There's A Place
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"There's a Place" is a song by the English
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
from their debut album, ''
Please Please Me ''Please Please Me'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom, following the success of the band's first two s ...
'', released in March 1963. It was written primarily by
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and credited to McCartney–Lennon. In the United States, the song was released in July 1963 on the group's first US LP, '' Introducing... The Beatles'', later reissued in January 1964 as
Beatlemania Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding the English rock band the Beatles in the 1960s. The group's popularity grew in the United Kingdom throughout 1963, propelled by the singles "Please Please Me", "From Me to You" and "She Loves You". By ...
surged there. It was also issued as a non-album single in the US, in March 1964, as the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
to "
Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brothers ...
", reaching number 74 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Lennon said that "There's a Place" was his attempt at writing a song in the
Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
style. According to
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
, the song's title phrase originated from "
There's a Place for Us ''There's a Place for Us'' is an album recorded by Motown girl group The Supremes in 1965, for many years the most famous of the trio's unreleased albums. The album, composed of show-tunes and pop standards, was released by Motown and Hip-O Reco ...
", from the
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
to the 1961 film ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...
''. The song's lyrics relate to the singer's ability to overcome his loneliness by retreating into the haven of his mind. "There's a Place" has received a favourable response from several
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. Some reviewers admire its harmonies and recognise the lyrics as exhibiting a depth not found in contemporaneous pop songs. Some have seen it as anticipating the later introspection of the Beatles and Lennon in particular, heard in songs like "
I'm Only Sleeping "I'm Only Sleeping" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 studio album '' Revolver''. In the United States and Canada, it was one of the three tracks that Capitol Records cut from the album and instead included on '' Ye ...
" and "
Tomorrow Never Knows "Tomorrow Never Knows" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in August 1966 as the final track on their album ''Revolver'', although it was the firs ...
".


Background

Among
Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
biographers and historians,
Mark Lewisohn Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.
, Walter Everett, Tim Riley and
Mark Hertsgaard Mark Hertsgaard (born 1956) is an American journalist and the co-founder and executive director of Covering Climate Now. He is the environment correspondent for ''The Nation'', and the author of seven non-fiction books, including ''Earth Odyssey ...
credit
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
as the main writer of "There's a Place". In a 1971 interview, Lennon identifies the song as having been written by himself. He recalled in 1980 that he was attempting to write a "
Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
, black thing", with the lyrics saying "the usual Lennon things". Music critic
Ian MacDonald Ian MacCormick (known by the pseudonym Ian MacDonald; 3 October 1948 – 20 August 2003) was a British music critic and author, best known for both ''Revolution in the Head'', his critical history of the Beatles which borrowed techniques from a ...
speculates that he was referring to
the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...
, but comments that this influence is not readily apparent on the final recording. Everett also does not consider the song to be especially Motown-influenced, but draws a comparison between
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
singer
Arthur Alexander Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was an American country soul songwriter and singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for AllMusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely unknown, "his music is the stuff ...
and
the Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who wa ...
' 1961 version of "
I Want a Guy I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...
". In his 1997 authorised biography, ''
Many Years from Now ''Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now'' is a 1997 biography of Paul McCartney by Barry Miles. It is the "official" biography of McCartney and was written "based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews undertaken over a period of five years", ...
'',
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
instead recalls co-writing the song with Lennon in the front room of his childhood home,
20 Forthlin Road 20 Forthlin Road is a National Trust property in Allerton in south Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is the house in which Paul McCartney lived for several years before he rose to fame with the Beatles, and it is labelled by the National Tru ...
, "but with a bias towards being isoriginal idea". Explaining that he owned a copy of the
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
to the 1961 film ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...
'', composed by
Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...
and
Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
, McCartney says that he drew the phrase "There's a Place" from the soundtrack's song "
There's a Place for Us ''There's a Place for Us'' is an album recorded by Motown girl group The Supremes in 1965, for many years the most famous of the trio's unreleased albums. The album, composed of show-tunes and pop standards, was released by Motown and Hip-O Reco ...
". The songs diverged in that while "There's a Place for Us" refers to a place "round the back of the stairs for a kiss and a cuddle", the Beatles' song refers to "the mind".


Composition

"There's a Place" is in the key of
E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...
and in 4/4 time. Unusually short for the Beatles, the song features only one
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
. Everett writes that it borrows aspects from the band's earlier songs. For example, he writes it takes "two-
bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...
groupings that embellish I with an alternating IV" from the chorus of "
Love Me Do "Love Me Do" is the official debut single by the English rock band the Beatles, backed by " P.S. I Love You". When the single was originally released in the United Kingdom on 5 October 1962, it peaked at number 17. It was released in the United ...
" and adds it to the song's first verse. From "
Please Please Me ''Please Please Me'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom, following the success of the band's first two s ...
", it uses the same octave spanning lines of
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
on guitar and Lennon on harmonica. The song's opening bass note, hitting a
natural Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are p ...
B, is "nearly identical" to that of "Please Please Me". Like many of the band's early singles, the song features a harmonica, playing with the vocals of the
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
like is heard on "
Ask Me Why "Ask Me Why" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles originally released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of their single " Please Please Me". It was also included on their 1963 debut album '' Please Please Me''. It was written primari ...
". Lennon and McCartney sing the song as a two-part
harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...
in fourths and fifths, with Lennon singing the low part and McCartney the high. McCartney's high vocal stops at the end of the first and third
verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...
s, leaving Lennon momentarily alone on lead vocal, adding what musicologist Alan W. Pollack calls "
trill TRILL (Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links) is an Internet Standard implemented by devices called TRILL switches. TRILL combines techniques from bridging and routing, and is the application of link-state routing to the VLAN-aware cus ...
-like ornaments".
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
provides a backing vocal, singing with McCartney while Lennon sings the lead during the variant verse following the first verse. The song's lyrics are written in the form of a first-person narrative. The singer declares his self-sufficiency, being able to transcend loneliness by retreating into his mind., quoted in . Rather than having different verses, the lyrics repeat the verse line, serving to emphasize the song's theme. Pollack describes the song as "paradoxically quite tense", with the confident message of the lyrics playing against the "hard-hitting, unique sonority of the E-
Major seventh chord In music, a major seventh chord is a seventh chord in which the third is a major third above the root and the seventh is a major seventh above the root. The major seventh chord, sometimes also called a ''Delta chord'', can be written as maj7, M7, , ...
". Everett similarly describes the song as "an unusual mix of happiness and
melancholia Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout ancient, medieval and premodern medicine in Europe that describes a condition characterized by markedly dep ...
". Riley writes that its fadeout provides a liberating effect through its
major key In music theory, the key of a piece is the group of pitches, or scale, that forms the basis of a musical composition in classical, Western art, and Western pop music. The group features a '' tonic note'' and its corresponding ''chords'', al ...
, suggesting the singer has achieved respite, though the "rhythmic tension" hints at "an uneasiness below the surface that remains unresolved".


Recording

The Beatles recorded most of their debut LP ''
Please Please Me ''Please Please Me'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom, following the success of the band's first two s ...
'' on 11 February 1963, split across three sessions in twelve hours and forty-five minutes. Recorded in
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
's Studio Two,
George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...
produced, supported by balance engineer Norman Smith. Throughout the sessions, Lennon and McCartney are heard sniffling and coughing, with Lennon faring a heavy cold. The band began with ten takes of "There's a Place", reworking the
rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...
and
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
parts between attempts. After their lunch break, Lennon finished the song by
overdubbing Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...
a harmonica onto take ten. His three attempts, two complete and one a false start, were marked as takes eleven through thirteen, with take thirteen marked "best". On 25 February, Martin, again assisted by Smith, returned to EMI to edit and mix the album in Studio One. They mixed "There's a Place" for
mono Mono may refer to: Common meanings * Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease" * Monaural, monophonic sound reproduction, often shortened to mono * Mono-, a numerical prefix representing anything single Music Performers * Mono (Japanese b ...
and
stereo Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...
from take thirteen, adding heavy
reverberation Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abso ...
to Lennon's harmonica overdub. As was typical for the time, none of the Beatles were present for mixing.


Release and reception

EMI's
Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
label released ''Please Please Me'' in the UK on 22 March 1963, with "There's a Place" sequenced as the penultimate track, between "
A Taste of Honey ''A Taste of Honey'' is the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, written when she was 19. It was intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalise British theatre and address social issues that ...
" and "
Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brothers ...
". The song is credited to McCartney–Lennon, since the
Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney was the songwriting partnership between English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is the best-known and most successful musical collaboration ever by records sold, with the ...
designation was not used until August that year. In a contemporary review of the album for the ''
Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...
'', Norman Jopling describes the song as "wistful" with "a definite beat on the backing." He concludes it is "a typical number... t a standout track but one with plenty of appeal."
Vee-Jay Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...
released the first US Beatles album, '' Introducing... The Beatles'', on 22 July 1963, with "There's a Place" sequenced as the twelfth track between "A Taste of Honey" and "Twist and Shout". The initial US release attracted little attention,
Beatlemania Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding the English rock band the Beatles in the 1960s. The group's popularity grew in the United Kingdom throughout 1963, propelled by the singles "Please Please Me", "From Me to You" and "She Loves You". By ...
not reaching America until December 1963. As the Beatles' popularity surged, record labels rushed to re-release material, with Vee-Jay reissuing the album on 27 January 1964. Tollie released "There's a Place" in the US as the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
to "Twist and Shout" on 2 March 1964. "Twist and Shout" peaked at number two on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in April 1964, while "There's a Place" made it on the chart for one week, reaching number 74. Author
Greil Marcus Greil Marcus (born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics. Biography Marcus wa ...
writes that "There's a Place" is "incandescent", with an arrangement built around drumming from
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
that "could take your breath away". He asserts that its musical qualities and lyricism provided a template for the success of the Beatles' later music. Howard Kramer of the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
writes that the song illustrates the band's earliest influences, joining
Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...
-style harmonies with
Brill Building The Brill Building is an office building at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. It was built in 1931 as t ...
-type songwriting. Hertsgaard recognises "There's a Place" and " Misery" as the two "sleeping beauties" of ''Please Please Me'' that are often overlooked. Riley offers similar sentiments, writing that the song exhibits more maturity than "
teenybopper A teenybopper is an early teenage girl who follows adolescent trends in music, fashion, and culture. The term may have been coined by marketing professionals and psychologists, later becoming a subculture of its own. The term was introduced in ...
" tracks like "Ask Me Why" or "
Do You Want to Know a Secret "Do You Want to Know a Secret" is a song by English rock band the Beatles from their 1963 album '' Please Please Me'', sung by George Harrison. In the United States, it was the first top ten song to feature Harrison as a lead singer, reaching N ...
". Hertsgaard, Chris Ingham and Ian Marshall each write that the song's lyrics are deeper than those of the album's other tracks and that they anticipate the more introspective compositions of the later Beatles, especially Lennon.; ; . Kevin Howlett and Lewisohn write the song shows Lennon's "early fascination with self-discovery and the fulfilment such knowledge can bring". Hertsgaard contends that the song's "free-thinking sensibility" was later expanded upon in Lennon's 1966 songs "
I'm Only Sleeping "I'm Only Sleeping" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 studio album '' Revolver''. In the United States and Canada, it was one of the three tracks that Capitol Records cut from the album and instead included on '' Ye ...
" and "
Tomorrow Never Knows "Tomorrow Never Knows" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in August 1966 as the final track on their album ''Revolver'', although it was the firs ...
". In his 2007 book ''
Can't Buy Me Love "Can't Buy Me Love" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in March 1964 as the A-side of their sixth single. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song was included o ...
'', Jonathan Gould dismisses the track as an awkward rewrite of "
Please Please Me ''Please Please Me'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom, following the success of the band's first two s ...
". He views the lyrics as "dreadful" and says that those who see the song as anticipating the later introspection of the Beatles' lyrics are being overly generous. Several writers have compared "There's a Place" to
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
' 1963 song "
In My Room "In My Room" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher for the American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released on their 1963 album '' Surfer Girl''. It was also released as the B-side of the " Be True to Your School" single. The single ...
". Riley considers the Beatles' song "much better", as do critics
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
and John Piccarella, who say that "Lennon has better places to go but his room, and better ways to get there than
Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
." Comparing the Beatles' harmonies to the Beach Boys', Riley writes that Lennon and McCartney " oublethe effect" of any similar attempt by the Beach Boys. Hertsgaard similarly praises the vocals, calling the harmonies in the song's opening "sublime". Less impressed,
Ian MacDonald Ian MacCormick (known by the pseudonym Ian MacDonald; 3 October 1948 – 20 August 2003) was a British music critic and author, best known for both ''Revolution in the Head'', his critical history of the Beatles which borrowed techniques from a ...
says that the two-part harmony shows "that Lennon had a heavy cold", although he adds that Lennon and McCartney's passionate singing "cuts through".


Personnel

According to
Ian MacDonald Ian MacCormick (known by the pseudonym Ian MacDonald; 3 October 1948 – 20 August 2003) was a British music critic and author, best known for both ''Revolution in the Head'', his critical history of the Beatles which borrowed techniques from a ...
: *
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
vocal, harmonica, rhythm guitar *
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
vocal, bass *
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
backing vocal, lead guitar *
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
drums


Chart performance


Weekly charts


Notes


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


Full lyrics for the song at the Beatles' official website
{{Authority control The Beatles songs Song recordings produced by George Martin Songs written by Lennon–McCartney 1963 songs Songs published by Northern Songs Tollie Records singles Capitol Records singles British rock-and-roll songs