"She Said She Said" (Lennon – August 8, 1966)
Revolver – Side 1, Track 6 (2:39)
"She Said She Said" is a song written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and released by The Beatles on their 1966 album Revolver. Lennon described it as "an 'acidy' song" with lyrics inspired by actor Peter Fonda's comments during an LSD trip in 1965 with members of The Beatles.
History –
The last song recorded for Revolver, "She Said She Said" also has one of the most famous backstories in all of Beatledom. While touring the US West Coast in 1965, the band rented out a big Los Angeles house at 7655 Curson Terrace, with the intention to keep them away from screaming fans. However, word soon got out, and the Beatles had no recourse but to invite other guests to the sprawling rental they could no longer leave. On the night of August 24, 1965, John and George decided to "drop" some sugar cubes of LSD they'd been carrying around for just such an occasion, having only been dosed once before and never of their own accord. Although they attempted to get the whole band to partake, Paul declined. Ringo began shooting pool with the cue the wrong way around; only John and George attempted to tune in to the experience, but George began to feel like he was dying and John, having just watched the new Jane Fonda/Lee Marvin Western Cat Ballou at the party and finding it not to his liking, became increasingly agitated.
Here's where the stories differ. Jane's brother, actor Peter Fonda, was also at the party, along with Joan Baez, actress Eleanor Bron (from Help!) and the Byrds. Peter claims that he tried to calm George down from his "death trip" by claiming "It's okay, I know what it's like to be dead." (Fonda had injured himself with a rifle as a boy and had his heart stop three times on the operating table.) He claims John overheard this and said, "You're making me feel like I've never been born! Who put all that s**t in your head?" John's own later and perhaps more creditable recollection claims only that Fonda kept telling John and George he knew what it was like to be dead, apropos of nothing, and that John said nothing like that to him, but avoided him the rest of the night as a result. (The Byrds' Roger McGuinn claims John was taking his anger on Jane and her "bad" film out on brother Peter.)
Whatever the case, John was intrigued by Peter's phrase, and in March 1966 made working demos of what was to become "She Said She Said," changing the gender of the title because it sounded better with "said." The first acoustic demo features only the chorus with a rudimentary bridge; there are some phrases present that would later be dropped, like "You're making me feel like my trousers are torn," "I must be out of my head," and "I don't love you more when he's dead," and some that would be amended, such as "Who put all that crap in your head?" George, for his part, claims that he later went over to John's house and inspired the complex, off-time bridge, claiming he suggested that John take part of another song he'd been working on ("When I was a boy...") and insert it there.
Still, the song wouldn't have even seen the light of day, but on the very last day of the Revolver sessions, a day set aside for mixing, it was discovered that the album was a song short. John immediately taught the band the song, and after 25 rehearsal takes, it was recorded in one 14-hour session, overdubs and all. Notably absent from the session was Paul, who apparently had stormed off due to an argument no one in the band can remember. George took over on bass, using a guitar on loan from a nearby shop called Sound City, the same bass he'd already played on the b-side "Rain."
Take 4 was the basic track, featuring George on bass, John on guitar, and Ringo's drums. John then added another rhythm guitar part, George added lead, including the intro and phrases that answer's John's vocal in the verse; John and George came up with a harmony part, and Ringo added percussion. The final piece of the puzzle was the harmonium, a sort of air organ already used by the group on the Rubber Soul track "You Won't See Me." John's vocals were double-tracked and, having been recorded at a slower speed, were sped up slightly, and the Revolver album was complete.
Composition –
Here's where the stories differ. Jane's brother, actor Peter Fonda, was also at the party, along with Joan Baez, actress Eleanor Bron (from Help!) and the Byrds. Peter claims that he tried to calm George down from his "death trip" by claiming "It's okay, I know what it's like to be dead." (Fonda had injured himself with a rifle as a boy and had his heart stop three times on the operating table.) He claims John overheard this and said, "You're making me feel like I've never been born! Who put all that s**t in your head?" John's own later and perhaps more creditable recollection claims only that Fonda kept telling John and George he knew what it was like to be dead, apropos of nothing, and that John said nothing like that to him, but avoided him the rest of the night as a result. (The Byrds' Roger McGuinn claims John was taking his anger on Jane and her "bad" film out on brother Peter.)
Whatever the case, John was intrigued by Peter's phrase, and in March 1966 made working demos of what was to become "She Said She Said," changing the gender of the title because it sounded better with "said." The first acoustic demo features only the chorus with a rudimentary bridge; there are some phrases present that would later be dropped, like "You're making me feel like my trousers are torn," "I must be out of my head," and "I don't love you more when he's dead," and some that would be amended, such as "Who put all that crap in your head?" George, for his part, claims that he later went over to John's house and inspired the complex, off-time bridge, claiming he suggested that John take part of another song he'd been working on ("When I was a boy...") and insert it there.
Still, the song wouldn't have even seen the light of day, but on the very last day of the Revolver sessions, a day set aside for mixing, it was discovered that the album was a song short. John immediately taught the band the song, and after 25 rehearsal takes, it was recorded in one 14-hour session, overdubs and all. Notably absent from the session was Paul, who apparently had stormed off due to an argument no one in the band can remember. George took over on bass, using a guitar on loan from a nearby shop called Sound City, the same bass he'd already played on the b-side "Rain."
Take 4 was the basic track, featuring George on bass, John on guitar, and Ringo's drums. John then added another rhythm guitar part, George added lead, including the intro and phrases that answer's John's vocal in the verse; John and George came up with a harmony part, and Ringo added percussion. The final piece of the puzzle was the harmonium, a sort of air organ already used by the group on the Rubber Soul track "You Won't See Me." John's vocals were double-tracked and, having been recorded at a slower speed, were sped up slightly, and the Revolver album was complete.
Composition –
In late August 1965 Brian Epstein had rented a house at 2850 Benedict Canyon Drive in Beverly Hills, California for The Beatles' six-day respite from their U.S. tour. The huge Spanish-style house was tucked into the side of a mountain. Soon their address became widely known and the area was besieged by fans who blocked roads and tried to scale the steep canyon while others rented helicopters to spy from overhead. The police department detailed a tactical squad of officers to protect the band and the house. The Beatles found it impossible to leave and instead invited guests including actors Eleanor Bron (who co-starred with them in Help!), Peggy Lipton and folksinger Joan Baez. On 24 August The Beatles hosted the Byrds and Fonda and, except Paul McCartney, took LSD.
It was a thoroughly tripped-out atmosphere because they kept finding girls hiding under tables and so forth: one snuck into the poolroom through a window while an acid-fired Ringo was shooting pool with the wrong end of the cue. "Wrong end?" he’d say. "So what fuckin’ difference does it make?"
As the group passed time in the large sunken tub in the master bedroom Fonda brought up his nearly fatal self-inflicted childhood gunshot accident, writing later that he was trying to comfort a frightened George Harrison. Fonda said that he knew what it was like to be dead. Lennon snapped, "Listen mate, shut up about that stuff", and "You're making me feel like I've never been born." Lennon explained, "We didn't want to hear about that! We were on an acid trip and the sun was shining and the girls were dancing (some from Playboy, I believe) and the whole thing was really beautiful and Sixties. And this guy - who I really didn't know, he hadn't made Easy Rider or anything - kept coming over, wearing shades, saying 'I know what it's like to be dead,' and we kept leaving him because he was so boring. It was scary, when you're flying high: 'Don't tell me about it. I don't want to know what it's like to be dead!'" "... [H]e was showing us his bullet wound. He was very uncool," Harrison added.
McCartney recalls: "Fonda seemed to us to be a bit wasted; he was a little out of it. I don't know if we expected a bit more of Henry [Fonda]'s son but he was certainly of our generation and he was alright." Actress Salli Sachse recalled: "Peter was really into music. He couldn't wait until The Beatles’ Revolver album came out. We went to the music store and played it, trying to hear any hidden messages."
When someone realized that they had not eaten all day the group tried to make dinner in the kitchen but Lennon was too confused from the drug to use his knife and fork properly and as he tried to stop his food from moving around on his plate he spilled it onto the floor.
Recording –
Fonda wrote for Rolling Stone magazine:
"I finally made my way past the kids and the guards. Paul and George were on the back patio, and the helicopters were patrolling overhead. They were sitting at a table under an umbrella in a rather comical attempt at privacy. Soon afterwards we dropped acid and began tripping for what would prove to be all night and most of the next day; all of us, including the original Byrds, eventually ended up inside a huge, empty, sunken tub in the bathroom, babbling our minds away.
I had the privilege of listening to the four of them sing, play around and scheme about what they would compose and achieve. They were so enthusiastic, so full of fun. John was the wittiest and most astute. I enjoyed just hearing him speak and there were no pretensions in his manner. He just sat around, laying out lines of poetry and thinking – an amazing mind. He talked a lot yet he still seemed so private.
"I finally made my way past the kids and the guards. Paul and George were on the back patio, and the helicopters were patrolling overhead. They were sitting at a table under an umbrella in a rather comical attempt at privacy. Soon afterwards we dropped acid and began tripping for what would prove to be all night and most of the next day; all of us, including the original Byrds, eventually ended up inside a huge, empty, sunken tub in the bathroom, babbling our minds away.
I had the privilege of listening to the four of them sing, play around and scheme about what they would compose and achieve. They were so enthusiastic, so full of fun. John was the wittiest and most astute. I enjoyed just hearing him speak and there were no pretensions in his manner. He just sat around, laying out lines of poetry and thinking – an amazing mind. He talked a lot yet he still seemed so private.
It was a thoroughly tripped-out atmosphere because they kept finding girls hiding under tables and so forth: one snuck into the poolroom through a window while an acid-fired Ringo was shooting pool with the wrong end of the cue. "Wrong end?" he’d say. "So what fuckin’ difference does it make?"
As the group passed time in the large sunken tub in the master bedroom Fonda brought up his nearly fatal self-inflicted childhood gunshot accident, writing later that he was trying to comfort a frightened George Harrison. Fonda said that he knew what it was like to be dead. Lennon snapped, "Listen mate, shut up about that stuff", and "You're making me feel like I've never been born." Lennon explained, "We didn't want to hear about that! We were on an acid trip and the sun was shining and the girls were dancing (some from Playboy, I believe) and the whole thing was really beautiful and Sixties. And this guy - who I really didn't know, he hadn't made Easy Rider or anything - kept coming over, wearing shades, saying 'I know what it's like to be dead,' and we kept leaving him because he was so boring. It was scary, when you're flying high: 'Don't tell me about it. I don't want to know what it's like to be dead!'" "... [H]e was showing us his bullet wound. He was very uncool," Harrison added.
McCartney recalls: "Fonda seemed to us to be a bit wasted; he was a little out of it. I don't know if we expected a bit more of Henry [Fonda]'s son but he was certainly of our generation and he was alright." Actress Salli Sachse recalled: "Peter was really into music. He couldn't wait until The Beatles’ Revolver album came out. We went to the music store and played it, trying to hear any hidden messages."
When someone realized that they had not eaten all day the group tried to make dinner in the kitchen but Lennon was too confused from the drug to use his knife and fork properly and as he tried to stop his food from moving around on his plate he spilled it onto the floor.
Recording –
This was the final track recorded during the Revolver sessions, and was hastily added when the album line-up was found to be a song short. It took nine hours to rehearse and record the entire song, complete with overdubs. After the recording of the song The Beatles' producer George Martin is reported to have said: "All right, boys, I'm just going for a lie-down."
Harrison said he helped Lennon construct the song from two separate "bits". McCartney does not appear on the track; the bass is played by Harrison. McCartney said, "I'm not sure but I think it was one of the only Beatle records I never played on. I think we had a barney or something and I said, 'Oh, fuck you!,' and they said, 'Well, we'll do it.'"
Harrison said he helped Lennon construct the song from two separate "bits". McCartney does not appear on the track; the bass is played by Harrison. McCartney said, "I'm not sure but I think it was one of the only Beatle records I never played on. I think we had a barney or something and I said, 'Oh, fuck you!,' and they said, 'Well, we'll do it.'"
Takes: 4
Personnel
Personnel
John Lennon – Lead vocals (double-tracked), backing vocals, rhythm guitar (1965 Epiphone E230TD(V) Casino), harmonium (Mannborg)
George Harrison – Harmony vocals, backing vocals, lead guitar (1965 Epiphone E230TD(V) Casino), bass guitar (1966 Burns Nu-Sonic)
Ringo Starr – Drums (Ludwig), shaker
Trivia –
Ringo Starr – Drums (Ludwig), shaker
Trivia –
This is the second Beatles song to feature a change in meter: the first was "We Can Work It Out," where George suggested a move from 4/4 to 3/4 in the bridge. He got John to do the same thing here, but the "When I was a boy" section moves to 6/4 as well!
Ringo's drum performance is widely considered one of his best; it utilizes many of the stop-time breakdowns and fills he'd previously used on "Rain." His cymbals were also heavily compressed to add to the jangly, harsh, "acid" feel of the song.
"That was a drug song. Probably the only one." -- John Lennon, 1980
Today in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) March 4 –
Ringo's drum performance is widely considered one of his best; it utilizes many of the stop-time breakdowns and fills he'd previously used on "Rain." His cymbals were also heavily compressed to add to the jangly, harsh, "acid" feel of the song.
"That was a drug song. Probably the only one." -- John Lennon, 1980
Today in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) March 4 –
1964 – Studio 3 (control room only). 10.00-11.00am. Mono mixing: "I Call Your Name" (from take 7). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: unknown; 2nd Engineer: not assigned.
– Please Please Me LP, 50th week in the Top 10 (UK New Musical Express chart).
– With The Beatles number 1, 15th week (UK New Musical Express chart).
– Shooting of early scenes for A Hard Day's Night, on board a train leaving from Paddington Station.
– After a day of filming in the West Country for A Hard Day's Night, the Beatles return to Westbourne Park Station, London.
– With The Beatles number 1, 15th week (UK New Musical Express chart).
– Shooting of early scenes for A Hard Day's Night, on board a train leaving from Paddington Station.
– After a day of filming in the West Country for A Hard Day's Night, the Beatles return to Westbourne Park Station, London.
1966 – UK EP release: 'Yesterday'.
The 'Evening Standard' publishes Maureen Cleave's interview to John, with comments on Christianity.
The 'Evening Standard' publishes Maureen Cleave's interview to John, with comments on Christianity.
1967 – Robert Stigwood signs the Bee Gees to an agency contract with NEMS Enterprises for 5 years.
– Michael Bullock is reinstated by Brian as Saville Theatre house manager.
1969 – Odeon Theatre, London. Premiere of the film Isadora. Paul attends.
Surprise visit of Princess Margaret during shooting of a scene in a French restaurant for 'The Magic Christian'.
– After, lunch of Princess Margaret, Denis O'Dell, Ringo and Peter Sellers.– Paul, Linda and Heather visit during shooting of The Magic Christian.
Surprise visit of Princess Margaret during shooting of a scene in a French restaurant for 'The Magic Christian'.
– After, lunch of Princess Margaret, Denis O'Dell, Ringo and Peter Sellers.– Paul, Linda and Heather visit during shooting of The Magic Christian.
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