"We Can Work It Out” (McCartney – December 6, 1965)
Single (“Day Tripper”)
YouTube (The Beatles)Single (“Day Tripper”)
"We Can Work It Out" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was released as a "double A-sided" single with "Day Tripper", the first time both sides of a single were so designated in an initial release. Both songs were recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions.
The song is an example of Lennon/McCartney collaboration at a depth that happened only rarely after they wrote the hit singles of 1963. This song, "A Day in the Life", "Baby, You're a Rich Man" and "I've Got A Feeling", are among the notable exceptions.
History –
The song is an example of Lennon/McCartney collaboration at a depth that happened only rarely after they wrote the hit singles of 1963. This song, "A Day in the Life", "Baby, You're a Rich Man" and "I've Got A Feeling", are among the notable exceptions.
History –
Begun by Paul sometime in September 1965, the lyrics to this song were a direct plea to girlfriend Jane Asher; when the song was shown to John, he added the middle eight ("Life is very short, and there's no time..."). For his part, George suggested that the couplets in the middle eight suddenly end in a waltz or 3/4 time, marking the first time any Beatles song had switched time signatures in mid-record.
The song was important in Beatles history for other reasons, as well: it was the first song released (through not the first recorded) from the historic Rubber Soul sessions, and John's one-note harmonium (a reed organ powered by air pumped through foot pedals) created a pre-psychedelic drone that the group would revisit time and time again.
Composition –
The song was important in Beatles history for other reasons, as well: it was the first song released (through not the first recorded) from the historic Rubber Soul sessions, and John's one-note harmonium (a reed organ powered by air pumped through foot pedals) created a pre-psychedelic drone that the group would revisit time and time again.
Composition –
McCartney wrote the words and music to the verses and the chorus, with lyrics that "might have been personal" and thus a reference to his relationship with Jane Asher. McCartney then took the song to Lennon: "I took it to John to finish it off, " and Lennon wrote the middle eight.
With its intimations of mortality, Lennon's contribution to the twelve-bar bridge contrasts typically with what Lennon saw as McCartney's cajoling optimism, a contrast also seen in other collaborations by the pair, such as "Getting Better" and "I've Got a Feeling".
As Lennon told Playboy in 1980:
"In We Can Work It Out, Paul did the first half, I did the middle eight. But you've got Paul writing, 'We can work it out / We can work it out'—real optimistic, y'know, and me, impatient: 'Life is very short, and there's no time / For fussing and fighting, my friend.'"
Based on those comments, some critics overemphasized McCartney's optimism, neglecting the toughness in passages written by McCartney, such as "Do I have to keep on talking until I can't go on?". Lennon's middle shifts focus from McCartney's concrete reality to a philosophical perspective in B minor, illustrating this with a waltz-time section suggested by George Harrison that leads back to the verse, possibly meant to suggest tiresome struggle.
Music critic Ian MacDonald said, "[Lennon's] passages are so suited to his Salvation Army harmonium that it's hard to imagine them not being composed on it. The swell-pedal crescendos he adds to the verses are, on the other hand, textural washes added in the studio, the first of their kind on a Beatles record and signposts to the enriched sound-palette of Revolver."
Recording and release –
With its intimations of mortality, Lennon's contribution to the twelve-bar bridge contrasts typically with what Lennon saw as McCartney's cajoling optimism, a contrast also seen in other collaborations by the pair, such as "Getting Better" and "I've Got a Feeling".
As Lennon told Playboy in 1980:
"In We Can Work It Out, Paul did the first half, I did the middle eight. But you've got Paul writing, 'We can work it out / We can work it out'—real optimistic, y'know, and me, impatient: 'Life is very short, and there's no time / For fussing and fighting, my friend.'"
Based on those comments, some critics overemphasized McCartney's optimism, neglecting the toughness in passages written by McCartney, such as "Do I have to keep on talking until I can't go on?". Lennon's middle shifts focus from McCartney's concrete reality to a philosophical perspective in B minor, illustrating this with a waltz-time section suggested by George Harrison that leads back to the verse, possibly meant to suggest tiresome struggle.
Music critic Ian MacDonald said, "[Lennon's] passages are so suited to his Salvation Army harmonium that it's hard to imagine them not being composed on it. The swell-pedal crescendos he adds to the verses are, on the other hand, textural washes added in the studio, the first of their kind on a Beatles record and signposts to the enriched sound-palette of Revolver."
Recording and release –
The Beatles recorded "We Can Work It Out" on 20 October 1965, four days after its accompanying single track, with an overdub session on 29 October. They spent nearly 11 hours on the song, by far the longest expenditure of studio time up to that point.
Although most of this song was completed in one day (February 20, 1965), Paul added a vocal doubletrack nine days later.
There are two different stereo mixes for the song, created exactly one year apart; one by Capitol for inclusion on the "Yesterday and Today" compilation and one by Parlophone in 1966 for the UK-only compilation "A Collection of Beatles Oldies". Live versions: December 3, 1965 (Odeon Cinema, Glasgow, Scotland), December 4, 1965 (City Hall, Newcastle, England), December 5, 1965 (Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England), December 7, 1965 (Apollo Cinema, Ardwick, Manchester, England), December 8, 1965 (City Hall, Sheffield, England), December 9, 1965 (Odeon Cinema, Birmingham, England), December 10, 1965 (Odeon Cinema, Hammersmith, England), December 11, 1965 (Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, England), December 12, 1965 (Capitol Cinema, Cardiff, England)
In a discussion about what song to release as a single, Lennon argued "vociferously" for "Day Tripper", differing with the majority view that "We Can Work It Out" was a more commercial song. As a result, the single was marketed as the first "double A-side," but airplay and point-of-sale requests soon proved "We Can Work It Out" to be more popular, and it reached No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic, the Beatles' fastest-selling single since "Can't Buy Me Love," their previous McCartney-led A-side in the UK.
"We Can Work It Out" was the last of six number one singles in a row on the American charts, a record at the time. It was preceded by "I Feel Fine", "Eight Days a Week", "Ticket to Ride", "Help!", and "Yesterday". The record was equaled by The Bee Gees in the 1970s and surpassed by Whitney Houston in the 1980s.
The Beatles made 10 black-and-white promo films for television broadcasters on 23 November 1965, at Twickenham Film Studios in London, as they were often unable to make personal appearances by that time. Three of the films were mimed performances of "We Can Work It Out", in all of which Lennon was seated at a harmonium. The most frequently-broadcast of the three versions was a straightforward performance piece with the group wearing black suits. Another had the group wearing the stage suits from their Shea Stadium performance on 15 August; the third opens with a shot of Lennon with a sunflower in front of his eye.
In 1991, McCartney played an acoustic version of the song for his MTV Unplugged performance, memorable for his flubbing the first verse and his good-natured reaction, later released on Unplugged (The Official Bootleg).
This single also claims the distinction of being the first "double a-side" single in rock history. 45 rpm records usually featured the potential hit on the a-side, but John argued that "Day Tripper" -- his idea, again fleshed out by both he and McCartney -- was the song with the most hit potential. The compromise reached meant that there was no designated "b" side, and both songs were counted as Number One singles. (When listing Beatles singles, most discographies put "We Can Work It Out" as the designated a-side, but only because it's billed first on the 45 sleeve.)
Although most of this song was completed in one day (February 20, 1965), Paul added a vocal doubletrack nine days later.
There are two different stereo mixes for the song, created exactly one year apart; one by Capitol for inclusion on the "Yesterday and Today" compilation and one by Parlophone in 1966 for the UK-only compilation "A Collection of Beatles Oldies". Live versions: December 3, 1965 (Odeon Cinema, Glasgow, Scotland), December 4, 1965 (City Hall, Newcastle, England), December 5, 1965 (Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England), December 7, 1965 (Apollo Cinema, Ardwick, Manchester, England), December 8, 1965 (City Hall, Sheffield, England), December 9, 1965 (Odeon Cinema, Birmingham, England), December 10, 1965 (Odeon Cinema, Hammersmith, England), December 11, 1965 (Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, England), December 12, 1965 (Capitol Cinema, Cardiff, England)
In a discussion about what song to release as a single, Lennon argued "vociferously" for "Day Tripper", differing with the majority view that "We Can Work It Out" was a more commercial song. As a result, the single was marketed as the first "double A-side," but airplay and point-of-sale requests soon proved "We Can Work It Out" to be more popular, and it reached No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic, the Beatles' fastest-selling single since "Can't Buy Me Love," their previous McCartney-led A-side in the UK.
"We Can Work It Out" was the last of six number one singles in a row on the American charts, a record at the time. It was preceded by "I Feel Fine", "Eight Days a Week", "Ticket to Ride", "Help!", and "Yesterday". The record was equaled by The Bee Gees in the 1970s and surpassed by Whitney Houston in the 1980s.
The Beatles made 10 black-and-white promo films for television broadcasters on 23 November 1965, at Twickenham Film Studios in London, as they were often unable to make personal appearances by that time. Three of the films were mimed performances of "We Can Work It Out", in all of which Lennon was seated at a harmonium. The most frequently-broadcast of the three versions was a straightforward performance piece with the group wearing black suits. Another had the group wearing the stage suits from their Shea Stadium performance on 15 August; the third opens with a shot of Lennon with a sunflower in front of his eye.
In 1991, McCartney played an acoustic version of the song for his MTV Unplugged performance, memorable for his flubbing the first verse and his good-natured reaction, later released on Unplugged (The Official Bootleg).
Takes: 2
Personnel –
Personnel –
John Lennon – Harmony vocals, acoustic guitar (Epiphone FT-79 "Texan"), harmonium
Paul McCartney – Lead vocals, bass guitar (1961 Hofner 500/1)
George Harrison – Rhythm guitar (Gibson J160E)
Ringo Starr – Drums (Ludwig), tambourine
Trivia –
George Harrison – Rhythm guitar (Gibson J160E)
Ringo Starr – Drums (Ludwig), tambourine
Trivia –
In America, the "We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper" single was released on the same day as the Rubber Soul album, although neither song was ever present on that album.
A short film of the Beatles lip-synching this song was made for promotional purposes and first broadcast, along with a similar lip-synch clip for "Day Tripper," on the Granada Television special "The Music Of Lennon and McCartney," which first aired December 17, 1965 in the UK. Since these performances were not filmed in front of an audience, they can be considered the world's first music videos as we understand the format today.
Today in Beatles History (From The Beatles Internet Album) March 11 –
1963 – EMI House, ground floor studio. Recording for Radio Luxembourg's The Friday Spectacular.
1982 – Startling Studios. Recording basic tracks for LP Old Wave. Producer: Jim Nipar.
A short film of the Beatles lip-synching this song was made for promotional purposes and first broadcast, along with a similar lip-synch clip for "Day Tripper," on the Granada Television special "The Music Of Lennon and McCartney," which first aired December 17, 1965 in the UK. Since these performances were not filmed in front of an audience, they can be considered the world's first music videos as we understand the format today.
1963 – EMI House, ground floor studio. Recording for Radio Luxembourg's The Friday Spectacular.
1964 – Please Please Me LP, 51st week in the Top 10 (UK New Musical Express chart).
– 'With The Beatles' number 1, 16th week (UK New Musical Express chart).
1967 – The Beatles are awarded 3 Grammys ("Michelle", "Eleanor Rigby" and "Revolver").
– It is reported that 446 versions of 'Yesterday' have been recorded.
1969 – Olympic Sound Studios. Time unknown. Stereo mixing: "On Our Way Home" (working title of "Two Of Us"); 'The Long And Winding Road'; "Lady Madonna". Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Glyn Johns; 2nd Engineer: unknown.
1970 – US single release: "Let It Be"/"You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)".
1982 – Startling Studios. Recording basic tracks for LP Old Wave. Producer: Jim Nipar.
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