(Harrison)
First released: August 5, 1966, on the UK LP Revolver
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
April 20, 1966: Four takes of the rhythm track were recorded, but only two were complete. After the fourth take, The Beatles discussed how the song could be better structured.
April 21, 1966: Eleven takes were recorded. The first ten were of the rhythm track, and the eleventh had vocals on it.
April 22, 1966: The Beatles overdubbed a cowbell (not sure who played the cowbell, but it was probably either Ringo or John) and the Wilson/Heath line of the song.
May 16, 1966: The "one-two-three-four" count-in was overdubbed.
Musicians and Instruments Played
George Harrison - lead guitar, lead vocal
Paul McCartney - bass guitar, lead guitar solo (most likely used his Epiphone Casino), backing vocal
John Lennon - tambourine, backing vocal
Ringo Starr - drums
George: "'Taxman' was when I first realized that even though we had started earning money, we were actually giving most of it away in taxes. It was and still is typical. Why should this be so? Are we being punished for something we have forgotten to do?"
Other Information
- The names of Mr. Wilson and Mr. Heath mentioned in the song are of British prime minister Harold Wilson and Edward Heath, the leader of the opposition.
- When George toured Japan in December of 1991, he performed an extended version of "Taxman" and added in the lines: "If you get ahead, I'll tax your hat/If you get a pet, I'll tax your cat/If you wipe your feet, I'll tax your mat/If you're overweight, I'll tax your fat."
(Lennon/McCartney)
First released: August 5, 1966, on a single in the UK
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
April 28, 1966: The musical background of the song was recorded. Fourteen takes were recorded.
April 29, 1966: Vocals were overdubbed onto the track. Three mono mixes were made, and the third one was the best.
June 6, 1966: Paul overdubbed another vocal.
Musicians and Instruments Played
Paul McCartney - lead vocal
John Lennon - harmony vocal
George Harrison - harmony vocal
Tony Gilbert - violin
Sidney Sax - violin
John Sharpe - violin
Jurgen Hess - violin
Stephen Shingles - viola
John Underwood - viola
Derek Simpson - cello
Norman Jones - cello
Paul: "That started off with sitting down at the piano and getting the first line of the melody, and playing around with words. I think it was 'Miss Daisy Hawkins' originally, then it was her picking up the rice in a church after a wedding. At first I thought it was a young Miss Daisy Hawkins, a bit like 'Annabel Lee,' but not so sexy, but then I saw I'd said she was picking up the rice in a church, so she had to be a cleaner; she had missed the wedding, and she was suddenly lonely. In fact, she had missed it all. She was the spinster type. Jane Asher was in a play in Bristol then, and I was
walking 'round the streets waiting for her to finish. I didn't really like 'Daisy Hawkins'. I wanted a name that was more real, and I got the name from a shop called 'Rigby'."
Paul: "I got the name Rigby from a shop called Rigby. And I think Eleanor was from Eleanor Bron, the actress we worked with in the film [Help!]. But I just liked the name. I was looking for a name that sounded natural. Eleanor Rigby sounded natural."
John: "'Eleanor Rigby' was Paul's baby, and I helped with the education of the child."
Other Information
- Father MacKenzie mentioned in the song was originally going to be Father McCartney, but Paul was worried about upsetting his father, so they changed it.
- There seemed to be a bit of disagreement between John and Paul later on about how much John had contributed to the lyrics. In an issue of Hit Parader that came out in April of 1972, John said, "I wrote a good lot of the lyrics, about seventy percent." When Paul was interviewed in 1981, he said, "I saw somewhere that [John] says he helped on 'Eleanor Rigby'. Yeah. About half a line."
- "Eleanor Rigby" won a Grammy in 1966 for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Performance, Male.
(Lennon/McCartney)
First released: June 15, 1966, on the US album Yesterday... and Today
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
April 27, 1966: Eleven takes of the rhythm track were recorded, and take eleven was considered the best.
April 29, 1966: John lead vocal was overdubbed.
May 5, 1966: Backwards guitars were added.
May 6, 1966: Vocal harmonies were overdubbed.
Musicians and Instruments Played
John Lennon - acoustic guitar, lead vocal
Paul McCartney - bass guitar, backing vocal
George Harrison - lead guitar, backing vocal
Ringo Starr - drums
John: "That's me, dreaming my life away."
Pete Shotton (friend of John's): "'I'm Only Sleeping' brilliantly evokes the state of chemically induced lethargy into which John had drifted."
Other Information
- John wrote the first draft of "I'm Only Sleeping" on the back of a letter from the post office. The letter was a reminder that he owed them twelve pounds and three shillings for a radiophone bill.
- If you listen closely, at 1:57, you can hear someone (John?) saying, "Yawn, Paul." Then at 2:01, you can hear Paul yawn.
(Harrison)
First released: August 5, 1966, on the UK LP Revolver
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
Dates: April 11, 1966;
April 13, 1966
Musicians and Instruments Played
George Harrison - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, sitar, lead vocal
Anil Bhagwat - tabla
Indian musicians - sitar and tambura
George: "'Norwegian Wood was an accident as far as the sitar part was concerned, but this was the first song where I consciously tried to use the sitar and tabla on the basic track. I overdubbed the guitars and vocal later."
Other Information
- This song started off being titled "Granny Smith" because George couldn't think of a decent title.
(Lennon/McCartney)
First released: August 5, 1966, on the UK LP Revolver
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
June 14, 1966: Four takes were recorded.
June 16, 1966: Nine more takes and overdubs were recorded onto the best rhythm track (take thirteen).
June 17, 1966: An additional Paul vocal was added.
Musicians and Instruments Played
Paul McCartney - acoustic guitar, lead vocal
John Lennon - backing vocal
George Harrison - lead guitar, backing vocal
Ringo Starr - drums
Paul: "One of my special memories is when we were in Obertauern, Austria, filming Help!. John and I shared a room, and we were taking off our heavy ski boots after a day's filming, ready to have a shower and get ready for the nice bit, the evening meal and the drinks. We were playing a cassette of our new recordings, and my song, 'Here, There, and Everywhere' was on. And I remember John saying, 'You know, I probably like that better than any of my songs on the tape.' Coming from John, that was high praise indeed."
John: "That's Paul's song completely, I believe. And one of my favorite songs of The Beatles."
Other Information
- Paul said that this song was inspired by The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows."
(Lennon/McCartney)
First released: August 5, 1966, on the UK LP Revolver
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
May 26, 1966: The backing track was recorded.
June 1, 1966: Sound effects were added.
Musicians and Instruments Played
Ringo Starr - drums, lead vocal
Paul McCartney - acoustic guitar, backing vocal
John Lennon - acoustic guitar, backing vocal
George Harrison - tambourine, backing vocal
Mal Evans - bass drum
Paul: "I wrote that in bed one night as a kids' story. And then we thought it would be good for Ringo to do."
Other Information
- When "Yellow Submarine" first came out, people thought it was about drugs. Paul said the only yellow submarines he'd ever heard of were some sugary sweets he had seen in Greece.
- The other people singing in the chorus at the end were Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Geoff Emerick, Pattie Harrison, Brian Jones, Marianne Faithfull, and Alf Bicknell.
(Lennon/McCartney)
First released: August 5, 1966, on the UK LP Revolver
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London
June 21, 1966: Three takes of the rhythm track were recorded. They added John's lead vocal and John and George's backing vocals onto take three. Next they added another guitar and organ. The song was untitled at the beginning of the session, but by the end it was named "She Said She Said."
Musicians and Instruments Played
John Lennon - acoustic guitar, organ, vocal
Paul McCartney - bass guitar
George Harrison - lead guitar, backing vocal
Ringo Starr - drums
John: "That's mine. It's an interesting track. The guitars are great on it. That was written after an acid trip in LA during a break in The Beatles' tour where we were having fun with The Byrds and lots of girls. Some from Playboy, I believe. Peter Fonda came in when we were on acid, and he kept coming up to me and sitting next to me and whispering, 'I know what it's like to be dead.' He was describing an acid trip he'd been on. We didn't want to hear about that!"
George: "[John] had loads of bits, maybe three songs that were unfinished, and I made suggestions and helped him to work them together so that they became one finished song, 'She Said She Said.' The middle part of that record is a different song: 'She said, "I know what it's like to be dead," and I said, "Oh no, no, you're wrong...'" Then it goes into the other one, 'When I was a boy...' That was a real weld. So I did things like that. I would also play him, on occasion, songs I hadn't completed. I played him a tune one day, and he said, 'Oh, well, that's not too bad.' He didn't do anything at the time, but I noticed in the next song he wrote that he'd nicked the chords from it!"
Other Information
- Some of the original lyrics were: "I said who put all that crap in your head/You know what it's like to be dead/And it's making me feel like my trousers are torn."
(Lennon/McCartney)
First released: August 5, 1966, on the UK LP Revolver
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
June 8, 1966: Three takes of the rhythm track were recorded. Take one was considered the best. Paul overdubbed his lead vocal onto it, with George and John doing their backing vocals.
June 9, 1966: Ringo's drums, handclaps, piano, and extra harmonies were overdubbed.
Musicians and Instruments Played
Paul McCartney - bass guitar, lead vocal, handclaps
John Lennon - harmony vocal, handclaps, guitar(?)
George Harrison - harmony vocal, handclaps
Ringo Starr - drums, handclaps
George Martin - piano
Paul: "Wrote that out at John's one day. The sun was shining. Influenced by The Lovin' Spoonful."
Other Information
- The original title of this song was "A Good Day's Sunshine."
- On October 8, 1990, in honor of John's birthday, Paul released a single in the UK of "Birthday" backed with "Good Day Sunshine." That was the first time a new version of a Beatles song was released by a Beatle after they'd split up.
(Lennon/McCartney)
First released: June 20, 1966, on the US Yesterday... and Today album
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
April 20, 1966: Two takes were recorded.
April 26, 1966: Eleven more takes were recorded. Take ten was considered the best. John overdubbed his lead vocal, and Paul and George overdubbed backing vocals.
Musicians and Instruments Played
John Lennon - rhythm guitar, lead vocal, handclaps
Paul McCartney - bass guitar, harmony vocal, handclaps
George Harrison - lead guitar, harmony vocal, handclaps
Ringo Starr - drums, tambourine
John: "Another of my throwaways."
Paul: "One of my favorites on the Anthology is 'And Your Bird Can Sing,' which is a nice song, but this take of it was one we couldn't use at the time. John and I got a fit of the giggles while we were doing the double-track. You couldn't have released it at the time, but now you can. Sounds great just hearing us lose it on a take."
Other Information
- The working title for this was "You Don't Get Me."
- John seemed to hate this song later, and dismissed it as "a horror."
(Lennon/McCartney)
First released: August 5, 1966, on the UK LP Revolver
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
May 9, 1966: Ten takes were recorded, and the first nine were just the rhythm tracks. The tenth take was considered the best. Paul overdubbed a clavichord, while Ringo added additional cymbals and maracas.
May 16, 1966: Paul overdubbed the lead vocal.
May 19, 1966: The French horn solo was overdubbed.
Musicians and Instruments Played
Paul McCartney - lead vocal, bass guitar, piano, clavichord
Ringo Starr - drums, tambourine, maracas
Alan Civil - French horn
Paul: "I can remember more about writing Revolver than recording it. I was in Switzerland on my first skiing holiday. I'd done a bit of skiing on Help! and quite liked it, so I went back and ended up in a little bathroom in a Swiss chalet writing 'For No One.' I remember the descending bass-line trick that it's based on, and I remember the character in the song - the girl putting on her make-up..."
John: "One of my favorites of [Paul's]. A nice piece of work."
Other Information
- The original title of this was "Why Did It Die?"
- Paul wrote the lyrics on the back of a manila clasp envelope. Some of the original lyrics were, "You wait, you're too late, as you're deciding why the wrong one wins, the end begins, and you will lose her. Why did it die? I'd like to know. Try to save it."
(Lennon/McCartney)
First released: June 20, 1966, on the US Yesterday... and Today album
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London
April 17, 1966: Seven takes of the backing track were recorded. The last take was considered the best.
April 19, 1966: The vocal overdubs were recorded.
Musicians and Instruments Played
John Lennon - harmonium, maracas, lead vocal
Paul McCartney - bass guitar, harmony vocal
George Harrison - lead guitar
Ringo Starr - drums
John: "Another of mine. Mainly about drugs and pills. It was about myself. I was the one that carried all the pills on tour. Later on, the roadies did it. We just kept them in our pockets loose in case of trouble."
Other Information
- "Doctor Robert" was the first time The Beatles had made a specific drug reference in one of their songs.
(Harrison)
First released: August 5, 1966, on the US LP Revolver
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
Dates: June 2, 1966;
June 3, 1966
Musicians and Instruments Played
George Harrison - lead guitar, lead vocal, handclaps
Paul McCartney - bass guitar, piano, harmony vocal, handclaps
John Lennon - tambourine, harmony vocal, handclaps
Ringo Starr - drums, maracas, handclaps
George: "... about the avalanche of thoughts that are so hard to write down or say or transmit."
Other Information
- George had problems coming up with a title for this and started off calling it "I Don't Know." John suggested calling it "Granny Smith Part Two" (because at first George was thinking of calling "Love You To" "Granny Smith" instead).
(Lennon/McCartney)
First released: August 5, 1966, on the US LP Revolver
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
Dates: April 7, 1966;
April 8, 1966;
April 11, 1966;
May 7, 1966;
May 18, 1966;
June 17, 1966
Musicians and Instruments Played
Paul McCartney - bass guitar, lead vocal
John Lennon - rhythm guitar (?)
George Harrison - lead guitar
Ringo Starr - drums, tambourine
George Martin - organ
Eddie Thornton, Ian Hamer, Les Condon - trumpets
Alan Branscombe, Peter Coe - tenor saxes
Paul: "That's mine. I wrote it. It was the first one we used brass on, I think. One of the first times we used soul trumpets."
Other Information
- Paul called this song "an ode to pot," because that's actually what it was about.
(Lennon/McCartney)
First released: August 5, 1966, on the UK LP Revolver
Recording Information
Location: Abbey Road Studios, London, England
April 6, 1966: Three takes of the rhythm track were recorded.
April 7, 1966: Overdubbing.
April 22, 1966: Overdubbing of George's sitar and another John vocal, this time put through the Leslie rotating speaker.
Musicians and Instruments Played
John Lennon - tambourine, vocal
Paul McCartney - bass guitar
George Harrison - lead guitar, sitar
Ringo Starr - drums
George Martin - piano
John: "That's me in my Tibetan Book of the Dead period. I took one of Ringo's malapropisms as the title to sort of take the edge off the heavy philosophical lyrics."
John: "Often the backing I think of early on never comes off. With 'Tomorrow Never Knows,' I'd imagined in my head that in the background you would hear thousands of monks chanting. That was impractical, of course, and we did something different. It was a bit of a drag, and I didn't really like it. I should have tried to get near my original idea, the monks singing; I realize now that was what it wanted."
Paul: "That was an LSD song. Probably the only one."
Other Information
- At one point, John wanted to be hung upside-down from a rope in the middle of the recording studio's ceiling, with a microphone on the floor below him and then be pushed so that he swung around the mike in a circle while he sang. Geoff Emerick said, "That was one idea that didn't come off although they were always said to be 'looking into it'."
- "Tomorrow Never Knows" was originally titled "The Void," and then "Mark I."
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