All the Songs
Page 10
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
According to authors Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew, Norman Smith assumed responsibility for playing the bongo part on this song. “I went down into the studio to show Ringo how to play [the bongos],” he told them, “but he couldn’t maintain the rhythm. So I told him, ‘Okay, forget it, I’ll do it myself.’”2
I Should Have Known Better
Lennon-McCartney / 2:41
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar, harmonica
Paul: bass
George: lead guitar, rhythm guitar
Ringo: drums
RECORDED
Abbey Road: February 25–26, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 22
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio One) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln
Genesis
John admitted to David Sheff in 1980 that “I Should Have Known Better” was “just a song; it doesn’t mean a damn thing.”1 In 1964 he counted it as one of his favorites in A Hard Day’s Night: “There are four I really go for: ‘Can’t Buy Me Love,’ ‘If I Fell,’ ‘I Should Have Known Better,’ … and ‘Tell Me Why.’”2 Even if the lyrics were not among his best, the melody was rather catchy. Besides, it was this piece that was at the beginning of the first sung scene in the movie. Like “Love Me Do,” John was inspired by “Hey! Baby” by Bruce Channel. The harmonica intro and the beginning of the melody were relatively close.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
It was in the scene in the train car in A Hard Day’s Night, and to the sound of “I Should Have Known Better,” that Pattie Boyd, dressed like a high school girl, met George Harrison, her future husband.
Production
Recorded in three takes on February 25, during the first session set aside for the new album, “I Should Have Known Better” provoked the laughter of Paul, George, and Ringo because John was clowning around, according to Mark Lewisohn. Out of these three takes, a single one was complete. John supplied the singing, the rhythm guitar work, and the harmonica playing (diatonic in C). Paul was on bass, George on rhythm guitar and on electric (on his twelve-string Rickenbacker), and Ringo on drums. John was not satisfied with the results. Therefore, the group redid it the next day during a marathon session. Nineteen other takes were recorded, but very few of them went beyond the bridge. Finally, the ninth take was used as the basis for the various overdubs. John doubled his voice, without Paul’s help, and supplied his harmonica part independent of the singing. On this song, John produced his last real riff on harmonica, the later harmonica playing being only accompaniments (“Rocky Raccoon,” “All Together Now”) or solos (“I’m a Loser”). The mono mix was carried out on March 3 and the stereo on June 22. In the latter (on the left channel), there was a mistake in the edit at exactly 2:15.
If I Fell
Lennon-McCartney / 2:18
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: vocal, bass
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums
RECORDED
Abbey Road: February 27, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 15
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio One) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln
Genesis
“If I Fell,” which was mainly written by John, was a superb ballad that once again revealed his taste for melodies, and especially harmonies for several voices. This technique, which was hinted at in “This Boy,” became apparent in the sublime “Because” in 1969. Paul realized that John was hiding beneath his acerbic and wincing mask a warm personality that he never wanted to reveal, lest he be rejected: “We wrote ‘If I Fell’ together but with the emphasis on John because he sang it. It was a nice harmony number.”1 As for John, he found in this song the seeds of “In My Life.” “It has the same chord sequence as ‘In My Life’: D and B minor and E minor, those kinds of things. And it’s semiautobio-graphical, but not consciously. It shows that I wrote sentimental love ballads, silly love songs.”2 Through semi-autobiographical allusions, John implied his frequent tantrums and his unhappy marriage with Cynthia. In 1968, he admitted he had been too cowardly to leave her and live on his own.
Contract Clauses
For A Hard Day’s Night, a contract clause prevented the Beatles from courting women in order not to let down their female admirers. So to sing “If I Fell,” John asked Ringo to do it, which caused much giggling on the film set!
Production
Recorded in fifteen takes on February 27, “If I Fell” developed as it was being recorded. Right from the third take, George Martin suggested they add some drums. At the eleventh take, John inserted his intro, accompanied by his Gibson J-160 E and George’s Rickenbacker. The fifteenth take was the final one. What was significant in this song were the incredible vocal performances of John and Paul, especially since, at their request, they sang together on the same mike in order to preserve the unity of their voices. The results are really successful (on the stereo version, however, you can hear Paul’s voice cracking at 1:45). The mono and stereo mixes followed on March 3 and June 22. Despite the difficulty of the vocals, the Beatles did not hesitate to play “If I Fell” in public, for example, at the Hollywood Bowl concerts in 1964 and 1965 (without, however, including it on the 1977 record).
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana loved this song and performed it in concert every time there was a technical problem.
I’m Happy Just To Dance With You
Lennon-McCartney / 1:55
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
George: vocal, rhythm guitar
John: backing vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul: backing vocals, bass
Ringo: drums, tom bass
RECORDED
Abbey Road: March 1, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 4
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio One) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln
Genesis
“We wrote ‘I’m Happy Just to Dance with You’ for George in the film. It was a bit of a formula song.… We wouldn’t have actually wanted to sing it,”1 Paul explained. John, who was nevertheless the author, also stated in 1980 that he could not have sung it. Neither he nor Paul were very concerned with the songs written for George, their own priorities being more egocentric. “George had his fans, so we would write a song for him. Nothing more, nothing less.” “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” was the last song that John and Paul wrote for him, because, starting in 1965, he wrote his own compositions.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
“I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” had the honor of being the first song recorded on a Sunday, which was a totally new practice at EMI in those days! It should be mentioned that the very next day, the Beatles were to begin filming the movie. Therefore, it was urgent!
Production
This song was worked on the day before the first day of filming of A Hard Day’s Night. The Beatles concentrated on the rhythmic track of the song. Based on the staged performance in the movie, John played electric guitar on his Rickenbacker 325, while George played his Gibson J-160 E. Paul was on bass and Ringo on drums. Once the first two takes were recorded, Georg
e recorded his vocal, then doubled his voice, while John and Paul shared the vocal harmony. Finally, Ringo added a tom tom beat. The song was completed in only four takes. It was the only song on the record sung by George. Ringo had no vocals on the album. The mono mix was carried out on March 3, and the stereo mix on June 22.
And I Love Her
Lennon-McCartney / 2:28
1964
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal, bass
John: rhythm guitar
George: classical guitar
Ringo: bongos, claves
RECORDED
Abbey Road: February 25–27, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 21
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio One) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln
Genesis
Written in the small music room of the Asher family at 57 Wimpole Street, in London, “And I Love Her” was Paul’s first ballad, the first of a long series that made him one of the greatest melody composers of pop music. He admitted that he was surprised by the song and loved the chords and images it generated: “I like the imagery of the stars and the sky.”1 Despite his relationship with Jane Asher in those days, to whom he was engaged, he claimed in 1984, “It was a love song, really, written for no one in particular.”2 The title also played an important role: “The ‘And’ in the title was an important thing. ‘And I Love Her,’ it came right out of left field, you were right up to speed the minute you heard it.”3
Dick James, their editor at the time, apparently remembered John and Paul asking for a break in the middle of the recording session in order to write a bridge in a corner of the studio. John claimed in 1972 that he had written the bridge of “And I Love Her,” before recanting and being more subtle in 1980, when he claimed instead: “The middle eight, I helped with that.”4 Paul agreed: “The middle eight is mine. I would say that John probably helped with the middle eight, but he can’t say ‘It’s mine.’”5 From Smokey Robinson to Diana Krall, “And I Love Her” has been the subject of numerous covers throughout the world. Paul’s favorite version was Esther Phillips’s “And I Love Him.”
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
In the superb documentary filmed in 2011 by Martin Scorsese, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Paul revealed that George was the author of the guitar riff on “And I Love Her.”
Production
“And I Love Her” was recorded in two takes on February 25. Only the second one was complete. But the version was not satisfactory: the Beatles were searching for the right arrangement. The piece did not yet have the charm and lightness of the final version. George was on his twelve-string Rickenbacker, and Ringo supplied a regular rhythm on drums (See Anthology 1). The riff that was so characteristic on guitar had not been found yet, and there was no bridge. The Beatles decided to return to it the next day. Sixteen other takes were then recorded. Ringo gave up his Ludwig to play claves and bongos. But the song still did not sound right. It appears that it was during this session that the bridge was added and George switched to his José Ramirez classical guitar. Paul said to Barry Miles, “George played really good guitar on it. It worked very well.”6 They reworked the song on February 27 and at the end of the twenty-first take, the group was finally satisfied. Interestingly, in the final version, the doubling of Paul’s voice suddenly disappears between 1:08 and 1:17. Was this due to a failed “punch in” or an accidental deletion? The first mono mix took place on March 3, for the record as well as for the movie. United Artists needed the completed songs for filming. The final mono and stereo mixes were completed on June 22.
Technical Details
Norman Smith captured the warmth of Paul’s voice by means of the Neumann U 48 microphone, which he passed through the EMI RS114 limiter, one of his favorite effects.
Tell Me Why
Lennon-McCartney / 2:06
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: backing vocals, bass
George: backing vocals, lead guitar
Ringo: drums
George Martin: piano (?)
RECORDED
Abbey Road: February 27, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 8
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio One) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln
Genesis
In 1980, John admitted having written “Tell Me Why.” “It was like a black New York girl-group song.”1 He was no doubt referring to the Shirelles, the Marvelettes, or the Donays, by whom the Beatles were greatly inspired. It was one of the seven songs kept for the A Hard Day’s Night movie; John wrote it quickly: “They needed another upbeat song and I just knocked it off.”2 In 1964, he considered it one of his four favorite songs (see “I Should Have Known Better”). While the music and the tempo were joyful, the lyrics were definitely darker. Paul felt this song, like many others on the record, evoked in a roundabout way John’s relationship problems at that time: “I think a lot of these [Lennon’s] songs like ‘Tell Me Why’ may have been based on real experiences or affairs John was having, or arguments with Cynthia [Lennon’s wife] or whatever, but it never occurred to us until later to put that slant on it all.”3
And the Beach Boys Tell the Story
“Tell Me Why” was one of the favorite songs of Brian Wilson, the brilliant composer from the Beach Boys, who did a remake of it on the Beach Boys’ Party! album in 1965. It was probably its doo-wop aspect that attracted Brian.
Production
This song, which was recorded on February 27, after “And I Love Her” and before “If I Fell,” did not involve any particular difficulty. The Beatles managed to complete it in barely eight takes, despite the rather complex vocal harmonies. John and George supplied an efficient rhythm section, Paul played a great part on walking bass, and Ringo beat the skins and the cymbals with energy. Only the doubling of John’s voice left a bit to be desired, the launching of the choruses not being really in place. It also seems there was a piano in the mix, on the right of the stereo, although the session reports do not mention it. Was it George Martin or Paul? The mono mix of “Tell Me Why” was completed on March 3, and the stereo on June 22.
Can’t Buy Me Love
Lennon-McCartney / 2:12
1964
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal, bass
John: rhythm guitar
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums
RECORDED
Studios EMI Pathé Marconi: January 29, 1964
Abbey Road: February 25, 1964 (Studio Two) / March 10, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 4
MIXING
Abbey Road: February 26, 1964 (Studio Two) / March 10, 1964 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Jacques Esmenjaud (EMI Pathé Marconi), Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick
RELEASED AS A SINGLE
“Can’t Buy Me Love” / “You Can’t Do That”
Great Britain: March 20, 1964 / No. 1 on April 2, 1964
United States: March 16, 1964 / No. 1 on April 4, 1964
Genesis
Between February 1 and December 31, 1964, the Beatles achieved the amazing feat of positioning six number 1 records on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Can’t Buy Me Love,” which culminated at the top of the charts for five weeks. This had never been done before! This so
ng was composed and recorded in Paris. The Beatles were in the capital of France for nineteen shows at the Olympia. They were staying at the George V Hotel, near the Champs-Élysées, and at their request, a piano was installed in their room so they could work. Paul composed “Can’t Buy Me Love” on this piano. “‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ is my attempt to write in a bluesy mode. The idea behind it was that all these material possessions are all very well but they won’t buy me what I really want.”1 John, who in 1972 attributed the song to “John and Paul, but principally Paul,” acknowledged eight years later “that was entirely Paul’s.”2 He added, “Maybe I had something to do with the chorus, but I don’t know. I always considered it his song.”3
Production