"Things We Said Today" is a song by the English rock 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 ...

, written by

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 ...

and credited to

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 ...

. It was released in July 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 the single " A Hard Day's Night" and on their album of the same name, except in North America, where it appeared on the album '' Something New''. The band recorded the song twice for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

and regularly performed an abbreviated version during their 1964 North American tour. McCartney wrote the song while holidaying in the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Cro ...

with his girlfriend, actress

Jane Asher Jane Asher (born 5 April 1946)The International Who's Who of Women, 3rd edition, ed. Elizabeth Sleeman, Europa Publications, 2002, p. 29 is an English actress and author. She achieved early fame as a child actress and has worked extensively in f ...

. The lyrics address the singer's love for a girl despite the distance between them. McCartney later described the song as exhibiting "future nostalgia", being "nostalgic about the moment we're living in now." The music is melodically complex, using chords more typical of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

than

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...

. Between verses, it changes between major and minor keys, while the lyrics shift between the first and third person, and between the future and present tense. "Things We Said Today" 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 express that the song presents more closely to

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 ...

's style than McCartney's, with others comparing its mood to Lennon's "

I'll Be Back "I'll be back" is a catchphrase associated with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was made famous in the 1984 science fiction film ''The Terminator''. On June 21, 2005, it was placed at No. 37 on the American Film Institute list AFI's 100 Years... 100 M ...

". Some have interpreted the song as relating to difficulties in McCartney's relationship with Asher, caused in part by their pursuits of different careers.

Background and composition

wrote "Things We Said Today" in May 1964 while holidaying in the

. He and his girlfriend

travelled to Saint Thomas for the month with bandmate

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 ...

and his girlfriend Maureen Cox. Hiring a private

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

with a crew, the ''Happy Days'', the couples spent their time fishing, swimming and listening to

Calypso music Calypso is a style of Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to the mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles and Venezuela by the mid-20th century. Its rhythms can be traced back to Wes ...

. McCartney bought a cheap acoustic guitar to "keep in practice", playing it below deck in his cabin one afternoon to distract from his

seasickness Motion sickness occurs due to a difference between actual and expected motion. Symptoms commonly include nausea, vomiting, cold sweat, headache, dizziness, tiredness, loss of appetite, and increased salivation. Complications may rarely include ...

. A July 1964 piece in '' The Beatles Monthly Book'' quotes him as saying: "There was something about the atmosphere there that made me quite keen on writing new songs in the evenings." "Things We Said Today" is mostly in the

natural minor In music theory, the minor scale is three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending) – rather than just two as with the major scale, which ...

key of A and is in 4/4 (

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

). The song plays on alternating major and minor chords, with A minor playing in the verses before the release changes to

A major A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...

. The transitions are marked by a change in harmony and an acoustic guitar flourish. The song is melodically horizontal, using chord changes typical in both

and

. It consistently uses a B chord, which

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

Alan W. Pollack writes "adds even more spice to both the melody and harmony", and is suggestive of the "exotic

Phrygian mode The Phrygian mode (pronounced ) can refer to three different musical modes: the ancient Greek ''tonos'' or ''harmonia,'' sometimes called Phrygian, formed on a particular set of octave species or scales; the Medieval Phrygian mode, and the modern ...

". The chord is first heard at 0:23, substituting for a more typical change of F minor. Between verses, the song includes an extra bar of I as a vamp. Musicologist Walter Everett writes the song's verse-refrain has an "SRDC" structure: Statement-Restatement-Departure-Conclusion. The lyrics affirm the singer's love for a girl despite the long distance between them. McCartney described the song as a "future nostalgia", with the song " rojectingitself into the future and then is nostalgic about the moment we're living in now". In the verses the lyrics sing of the future and are in the third person, while the release changes to the present tense and the first person. Everett writes that the "strumming of the minor chord on acoustic guitar" and "vocal arpeggiation" are reminiscent of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's 1963 song "

Masters of War "Masters of War" is a song by Bob Dylan, written over the winter of 1962–63 and released on the album ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' in the spring of 1963. The song's melody was adapted from the traditional "Nottamun Town." Dylan's lyrics are ...

", though "the lyrics are worlds apart". He compares

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 ...

's chiming of his Gretsch Country Gent guitar on the song's verse to the chiming he does on his Rickenbacker 12-string throughout the album.

Recording

The Beatles recorded several songs for ''A Hard Day's Night'' on 2 June 1964, including "Things We Said Today". Recording in EMI'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 ...

produced the session, assisted by balance engineer Norman Smith. After one false start, take two included both vocals and an instrumental backing. For take three, the band

overdubbed 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 ...

several parts onto take two, with McCartney

double-tracking Double tracking or doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or bigger sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. ...

his vocal, Starr adding a

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called " zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, tho ...

and

playing the piano. The band returned the following day, adding unspecified overdubs to the track. While the Beatles were away on their 1964 world tour, Martin, again assisted by Smith, returned to EMI on 9 June 1964. In Studio Three, they mixed "Things We Said Today" 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 (Japanes ...

from take three. They returned on 22 June to mix much of the album in Studio One, including "Things We Said Today" for

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 ...

. Both mixes omit Lennon's piano overdub, but, due to audio leakage from the other instrument's microphones, it is still heard slightly on the released version.

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 "Things We Said Today" as the

to " A Hard Day's Night" in the UK on 10 July 1964. On the same day, they released the album ''A Hard Day's Night'', with "Things We Said Today" sequenced as the tenth track, between "

I'll Cry Instead "I'll Cry Instead" is a song written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney), and recorded by the English rock band the Beatles for their third studio album, '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964), a part-studio and part-soundtrack album to thei ...

" and "

When I Get Home "When I Get Home" is a song written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney), and recorded by the English rock band the Beatles on 2 June 1964, during the last session for their third studio album '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964). Its fi ...

". The single remained number one for four weeks, while the album held the spot for 21 weeks. In the US – where

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

altered the Beatles' albums track listings, reducing the number of songs and using single A- and B-sides to create further album releases – the song was instead released on the North American album '' Something New''. Released on 20 July 1964, "Things We Said Today" is sequenced as the second track, between "I'll Cry Instead" and "

Any Time At All "Any Time at All" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, it was mainly composed by John Lennon, with an instrumental middle eight by Paul McCartney. It first appeared on the Beatles' '' A ...

". The album was number two for nine weeks, behind the Beatles' soundtrack album '' A Hard Day's Night''. Both McCartney and Lennon were particularly fond of "Things We Said Today", with McCartney calling it "a sophisticated little tune". Lennon dominated the songwriting of ''A Hard Day's Night''; "Things We Said Today" is one of only three McCartney compositions on the album, the other two being "

And I Love Her "And I Love Her" is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It is the fifth track of their third UK album '' A Hard Day's Night'' and was released ...

" and "

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 ...

". Journalist Mark Hertsgaard contends that, despite this disparity, McCartney's three compositions are equal to Lennon's best contributions. He considers "Things We Said Today" one of the five "masterworks" of the album, and that it " omesclose to outshining" its

A-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 company ...

, "A Hard Day's Night". Music critic Wilfrid Mellers calls the song the Beatles' deepest and most beautiful song to that point. In particular, he writes that the lyric "Deep in love / Not a lot to say" is "precisely that the love experience is too deep for words. nd the musicacts this out, creating an experience no longer just happy but full of awe". Jane Asher Bristol Old Vic US tour 1967

Author Jonathan Gould calls "Things We Said Today" a "darkly beautiful love song", writing that McCartney "holding out the ends of his lines" suggests his hope to "prolong the happiness of the present moment". Author Chris Ingham calls the song "skillful" and "haunting", displaying the same "minor-major ambivalence" heard on Lennon's "

". 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 and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

also compares it to "I'll Be Back", saying they both "ring slightly of melancholy" and anticipate the style of songs heard eighteen months later on ''

Rubber Soul ''Rubber Soul'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 3 December 1965 in the United Kingdom, on EMI's Parlophone label, accompanied by the non-album double A-side single " Day Tripper" / " We Can ...

''. Writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

contends that the song was McCartney's most mature to that point. He writes that, in hindsight, its rapidly strummed acoustic guitar triplets signaled the band's turn to

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

, pointing out that the American folk rock band

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole con ...

covered it in their early live shows. Tom Ewing of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' describes the song as "wintry and philosophical before the surprising, stirring middle eight". Journalist

Robert Sandall Robert Paul Sandall (9 June 1952 – 20 July 2010)
- accessed December 2010 was a British musician,

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 ...

also states it is closer in style to Lennon than McCartney, further writing that the song "established a model of strident dramatic contrasts" for the Beatles' next album, ''

Beatles for Sale ''Beatles for Sale'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 4 December 1964 in the United Kingdom on EMI's Parlophone label. The album marked a departure from the upbeat tone that had characterised ...

'', heard in songs like "

Baby's In Black "Baby's in Black" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It appears on the United Kingdom album ''Beatles for Sale'' and on the United States album ''Beatles '65'', both released in 1964. ...

", " Every Little Thing", " I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" and " No Reply". In McCartney's 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" ...

'',

Barry Miles Barry Miles (born 21 February 1943) is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subjects of the 1960s London underground and counterculture. He is the author of numerous books and his work has also regularly appeare ...

writes that, like "And I Love Her", the song was inspired by McCartney and Asher's relationship and the frequent separation from one another they experienced due to their busy careers. MacDonald similarly writes that the sombre lyric of "Things We Said Today" was inspired by the interruptions in McCartney and Asher's relationship.

BBC Radio and live versions

British law in the 1960s compelled

to play material recorded especially for the medium. In keeping with this practice, the Beatles played "Things We Said Today" twice for radio, recording for the

BBC Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...

s ''

Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...

'' and ''From Us to You'' on 14 and 17 July 1964, respectively. The former, broadcast two days later, was the first ''Top Gear'' programme to run on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...

. EMI included this performance on the album ''

Live at the BBC {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Live at the BBC or BBC Recordings are recordings originally made for or by BBC Radio 1. Many recordings were released under several name variants. Live at the BBC *Live at the BBC (The Beatles ...

'', released in the UK and US on 30 November and 6 December 1994, respectively. The album achieved number one on the UK ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' top 75 and number three on the ''Billboard'' 200. The Beatles regularly performed an abbreviated version of the song during their 1964 North American tour. MacDonald writes the song's combination of "ease and effectiveness" secured its inclusion in their

set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

. Capitol, hoping to release a live album of the band in the US market, recorded their 23 August 1964 concert at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

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but deemed the recording of insufficient quality for release. In 1977, Capitol approached Martin and

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Geoff Emerick Geoffrey Ernest Emerick (5 December 1945 – 2 October 2018) was an English sound engineer and record producer who worked with the Beatles on their albums ''Revolver'' (1966), ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1967) and ''Abbey Road'' ...

to re-edit the tapes, along with a 30 August 1965 concert. EMI released the resulting album, '' The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl'', on 6 May 1977, with "Things We Said Today" sequenced as the sixth track, between "Can't Buy Me Love" and "

Roll Over Beethoven "Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 hit song written by Chuck Berry, originally released on Chess Records single, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to replace classi ...

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...

released a remixed and remastered version of the album on 9 September 2016, re-titled as '' Live at the Hollywood Bowl''. Calling the song "often-overlooked", Beatles writer Robert Rodriguez writes that the live version of "Things We Said Today" features a "rave-up

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 someth ...

". Unterberg suggests that, while the song is often overlooked in modern-day listening, its inclusion in the Beatles' 1964 set list points to its major contemporaneous impact.

Personnel

According to

: *

double tracked vocal, bass *

acoustic rhythm guitar, piano *

lead guitar *

drums, tambourine

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

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

External links

Full lyrics for the song at the Beatles' official website
* * {{Authority control The Beatles songs 1964 songs 1964 singles Parlophone singles Songs about nostalgia Songs published by Northern Songs Song recordings produced by George Martin Songs written by Lennon–McCartney