Here, There And Everywhere
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Here, There and Everywhere" is a song by the English rock band
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
from their 1966 album ''
Revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...
''. A love
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
, it was written by
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
and credited to
Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney is the songwriting partnership between the English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is widely considered one of the greatest, best known and most successful musical collabo ...
. McCartney includes it among his personal favourites of the songs he has written. In 2000, ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...
'' ranked it 4th in the magazine's list of the greatest songs of all time.


Inspiration and background

McCartney began writing "Here, There and Everywhere" at Lennon's house in Weybridge, in early June, while waiting for Lennon to wake up. McCartney recalled: "I sat out by the pool on one of the sun chairs with my guitar and started strumming in E. And soon had a few chords, and I think by the time he'd woken up, I had pretty much written the song, so we took it indoors and finished it up." When discussing his song "Here, There and Everywhere", McCartney has often cited
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band 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 their f ...
' " God Only Knows", his favourite pop song of all time, as a source of inspiration. In 1990, McCartney told Beach Boys biographer
David Leaf David Leaf (born April 20, 1952) is an American writer, director, and producer who is best known for his associations with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys since the late 1970s. Leaf's 1978 biography, '' The Beach Boys and the California Myth'', ...
that it was "just the introduction that's influenced y the Beach Boys, referring to the harmonies he and Lennon devised for the opening lines of "Here, There and Everywhere". McCartney added that, with this style of introduction, they wanted to capture the "old-fashioned" idea of a preamble to the song.


Musical structure

Author
Kenneth Womack Kenneth Womack (born January 24, 1966) is an American writer, literary critic, public speaker, and music historian, particularly focusing on the cultural influence of the Beatles. He is the author of the bestselling ''Solid State: The Story of ...
describes "Here, There and Everywhere" as a romantic ballad "about living in the here and now" and "fully experiencing the conscious moment". The verse is based on an ascending major chord sequence, while the
middle eight The 32-bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century. Th ...
(four bars in length) modulates to the relative major of the tonic. The introduction beginning "To lead a better life" opens in the key of G and involves a I–iii–III–ii–V7 chord progression. The III (B chord) on "I need my love to be here" (arpeggiated in the melody line) is a dissonant substitute for the more predictable VI (E7) that would normally lead to the ii (Am) chord. Music critic
Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born 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 '' The Daily P ...
considers that this "dramatic opening yric contains "an almost philosophical undertone of humility, acknowledging that the singer needs his woman not just to be happy, but also to be a better person". The verse opens on "Here" in the key of G (with simultaneous I (G chord) and melody G note) and moves to a I–ii–iii–IV chord shift (G–Am–Bm–C) through "making each day of the year". This repeats on "Changing my life with a wave"; but immediately after (in bar 5) the song changes on "of her hand". It goes down six semitones from the IV (C chord) to a vii (Fm) dding a non-G scale Cthen a V-of-vi (B7) chord dding a non-G scale Dwhich briefly modulates towards a new tonic
E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp, on the F. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: Change ...
. McCartney mostly sings a B note ("of her hand") over both Fm, where it is the eleventh, and the B7, where it is the tonic. When the sequence is repeated ("nobody can"), McCartney sings both B and C over the Fm, the C natural producing a
tritone In music theory, the tritone is defined as a interval (music), musical interval spanning three adjacent Major second, whole tones (six semitones). For instance, the interval from F up to the B above it (in short, F–B) is a tritone as it can be ...
. During the bridge segment beginning "I want her everywhere", the key centre shifts via an F7 chord (a VII in the old G key and a V7 in the new B key) to a I–vi–ii (B–Gm–Cm) chord progression in
B major B major is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps. Its relative minor is G-sharp minor, its parallel minor is B minor, and its enharmonic equi ...
. It then shifts again via a D7 chord (a III7 in the old B key and a V7 in the new Gm key) to
G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. The G natural minor scale is: Changes n ...
where there is a i–iv (Gm–Cm chord) progression. Finally, the pivot of D7 takes the scale back to the G major tonic and reinforcing G melody note of "Everywhere". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' has noted: "The tune's chord sequence bears Brian Wilson's influence, ambling through three related keys without ever fully settling into one, and the modulations – particularly the one on the line 'changing my life with a wave of her hand' – deftly underscore the lyrics, inspired by McCartney's 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 through her associatio ...
."


Recording

The Beatles recorded "Here, There and Everywhere" towards the end of the sessions for their 1966 album ''
Revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...
''. The band worked on the song at
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
over three session dates – on 14, 16 and 17 June. Before carrying out overdubs, they taped 13 takes before achieving a satisfactory basic track. The recording is noted for its layered backing vocals, which McCartney, Lennon and
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
spent much of the three days attempting to perfect. McCartney mentioned in the 1989 radio series ''McCartney on McCartney'' that the vocals were meant to have a Beach Boys sound; he has also said that he was trying to sing it in the style of
Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...
. McCartney's lead vocal on the recording is multi-tracked. In his book '' Revolution in the Head'',
Ian MacDonald Ian MacCormick (known by the pseudonym Ian MacDonald; 3 October 1948 – 20 August 2003) was an English music critic, journalist and author, best known for both '' Revolution in the Head'', his critical history of the Beatles which borrowed te ...
also comments on Harrison's lead guitar part being given a
mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...
-like tone via a
Leslie speaker The Leslie speaker is a combined amplifier and loudspeaker that projects the signal from an electric or electronic instrument and modifies the sound by rotating a baffle chamber ("drum") in front of the loudspeakers. A similar effect is provided ...
effect, before it adopts a "horn-like timbre" for the song's ending.


Release and reception

"Here, There and Everywhere" was released in August 1966 as the fifth track on ''Revolver'', sequenced between Harrison's Indian-styled "
Love You To "Love You To" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. The song was written and sung by George Harrison and features Indian instrumentation such as sitar and tabla. Following Harrison's introduction ...
", and the children's song " Yellow Submarine". Writing of its positioning in the running order, music critic Tim Riley says that "Here, There and Everywhere" "domesticates" the "eroticisms" of "Love You To", and he praises the composition as "the most perfect song" that McCartney had written up to that point. In his review 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 Mus ...
, Richie Unterberger describes "Here, There and Everywhere" as one of its author's "outstanding contribution to the genre of "love ballads", and a song with "the sound of an instant
standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...
". Unterberger comments on the recording: "The delicacy of the execution is exquisite, the sensual imagery more explicit, the sense of desire and fulfillment tangible." Less impressed, Ian MacDonald admired the "ingenuity of the music", but concluded that "for all its soft-focus charm, the song's overall effect is chintzy and rather cloying." In his chapter on ''Revolver'' in the book ''The Album'', James Perone describes "Here, There and Everywhere" as a "mid 1960s love ballad that could find its way into the set list for bands at a senior prom" and a track that to some listeners appears "syrupy and mushy". Chris Coplan of ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...
'' pairs it with " Got to Get You into My Life" as songs that are "seemingly out of place" on ''Revolver'' amid the overtly psychedelic and experimental music that typifies the album. In his authorised biography, ''
Many Years from Now Many (/ˈmɛni/) may refer to: * grammatically plural in number *an English quantifier used with count nouns indicating a large but indefinite number of; at any rate, more than a few ;Place names * Many, Moselle, a commune of the Moselle depart ...
'', McCartney names "Here, There and Everywhere" as one of his personal favourites. Beatles producer
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 Beatle ...
also highlighted it among his favourite McCartney songs. Lennon reportedly told McCartney that "Here, There and Everywhere" was "the best tune" on ''Revolver''. In a 1980 interview for ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'' magazine, Lennon described it as "one of my favourite songs of the Beatles". In 2000, ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...
'' placed "Here, There and Everywhere" at number 4 on its list of the greatest songs of all time. In April 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it 25th out of the "100 Greatest Beatles Songs".
Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, actor and poet who is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, Garfunkel became acquainte ...
described the song as "intoxicating": "If music can be defined as that which perfumes the atmosphere, then ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ does it like no other single I’ve ever heard. It’s supreme." McCartney re-recorded the song for his 1984 soundtrack album ''
Give My Regards to Broad Street ''Give My Regards to Broad Street'' is the fifth solo studio album by Paul McCartney and the soundtrack to the Give My Regards to Broad Street (film), film of the same name. It features covers of Beatles' songs, Paul McCartney and Wings, Wings ...
'' and also performed it for MTV in 1991, released on ''
Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) ''Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)'' is a live album of Acoustic music, unplugged performance by Paul McCartney, recorded and released in 1991. Overview Following the vastness of the Paul McCartney World Tour (1989–1990), captured on ''Tripp ...
.''


Other recordings

One of the earliest known covers of "Here, There and Everywhere" was recorded by
The Fourmost The Fourmost are an English beat music, Merseybeat band that recorded in the 1960s. Their biggest UK hit single was "A Little Loving" in 1964. History Formation Guitarist/vocalist Brian O'Hara and best friend guitarist/vocalist Joey Bower (bor ...
in August 1966. A
Merseybeat Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed around Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from British and American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle, tradit ...
band also managed by
Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein ( ; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put hi ...
, The Fourmost had access to Lennon–McCartney compositions, as reflected in their earlier recordings of " Hello Little Girl" and " I'm in Love". Unterberger highlights
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
among the notable artists who have recorded "Here, There and Everywhere". Harris' version became a minor hit in 1976, reaching number 65 on the
Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...
and number 13 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States. It reached number 30 in the Official UK music chart.
Frank Ocean Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music journalism, music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a B ...
interpolated its lyrics on his song " White Ferrari" in 2016 (from the album ''Blonde''), for which Lennon–McCartney received a writing credit. Bruce Welch of
the Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...
claimed in his autobiography that McCartney offered the tune to Shadows lead guitarist
Hank Marvin Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is known as the lead guitarist for the Shadows. Early life and career Marvin was born as Brian Robson Rankin at ...
before the Beatles' recording. Marvin eventually released an instrumental version of the song on his 2007 album '' Guitar Man''. Lennon's son
Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name '' Yohanan'' (), Seán ( anglicized as '' Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; a ...
and
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
both performed the song in 2022 in celebration of McCartney's 80th birthday.
Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...
recorded a solo guitar version for his 2024 album MoonDial.


In popular culture

In the TV series ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'', this song is played on steel drums when
Phoebe Buffay Phoebe Buffay-Hannigan (; born 16 February 1969) is one of the six main characters from the American television sitcom, ''Friends''. She was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and portrayed by actress Lisa Kudrow. In the series' unive ...
walks down the aisle during her wedding. It was the second time a song written by McCartney was used in a wedding sequence in the series, the first being " My Love" when Chandler and Monica married. Gary Sparrow sings the song at the piano in an episode of '' Goodnight Sweetheart''.
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' ...
, who engineered many of the Beatles' recordings, used the title of the song for his 2006 memoir ''Here, There, and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles''.


Personnel

According to Ian MacDonald: *
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
double-tracked 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. ...
lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, finger-snaps *
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
– backing vocals, finger-snaps *
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
– lead guitar, backing vocals, finger-snaps *
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...
– drums, finger-snaps


Certifications


References


Bibliography

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


External links


Handwritten lyrics of ''Here, There and Everywhere''
by Paul McCartney at the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
*
Sissel's cover of "Here, There And Everywhere"
* {{authority control 1966 songs 1976 singles 1960s ballads Pop ballads Songs written by Lennon–McCartney The Beatles songs Petula Clark songs Perry Como songs John Denver songs Bobbie Gentry songs Jay and the Americans songs Emmylou Harris songs Sissel Kyrkjebø songs The Lettermen songs Andy Williams songs Song recordings produced by George Martin Songs published by Northern Songs Rock ballads British soft rock songs Johnny Mathis songs