{"id":8567,"date":"2021-11-20T10:28:25","date_gmt":"2021-11-20T15:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?p=8567"},"modified":"2021-11-20T10:28:25","modified_gmt":"2021-11-20T15:28:25","slug":"rubber-soul-deep-dive-part-9-girl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/rubber-soul-deep-dive-part-9-girl\/","title":{"rendered":"Rubber Soul Deep Dive Part 9: Girl"},"content":{"rendered":"

Side Two, Track Two<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Girl!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

by Jude Southerland Kessler and Robert Rodriguez<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Throughout 2021, the Fest for Beatles Fans blog has been exploring the intricacies of The Beatles\u2019 transitional 1965 LP, <\/em>Rubber Soul. This month, our Fest friend Robert Rodriguez<\/strong>, award-winning author of <\/em>Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock\u2019n\u2019Roll and<\/em> Solo in the 70s: John, Paul, George, and Ringo (1970-1980), as well as distinguished podcast host of \u201cSomething About The Beatles,\u201d joins Jude Southerland Kessler, author of The John Lennon Series<\/strong>, for a fresh, new look at the exciting second track of Side Two of this remarkable LP.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

Date Recorded:<\/em><\/strong> 11 November 1965 <\/em><\/p>\n

Time Recorded:<\/em><\/strong> 6 p.m. \u2013 7 a.m. (Work was also done on \u201cYou Won\u2019t See Me,\u201d \u201cWait,\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m Looking Through You\u201d)<\/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 <\/em><\/p>\n

Second Engineer: <\/em><\/strong>Some sources say Mike Stone. Some say Ken Scott. <\/em><\/p>\n

Stats:<\/em><\/strong> Recorded in only two takes. \u201cBest\u201d take was Take 2. However, three superimpositions were needed to complete the song. One for Lennon\u2019s lead, one for backing vocals by Paul and George, and the last for George\u2019s concluding solo.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

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

John Lennon<\/em><\/strong>, the composer, sings lead vocal and plays his 1964 Gibson J-160E acoustic guitar <\/em><\/p>\n

Paul McCartney<\/em><\/strong> sings backing vocals and plays bass on his 1964 Rickenbacker 4001S bass<\/em><\/p>\n

George Harrison<\/em><\/strong> sings backing vocals and plays lead in superimposition #3 on his 12-string Framus Hootenanny 5\/024 <\/em><\/p>\n

Ringo Starr<\/em><\/strong> plays one of his Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl Super Classic drum sets in studio.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks to Jerry Hammack and his superb <\/em>The Beatles Recording Reference Manual, Vol. 2, for this information. <\/em><\/p>\n

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

Sources:<\/em><\/strong> Lewisohn, <\/em>The Complete Beatles Chronicle, 205-206, Lewisohn, <\/em>The Recording Sessions, 68, Womack, <\/em>Long and Winding Roads: The Emerging Artistry of The Beatles, 121-122, Margotin and Guesdon, <\/em>All the Songs, 298-299, Winn, <\/em>Way Beyond Compare, 375-376, Hammack, <\/em>The Beatles Recording Reference Manual, Vol. 2, 96-97, Turner, <\/em>A Hard Day\u2019s Write, 95, Riley, <\/em>Tell Me Why, 164-165, Spizer, <\/em>The Beatles for Sale on Parlophone Records, 202, Everett, <\/em>The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men to Rubber Soul, 310-311, Miles, <\/em>Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, 119-120, \u00a0and MacDonald, <\/em>The Beatles: Revolution in the Head, 145.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

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

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The introduction of Viennese mandolin and Greek bouzouki sounds as experimentation in The Beatles\u2019 catalogue soars \u2013 <\/strong>\u201cGirl\u201d sounded unlike any other Beatles song that fans had ever encountered. John\u2019s high-capo-ed guitar was exotic and was described by MacDonald in <\/em>The Beatles: Revolution in the Head as very much like the Viennese mandolins that John must have heard on Hamburg radio stations in the first few visits to the German port city. (p. 145) That backing, coupled with George\u2019s unique concluding solo, edged \u201cGirl\u201d as far from the traditional Mersey Beat sound as any Beatles creation had ever dared\u2026thus far. <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    George Harrison\u2019s striking concluding lead left experts guessing about its creation for years.<\/em> Early accounts of the 11 November recording session had Harrison playing a Greek instrument, the bouzouki. Even George Martin, at one point, said that he remembered Harrison performing the song\u2019s concluding solo on that instrument. (Spizer, 202) Later, however, Paul McCartney just as adamantly averred that he recalled Harrison using his guitar with the capo placed very high on the neck to produce the unusual and tinny bouzouki sound. Barry Miles quotes Paul as stating, \u201cWe did it on acoustic guitars, not bouzoukis.\u201d (<\/em>Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, 119-120) Whatever the methodology, the effect was (and is) singular and enchanting.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    As Kenneth Womack observed in <\/em>Long and Winding Roads: The Emerging Artistry of The Beatles, \u201cSimulating a bouzouki-like sound on his Hootenanny, George play[ed] an intricate Greek melody that afford[ed] the track\u2026an Old World resonance.\u201d (p. 122) <\/em>Rubber Soul had already introduced the sound of the sitar in \u201cNorwegian Wood.\u201d Now, the tone and cadence of another little-known instrument was introduced to listeners by the adventurous Beatles. As the boys moved decidedly away from the \u201cpop\u201d sound that was their staple as late as early 1965, the inclusion of innovative, world music was rapidly becoming John, Paul, George, and Ringo\u2019s \u201cnew normal.\u201d (See the chart entitled \u201cPopulation of The Beatles Early and Experimental Style Features\u201d in Dr. Walter Everett\u2019s <\/em>The Beatles as Musicians, The Quarry Men to Rubber Soul, p. 311. Also, please read Dr. Everett\u2019s list of instruments that were in the studio during the <\/em>Rubber Soul sessions on p. 310. The leap into experimentation is dramatic with the advent of <\/em>Rubber Soul and enhanced with <\/em>Revolver).<\/em><\/p>\n

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

      \n
    1. A penchant toward more acoustic flavors on this LP<\/strong> \u2013<\/em><\/strong> The original recording of \u201cGirl\u201d included George Harrison performing on an electric guitar with fuzz distortion. This rendition was removed as the acoustic sound became Lennon\u2019s preferred medium. With extraordinary songs such as \u201cMichelle,\u201d \u201cNorwegian Wood,\u201d \u201cNowhere Man,\u201d and \u201cIn My Life\u201d populating this LP, The Beatles begin to venture away from the merry \u201ctea-cup rattling\u201d of \u201cShe Loves You\u201d and \u201cI Want To Hold Your Hand.\u201d In 1966, <\/em>Revolver would take them even further from the sounds of the early 60s. <\/em>Rubber Soul gives us \u201can early clue to the new direction.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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

        \n
      1. A tad of naughtiness in a song of desire \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>John Lennon\u2019s very intimate inhalation (created, George Martin explained, by a special compressor used on Lennon\u2019s voice) wasn\u2019t the only bit of sexy innuendo in this second track on Side Two. Paul and George covertly (they thought) sang \u201ctit-tit-tit-tit\u201d to John\u2019s passionate sigh of \u201cAh, Girrrrrl!\u201d When George Martin questioned them about the phrase, so the story goes, they claimed to be singing \u201cdit-dit-dit,\u201d but Martin stated that he knew what they were saying. He shrugged and let it pass. <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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

        Now, for a \u201cfresh new look\u201d at \u201cGirl,\u201d we turn to author Robert Rodriguez, who invented the <\/em>Fab Four FAQ series, recently hosted the very successful online conference Fab4ConJam, served as \u201cFeatured Author\u201d at Beatles at the Ridge, and has been a beloved Special Guest Speaker at The Fest for Beatles Fans for years. Jude Southerland Kessler recently sat down with Rodriguez to discuss Lennon\u2019s innovative and personal composition, \u201cGirl.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Jude Southerland Kessler:<\/strong> Robert, it\u2019s a joy to get to work with the remarkable author who opened my eyes to the real significance and importance of Revolver<\/em> via your incredible book Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock\u2019n\u2019Roll<\/em>. That book completely changed<\/em> my whole perspective on the LP\u2026for the better. It\u2019s a book everyone should read!<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        But our focus today is on Revolver<\/em>\u2019s predecessor, Rubber Soul<\/em>, and specifically on the track, \u201cGirl.\u201d So let me ask you, early on, many listeners assumed that the \u201csizzle-sound\u201d following John\u2019s intonation of the word, \u201cGirl!\u201d was the sound of a cymbal. Of course, now we know it\u2019s the sound of John\u2019s audible inhale. Tell our readers, if you would, what Norman Smith did to create that vocal effect: the sound of ecstasy.<\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Robert Rodriguez:<\/strong> For the second time during the production of Rubber Soul<\/em>, The Beatles requested an unusual manipulation of the EQ to distort the sound; again \u2013 as they had with the guitars on \u201cNowhere Man\u201d \u2013 boost the treble up high, creating a sound from John\u2019s intake of air that nearly matched the sound of Ringo\u2019s brushed cymbal work. It is entirely likely that they were simply looking for a cool new sound to add to the track to give it an air of distinction and weren\u2019t going for a particular evocation. However, given that this was the \u201cpot\u201d album, as compared to Revolver<\/em>, the \u201cacid\u201d album, it would be naive to ignore the possibility of the effect as emulating taking a hit on a joint. The Beatles loved to sneak little inside jokes into their recordings, and in the case of \u201cGirl,\u201d this naughty touch alongside the backing vocal part on the bridge would\u2019ve doubled their (guilty) pleasure.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Kessler:<\/strong> \u201cGirl\u201d is a quite sophisticated song, musically. Naturally, the usual intricate Beatles harmonies are in play, but so much more is at work. Tel us about some of the instruments that are used to create an exotic sound.<\/p>\n

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

        Rodriguez:<\/strong> As was often the case throughout the Rubber Soul<\/em> sessions, The Beatles and their producer \u2013 though squeezed for time to write and record the album by deadline \u2013 would experiment with ideas to broaden their sonic palette. To their credit, simply having an idea didn\u2019t justify using it; it had to be a good<\/em> idea to make the final cut, and The Beatles\u2019 recordings are evidence enough of the superb quality control standards they adhered to. Perhaps the ultimate example of this is \u201c12-Bar Original\u201d \u2013 a recording that they took seriously enough to spend precious studio time on, rehearsing and tracking a pair of takes before abandoning the experiment as an unremarkable failure.<\/p>\n

        \u201cGirl\u201d provides a further example of this thinking, in that we now know that though the final released performance features acoustic instrumentation (excepting Paul\u2019s bass), a fuzz-distorted Harrison electric was tried out, but ultimately rejected. (A similar idea was tried out four years later for \u201cHere Comes The Sun\u201d and thankfully shelved). Maybe it was because they came up with a better idea: a sound that has been described by writers who should know better as a Greek bouzouki — an exotic stringed instrument not typically heard much on pop records.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        But while the origins of the sound may be Greek-inspired (Paul has said as much), it was actually performed by George on his Framus Hootenanny 12-string guitar. The attack of his picking the strings is sharper than usual, giving a staccato effect (with no ringing out), suggesting an austere sonic tone that matches the lyric describing the title character\u2019s early Christianity teachings: that heaven was for those who suffered deprivation. It\u2019s a brilliant touch that we as listeners can come up with any number of creative suggestions for what<\/em> the intent behind it was, when – per Occam\u2019s Razor – it was probably nothing more profound than a pleasing sound that was fresh at the time.<\/p>\n

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

        Kessler:<\/strong> Cynthia Lennon once said that this song was about her. In April 1995\u2019s Q <\/em>magazine, she said, \u201cThe only song that I thought might be something to do with me was \u2018Girl,\u2019 but of course John isn\u2019t here to say anymore.\u201d However, when asked about \u201cGirl\u201d during his life, John claimed that the song was about an ideal girl (although this girl is far from ideal<\/em> in many ways), a girl who turned out to be Yoko. Once, he stated that the description of the girl in the bridge referred to the Christian church. What\u2019s your take on the identity of this \u201cGirl\u201d?<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Rodriguez:<\/strong> Honestly, I find it difficult to understand why any woman would choose to identify with the character described in this song: she\u2019s punishing and apparently warped by early years of religious education. But someone better qualified in psychoanalysis than I can probably provide a more satisfactory answer as to why John identified the character in this song as a \u201cdream girl,\u201d though technically nightmares are dreams, too. As described, the decision to keep this woman around (though he characterizes the choice as hers<\/em>: \u201cthe girl who came to stay\u201d) comes with ambiguity: he\u2019s clear-headed enough to recognize his desire for her as something punitive (\u201c…makes you sorry\u201d), yet he is without regrets. That alone<\/em> suggests a desire to be punished, which aligns nicely with her own worldview, shaped by the church, that states \u201cpain will lead to pleasure.\u201d Thus, John is describing a situation where he accepts day-to-day unhappiness and being made to feel a fool by her (and in front of his friends, no less) by a woman incapable of graciously accepting a compliment, all for the sake of a future reward, in this world or the next. John\u2019s describing the \u201cgirl\u201d he sings about as someone who \u201cturned out to be Yoko\u201d may be more revealing than he intended; he might inadvertently be indicating difficulties in a seemingly faultless relationship.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Kessler:<\/strong> Margotin and Guesdon claim that John waited 15 years to write the sequel to \u201cGirl,\u201d and that song was \u201cWoman.\u201d Robert, do you agree or disagree with this assessment and why?<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Rodriguez:<\/strong> For something to be a \u201csequel,\u201d it has to acknowledge its antecedent and either build upon it or deviate from it, does it not? I think Lennon was trying to come up with a compelling connection between the two songs, but I don\u2019t hear it. Between the two, I hear \u201cGirl\u201d as the much more compelling composition: in addition to everything else it offers as a performance and as a recording, the lyrical ambivalence is a marvel to behold. There is much to unpack in its mixed signals \u2013 someone unpleasant and difficult as an ideal \u2013 and yet remaining the object of profound desire.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        \u201cWoman,\u201d in contrast, is \u2013 to my ears anyway \u2013 much more facile and shallow, while seemingly striving for the perception of depth. (The opening remark about the other half of the sky sounds<\/em> profound, without actually saying much of anything). The narrator in \u201cWoman\u201d gushes on and on about the debt of gratitude owed (\u201c…for showing me the meaning of success\u201d \u2013 was this a comment on Yoko\u2019s financial acumen, handling their business affairs?) while lamenting his own ingratitude and thoughtlessness. The song takes on the air of a religious hymn, with offers of praise and loads of \u201cI\u2019m not worthy.\u201d As such, it\u2019s hard for me personally to enjoy to any great depth, or to see as anything more weighty than his myriad other mea culpa<\/em> songs (\u201cJealous Guy,\u201d \u201cAisumasen,\u201d \u201cForgive Me (My Little Flower Princess),\u201d etc).<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        By the end of his life, in the promotion of Double Fantasy<\/em>, John projected an air of having figured life out: his relationship with Yoko as being some kind of summit of both ideal romantic love and a wholly-encompassing creative partnership. To me, it rings hollow, especially when contrasted with his former songwriting partner, who made the same point about his<\/em> own life partner without loudly banging on about it; instead, providing an example that was as interactive with the world as John and Yoko\u2019s was sealed off from it. Contrast this with the 25-year-old Beatle who, throughout Rubber Soul<\/em>, describes deep social connections (\u201cIn My Life,\u201d \u201cThe Word\u201d) and his place in society (\u201cNowhere Man\u201d), as well as a series of women who are apparently self-sufficient (\u201cGirl,\u201d \u201cNorwegian Wood\u201d) that he connects with. Personally, I know which artist I find more interesting.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        To learn more about Robert Rodriguez, HEAD HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

        To follow Robert on Facebook, HEAD HERE <\/a><\/p>\n

        To hear Robert\u2019s podcast, \u201cSomething About The Beatles,\u201d HEAD HERE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Side Two, Track Two \u201cAh, Girl!!!\u201d   by Jude Southerland Kessler and Robert Rodriguez   Throughout 2021, the Fest for Beatles Fans blog has been exploring the intricacies of The Beatles\u2019 transitional 1965 LP, Rubber Soul. This month, our Fest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":8569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[90,28],"tags":[98,89,117],"class_list":["post-8567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-john-lennon-2","category-the-beatles","tag-jude-southerland-kessler","tag-rubber-soul","tag-the-beatles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8567","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=8567"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8568,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8567\/revisions\/8568"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}