{"id":9344,"date":"2024-03-28T12:21:28","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T17:21:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?p=9344"},"modified":"2024-03-28T12:21:28","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T17:21:28","slug":"revolver-deep-dive-part-10-for-no-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/revolver-deep-dive-part-10-for-no-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Revolver Deep Dive Part 10: For No One"},"content":{"rendered":"

Revolver<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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

\u201cFor No One\u201d Is For Everyone<\/p>\n

by Jude Southerland Kessler <\/em><\/p>\n

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

This month, the Fest for Beatles Fans Blog enjoys a closer look at Paul McCartney\u2019s exquisite ballad, \u201cFor No One.\u201d\u00a0 Jude Southerland Kessler<\/strong>, our Fest Blogger and author of The John Lennon Series<\/strong> is \u201cgoing solo\u201d on this deep dive, but calling upon the wisdom of many respected Beatles music experts as she explores this outstanding and touching work. Insights into this song have been enhanced by:<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lewisohn, <\/em>The Beatles Recording Sessions, 78-79, Lewisohn, <\/em>The Complete Beatles Chronicle, 220-221, The Beatles, <\/em>The Beatles Anthology, 207, Womack, <\/em>Sound Pictures, The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, 82-84, Harry, <\/em>The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia, 248, Emerick, <\/em>Here, There and Everywhere, 128-129, Winn, <\/em>That Magic Feeling, 18, Rodriguez, <\/em>Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock\u2019n\u2019Roll, 136-138, Gould, <\/em>Can\u2019t Buy Me Love, 360-361, Spizer, <\/em>The Beatles for Sale on Parlophone Records, 215,<\/em> Turner, <\/em>Beatles \u201966, 107-108, Turner, <\/em>A Hard Day\u2019s Write, 113, <\/em>\u00a0Margotin and Guesdon, <\/em>All the Songs, 342-343, Davies, <\/em>The Beatles Lyrics, 169-171, Spignesi and Lewis, <\/em>100 Best Beatles Songs, 168-170, Riley,<\/em> Tell Me Why, 193-194, MacDonald, <\/em>Revolution in the Head, 164, Womack, <\/em>The Beatles Encyclopedia, 281, Hammack, <\/em>The Beatles Recording Reference Manual, Vol. 2, 138-140, Spizer, <\/em>The Beatles From Rubber Soul to Revolver, 220, and Miles, <\/em>The Beatles Diary, Vol. 1, 239. Also here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

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

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

Date Recorded:<\/strong> 9 May 1966<\/p>\n

Place Recorded:<\/strong> Studio Two<\/p>\n

Time Recorded:<\/strong> 7.00 \u2013 11.00 p.m.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Technical Team:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Sound Engineer:<\/strong> Geoff Emerick<\/p>\n

Second Engineer:<\/strong> Phil McDonald<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On this day:<\/strong> A backing track was created in ten takes with Ringo on his 1964 Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl \u201cSuper Classic\u201d drum set and Paul on EMI\u2019s Steinway \u201cMusic Room\u201d\u00a0 Model \u201cB\u201d Grand Piano. (Hammack, 139) The tenth was designated as \u201cbest\u201d and to this, Paul added work on a clavichord (which had been hired from Martin\u2019s AIR company at the cost, Lewisohn tells us, of five guineas). Ringo added cymbals and maraca to Take 10 as well. Note: John and George did not take part in creating this backing track. (Lewisohn, The Beatles Recording Sessions<\/em>, 78 and Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Chronicle<\/em>, 220-221)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Second Date Recorded:<\/strong> 16 May 1966<\/p>\n

Place Recorded:<\/strong> Studio Two<\/p>\n

Time Recorded:<\/strong> 2.30 p.m. \u2013 1.30 a.m.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Technical Team:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Sound Engineer:<\/strong> Geoff Emerick<\/p>\n

Second Engineer:<\/strong> Phil McDonald<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On this day:<\/strong> Obviously, on this long day, the entire time in studio wasn\u2019t spent on \u201cFor No One.\u201d Most of the afternoon and evening was given to overdubs and mixing in order to create a master reel. But a portion of the day was set aside for Paul to overdub his poignant lead vocal onto Take 10 of \u201cFor No One.\u201d It was recorded, Lewisohn reminds us, at 47 \u00bd cycles and then sped up on replay. (Lewisohn, The Beatles Recording Sessions<\/em>, 78 and The Complete Beatles Chronicle<\/em>, 220-221) Rodriguez comments that this \u201cgave [McCartney\u2019s] voice a slightly elevated pitch upon playback.\u201d (p. 137)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Third Date Recorded: <\/strong>19 May 1966<\/p>\n

Time recorded:<\/strong> 7.00 \u2013 11.00 p.m.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Technical Team:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Sound Engineer:<\/strong> Geoff Emerick<\/p>\n

Second Engineer:<\/strong> Phil McDonald (Lewisohn, The Beatles Recording Sessions<\/em>, 79)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On this day:<\/strong> Alan Civil, principal French horn player from the Royal (some sources say \u201cLondon\u201d) Philharmonic Orchestra was invited to EMI Studios to play the haunting French horn obbligato in this song. There are two completely different versions of what happened that day. Let\u2019s look at both:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Many sources, including Civil himself, tell the story that Hunter Davies repeats in The Beatles Lyrics<\/em>, p 171. He writes: \u201cCivil came in [to EMI Studios], was told roughly what was wanted by George Martin and Paul, composed his own bit<\/strong>, played and went home, earning only his session fee.\u201d This version of historical events can be found in great detail \u00a0in Womack\u2019s Sound Pictures, The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin<\/em>, pp. 82-83. Womack summarizes: \u201cIn Civil\u2019s memory, it was McCartney who asked him to improvise a solo \u2013 \u2018to make something up,\u2019 as it were, in a baroque style.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

However, there is another completely different version of the day\u2019s events, and Womack, using direct quotes from The Beatles Anthology<\/em>, unveils this second account as well. He writes, \u201cMcCartney\u2019s memories of the session vary dramatically from Civil\u2019s. The Beatle later recalled humming the melody to Martin, who dutifully adapted McCartney\u2019s vision into musical notation.\u201d Womack quotes McCartney <\/strong>as saying, \u201cGeorge asked me, \u2018Now what do you want him to play?\u2019 I said, \u2018Something like this,\u2019 and sang the solo to him, and he wrote it down<\/strong>.\u201d (Womack, p. 83 and The Beatles Anthology<\/em>, 207)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, which version of the story actually occurred? Womack points out that the \u201chigh F\u201d note in the obligato just might hold the answers we seek. Womack quotes Paul as saying, \u201cAt the end of the session\u2026George explained to me the range of the [French horn]\u2026\u201d and showed Paul that what they had composed \u201cgoes from here to this top E.\u201d Mischievously, Paul responded, \u201cWhat if we asked him to play an F?\u201d And Womack goes on to say, \u201cIn Paul\u2019s recollection, George saw the joke and joined in the conspiracy. We came to the session and Alan looked up from his bit of paper: \u2018Eh, George? I think there\u2019s a mistake here \u2013 you\u2019ve got a high F note written down.\u2019 Then, George and I said, \u2018Yeah,\u2019 and smiled back at him, and he knew what we were up to and played it.\u201d (Womack, p. 84 and The Beatles Anthology,<\/em> 207) It seems unlikely that Civil would have written what was considered an \u201cunreachable note\u201d for himself. It is more likely that this impossible task was proposed by McCartney and Martin, and Civil rose to meet the challenge.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

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

    \n
  1. Keyed in B<\/strong>\u2026This song was composed in a key used quite rarely by The Beatles. In fact, only these of The Beatles\u2019 songs were composed in B: \u201cFor No One,\u201d \u201cPenny Lane\u201d (whose chorus changes to A major), and \u201cRevolution.\u201d The official sheet music for \u201cFor No One\u201d has the key raised to C, but that is not the key in which the song was written or recorded. It\u2019s felt that C was chosen for the sheet music to make the song easier to play. Spignesi and Lewis, 169 and here<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Museum Piece Rescue<\/strong> – Paul wrote and recorded \u201cFor No One\u201d but never had occasion to perform it live. He regretted this inability to share his ballad with an audience, making the song what Paul dubbed \u201ca museum piece.\u201d Therefore, \u201cFor No One\u201d was included in Give My Regards to Broad Street<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Reverb Reserve<\/strong> – Geoff Emerick famously employed very little reverb in the songs he engineered, and \u201cFor No One\u201d really benefits from this economy of treatment. It produced a simple, pure sound.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Destiny\u2019s Role<\/strong> \u2013 The French horn obbligato was originally slated to be performed by maestro Dennis Brian. (Rodriguez, 137) However, Brian died in an automobile accident before he could record the solo, and Alan Civil, described by Rodriguez as \u201can equal caliber musician,\u201d was selected to replace him. Civil turned in an exceptional performance and is one of the first \u201coutside\u201d musicians (along with Anil Bhagwat) to be mentioned on a Beatles record.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Continued Experimentation with a Classical Theme<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cFor No One\u201d has been categorized as \u201cchamber music\u201d or \u201cbaroque music.\u201d In a vein similar to \u201cEleanor Rigby,\u201d this song\u2019s lovely melody has classical roots, but it flourishes when the French horn obbligato is added to the score. In the Autumn of 1965, The Beatles were elbow-deep in musical exploration, and we\u2019re all the better for it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

             <\/p>\n

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

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

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

            The Reviews are In!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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

            \u201cOne of my favourites of [Paul\u2019s]! A nice piece of work.\u201d
            \nJohn Lennon <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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

            \u201cAnother remarkable McCartney ballad, melodically sophisticated and lyrically mature.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

            Barry Miles, <\/em><\/strong>The Beatles Diary, Vol. 1, 239<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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

            \u201cA great ballad with a beautiful melody and striking production.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

            Spignesi and Lewis, <\/em><\/strong>100 Best Beatles Songs, 168<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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

            \u201c\u2026a sad, regretful, wistful, heartbreaking song\u2026impeccably put together with a wonderful French horn solo by Alan Civil, perhaps the best-known hornist of his day\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

            Hunter Davies, <\/em><\/strong>The Beatles Lyrics, 171<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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

            \u201c\u2026conveys the solitude and regret of Yesterday, with more disbelief, more longing\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

            Tim Riley, <\/em><\/strong>Tell Me Why, 193<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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

            \u201c\u2026remains one of Paul\u2019s greatest accomplishments, with\u2026a simple but effective melody.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

            John C. Winn, <\/em><\/strong>That Magic Feeling, 18<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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

            \u201cFor No One\u201d is universally respected. Calling it \u201ca dark sister to \u2018Here, There and Everywhere,\u201d and \u201cthe true heir of \u2018Yesterday,\u201d Jonathan Gould (among so many others) extols this unusual song\u2019s unvarnished honesty, and its \u201cstark, sinking feeling\u201d that something beautiful is dying and cannot be revived. (p. 360) \u00a0This is not a ballad of love; it\u2019s a requiem of loss.<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            When first approached about the song in the 1960s, Paul denied that it was written for a particular person, but later, he confessed, \u201cI wrote that on a skiing holiday in Switzerland. In a hired chalet amongst the snow.\u201d (Womack, The Beatles Encyclopedia<\/em>, 281) And with him on that holiday (in the Swiss resort of Klosters) was, of course, his long-time love, Jane Asher. (Spizer, 215 and Winn, 18) Paul states, \u201cI suspect it was about another argument. I don\u2019t have easy relationships with women, I never have. I talk too much truth.\u201d (Womack, 281). The lovers\u2019 quarrel in that snow-banked chalet must have been calamitous, because the first title of this Revolver<\/em> track was \u201cWhy Did it Have to Die?\u201d And in The Beatles Lyrics, 172,<\/em> Davies shares the hand-written draft of Paul\u2019s original lyrics. They read:<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            \u201cWhy did it have to die?<\/em><\/p>\n

            You\u2019d like to know<\/em><\/p>\n

            Cry and blame her<\/em><\/p>\n

            You wait<\/em><\/p>\n

            You\u2019re too late<\/em><\/p>\n

            As you\u2019re deciding why the wrong one wins the end begins <\/em><\/p>\n

            And you will lose her<\/em><\/p>\n

            Why did it have to die<\/em><\/p>\n

            I\u2019d like to know<\/em><\/p>\n

            Try \u2013 to save it<\/em><\/p>\n

            You want her<\/em><\/p>\n

            You need (love) her<\/em><\/p>\n

            So make her see that you believe it may work out<\/em><\/p>\n

            And one day you may need each other.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            Unlike some of Paul\u2019s songs for Jane which threaten (\u201cWhy, tell me why, did you not treat me right?\/ Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight\u201d) or chide (\u201cNow today I find\/ You have changed your mind\/ Treat me like you did the night before\u201d) or point out unfair treatment (\u201cWhen I call you up\/ Your line\u2019s engaged\/ I have had enough\/ So act your age!\u201d), \u201cFor No One\u201d is neither angry nor frustrated. Instead, it is a tender song of love lost.<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            Paul, who in the latter part of 1965 had been extensively reading plays, wrote the lyrics almost as if they were stage directions:<\/p>\n

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

            Your day breaks, your mind aches,
            \nYou find that all her words of kindness linger on
            \nWhen she no longer needs you.<\/em><\/p>\n

            She wakes up, she makes up,
            \nShe takes her time and doesn’t feel she has to hurry,
            \nShe no longer needs you.<\/em><\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            We watch the characters moving through the miasma of a sorrowful morning, a day in which two lovers have both physically and metaphorically awakened to the realization that their \u201clove is dead.\u201d And suddenly, McCartney\u2019s message is inclusive. Using simple, direct language and brief sentences, he pulls us into his lyrics. He speaks a language that everyone understands and draws each listener into these familiar scenes of heartbreak. His lyrics are, as John Winn commented, \u201cevocative.\u201d (That Magic Feeling<\/em>, 18)<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            For me, that word \u201cfamiliar\u201d was the very lynchpin of my love of this song. I was 12 years old\u2026sitting on the side of my bed and playing Revolver<\/em> for the first time\u2026carefully placing the 33 1\/3 on the turntable of my lift-top record player and lowering the needle. For the next hour, I sat cross-legged and listened\u2026and listened and listened and blinked back tears.<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            \u201cA song about taxes<\/em>?! John Lennon knowns what it\u2019s like to be dead<\/em>?!!!! And what in the world has happened to George Harrison? \u2018Love You To?\u2019 Love you to what????\u201d The studious me was completely bewildered by Revolver<\/em>\u2019s suggestions to \u201clay down your thoughts\u201d and \u201cturn off your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            The only track to which I could relate was \u201cFor No One.\u201d It recalled \u201cYes It Is\u201d and \u201cThis Boy.\u201d It hearkened back to \u201cI\u2019ll Follow the Sun\u201d and even to John\u2019s \u201cIf I Fell.\u201d In myriad ways, it tethered me to \u201cYesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            Years later, I read Robert Rodriguez\u2019s brilliant work Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock and Roll, <\/em>and the LP unfolded for me like a brightly colored pop-up book! (Thank you, Robert!) But at age 12, \u201cFor No One\u201d provided a tidbit of the wonderfully familiar. On this strange LP of eccentric songs, \u201cFor No One\u201d supplied music I understood. Like Paul\u2019s universal lyrics, his melody offered a sound to which fans of the Cavern Beatles or The BBC Beatles could cling. In the turbulent, kaleidoscopic Summer of 1966, this song alone whispered, \u201cSafe and sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            Each month, in our \u201cFresh, New Look\u201d segment of the Fest Blog, I ask our guest commentator, \u201cWhat do you like about this song? What appeals to you?\u201d<\/strong> So\u2026this month, I\u2019d love to hear from you<\/em>!<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            Please comment below and tell us what you felt when you first heard \u201cFor No One.\u201d How did you react and why? And almost sixty years later, how do you feel about the song today?<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            I\u2019d love to hear from you. And more importantly, I can\u2019t wait to see you all in just a few months at the Chicago Fest for Beatles Fans, August 9-11 at the Hyatt Regency O\u2019Hare<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            For more information on Jude Southerland Kessler or\u00a0 The John Lennon Series<\/strong>, HEAD HERE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Revolver Side Two, Track Three \u201cFor No One\u201d Is For Everyone by Jude Southerland Kessler \u00a0 This month, the Fest for Beatles Fans Blog enjoys a closer look at Paul McCartney\u2019s exquisite ballad, \u201cFor No One.\u201d\u00a0 Jude Southerland Kessler, our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":9347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[59,111,117],"class_list":["post-9344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-beatles","tag-revolver","tag-the-beatles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9344","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=9344"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9346,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9344\/revisions\/9346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}