"I've Just See a Face" (McCartney – December 6, 1965)
Help! – Side Two, Track 5 (2:04)
YouTube (McCartney Unplugged 1991, live)
From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone, About.com, and Google –
"I've Just Seen a Face" is a song by The Beatles. It appears on their 1965 UK album Help!, although in the United States it and "It's Only Love" first appeared on the Capitol version of the Rubber Soul album.
History –
One of the most uplifting items in the Beatles' catalog, this song was composed entirely by Paul as a sort of country/bluegrass experiment while living with girlfriend Jane Asher's family in London. The working title was "Aunty Jin's Theme," so named because Paul's Aunt Jane (nicknamed "Jin," the youngest sister of his father Jim) loved it so.
The internal rhymes and fast-paced style of singing also mark this as unique in the Beatles catalog; the odd rhyme structure propels the verse along breathlessly, although it does force Paul to rhyme "met" with "met" and, later, to pronounce "her" with a distinctly Liverpudlian accent in order to make it rhyme with "aware."
"I've Just Seen A Face" was recorded at the tenth session for Help!, just after Paul's Little Richard-styled rave-up "I'm Down," which ended up as the b-side of the "Help!" single. Even stranger, "Yesterday" was also recorded that day, before "I'm Down," marking quite a mood change over the course of one session!
In marked contrast to most Beatles songs recorded to this point, Paul overdubbed his own vocal harmony (which was possibly too high for John to pull off), and did not add any bass to the recording. Ringo played maracas on the chorus only.
Composition –
"I've Just Seen a Face" was written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and features McCartney on vocals. Before its release, the song was briefly titled "Aunty Gin's Theme" after his father's youngest sister, because it was one of her favorites. It is one of the very few guitar-based Beatles songs that lacks a bass track.
According to music critic Richie Unterberger of Allmusic, "Several songs on 1964's Beatles for Sale, as well as "I'll Cry Instead" from A Hard Day's Night, had leaned in a country and western direction. But 'I've Just Seen a Face' was almost pure country, taken at such a fast tempo that it might have been bluegrass if not for the absence of banjo and fiddle." Music critic Ian MacDonald said the up tempo song "lifted the later stages of the Help! album with its quickfire freshness." Capitol Records chose it as the lead track of the US edition of Rubber Soul, with the intent of giving the album a strong folk sound in step with the then-current Folk Rock movement.
Recording –
Takes: 6
Personnel
John Lennon ― Acoustic Rhythm guitar (1964 Gibson J160E)
Paul McCartney ― Lead vocal (double-tracked), harmony vocal, acoustic rhythm guitar (1964 Epiphone FT-79 "Texan")
George Harrison ― Acoustic lead guitar (1964 Framus 12-string "Hootenanny")
Ringo Starr ― Brushed drums (Ludwig), maracas
Trivia –
The original US mono mix of this song features much more echo than the UK stereo mix; the original CD stereo mix has reverb added to the original.
This and "It's Only Love" were the only two Beatles songs from the Help! sessions not to be released in the US until the next album, the Capitol version of Rubber Soul. "I've Just Seen A Face" was picked to be the leadoff for that version of the album.
Jin, who was essentially McCartney's mother figure after his mother, Mary, died in 1956, was quite beloved to Paul; he also name checks her in Wings' 1976 smash "Let 'Em In." Producer George Martin named his orchestral instrumental version of this song "Auntie Gin's Theme" in honor of its original title.
This was one of only five Beatles songs performed by Paul on the 1976 Wings Over Americatour. The Beatles never played it live.
Today in Beatles History (From The Beatles Internet Album) February 11 –
1963 – Studio 2. 10.00am-1.00pm. Recording: "There's A Place" (takes 1-10); "Seventeen" (working title of "I Saw Her Standing There") (takes 1-9). – Studio 2. 2.30-6.00pm. Recording: "A Taste Of Honey" (takes 1-5); "Do You Want To Know A Secret" (takes 1-8); "A Taste Of Honey" (takes 6-7); "There's A Place" (takes 11-13); "Seventeen" (working title of "I Saw Her Standing There") (takes 10-12); "Misery" (takes 1-11).
– Studio 2. 7.30-10.45pm. Recording: "Hold Me Tight" (takes 1-13); "Anna (Go To Him)" (takes 1-3); 'Boys' (take 1); 'Chains' (takes 1-4); 'Baby It's You' (takes 1-3); "Twist And Shout" (takes 1-2). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Norman Smith; 2nd Engineer: Richard Langham.
– Recording of "Please Please Me" LP. Photographer Dezo Hoffmann present.
1964 – Snow storm. The Beatles leave to Washington by train. The Beatlesstay at the Shoreham Hotel.
– 8.30pm. Concert at the Washington Colliseum. Brian and Dezo Hoffmann attend. Performance filmed by CBS-TV. Press conference from the stage, before the show.
– Party at the British Embassy.
1965 – Ringo marries Maureen Cox. Brian is best man. John and George attend.
– 8.15am. Ringo and Maureen arrive at the Caxton Hall Register Office, London, with their parents.
– Ringo and Maureen go to Brighton, on wedding trip.
Ringo, Brian Epstein and Maureen Cox
1966 –Tommy Quickly leaves NEMS Enterprises and signs for the George Cooper Organization.
– UK single release: "Woman", with Peter and Gordon.
1968 – Studio 3. 4.00pm-2.00am. Recording: "Hey Bulldog" (takes 1-10). Mono mixing: 'Hey Bulldog' (remixes 1, 2, from take 10). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick; 2nd Engineer: Phil McDonald.
– On mixing, it is decided to keep the complete end of "Hey Bulldog". The group is filmed for "Lady Madonna" clip.
1970 – The Magic Christian premiere in New York.
– Studio 8. BBC Television Centre, London. John, Yoko, Klaus Voorman, Alan White and Mal Evans appear on BBC-TV's 'Top Of The Pops' performing 'Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)'.
YouTube (McCartney Unplugged 1991, live)
From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone, About.com, and Google –
"I've Just Seen a Face" is a song by The Beatles. It appears on their 1965 UK album Help!, although in the United States it and "It's Only Love" first appeared on the Capitol version of the Rubber Soul album.
History –
One of the most uplifting items in the Beatles' catalog, this song was composed entirely by Paul as a sort of country/bluegrass experiment while living with girlfriend Jane Asher's family in London. The working title was "Aunty Jin's Theme," so named because Paul's Aunt Jane (nicknamed "Jin," the youngest sister of his father Jim) loved it so.
The internal rhymes and fast-paced style of singing also mark this as unique in the Beatles catalog; the odd rhyme structure propels the verse along breathlessly, although it does force Paul to rhyme "met" with "met" and, later, to pronounce "her" with a distinctly Liverpudlian accent in order to make it rhyme with "aware."
"I've Just Seen A Face" was recorded at the tenth session for Help!, just after Paul's Little Richard-styled rave-up "I'm Down," which ended up as the b-side of the "Help!" single. Even stranger, "Yesterday" was also recorded that day, before "I'm Down," marking quite a mood change over the course of one session!
In marked contrast to most Beatles songs recorded to this point, Paul overdubbed his own vocal harmony (which was possibly too high for John to pull off), and did not add any bass to the recording. Ringo played maracas on the chorus only.
Composition –
"I've Just Seen a Face" was written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and features McCartney on vocals. Before its release, the song was briefly titled "Aunty Gin's Theme" after his father's youngest sister, because it was one of her favorites. It is one of the very few guitar-based Beatles songs that lacks a bass track.
According to music critic Richie Unterberger of Allmusic, "Several songs on 1964's Beatles for Sale, as well as "I'll Cry Instead" from A Hard Day's Night, had leaned in a country and western direction. But 'I've Just Seen a Face' was almost pure country, taken at such a fast tempo that it might have been bluegrass if not for the absence of banjo and fiddle." Music critic Ian MacDonald said the up tempo song "lifted the later stages of the Help! album with its quickfire freshness." Capitol Records chose it as the lead track of the US edition of Rubber Soul, with the intent of giving the album a strong folk sound in step with the then-current Folk Rock movement.
Recording –
Takes: 6
Personnel
John Lennon ― Acoustic Rhythm guitar (1964 Gibson J160E)
Paul McCartney ― Lead vocal (double-tracked), harmony vocal, acoustic rhythm guitar (1964 Epiphone FT-79 "Texan")
George Harrison ― Acoustic lead guitar (1964 Framus 12-string "Hootenanny")
Ringo Starr ― Brushed drums (Ludwig), maracas
Trivia –
The original US mono mix of this song features much more echo than the UK stereo mix; the original CD stereo mix has reverb added to the original.
This and "It's Only Love" were the only two Beatles songs from the Help! sessions not to be released in the US until the next album, the Capitol version of Rubber Soul. "I've Just Seen A Face" was picked to be the leadoff for that version of the album.
Jin, who was essentially McCartney's mother figure after his mother, Mary, died in 1956, was quite beloved to Paul; he also name checks her in Wings' 1976 smash "Let 'Em In." Producer George Martin named his orchestral instrumental version of this song "Auntie Gin's Theme" in honor of its original title.
This was one of only five Beatles songs performed by Paul on the 1976 Wings Over Americatour. The Beatles never played it live.
Today in Beatles History (From The Beatles Internet Album) February 11 –
1963 – Studio 2. 10.00am-1.00pm. Recording: "There's A Place" (takes 1-10); "Seventeen" (working title of "I Saw Her Standing There") (takes 1-9). – Studio 2. 2.30-6.00pm. Recording: "A Taste Of Honey" (takes 1-5); "Do You Want To Know A Secret" (takes 1-8); "A Taste Of Honey" (takes 6-7); "There's A Place" (takes 11-13); "Seventeen" (working title of "I Saw Her Standing There") (takes 10-12); "Misery" (takes 1-11).
– Studio 2. 7.30-10.45pm. Recording: "Hold Me Tight" (takes 1-13); "Anna (Go To Him)" (takes 1-3); 'Boys' (take 1); 'Chains' (takes 1-4); 'Baby It's You' (takes 1-3); "Twist And Shout" (takes 1-2). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Norman Smith; 2nd Engineer: Richard Langham.
– Recording of "Please Please Me" LP. Photographer Dezo Hoffmann present.
1964 – Snow storm. The Beatles leave to Washington by train. The Beatlesstay at the Shoreham Hotel.
– 8.30pm. Concert at the Washington Colliseum. Brian and Dezo Hoffmann attend. Performance filmed by CBS-TV. Press conference from the stage, before the show.
– Party at the British Embassy.
1965 – Ringo marries Maureen Cox. Brian is best man. John and George attend.
– 8.15am. Ringo and Maureen arrive at the Caxton Hall Register Office, London, with their parents.
– Ringo and Maureen go to Brighton, on wedding trip.
Ringo, Brian Epstein and Maureen Cox
1966 –Tommy Quickly leaves NEMS Enterprises and signs for the George Cooper Organization.
– UK single release: "Woman", with Peter and Gordon.
1968 – Studio 3. 4.00pm-2.00am. Recording: "Hey Bulldog" (takes 1-10). Mono mixing: 'Hey Bulldog' (remixes 1, 2, from take 10). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick; 2nd Engineer: Phil McDonald.
– On mixing, it is decided to keep the complete end of "Hey Bulldog". The group is filmed for "Lady Madonna" clip.
1970 – The Magic Christian premiere in New York.
– Studio 8. BBC Television Centre, London. John, Yoko, Klaus Voorman, Alan White and Mal Evans appear on BBC-TV's 'Top Of The Pops' performing 'Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)'.
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