“The Beatles” Essay

Kippen – Beatles MUS321

6. 1965–66: Rubber Soul & Towards Revolver

The Beatles – Coming of Age?

Lennon the writer

A Spaniard in the Works, published June 24, 1965

Snore Wife and Some Several Dwarts (see beatlesnumber9.com/spaniard.html)

… but? Were things unravelling?

Growing independence

A crucial moment in New York?

US/Canada tour 1965

· August 14-31– 11 shows (1 in Canada)

· August 15 in Shea Stadium, New York

· 55,600

· Revenues $304,000

· 2,000 security personnel

· 30-minute show

What effect did the concert at Shea have on the band?

A turning point?

Beatles agreed to tour UK in December 1965

But …

Rubber Soul sessions October 12 to November 12, 1965

Double-A Single:

“We Can Work It Out”

“Day Tripper”

Rubber Soul

A:

Drive My Car

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

You Won't See Me

Nowhere Man

Think For Yourself (Harrison)

The Word

Michelle

B:

What Goes On? (Lennon, McCartney, Starkey)

Girl

I'm Looking Through You

In My Life

Wait

If I Needed Someone (Harrison)

Run For Your Life

“We Can Work It Out” and “Day Tripper”

Heralded a new era?

Is simplicity the key?

Musical maturity

Studio experimentation apparent

Not ideal for live performance

Love: from abstract idea to specific obsession

“We Can Work It Out”

McCartney – general message: love as a universal, humanitarian issue

Analysis

“Day Tripper”

Lennon – Though a “love” song, it has a twist to it

Analysis

Was Rubber Soul the first concept album?

United by different perspectives on love & relationships

“Nowhere Man”

Importance of text: exposed a cappella harmonies

He's a real nowhere Man,

Sitting in his Nowhere Land,

Making all his nowhere plans for nobody.

Doesn't have a point of view,

Knows not where he’s going to,

Isn't he a bit like you and me?

Message song?

“The Word” (Lennon) – a precursor to “All You Need Is Love”?

Say the word and you'll be free

Say the word and be like me

Say the word I'm thinking of

Have you heard the word is “love”?

It’s so fine, It's sunshine

It’s the word, “love” …

Spread the word and you'll be free …

Give the word a chance to say

That the word is just the way …

Now that I know what I feel must be right

I'm here to show everybody the light

Love as romantic ideal?

“Michelle” (McC)

Major minor mix; harmonic complexities; opening gesture follows a descending chromatic stepwise movement

Trust and fidelity

“Wait” (collaboration)

Sentimental love, memory, autobiography?

“In My Life” (Lennon)

Notable for neo-baroque “harpsichord” solo, written & played by George Martin

Subdominant major to minor, then tonic resolution (D maj – D min – A maj)

Love with a twist?

“Drive My Car” (McC)

A satire on grasping ambition?

Use of irony

Dissonant vocal harmonies

Love as addiction?

“Girl” (Lennon): the cruel manipulator who destroys her man

Bouzouki

Backing vocals

The aural signature of smoking weed:

Developing sophistication of Lennon’s lyrics?

Was she told when she was young

That pain would lead to pleasure?

Did she understand it when they said

That a man must break his back

To earn his day of leisure?

Will she still believe it when he’s dead?

Ah girl! Girl! Girl!

Falling out of love?

“I’m Looking Through You”

Aggressive jealousy?

“Run for your Life” (Lennon)

Lennon’s aggression surfacing

Well I’d rather see you dead, little girl

Than to be with another man

You better keep your head, little girl

Of I won’t know where I am

You’d better run for your life if you can, little girl

Hide your head in the sand little girl

Catch you with another man, that’s the end of little girl

Well I know that I’m a wicked guy

And I was born with a jealous mind

And I can’t spend my whole life

Trying just to make you toe the line

You’d better run for your life …

Let this be a sermon

I mean everything I’ve said

Baby, I’m determined

And I’d rather see you dead

Anger? Frustration?

“What Goes On?”: L, McC & Starkey

“You Won’t See Me”: McC

Seduction gone wrong?

“Norwegian Wood” (Lennon)

One of the most complete, yet succinct, narratives to date

Atmospheric song for the mid 60s?

Acoustic guitar, and sitar

One chord for most of the song (E) with modulation to the minor as a kind of major-minor mix

I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me.

She showed me her room, isn’t it good, Norwegian wood?

She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere,

So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair.

I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine.

We talked until two and then she said, “It’s time for bed”.

She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh.

I told her I didn’t and crawled off to sleep in the bath.

And when I awoke I was alone, this bird had flown.

So I lit a fire, isn’t it good, Norwegian wood.

Ravi Shankar

Harrison first encountered sitar on set of Help!

“Love You To” from next album, Revolver

Imitation of performance structure of North Indian music

Indian instruments

· Tanpura: drone

· Tabla: tuned drum pair, rhythm

· Sitar: most common, popular instrument

Unaccompanied improvisation ( alap) and accompanied composition ( gat)

· Harrison begins with imitation of alap (to 0:33)

· Introduces medium tempo composition (0:33 to 2:35)

· Finishes with fast tempo composition (2:35 to end)

· Heavily syncopated vocal melody

· Message: life is short, make love / music and ignore manipulative people

Harrison’s other contributions to Rubber Soul

“Think For Yourself”

“If I Needed Someone”

Note use (in A major) of shift to ♭VII – G major over A bass

1966

Began with a break

Home studios

Recording sessions for Revolver: April to June

Double-A single release: “Paperback Writer” / “Rain” June 10

Tours of Germany, Japan, Philippines (late June-July); USA-Canada (August)

“Paperback Writer”

Narrative song

Striking a cappella opening with contrapuntal lines leading into energetic guitar riff

Most of the verse is on one chord

Very active melodic bass line

Rickenbacker bass: differences?

Geoff Emerick working for GM

Controversy and musicianship

Budokan