{"id":8388,"date":"2021-01-19T17:46:36","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T22:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?p=8388"},"modified":"2021-01-19T17:58:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T22:58:00","slug":"rubber-soul-deep-dive-part-1-drive-my-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/rubber-soul-deep-dive-part-1-drive-my-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Rubber Soul Deep Dive Part 1: Drive My Car"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rubber Soul<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Side One, Track One<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDrive My Car\u201d: And Suddenly, Everything Changed!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

by Jude Southerland Kessler and Ken Womack<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Throughout 2021, the Fest for Beatles Fans blog will explore the intricacies of The Beatles\u2019 astounding 1965 LP, <\/em>Rubber Soul. This month, Kenneth Womack<\/strong>, author of <\/em>Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of The Beatles, <\/em>Maximum Volume: The Life of Beatles Producer, George Martin, and his new best-seller, <\/em>John Lennon 1980 (among many others) joins Jude Southerland Kessler, author of The John Lennon Series<\/strong>, for a fresh, new look at the exciting opening track of this pivotal LP.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What\u2019s Standard:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Date Recorded:<\/em><\/strong> 13 October 1965<\/em><\/p>\n

Time Recorded:<\/em><\/strong> 7.00 p.m. – 12.15 p.m. <\/em><\/p>\n

Studio:<\/em><\/strong> EMI Studios, Studio 2<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Tech Team<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Producer:<\/em><\/strong> George Martin<\/em><\/p>\n

Engineer: <\/em><\/strong>Norman Smith and Ron Pender<\/em><\/p>\n

Second Engineer: <\/em><\/strong>Ken Scott<\/em><\/p>\n

Stats:<\/em><\/strong> Recorded in only four takes. \u201cBest\u201d take was Take 4. However, a plethora of overdubs completed the song in later sessions.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Instrumentation and Musicians:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Paul McCartney<\/em><\/strong>, the composer, sings lead vocal, plays bass on his Rickenbacker 4001S, piano, and possibly, lead guitar on his Epiphone Casino (Margotin and Guesdon). <\/em><\/p>\n

John Lennon<\/em><\/strong> sings accompanying lead vocals and some sources say he plays piano on Studio 2\u2019s Steinway Grand. Some sources attribute the tambourine to John.<\/em><\/p>\n

George Harrison<\/em><\/strong> sings backing vocals and plays his Fender Stratocaster Sonic Blue.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ringo Starr<\/em><\/strong> plays one of his Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl Super Classic drum sets, mans the cowbell, and possibly the tambourine.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Sources:<\/em><\/strong> The Beatles, <\/em>The Anthology, 194, Lewisohn, <\/em>The Complete Beatles Chronicle, 202, Lewisohn, <\/em>The Beatles: Recording Sessions, 63, Margotin and Guesdon, <\/em>All the Songs, 276-277, Winn, <\/em>Way Beyond Compare, 363, Hammack, <\/em>The Beatles Recording Reference Manual, 66-67, Turner, <\/em>A Hard Day\u2019s Write, 88, Riley, <\/em>Lennon, 287, Spizer, <\/em>The Beatles for Sale on Parlophone Records, 200, and Babiuk, <\/em>Beatles Gear, 169-173.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

What\u2019s Changed:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Later Recording Sessions<\/strong> – Beginning with the work done on Rubber Soul<\/em>\u2019s opening track, The Beatles began recording at times conducive to their <\/em>best work\u2026at night. In his The Beatles: Recording Sessions<\/em>, Mark Lewisohn notes that prior to \u201cDrive My Car,\u201d only ONE other recording session went past midnight. That occurred on 10 May 1965, but Lewisohn rapidly points out that this was not truly a \u201crecording session,\u201d but was a mixing session. (The Complete Beatles Chronicles<\/em>, 202) On 13 October 1965, the famous four assume mastery of their work environment. Henceforth, they will record at times best suited to them. [Note Womack\u2019s remarks in answer to interview question 1.]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Unique Instruments and Unique Assignments<\/strong> – Rubber Soul<\/em> is replete with Beatles happily playing instruments that they do not ordinarily play, and \u201cDrive My Car\u201d is no exception. John is generally given the nod for manning the tambourine and, most sources state that he is not playing his accustomed rhythm line.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      There is much debate among experts about whether George is playing the song\u2019s lead line or whether it is performed by Paul McCartney. In 1977, George said in an interview: \u201cI simply played a guitar line that was, in fact, very close to \u2018Respect\u2019 by Otis Redding. I played this part, and Paul followed me on bass.\u201d However, in The Anthology<\/em>, George said, \u201cI played the bass line on \u2018Drive My Car.\u2019 It was like the line from \u2018Respect\u2019 by Otis Redding.\u201d (p. 194) Many experts feel that Paul played the bass line and also played the lead solo. (Winn, Way Beyond Compare<\/em>, p. 363, Hammack, The Beatles Recording Reference Manual<\/em>, p. 66)<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      There are two schools of thought on the introduction and coda. In All the Songs,<\/em> Margotin and Guesdon, assert that the song\u2019s opening intro was played simultaneously by George and Paul. (p. 277) Winn, however, credits the lead solo, intro, and coda to Paul alone.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      One thing is certain: no longer were there inviolable \u201croles\u201d in the creation of Beatles songs. The boys were beginning to branch out and play what was needed when it was needed. From henceforth, nothing would be the same.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Evolving Attitude Toward Women<\/strong> – The women of Rubber Soul<\/em> are not the demure, adored women addressed in \u201cI Want to Hold Your Hand\u201d or \u201cDo You Want to Know a Secret\u201d or \u201cI Need You\u201d or even the somewhat reticent \u201cIf I Fell.\u201d The women of this late 1965 LP are no longer placed on pedestals, longed for, or revered.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Instead, they are the \u201cunkind\u201d female of \u201cWhat Goes On.\u201d They are the female \u201cwho puts you down when friends are there\u201d in \u201cGirl.\u201d In \u201cThink for Yourself,\u201d we see them telling lies. And in \u201cRun for Your Life,\u201d they are suspected of being unfaithful. Even the least offensive female, in \u201cYou Won\u2019t See Me\u201d practices avoidance techniques and \u201crefuses to even listen.\u201d\u00a0 Hard-hearted women, all.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        The female protagonist of \u201cDrive My Car\u201d is no exception. She is an aggressive, aspiring actress with her own agenda. \u00a0This woman is determined, and her saga sets the attitude for the rest of the LP. The Beatles\u2019 altering attitude toward relationships demonstrates the boys\u2019 new, wide-eyed maturity. As Tim Riley observes in Lennon<\/em>, \u201cThe Beatles had outgrown the teen market that once defined them and reshaped rock\u2026with adult characters, situations, and inner lives.\u201d (p. 287)<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        \u201cDrive My Car\u201d may make us smile, but its quirky ending makes that smile a wry one. Since the phrase \u201cdrive my car\u201d is blues slang for sex (Margotin and Guesdon, 276), fans here observe the \u201cdominant male\u201d role shifting in Rubber Soul<\/em>\u2019s opening track. (Of course, The Beatles quickly doubled down with a second woman-dominated encounter in \u201cNorwegian Wood.\u201d) Betty Friedan\u2019s 1963 work, The Feminine Mystique<\/em>, championing the female\u2019s \u201cfully equal partnership with men\u201d had fashioned a remarkable change in society. Here, The Beatles (who were always, as Lennon observed, in \u201cthe crow\u2019s nest\u201d) inculcated this emerging mindset into Rubber Soul.<\/em><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        A Fresh New Look: <\/strong><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Recently, we sat down with noted Beatles expert (author of <\/em>John Lennon 1980) and biographer of Sir George Martin, Dr. Kenneth Womack, to discover what is going on behind the scenes in \u201cDrive My Car.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Kessler: <\/em><\/strong>Ken, as you know, John Lennon had traditionally been the Beatles\u2019 \u201cofficial\/unofficial\u201d LP opener. On With The Beatles<\/em>, John opened the album with \u201cIt Won\u2019t Be Long,\u201d and on the A Hard Day\u2019s Night<\/em> soundtrack, it was John\u2019s \u201cA Hard Day\u2019s Night\u201d that led listeners into the grooves. On Beatles for Sale<\/em>, John once again led the way with \u201cNo Reply.\u201d And naturally, with the Help!<\/em> LP, fans commenced their musical journey with John\u2019s \u201cHelp!\u201d Then came Rubber Soul<\/em>, and fans discovered an LP opened by Paul McCartney singing \u201cDrive My Car.\u201d Is this new role for McCartney perhaps a \u201cclue to the new direction\u201d? Are the band\u2019s leadership roles shifting by late 1965?<\/strong><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Womack: <\/em><\/strong>\u201cDrive My Car\u201d marks a number of intriguing shifts in the group\u2019s internal calculus. In the case of the song\u2019s placement on the LP, Rubber Soul <\/em>was the first Beatles album in which the band members themselves had input into the sequencing of the record\u2019s contents. Prior to Rubber Soul<\/em>, George Martin held sway over most of the presentation of the Beatles\u2019 work. To my mind, Rubber Soul <\/em>is the turning-point LP where the Beatles take charge of their music as an artistic body of work. As Paul later remarked, \u201cWe gradually became the workmen who took over the factory. In the end, we had the run of the whole building. It would be us, the recording people on our session, and a doorman. There would be nobody else there. It was amazing, just wandering around, having a smoke in the echo chamber. I think we knew the place better than the chairman of the company because we lived<\/em> there. I even got a house just \u2019round the corner, I loved it so much. I didn\u2019t want ever to leave.\u201d (The Anthology<\/em>, p. 93) In short, Rubber Soul <\/em>marked a new direction for the band in more ways than one.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Kessler: <\/em><\/strong>One of the elements of early Beatles music that attracted female fans was The Beatles\u2019 admiration for songs written by females. They covered hits by the Shirelles, Donays, Marvelettes, etc. and in doing so, expressed a unique feminine voice, a singularly feminine point of view. How does Paul successfully achieve this, once again, in \u201cDrive My Car\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Womack:<\/em><\/strong> I\u2019ve long interpreted \u201cDrive My Car\u201d and \u201cNorwegian Wood\u201d as being cut from very similar cloth. As with such compositions as \u201cTicket to Ride\u201d and \u201cDay Tripper,\u201d \u201cDrive My Car\u201d and \u201cNorwegian Wood\u201d are key examples of Lennon-McCartney\u2019s proto-feminism. In these particular songs, they depict very strong, self-assured female characters. In each instance, these female characters call the shots, refusing to be subservient to their male counterparts. To my thinking, these are revolutionary songs in terms of the Beatles presenting female-positive characters. As songwriters, Lennon and McCartney were ahead of the curve in terms of the ways in which they presented these strong female characters\u2014and pointedly, for a very large female audience across the globe.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        The band deserves great credit for their egalitarian approach to the world in an era when they were clearly on the vanguard. This was true both in terms of issues associated with feminism and race. With \u201cDrive My Car,\u201d McCartney was clearly speaking directly to a large segment of the group\u2019s demography. From their earliest days as hitmakers, John and Paul understood the immense power of their bully pulpit as members of the Beatles. As McCartney later noted, \u201cWe knew that if we wrote a song called \u2018Thank You Girl\u2019 that a lot of the girls who wrote us fan letters would take it as a genuine thank you. So a lot of our songs\u2014’From Me to You\u2019 is another\u2014were directly addressed to the fans. I remember one of my daughters, when she was very little, seeing Donny Osmond sing \u2018The Twelfth of Never,\u2019 and she said \u2018he loves me\u2019 because he sang it right at her off the telly. We were aware that that happened when you sang to an audience.\u201d (Lewisohn, The Beatles: Recording Sessions<\/em>, p. 9) With \u201cDrive My Car,\u201d McCartney moved beyond romantic love to depict a female character who is comfortable being herself and not waiting for any man to validate her existence.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Kessler:<\/em><\/strong> Paul McCartney said that on Rubber Soul<\/em>, the group had \u201cwritten some funny songs \u2014 songs with jokes in.\u201d Certainly, \u201cDrive My Car\u201d produces a chuckle. Do you see \u201cNorwegian Wood\u201d in that same vein, or is it, from your perspective, a bit darker?<\/strong><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Womack: <\/em><\/strong>McCartney liked to refer to these songs as \u201ccomedy numbers,\u201d which I\u2019ve always found rather charming, given that the comedy is largely sexual in nature. \u201cDrive My Car\u201d and \u201cNorwegian Wood\u201d are not humorous songs, per se<\/em>, but rather, compositions in which the male characters discover, somewhat belatedly, that they\u2019ve been had<\/em>. In the case of \u201cDrive My Car,\u201d the female character is all business, all the time. The song is loaded with sexual innuendo, with \u201cbaby, you can drive my car\u201d being one of Paul\u2019s more obvious come-ons. The same can be said for \u201cNorwegian Wood,\u201d which is somewhat playful at the beginning: \u201cI once had a girl, \/ Or should I say, \/ She once had me.\u201d By the end of the song, the female protagonist has, quite literally, laughed out loud at the male narrator, who very obviously pines for a sexual liaison, only to find himself consigned to a night alone in the bath. The latter song may very well be darker, especially with McCartney\u2019s suggestion that the narrator has committed arson, having woken up alone the next morning.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Kessler: <\/em><\/strong>Finally, Ken, w<\/em>hat don\u2019t we know about \u201cDrive My Car\u201d? Is there anything you\u2019d like to share with us about this late 1965 LP-opener?<\/strong><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Womack: <\/em><\/strong>To my ears, \u201cDrive My Car\u201d is the finest example of the Beatles\u2019 performance of \u201cplastic soul,\u201d the phrase from which the Rubber Soul <\/em>LP draws its title. As Beatles fans well know, at the end of the first take of the raucous \u201cI\u2019m Down,\u201d Paul famously described the band\u2019s sound as \u201cplastic soul, man\u201d\u2014an ironic reference to the sonic textures of American rhythm and blues that the Beatles had become veritable masters at emulating. From their earliest days together, the Beatles\u2014four ethnically homogenous Englishman\u2014thoroughly imbibed American R&B and remade it in their own image. \u201cDrive My Car,\u201d with its funky, blues-oriented sound, epitomizes the ways in which Rubber Soul <\/em>acts as the group\u2019s valentine to their American rock and roll roots.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        To learn more about the work of Dr. Kenneth Womack, including his new book, John Lennon 1980<\/em> and his \u201cEverything Fab Four\u201d podcast, go to https:\/\/kennethwomack.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Follow Ken on Facebook HERE<\/a> and on Twitter @kennethawomack<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Rubber Soul \u00a0Side One, Track One \u201cDrive My Car\u201d: And Suddenly, Everything Changed!   by Jude Southerland Kessler and Ken Womack   Throughout 2021, the Fest for Beatles Fans blog will explore the intricacies of The Beatles\u2019 astounding 1965 LP, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":8392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[133,89,117],"class_list":["post-8388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-beatles","tag-drive-my-car","tag-rubber-soul","tag-the-beatles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8388"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8391,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8388\/revisions\/8391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}