The evening session scheduled in EMI Studio Two on September 11th,
1963 ran from 7:00 to 10:15 pm, which began with The Beatles introducing and
completing this entire song Lennon titled "Not A Second Time." Five takes made of the basic track took place,
which consisted of John singing and all four Beatles playing live. Take five
was deemed the best, ready for overdubs.
Some sources claim that McCartney did not participate in the song at all since the piano part (which was overdubbed afterward by George Martin) focuses on the bass notes of the song. The same has been said about George Harrison’s contribution since only one guitar appears present. We do know with certainty that both McCartney and Harrison were present earlier this day for the recording of “All I’ve Got To Do,” in which their contributions shine. Surely Harrison would have also been present for the evening session since his first composition “Don’t Bother Me” was premiered that day. All evidence suggests, therefore, that all four Beatles helped record these five takes of the basic track, but who’s to say Paul and George enjoyed a tea-time break.
The song then continued through takes six through nine, first for double-tracking John’s vocals, and second for overdubbing George Martin’s piano work. The piano solo was no doubt overdubbed separately, which made take nine the keeper. All of this took place between the estimated time of 7:00 and 8:30 pm.
Engineers plus Mr. Martin created the mono mix of the song from take nine on September 30th, along with four other tracks for the album. The stereo mix was performed quickly, along with the rest of the entire album, on October 29th by George Martin, Smith, Emerick and B.T. The fade out of the songs were each performed at their respective mixing sessions.
Song Structure and Style
Lennon has been known to stray drastically from the conformities of songwriting structures, but it is not usually detected this early on in The Beatles’ career. This song has several unorthodoxies which can become confusing when analyzed.
To generalize the song, we see a 'verse/ verse/ refrain' structure (or aab) which, on the surface, seems not unlike the structure for “All My Loving.” But, first of all, the second verse is a variant of the first, which makes the second verse unique. Also, a solo section is included in the song but, in this case, played over the refrain chords, which is quite unusual, especially since it appears right after the true refrain is heard. We then hear an exact repeat of this pattern with the same lyrics, so in essence, we hear the same song twice in a row. Then we have a conclusion, or ‘outro’ if you will, which is a variation on the initial verse but quite different. So, if we’re going to be exact, the complete structure of this song is ‘initial verse/ variant verse /refrain/ refrain/ initial verse/ variant verse/ refrain/ outro’ (or abccabcd). And if we’re all not confused already, each verse is an unusual seven bars long, while each refrain is an equally unusual ten bars long.
Is this to say that Lennon didn’t know what he was doing? Or was he a genius? The verdict is actually both. While it is true that he wasn’t musically trained and couldn’t read music, John had a gifted ability to express the emotions of what he heard in the music he listened to. If he was currently enamored with Smokey Robinson at a given time (as he was during this album), he could vividly express the emotions and sentiments of what those songs portrayed. If Bob Dylan was his latest inspiration (as evidenced in late ’64 and early ’65), then we can easily hear the influence. Lennon may have downplayed his songwriting abilities, as he once stated, “It’s a bit haphazard; there’s no rules for writing,” he’s also admitted that he wrote by “feel.” Those feelings, tempered by the structural collaborations from McCartney, made them the outstanding songwriting partnership that they are known for today. In the instance of “Not A Second Time,” we see the example of songwriting by "feel" in its rawest form since Lennon wrote the song completely on his own.
A step-by-step run through of the song starts off with an abrupt beginning of the first ‘initial verse’ with no introduction. We get the impression of an introduction because of Ringo not coming in on the drums until the fifth measure, which is also a very unique feature for The Beatles. After this seven-bar ‘initial verse,’ we immediately go into a seven bar ‘variant verse’ which begins the same (almost sounding like a continuation of the first verse) but veers to a minor chord in the sixth bar. This variation of the verse creates an expectation of the refrain which it naturally proceeds onward.
The ten-bar refrain is also unique in that it doesn’t have the catchy tuneful melody that similar songs have, such as “All My Loving” and “A Taste Of Honey.” It does contain the gist of the song’s message, as well as ending with the title of the song, but since it ends in an E minor instead of the expected signature chord G major, this downbeat turn suggests that the sentiments of the song are more painful than the lyrics are actually saying. This will be analyzed in more depth when we consider the lyrics. The refrain ends with a Beatles ‘break’ in which Ringo utilizes a precise drum fill in the absence of all other instrumentation.
Next, we hear the solo section of the song which, as stated earlier, uses the chord pattern and melody line of the refrain that preceded it. After a repeat of the ‘break’ and drum fill, we hear the exact pattern again, lyrics and all, with only a slight variation in the melody line in the seventh bar of the ‘initial verse.’ We then hear the ‘outro’ in which the first two chords of the song are repeated until the song fades, while Lennon repeats the song’s title in varying configurations.
During this ‘outro,’ Lennon’s double-tracked vocals stray from each other during the song's fade, displaying the results of a mistake that sounded too good to correct. Concerning these accidents, engineer Geoff Emerick explains, “When someone made a mistake like that, and the others liked it, we’d often actually make it louder when we’d mix the song so as to accentuate it…It was all about playing a joke on the fans, giving them a treat, something to talk about.”
On the surface, Lennon’s lyrics portray a wounded man hurt by a lover who has ended the relationship, but then ‘changes her mind’ and tries to convince him using the “same old lines.” He can’t face the possibility of how much a broken heart hurts all over again, so his resolve is not to allow her back into his life. But in the true fashion of Smokey Robinson, the context of the chord pattern that ends the refrain, as in Gustav Mahler's Song of the Earth, intimates that he is actually wavering in this resolve. Why else, classical music critics wonder, would the refrain end in a minor chord when stating the key phrase “not a second time” instead of the expected major signature chord? Deep stuff!
We also see here another example of Lennon revealing his vulnerable inner self apart from his rough exterior. The word “cry” is highlighted many times in the song, as is evident in many Lennon songs throughout The Beatles career.
Lennon’s vocal work is painfully convincing throughout, with the double-tracking well utilized to good effect. Since the initial vocal track and Lennon’s acoustic guitar occurred simultaneously, one can easily see how the song would stand alone as a singer/songwriter acoustic solo performance.
Ringo comes through like a trooper in a song which he was not very familiar with, and with great self-confidence. His rock-steady beat and predetermined drum fills are appropriate for this classy and intellectual number. George Martin’s appearance as pianist makes the song appear as a keyboard-oriented track, although its writer no doubt intended it as an acoustic guitar song. Fortunately, Martin does not ‘showboat’ the song, which allows the intricate nature of the song to speak for itself. His lower register keyboard work throughout, including the solo, suited the emotional disruption of the lyrics.
Next Song—Money (That’s What I Want)
Session One: The first time The Beatles took “Money (That’s What I Want)” into the recording studio was on January 1st, 1962 for their audition for Decca Records. All of the fifteen songs recorded on that day settled in one take. With original drummer Pete Best playing primarily on the toms throughout the song, it plods along at a quicker pace than we’re used to hearing and sounds rudimentary. The arrangement sounds polished due to their performing the song quite regularly in their stage act by this time, but they hadn’t made it their own yet. They were simply performing their take on a Barrett Strong song.
This session, produced by A&R man Mike Smith, ran approximately from 11 am till noon, "Money" most likely being the second song recorded after the Lennon/McCartney original "Like Dreamers Do." The Beatles used Decca studio equipment instead of their usual beat-up Vox amplifiers which conveyed the dirty and enthusiastic club sound that created such a stir with their audiences. One can easily see why Decca executives passed up The Beatles on this occasion, only to deeply regret it later.
Mark Lewisohn, in his book "Tune In," describes John's vocal performance of "Money" on this day: "(John) later said he sang 'Money' 'like a madman.' This could suggest he gave it his usual full-on blistering voice - but actually, he meant he was crazed. Far from belting it out, he audibly pulls back, playing safe, ending up neither one thing nor the other, in no-man's-land. Where was the Lennon soul, edge, bite?... Only once in John Lennon's life would he be heard timid, and it was here today."
Session Two: When entering EMI studio 2 on July 18th, 1963 to start recording their second album, their love for the song caused them to record it again, but this time with the motivation to do the song justice. The evening session ran from 7 to 10:45 pm and, after recording “You Really Got A Hold On Me,” they recorded the bulk of “Money” immediately afterward, starting approximately at 8:00 pm.
With George Martin on piano, the group performed the song live, vocals and all, for six full takes until everyone was satisfied, take six deemed the best. A piano edit piece by George Martin, probably for the song’s introduction, immediately followed the final take, which brought the number of takes to seven. This completed the song for the time being, although The Beatles input on the song was complete at this time.
Session Three: July 30th, 1963, was the second session for their second album “With The Beatles.” They all endured a morning and evening session this day, “Please Mister Postman” and “It Won’t Be Long” being worked on in the morning. The evening session, which began at 5 pm, began with George Martin overdubbing his piano work throughout the song. After doing a test run, he performed seven more overdubs on the song, numbered 8 through 14. Only George Martin worked on “Money” on this day, but right after this ended, The Beatles worked on three more songs for the album: “Till There Was You,” “Roll Over Beethoven” and “All My Loving” plus more work on “It Won’t Be Long” started earlier that day.
August 21st was the day George Martin, with engineers Norman Smith and Geoff Emerick, edited the complete performance of the song (take 6) with the original piano edit piece (take 7) to form the master copy. Interestingly, the piano overdubs from July 30 (session three) were not used for this master and therefore didn’t appear on the mono mix of the song. That mono mix shows also made on this day, which is the only mono mix done on the song. As far as all mono versions of the song released, the mix made on this day is what you hear.
Session Four: Surprisingly, while The Beatles were on vacation, George Martin went back into the studio on September 30th, 1963, for more piano overdubs onto “Money.” He recorded three unnumbered takes of piano work on the song on the previous take 7, which meant that the overdubs he did on July 30 (session three, takes 8-14) come across viewed as unsuitable. Even though mono mixes of other tracks on the album completed the task on this day, “Money” was not one of them. This apparently meant that George Martin still didn’t view the song as complete, even though The Beatles were through with the song nearly 2 and a half months earlier.
October 29th, 1963, was the day George Martin chose to do the stereo mixing for the entire “With The Beatles” album. He created these stereo mixes in the order he chose the album tracks to run, which means that at least at this point if not earlier, he realized that the impact of “Money” would make a great album closer just like “Twist And Shout” did for the first album. The only problem was, the stereo mix made of the song on this day apparently didn’t suit his fancy because it was not used. Once again, engineers Norman Smith and Geoff Emerick were present on this day, as well as the mysterious B.T.
The next day, October 30th, 1963, the final stereo mix was made of “Money,” once again by George Martin and Norman Smith, but this time with A.B. Lincoln as second engineer. George Martin decided that to get a proper stereo mix of the song, two separate two-track mono mixes were utilized together, one for each channel. It was decided to proceed in this way to avoid any further tape-to-tape copying, which decreases the sound quality and increases tape hiss. This is the final released stereo mix of the song, which is significantly different than the mono mix made on August 21 that predated the piano overdubs made on September 30th.
The mixes differ in other ways as well, such as the mono mix including Ringo’s taps in the intro of the song. Another difference is, on the stereo mix, George Harrison’s lead guitar part comes in forcefully just before the third measure, where the mono mix fades his guitar part in on the fourth measure. And, since Capitol Records in the US habitually made mono mixes out of the stereo mixes by melding both channels together into one, American audiences only ever heard the stereo mix of the song, even if they purchased the mono album.
Session Five: As can be expected, when The Beatles gathered in January 1969 to work on the “Get Back/Let It Be” project, “Money” was early on the list for having an impromptu jam during the sessions. January 3rd, 1969, saw the group naturally doing a run-through of "Money," this being one of their favorite early-stage songs while rehearsing at Twickenham Film Studios. At this stage, they were rehearsing for a proposed live concert, going over potential songs for this show, which never materialized.
Session Six: January 6th, 1969, saw the group going over the song once again in Twickenham studios in an aimless rehearsal which resulted in George and Paul quibble over their first of many disagreements. Neither session five or six has ever seen the light of day and is the last time “Money (That’s What I Want)” was ever performed by the group.
Not to be forgotten is the September 13th, 1969 live performance of the song by John with his newly formulated Plastic Ono Band in Toronto, the results being released on the album "Live Peace In Toronto 1969" later that year.
“Money” follows the standard “12 bar blues” style quite common in late 50’s/early 60’s R&B and rock and roll. You hear it in other cover songs The Beatles chose, such as “Boys,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Matchbox” and “Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby.” The song mostly consists of verses, though each verse can be broken up into a verse section and refrain section. In this case, the verse section is the first four measures (“the best things in life are free” etc.) and the refrain section is the remaining eight measures (“money, that’s what I want” etc.) “Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby” and the verses in “Boys” follow this pattern as well.
This pattern follows throughout the song with three exceptions. The intro section and solo section are abbreviated to eight measures, unlike the original Barrett Strong version which continues its’ 12-bar pattern throughout the song. Also, the final two 12-bar sections of the song consist entirely of refrain lyrics with a complete ending, also unlike the Barrett Strong version which fades out at the end.
The eight-measure introduction begins with George Martin on piano all by itself playing the distinctive and powerful riff that propels the song through to its’ end. After two measures of this riff, The Beatles all kick in together for the remaining six measures of the introduction, which is an abbreviated version of the twelve bar pattern heard throughout the song and as heard on the original version by Barrett Strong (the third and fourth measures get deleted). The Beatles deletion of these two measures date back at least to January 1st, 1962, as they played it the same was at their Decca auditions on that day.
The first verse begins with Lennon’s blistering vocals while the group lets the chords ring out on the one beat of the first and third measure and Ringo stays locked to the snare drum and floor tom. At the fifth measure, where the refrain section of the verse begins, George Harrison carries the distinctive riff while John plays the chords. At the same time, Paul and George harmonize the characteristic background vocals “that’s what I want” while Ringo keeps a beat-style drum beat, quite similar to “Twist And Shout,” but still staying on the snare and floor tom.
After a second and third verse, which differ only because of different lyrics, we enter into an instrumental section which is segued by a blood-curdling scream from Lennon. This section is also only eight measures long, deleting the third and fourth measure as we heard in the songs’ introduction. This also is a Beatles decision dating back to January 1962, as Barrett Strong’s version keeps the twelve-bar pattern for his instrumental section. Instead of hearing a guitar solo, we hear George Harrison and George Martin together vamping that remarkable riff. Because of the hypnotic feel of this riff, we don’t even miss a hearing a solo. It definitely sounds full enough.
A repeat of the third verse then commences (once again differing from Barrett Strong’s version) which leads into two more twelve-bar patterns set to be the conclusion to the song. Lennon accentuates and ad-libs around the word “money” while Paul and George continue their “that’s what I want” harmony vocals nonstop for these 24 measures. With the appearance of this conclusion, finally, we hear Ringo ride on the cymbals to bring the song home. Unlike Barrett Strong’s faded ending, the Beatles conclude with a band-fill, triplet ending reminiscent of their ending to “Twist And Shout.”
As for The Beatles performance on the track, the ferocity of all four members is unparalleled. Lennon, of course, stands out because of his irreverent steamroller vocal which turns the tongue-in-cheek lyrics into a demanding paean of materialism. Not bad rhythm guitar either.
McCartney is also at full-throttle vocally as he holds his own on the high harmonies and periodic gut-wrenching screams. Paul also effortlessly copies the piano/guitar riff throughout the song, creating a powerful tension from beginning to end. George Harrison, while not needing to offer up a solo, helps propel the song forward adding to the intensity. Ringo doesn’t need to add drum fills to create the atmosphere but only accents to bridge the verses together, which he does to great effect.
Not to be forgotten is George Martin on piano which, because of his numerous overdubbing attempts to create the proper feel for the album’s finale, comes through like the consummate professional that he is. You could always expect nothing but perfection from producer George.
Lyrically speaking, you can almost see the smiles on Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford’s faces as they put these comic lyrics to this addictive blues riff and chord pattern. Dissolving the cliché “the best things in life are free” with “you can keep them for the birds and bees” is priceless, as well as following it with the irreverent phrase “I want money.” The same goes with “your lovin’ won’t pay my bills,” as we dispense with the thought that young lovers only need each other to get by. While not considered by many as a novelty or comedy song, this surely fits the bill in its’ stripped-down form. This, of course, is not the case when The Beatles growl it at you with the intensity that they did.
An interesting point that needs mention is the so-called ad-libbed phrase “I want to be free” that Lennon includes during the final twelve bar pattern. Many authors and commentators read ideas into this phrase, some saying Lennon feels as “a prisoner to the passion that the rest of the song denied” or that he is “saying what he expects money to do for him.” Could it be simply a misheard adlib from Barrett Strong that John uttered? Barrett is heard to exclaim something sounding like he wants “mean green” at precisely the same measure that John screams about being “free.” The Beatles were prone to mishear lyrics from a 45 and simply sing what they think they hear. Just a thought.
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Great analysis... thank you for the time and energy you put into this!
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