 John cited it as his and said it showed his opposition to Christianity. He said, “You have to be tortured to attain heaven.” Written at Kenwood, the song was “based on John’s idea” and finished with Paul’s help. “Girl” was a great success, and deserved release as a single.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
John waited nearly fifteen years to write a sequel to “Girl.” It was “Woman” from his last album, Double Fantasy, released in 1980.
Production
The Beatles had to complete the album by November 11, 1965. They needed four more songs. During a thirteen-hour marathon session, starting at 6 P.M. and ending at 7 A.M. the next day, they recorded two new songs (“You Won’t See Me” and “Girl”) and completed two others. The rhythm track was done in two takes. John played acoustic guitar (using a capo), Paul bass, and Ringo drums and brushes. George’s exact instrument is uncertain. It was probably a twelve-string guitar, but George Martin recalled that George Harrison was always looking for new sounds and played a bouzouki. “One day I was offered a bouzouki in Greece, and George tried it on this piece.”2 Paul later told Barry Miles, “We just did it on acoustic guitars instead of bouzoukis.”3 Whom to believe? John recorded his vocal with emotion and an expressiveness unlike any he had used before. A high point was his intake of breath in the chorus. According to Paul, one of his best memories is seeing John take a deep breath and sing. “John wanted to hear the breathing, wanted it to be very intimate, so George Martin put a special compressor on the voice.”4 He is supported by George and Paul’s superb backing vocals. All vocals were double-tracked, including the breathing. They found their inspiration for the bridge in one of the songs from the Beach Boys. Their first idea was to sing “dit dit dit dit,” but they found “tit tit tit tit” more fun (tit meaning breast!). Paul: “George Martin might say: ‘Was that “dit dit” or “tit tit” you were singing?’ ‘Oh, “dit dit,” George, but it does sound a bit like that, doesn’t it?’”5
The “Zorba the Greek” theme at the end of the song was Paul’s composition, inspired by his vacation in Greece with Jane, Ringo, and Maureen in September 1963. George played it on his bouzouki (or guitar), and Paul probably double-tracked it on acoustic guitar. The mono and stereo mixes were made on November 15, 1965.
I’m Looking Through You
Lennon-McCartney / 2:24
1965
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal, bass
John: backing vocal, rhythm guitar
George: lead guitar, tambourine (?)
Ringo: drums, percussion, Hammond organ
RECORDED
Abbey Road: October 24, 1965 (Studio Two) / November 6, 10, and 11, 1965 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 4
MIXING
Abbey Road: November 15, 1965 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Richard Lush
Genesis
Paul: “This one I remember particularly as me being disillusioned over her commitment.”1 Jane Asher, an actress at Bristol Old Vic, did not want to give up her career, as Paul so ardently wished. Paul suffered in this tumultuous relationship. During the recording sessions for Rubber Soul, three songs were written after an argument: “I’m Looking Through You,” “You Won’t See Me,” and “We Can Work It Out” (released as a single). Paul confessed to Barry Miles that he knew that his fiancée did not correspond to the image he had of her and that he clearly saw through her. “Suffice it to say that this one was probably related to that romantic episode and I was seeing through her façade. And realizing that it wasn’t quite all that it seemed. I would write it out in a song and then I’ve got rid of the emotion.”2 Putting his feelings into songs allowed him to release these tensions. Ironically, he wrote “I’m Looking Through You” in his room at the Ashers’ house on Wimpole Street. The piece is highly acoustic, like many other titles on the Rubber Soul album.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Several anomalies are noteworthy in this song. Among the most significant are slight audible feedback at 1:18 (after above me) and at about 1:53 we can hear wrong guitar notes, probably from an improperly erased previous solo (right channel on did you go). Finally, on the American stereo version of Rubber Soul, there are two guitar f
alse entries. Fortunately, the errors are corrected on the UK version.
Production
There were two versions of this song before it took its final form. The first dates from October 24, when, after nine hours in the studio, the Beatles first tried to make a master. This first version appears on Anthology 2, and uses hand clapping, classical guitar, a guitar solo, and bongos, all at a tempo noticeably slower than the final version. The first version lacked the middle eight of the final version and ended with a vocal improvisation. They were not happy with it and retaped it on November 6 but at a much too fast tempo (according to Mark Lewisohn). Finally on November 10, after the fourth try, they found the right tempo. Paul played bass, John acoustic guitar, and Ringo drums. George played the tambourine and the guitar solo, both added as overdubs. Ringo was particularly honored that day—in addition to the drums, he played a Hammond organ chord at the end of the verses and created a percussion sound using an unexpected instrument. In 1996, he revealed to Andy Babiuk “that he just tapped on a pack of matches with his finger!”3 On November 11, they overdubbed the vocals. Paul double-tracked his bass lines, backed by John. It was 7 A.M. and the final session for Rubber Soul ended. On November 15, the last day to complete the album, mono and stereo mixes were made in a hurry to deliver the masters to the pressing plant. The album was released on December 3.
In My Life
Lennon-McCartney / 2:25
1965
SONGWRITERS
John (?), Paul (?)
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: backing vocal, bass
George: lead guitar, backing vocal
Ringo: drums, tambourine
George Martin: piano
RECORDED
Abbey Road: October 18 and 22, 1965 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 3
MIXING
Abbey Road: October 25–26, 1965 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Mike Stone, Ron Pender
Genesis
“In My Life” is one of those rare songs of uncertain paternity. John claimed that, other than the middle eight, he wrote the song. Paul claimed responsibility for the melody: “I arrived at John’s house for a writing session and he had the very nice opening stanzas of the song.… But as I recall, he didn’t have a tune to it, and my recollection, I think, is at variance with John’s. I said, ‘Well, you haven’t got a tune, let me just go and work on it.’ And I went down to the half-landing, where John had a Mellotron, and I sat there and put together a tune based in my mind on Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Songs like ‘You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me’ and ‘Tears of a Clown’ had really been a big influence.… So it was John’s original inspiration, I think my melody, I think my guitar riff [for the intro].”1
The song was inspired by a remark made by Kenneth Alsopf, a British journalist and writer, after the publication of John’s book In His Own Write, asking why Lennon’s songs weren’t more serious. After thinking about it, John wrote “In My Life,” his “first really big song,” entirely on his own terms. His idea was to tell how key places in Liverpool had played a role in his life. “‘In My Life’ started out as a bus journey from my house on 250 Menlove Avenue to town, mentioning every place that I could remember. And it was ridiculous.”2 Then he recast his idea and came back to his early loves and friendships. John confessed to Pete Shotten that the phrase Friends I still can recall, some are dead and some are living, referred to Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete. So who’s right—John or Paul? It doesn’t matter. The only thing that counts is the results.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
“In My Life” was performed at the funeral of Kurt Cobain, who idolized John Lennon.
Production
On October 18, after several rehearsals of “In My Life,” the group recorded the rhythm track of two guitars, a bass, and a drum in three takes. This track was used as the base for overdubs, adding another electric guitar and a tambourine. John recorded his vocal part, which was doubled and backed by Paul and George’s backing vocals. The instrumental bridge was left aside. They thought about a guitar solo, but did not like it. The Beatles decided to take a break and come back later. George Martin resolved the middle eight on October 22: “John couldn’t decide what to do in the middle and, while they were having their tea break, I put down a baroque piano solo, which John didn’t hear until he came back.”3 Since the part was difficult and Martin tried to reproduce a baroque-style harpsichord sound, he did it with a half-speed normal piano an octave lower (indeed, he first thought to play a Hammond organ solo). When the tape was played back at double speed, it sounded like a baroque harpsichord. The Beatles liked it. At the end of this solo (1:47), we can clearly hear (left channel) the last note of a previous guitar solo, probably something George Harrison wanted to try. The result is marvelous; a masterpiece in the Beatles’ canon. The mono and stereo mixes were made on October 25 and 26, respectively.
Wait
Lennon-McCartney / 2:13
1965
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: vocal, bass
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums, tambourine, maracas
RECORDED
Abbey Road: June 17, 1965 (Studio Two) / November 11, 1965 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 4
MIXING
Abbey Road: June 18, 1965 (Studio One) / November 15, 1965 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Phil McDonald, Ken Scott, Richard Lush
Genesis
This song was written while the Beatles were filming Help! in the Bahamas. “Wait” is entirely Paul’s composition. The actor Brandon de Wilde was present while Paul worked on the song and was, so he said, interested in Paul’s working method. “I seem to remember writing ‘Wait’ in front of him, and him being interested [in seeing] it being written.”1 The lyrics probably reflected his complex relationship with Jane Asher: I am often away, but if you really love me, wait for me. Not easy, life with the Beatles! “Wait” is more album filler than a masterpiece.
Production
The song was originally intended for the soundtrack of the movie Help! The Fab Four recorded “Wait” in four takes on June 17, 1965 (the same day as “Act Naturally”). It was resurrected on November 11 during the last recording session for Rubber Soul. They did not have enough time to write another song and thought “Wait” would complete the album. In the June 17 recording session, each of the Beatles played his usual instrument; the vocals were shared between John and Paul. A first mix was made on June 18. When they reworked the song on November 11, they added new instruments to the fourth take by overdubs. George played with a volume pedal on his guitar (see “Yes It Is” and “I Need You”) and recorded two guitar parts. The group added maracas, tambourine, and other vocal parts. Although Paul wrote the song, John’s voice dominated, except for the middle eight. The final mono and stereo mixes were made on November 15.
Technical Details
“Wait” is a classic example of a song with little reverb. The Beatles, in agreement with George Martin and Norman Smith, wanted a new esthetic—without a doubt under the strong influence of Bob Dylan—and decided to limit reverb as much as possible throughout the entire album.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
George seems uncomfortable with the volume pedal on his guitar and lacks precision in the settings (left channel from 0:46 to 0:48). His guitar is cut out at 1:14 in the right channel.
If I Needed Someone
George Harrison / 2:20
1965
MUSICIANS
George: vocal, lead guitar
John: backing vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: backing vocal,
bass
Ringo: drums, tambourine
RECORDED
Abbey Road: October 16 and 18, 1965 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 1
MIXING
Abbey Road: October 25–26, 1965 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Ron Pender
Genesis
In August 1965, the Beatles traveled to the United States for their concert tour. During this tour they met the Byrds and became acquainted with their music. The Byrds’ single “Mr. Tambourine Man” was number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart beginning on June 26. The California group used the same instruments as the Fab Four had since the release of A Hard Day’s Night the year before. The twelve-string Rickenbacker became their trademark. George, appreciative of this tribute, approached them. On August 27, Paul and George visited them at the studio while the Byrds recorded “The Times They Are a-Changin’.” The same evening, the Beatles met Elvis Presley at his house in Los Angeles.
Immersed in the California folk rock atmosphere, George wrote “If I Needed Someone” with the Byrds’ music in mind. He acknowledged that “If I Needed Someone” was based on the guitar riff in the Byrds’ “The Bells of Rhymney.” However, the resemblance ends there, as George stated that the song “was like a million other songs written around the D chord.” In 1980, he said, “If you move your fingers about, you get various little melodies. That guitar line, or variations on it, is found in many a song, and it amazes me that people still find new permutations of the same notes.”1 Beginning with his own music, in 1969 he wrote “Here Comes the Sun” using this technique. “If I Needed Someone” was the second title that George wrote for Rubber Soul.