{"id":9406,"date":"2024-07-22T14:58:35","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T19:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?p=9406"},"modified":"2024-07-22T14:58:35","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T19:58:35","slug":"revolver-deep-dive-part-12-i-want-to-tell-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/revolver-deep-dive-part-12-i-want-to-tell-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Revolver Deep Dive Part 12: I Want To Tell You"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\u201cI Want to Tell You\u201d said George\u2026and Anthony!<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Jude Southerland Kessler and Anthony Robustelli<\/em><\/p>\n

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

This month, the Fest for Beatles Fans Blog takes an in-depth look at <\/em>Revolver\u2019s \u201cI Want to Tell You.\u201d\u00a0 Jude Southerland Kessler<\/strong>, our Fest Blogger and author of The John Lennon Series<\/strong> works hand-in-hand with Anthony Robustelli<\/strong>, author of (wait for it\u2026) <\/em>I Want to Tell You, The Definitive Guide to the Music of The Beatles, Vol. 1, 1962-1963. Who better to give us a \u201cFresh, New Perspective\u201d on George\u2019s third song on this pivotal LP than Anthony? He wrote the book!<\/em><\/p>\n

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

Anthony holds a degree in music from NYU, and since 1996, he has run his own successful recording studio, Shady Bear Productions. Also, as a sought-after stage musician, Anthony has performed with Gloria Gaynor, Bo Diddley,<\/em> Michael Franti & Spearhead, and many more. In 2022, he opened for Sir Paul McCartney<\/strong> at the Glastonbury Festival. Wow! We are very honored to have Anthony \u2013 a frequent Guest Author at the Fest for Beatles Fans \u2013 take time out from his crazy-busy schedule to share with us! <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And\u2026 we can\u2019t wait to see each and every one of you at the <\/em>Hyatt Regency O\u2019Hare<\/strong> for the Chicago Fest for Beatles Fans<\/strong>, August 9-11! The lineup is too good to miss! Get your tickets and get ready for the time of your life! <\/em><\/p>\n

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

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

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

Date Recorded:<\/strong> 2 June 1966<\/p>\n

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

Time Recorded:<\/strong> Early in the session, which ran from 7.00 p.m. to 3.30 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 (Lewisohn, The Beatles Recording Sessions<\/em>, 74)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On this day:<\/strong> The Beatles did five takes to capture the backing track. Take 3 was selected as \u201cbest.\u201d The track featured George Harrison (the composer and lead singer) on one of three guitars that he had in studio: either his 1961 Fender Stratocaster, his 1964 Gibson SG Standard, or his 1965 Epiphone ES-230-TD, Casino. Paul McCartney played the studio\u2019s Steinway \u201cMusic Room\u201d Model \u201cB\u201d Grand Piano, and Ringo Starr was on his 1964 Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl \u201cSuper Classic\u201d drum set. John Lennon sang backing vocals with Paul McCartney; these were added in superimposition, as was a piano part by McCartney. One of The Beatles (some sources designate John; others say Ringo) added a superimposed maracas part. After a tape reduction remix, dubbed Take 4 (regardless of the fact that a Take 4 already existed), handclaps were added onto the new Take 4.*<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Second Date Recorded:<\/strong> 3 June 1966<\/p>\n

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

Time Recorded:<\/strong> Early in the session which ran from 7.00 p.m. to 2.00 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 (Lewisohn, The Beatles Recording Sessions<\/em>, 82)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On this day:<\/strong> Paul McCartney\u2019s bass line (played on his Rickenbacker 4001S) was superimposed onto the new Take 4. This completed The Beatles\u2019 work on the song.*<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*From Hammack\u2019s The Beatles Recording Reference Manual, Vol. 2<\/em>, 144-146.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lewisohn, <\/em>The Beatles Recording Sessions, 81-82, Lewisohn, <\/em>The Complete Beatles Chronicle, 224, The Beatles, <\/em>The Beatles Anthology, 209, Rodriguez, <\/em>Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock\u2019n\u2019Roll, 66 and 68, Womack, <\/em>The Beatles Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, Womack, <\/em>Long and Winding Roads, 145, \u00a0Harry, <\/em>The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia, 334, Winn, <\/em>That Magic Feeling, 23, Gould, <\/em>Can\u2019t Buy Me Love, 362-363, Spizer, <\/em>The Beatles for Sale on Parlophone Records, 215-216,<\/em> Turner, <\/em>Beatles \u201966, 157-159, Turner, <\/em>A Hard Day\u2019s Write, 115, Turner, <\/em>Beatles \u201966, 260 and 261, Margotin and Guesdon, <\/em>All the Songs, 346-347, Riley,<\/em> Tell Me Why, 196-197, MacDonald, <\/em>Revolution in the Head, 166, O\u2019Toole, <\/em>Songs We Were Singing, 111-112, 231, Hammack, <\/em>The Beatles Recording Reference Manual, Vol. 2, 144-146, Spizer, <\/em>The Beatles From Rubber Soul to Revolver, 221, Miles, <\/em>The Beatles Diary, Vol. 1, 232 and 239,\u00a0 Everett, <\/em>The Beatles as Musicians, Revolver Through Anthology, 57-58, Davies, <\/em>The Beatles Lyrics, 174-175, Hertsgaard, <\/em>A Day In the Life: The Music and Artistry of The Beatles, 187-188, and Mellers, <\/em>Twilight of the Gods, 79-80. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Separate Bass Overdub<\/strong> \u2013 On 3 June, 1966, Paul\u2019s bass overdub on the Rickenbaker 4001S was done separately from the other instruments. Paul had overdubbed his bass previously. For example, on 10 November 1965 he added the bass as a superimposition for \u201cThe Word,\u201d but the bass was not added individually. In The Beatles Recording Sessions<\/em>, Mark Lewisohn states, \u201cIt was, for the first time on a Beatles recording, a bass guitar superimposition only.\u201d (p. 82) Lewisohn points out that this \u201cafford[ed] it a vacant track on the four-track tape, [which] allowed a greater dexterity with the sound in the re-mix.\u201d In The Beatles From Rubber Soul to Revolver<\/em>, Spizer goes on to say that this practice also \u201cenabled [Paul] to come up with [a] more melodic bass line\u2026\u201d (p. 203) Lewisohn notes that this technique is something \u201cthat would become more commonplace during and after 1967.\u201d (Beatles Recording Sessions<\/em>, p. 82)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Time Constraints <\/strong>\u2013 \u00a0The 2 June recording of the rhythm track for \u201cI Want to Tell You\u201d was completed efficiently. In fact, Lewisohn \u00a0refers to it as: \u201cA quick recording.\u201d (The Beatles Recording Sessions<\/em>, 81)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Then, Lewisohn quotes Geoff Emerick as saying: \u201cOne really got the impression that George was being given a certain amount of time to do his tracks whereas the others\u00a0 could spend as long as they wanted. One felt under more pressure when doing one of George\u2019s songs.\u201d Although Geroge was given three songs on Revolver <\/em>rather than his customary one (or two, at best), the amount of time allotted for recording and re-recording was not as lavishly spent on Harrison\u2019s number as it was on Lennon and McCartney\u2019s. George was, as Emerick himself observes, expected to \u201cTurn to!\u201d (Meaning, get to work.) Perhaps (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) that <\/em>is one motivation behind the 129 times that George recorded and re-recorded \u201cNot Guilty\u201d for the Esher Demos.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Although George was not always treated equitably, Robert Rodriguez in Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock\u2019n\u2019Roll<\/em>, points out that, \u201cThough it would be a long time before his senior Beatle partners would come to regard [George] as anything approaching an equal, proximity to the two masters accelerated the learning curve.\u201d (p. 66) As proof of that extraordinary growth, Rodriguez points to the \u201cthematic complexity\u201d of \u201cI Want to Tell You\u201d (which we will discuss below) and says it is \u201cfound nowhere else on the album. It marked George\u2019s ascent to a world-class songwriter.\u201d (p. 66)<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Three Prelim Titles<\/strong> \u2013 By now, everyone realized that George Harrison struggled with song titles. In The Beatles Recording Sessions<\/em>, Mark Lewisohn shares this fun bit of verbiage in Studio Two from 2 June, 1966:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Martin:<\/strong> What are you going to call it, George?<\/p>\n

        Harrison:<\/strong> [who doesn\u2019t know] I don\u2019t know!<\/p>\n

        John:<\/strong> Granny Smith Part Friggin\u2019 Two! (To George) You never had a title for any of your songs!<\/p>\n

        To which, Geoff Emerick suggests another British apple, \u201cLaxton\u2019s Superb.\u201d (p. 81)<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        By 3 June, Harrison\u2019s song title had morphed from \u201cLaxton\u2019s Superb\u201d to \u201cI Don\u2019t Know.\u201d Then, at the end of the evening, it became \u201cI Want to Tell You.\u201d Three titles for a Harrison number. A new record had been set!<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        More on the apple-themed titles from Anthony Robustelli in the \u201cFresh, New Look\u201d segment.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Much-Debated Lyrics<\/strong> \u2013 When asked about the message of this song, George said, \u201c\u2018I Want to Tell You\u2019 is about the avalanche of thoughts that are so hard to write down or transmit.\u201d And Beatles experts echo the composer\u2019s intent, but add that other topics are in play as well. For example, Riley in Tell Me Why<\/em> says, \u201cThis song shuns the modern anxieties with time and seeks exchange and the enlightened possibilities that lie outside fixed Western boundaries.\u201d (p. 196) Womack in The Beatles Encyclopedia, Vol. 1<\/em> adds, \u201cClearly written with Eastern notions of karma in mind, \u2018I Want to Tell You\u2019 addresses the individual as the result of a set of totalizing, lived experiences.\u201d (p. 434) And although Mellers repeats that Harrison\u2019s theme is \u201cthe difficulty of communication,\u201d he asserts that \u201cI Want to Tell You\u201d has \u201cno Eastern connections.\u201d (Twilight of the Gods<\/em>, p. 79) Finally, Miles tells us that the song is about George\u2019s \u201cdeterminedly realistic view of relationships, in which failed communication was the order of the day.\u201d (The Beatles Diary, Vol. 1<\/em>, 239) Miles goes on to say that \u201call of [George\u2019s] portrayals of love were surrounded in misunderstanding and the dreadful prospect of boredom, and this was no exception.\u201d (The Beatles Diary, Vol. 1,<\/em> 239)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Early Beatles songs from 1963 and 1964 focused on touching but simpler themes such as \u201cI love you,\u201d \u201cShe loves you,\u201d \u201cYou love me,\u201d and (in the case of \u201cYou\u2019re Gonna Lose That Girl\u201d) \u201cYou don\u2019t love her enough.\u201d Now, however, both fans and critics find themselves examining songs with complicated meanings and myriad interpretations. The exciting tracks on Revolver<\/em> \u2013 and this <\/em>Harrison composition in particular \u2013 offer layers of complex messages that would be debated for the next 60 years\u2026thus far.<\/p>\n

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

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

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

          We welcome our friend Anthony Robustelli<\/strong> to the Fest Blog for July! Besides being a frequent presenter at the Fest for Beatles Fans, I\u2019ve also shared happy times with Anthony at Beatles at the Ridge and the GRAMMY Museum of Mississippi \u201cBeatles Symposium.\u201d With Anthony\u2019s vast knowledge of music and recording techniques, I\u2019m looking forward to his \u201cFresh, New Look\u201d at George Harrison\u2019s \u201cI Want to Tell You.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Jude Southerland Kessler:<\/em><\/strong> Anthony, thanks so much for taking time out from your studio, your own music, and your research for what I HOPE will soon be the new volume of your amazing book on ALL Beatles songs (both originals and covers), <\/em>I Want to Tell You<\/strong>. Your work is so thorough that I know your answers here will give us all some new insights into this familiar 1966 song. So, with that in mind\u2026 George Harrison\u2019s \u201cI Want to Tell You\u201d does not, at first glance, seem to exhibit as profound an Indian influence as does say \u201cLove You To\u201d or <\/em>Sgt. Pepper\u2019s \u201cWithin You, Without You.\u201d But there are subtle touches both musically and lyrically that incorporate George Harrison\u2019s passion\/beliefs. Tell us about those, please.<\/em><\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Robustelli:<\/strong> While \u201cI Want to Tell You,\u201d doesn\u2019t necessarily use Indian instruments, it conveys an Eastern feeling that is apparent in \u201cLove You To\u201d and later, on a grander scale, \u201cWithin You Without You.\u201d Harrison\u2019s vocal performance is full of bends reminiscent of the dilruba<\/em>, a bowed Indian instrument later heard on \u201cWithin You, Without You.\u201d He also makes good use of an odd number of measures (eleven to be precise) for the verse which keeps the listener off balance. Many believe that there\u2019s a bar of 2\/4 snuck in there at bar four, but Harrison just changes chords in the middle of the bar while \u201cjust confusing things.\u201d Interestingly, McCartney also adds some of these elements to the song, as he did with his blistering Indian influenced guitar solo on \u201cTaxman.\u201d The piano phrase in bars six through nine highlight the flattened ninth of the E chord \u2013 quite a jarring development \u2013 and the melismas<\/em> he sings on the outro are Eastern flavored. Even the fade out has a drone-like quality with McCartney\u2019s bubbling bass that pedals underneath Harrison\u2019s striking guitar riff.<\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Kessler:<\/em><\/strong> It\u2019s interesting that in a song about how difficult it is to express one\u2019s feelings, George looked back at the lyrics years later and said that he got the words wrong and would change them if he could. What did he want to change and why?<\/em><\/p>\n

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

          Robustelli: <\/strong>With his newfound interest in Eastern religion Harrison found himself at odds with the Western philosophy that often put financial success above spirituality. He was still having problems expressing himself with his lyrics, and the inability to communicate is the main focus of the song. He even had trouble naming his songs with \u201cLove You To\u201d having a working title of \u201cGranny Smith,\u201d named by engineer Geoff Emerick after his favorite apple. When it came time to record \u201cI Want To Tell You\u201d Harrison once again had no title, so Emerick decided to name it \u201cLaxton\u2019s Superb,\u201d another type of apple. Harrison later stated that his new Eastern beliefs should have led him to change the lyrics to the first bridge in order to explain that rather than listen to a mind \u201cthat hops about telling us to do this or that \u2013 what we need to do is lose the mind.\u201d When he toured Japan in 1991, he took his own advice and changed the line to \u201cIt isn\u2019t me, it\u2019s just my mind.\u201d Even with the original lyric, Harrison was beginning to find his footing as a lyricist by using themes that were universal.<\/p>\n

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

          Kessler:<\/em><\/strong> Ted Nugent\u2019s 1979 remake of \u201cI Want to Tell You\u201d is praised by Margotin and Guesdon in <\/em>All the Songs as \u201ca superb remake which tends to show that with more arrangements and more work what George\u2019s song could have been.\u201d Do you agree or disagree? Why?<\/em><\/p>\n

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

          Robustelli: <\/strong>Well, I\u2019ve never been a fan of Ted Nugent, nor of his music, and I don\u2019t think his cover added anything to the original.\u00a0I don\u2019t particularly like the lead guitar riffs or the fact that he adds a bar of 2\/4 before the original dissonant piano phrase that begins on the E chord. While the original piano part is unexpected and swings in an inimitable way, in Nugent\u2019s version this section is plodding and choppy. When we arrive at the middle section more horrors are in store as Nugent decides to only play a B minor chord, whereas Harrison\u2019s original incorporates not only the B minor chord but a B diminished and a B7. These changes give the song its unstable nature and lead the ear to unexpected places, something Nugent\u2019s version does not do. Follow this with a pedestrian guitar solo, and there really isn\u2019t much to say of this tame, and lame, cover version of a fantastic Harrison song.<\/p>\n

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

          Kessler:<\/em><\/strong> Many music critics have said that this song was addressed to Pattie Boyd, but Riley quotes David Laing as noting that the song was meant, possibly, as a message between the artist and the audience. What say you?<\/em><\/p>\n

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

          Robustelli: <\/strong>While it could be looked at as a simple statement about his trouble expressing himself to his wife Pattie Boyd when they first met during the filming of A Hard Day\u2019s Night<\/em> two years earlier, it probably had a broader meaning. As you mentioned earlier, George stated in his 1980 book I Me Mine<\/em> that \u201c\u2018I Want To Tell You\u201d is about the avalanche of thoughts that are so hard to write down or say or transmit.\u201d But his original lyrics seem to stem from the more typical trope of being unable to express feelings to a love interest. The original lyrics, \u201cMaybe love will be the one thing to get me by,\u201d were replaced with \u201cI don\u2019t mind, I could wait forever, I\u2019ve got time\u201d and \u201cIf you should see me and need my love to pass the time\u201d was changed to \u201cSo I could speak my mind and tell you maybe you\u2019d understand.\u201d The new lyrics are more sophisticated and lend an ambiguous air to a song that is musically dissonant and unsettled.<\/p>\n

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

          For more information on Anthony Robustelli\u2019s work, HEAD HERE<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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

          Follow Anthony on Social Media:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

          Facebook<\/em><\/strong><\/a>
          \n          LinkedIn<\/em><\/strong><\/a>
          \n          Instagram<\/em><\/strong><\/a>
          \n          Twitter<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Side Two, Track Five \u201cI Want to Tell You\u201d said George\u2026and Anthony! by Jude Southerland Kessler and Anthony Robustelli \u00a0 This month, the Fest for Beatles Fans Blog takes an in-depth look at Revolver\u2019s \u201cI Want to Tell You.\u201d\u00a0 Jude […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":9408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[59,51,117],"class_list":["post-9406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-beatles","tag-beatles","tag-george-harrison","tag-the-beatles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9406","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=9406"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9407,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9406\/revisions\/9407"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefest.com\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}