TOP 100 SONGS OF THE BEATLES: 43

"Drive My Car" (McCartney – June 15, 1966)  

Rubber Soul – Side 1, Track 1 (2:25)

YouTube (McCartney live in Quebec)

From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone, About.com, and Google –

"Drive My Car" is a song primarily written by Paul McCartney, with lyrical contributions from John Lennon, and first released by the Beatles on the British version of the 1965 album Rubber Soul; it also appeared in North America on the Yesterday and Today collection. The upbeat, lighthearted "Drive My Car" was used as the opening track for both albums.

History –

"Drive My Car," the first song on the Beatles' 1965 classic Rubber Soul, was brought by Paul to John, with the music mostly completed, on October 13, 1965, with Paul having worked the song out a few days earlier. Both agreed the lyrics were no good: the place-holding lyrics Paul had written for the chorus, written from the point of view of the singer's girlfriend, went something like "You can give me golden rings / You can give me anything / Cause baby, I love you." John suggested the refrain "Baby, you can drive my car," a sexual metaphor which fit the bluesy nature of the song well, and also the hook "Beep beep mmm beep beep yeah!" From there the two finished the song off on the spot; the result was the band's earliest song-story, and one of its wittiest numbers.

George, for his part, suggested a slippery guitar riff for the verses, one patterned after a favorite recent song of his: Otis Redding's original version of "Respect." George taught Paul the riff on bass, and the two played it in unison, with George on guitar. (Some have misread George's recollections to mean that he also played bass on the track, but he did not.) John came up with the unique five-note piano filigree which he performed on the chorus, while Paul recorded his first Beatles guitar solo, a melodic wonder with a slide feel to it.

"Drive My Car" was completed, arranged, and recorded in one marathon session that same day, working past midnight on the track. (This was the first Beatles session to run into the early morning hours.) Take 4 was the best, and was overdubbed with vocals, John's piano and tambourine, and Ringo's cowbell.

The vocals on this track are unique: Paul and John sing harmony through almost the entire song, and even though the number is mainly Paul's, it's a double-tracked John who alone sings the tagline: "And maybe I'll love you." George, for his part, only comes in to do harmony on the "beep beep" tagline.

Lyrics –

The song's male narrator is told by a woman that she is going to be a famous movie star, and she offers him the opportunity to be her chauffeur, adding "and maybe I'll love you." When he objects that his "prospects are good", she retorts that "working for peanuts is all very fine/but I can show you a better time." When he agrees to her proposal, she admits that she does not have a car, "but [she's] found a driver and that's a start." According to McCartney, "'Drive my car' was an old blues euphemism for sex".

Composition –

When McCartney arrived at Lennon's Weybridge home for a writing session, he had the tune in his head, but "The lyrics were disastrous, and I knew it." The chorus began, "You can buy me diamond rings", a cliche they'd used twice before in "Can't Buy Me Love" and "I Feel Fine" (As well as the discarded "If You've Got Trouble). Lennon dismissed the lyrics as "crap" and "too soft". They decided to rewrite the lyrics and after some difficulty—McCartney said it was "one of the stickiest" writing sessions—they settled on the "drive my car" theme (which Bob Spitz credits to Lennon) and the rest of the lyrics flowed easily from that.

Recording –

"Drive My Car" was recorded on 13 October 1965 in the Beatles' first recording session to extend past midnight. McCartney, working closely with George Harrison, laid down the basic rhythm track, doubling similar riffing lines on bass and low guitar, as per Harrison's suggestion. Harrison had been listening to Otis Redding's "Respect" at the time and, as a result of its influence, "Drive My Car" has more bottom than any previous Beatles recording, mimicking the bass-heavy sound generated in Redding's Memphis studio.

McCartney played the lead guitar solo, although Harrison plays the guitar which doubles the bass throughout the song. Harrison claimed to have also played the 6-string bass part.

Takes: 4

Personnel

John Lennon – Harmony vocal, lead vocal (double-tracked), piano (1905 Steinway Vertegrand "Mrs. Mills"), tambourine

Paul McCartney – Harmony vocal, bass guitar (1961 Hofner 500/1), lead guitar (1962 Epiphone Casino)
George Harrison – Rhythm guitar (1961 Sonic Blue Fender Stratocaster), backing vocals
Ringo Starr – Drums (Ludwig), cowbell

Trivia –

The mixes of "Drive My Car" differ somewhat; the mono mix features a less-prominent cowbell, which can only be heard in some parts of the song, while the original stereo mix features a loud cowbell heard almost throughout. The CD stereo mix leaves the cowbell in throughout the whole song and moves the vocal track from far right to center right.

This was a favorite of all four Beatles; there's even a version floating around of George performing an acoustic version as part of a medley on the US syndicated radio show Rockline.

Today in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) February 26 –

1963 – Concert at the Odeon, Taunton (Helen Shapiro Tour).

1964 – Studio 2 (control room only). 10.00am-1.00pm. Mono mixing: "You Can't Do That" (remixes 1-4, from take 9); "Can't Buy Me Love" (from take 4). 

– Studio 2. 2.30-5.30pm. Recording: "I Should Have Known Better" [re-make] (takes 4-22).
– Studio 2. 7.00-10.00pm. Recording: "And I Love Her" [re-make] (takes 3-19). Producer: – George Martin; Engineer: Norman Smith; 2nd Engineer: Richard Langham.
– Remixes of "Y0u Can't Do That" and "Can't Buy Me Love" for the UK and US.
– US LP release: Jolly What! The Beatles And Frank Ifield On Stage.
– Please Please Me LP, 49th week in the Top 10 (UK New Musical Express chart).
– With The Beatles number 1, 14th week (UK New Musical Express chart).

1965 – The Jewish Chronicle informs that Brian has agreed to be the first vice-president of the Finchley (London) Jewish Youth Club.

1967 – Performance of Edwin Starr and Garnet Mimms at the Saville Theatre. 

– 2nd performance of Chuck Berry at the Saville Theatre.

1969 – Yellow Submarine LP, 6th week in the ranking (UK New Musical Express chart).

1970 – US LP release: Hey Jude.

– A New York newspaper says that John declared that there is no point in doing the Peace Festival in Toronto, since the money is not being used for peace but for others to have profits.

1973 – US single release: "Death Of Samantha"/"Yang, Yang", by Yoko.