“Act Naturally” almost didn’t exist as a Beatles track or a
presentation feature for Ringo at all.
On February 18th, 1965, during the recording sessions that comprised the
soundtrack songs for their second motion picture “Help!,” The Beatles recorded
a new Lennon / McCartney composition written specifically for Ringo to sing,
namely “If You’ve Got Trouble.” Only one take of the rhythm track was recorded
on this date, but they obviously felt it was good enough for overdubs, at least
three being added. These comprised Ringo double-tracking his vocals, John and
Paul adding slight background vocals, and a guitar solo from George.
Mono and stereo mixes of “If You’ve Got Trouble” were made along
with the other ten songs that were contenders for inclusion in the movie.
Director Richard Lester picked six out of this group to be used in the film,
the title track not even written or recorded yet. It was then assumed that the
rejected songs would also appear on the British album, two of which did (“You
Like Me Too Much” and “Tell Me What You See”). However, The Beatles themselves
apparently had second thoughts about the quality of “If You’ve Got Trouble” and
decided to not include the song on the album.
“Some of (Ringo’s songs) we just couldn’t get behind,” Paul
explains. “I must admit, we didn’t really, until later, think of Ringo’s songs
as seriously as our own. That’s not very kind but it’s the way it was…I think
John and I were really concentrating on ‘We’ll do the real records!’ but
because the other guys had a lot of fans, we wrote for them too.”
On June 15th, 1965, they were still recording tracks to fill up
side two of the British “Help!” album when they realized that they were still
coming up a little short of material. Engineer Norman Smith even volunteered a
song that he had written and offered it to the group for John to sing, The
Beatles accepting his offer. However, on June 17th, they approached Norman with
some bad news. As related in Mark Lewisohn’s book “The Beatles Recording
Sessions,” Norman explains: “Paul and John called me down to the studio and
they said, ‘Look, we definitely like your song but we’ve realized that Ringo
hasn’t got a vocal on the LP, and he’s got to have one. We’ll do yours another
time, eh?’…By the next LP they’d progressed so much that my song was never even
considered again.”
This being the case, and since they undoubtedly hadn’t had time to
write another song with Ringo in mind, they asked him what he wanted to sing,
the answer being “Act Naturally.” (This decision was probably made the day
before telling Norman Smith the bad news since they came prepared to record
Ringo’s choice the day they told him.) Therefore, on June 17th, 1965, they
fully recorded this song in approximately 90 minutes (4 to 5:30 pm) in EMI
Studio Two.
Thirteen takes of the rhythm track were recorded until they were
satisfied, these consisting of George on acoustic guitar, Paul on bass and
Ringo on drums. Onto take 13 they performed the overdubs, these being Ringo’s
lead vocals, Paul’s background vocals, two lead guitar parts from George
(double-tracked at times) and two more Ringo overdubs: bass drum beats at the
end of the bridges and hitting his sticks on the outer shells of his drum kit
(as quickly witnessed on their 1965 television appearances on “Blackpool Night
Out” and “The Ed Sullivan Show”).
While John could definitely have handled the acoustic rhythm
guitar on this song, Mark Lewisohn, who gained access to all of the recordings
at EMI Studios and undoubtedly viewed the original tape box for this day,
insists that it is George who played the acoustic guitar on the rhythm track.
It is therefore quite probable that John was not present for this session on
this day, since the string quartet overdub for “Yesterday” was the only other
event on the schedule that afternoon. However, he was present for the evening
session on this day, his vocals and guitar work on the song “Wait” being quite
apparent in the finished product.
Both the mono and stereo mixes that were released in the 60’s were
created the next day, June 18th, 1965, in the control room of EMI Studio Two by
George Martin, Norman Smith and 2nd engineer Phil McDonald. The stereo mix
features the rhythm track primarily in the left channel, all of the overdubs
exclusively in the right channel, and Ringo’s lead vocals in the center.
The Beatles actually touched on the song on one more occasion.
While the group was rehearsing songs for what became known as the "Let It
Be" album and film on January 25th, 1969 at Apple Studios in London, they
delved momentarily into an impromptu rendition of "Act Naturally" to
relieve some tension after multiple run-throughs of the song "Two Of
Us." This version, however, was deemed too insignificant for release in
any official form.
George Martin created a new stereo mix of the song in 1986 for its
debut on compact disc the following year. While the clarity is somewhat better,
the positioning for the recorded elements is primarily identical to the 1965
stereo mix.
In 1989, Ringo teamed up with Buck Owens to record a duet on “Act
Naturally,” this being released as a hit country single that year and earned a
Grammy Award nomination for “Best Country Vocal Collaboration,” not to mention
a nomination for “Vocal Event For The Year” from the Country Music Association.
Also in 1989, on September 3rd, was the first live recording of
the song by Ringo, this appearing as a track on the bonus CD for the album
“Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band.” The song was also recorded live on August
22nd, 2001 and was released on both his albums “King Biscuit Flower Hour
Presents Ringo & His New All-Starr Band” and “Extended Versions.” Sometime
during his successful 2005/2006 tour, “Act Naturally” was once again recorded
and included on his live album “Ringo Starr And Friends.” Also, on July 16th,
2006, another live rendition was recorded and became a feature on his “Live
2006”
album. Finally, his live appearance at the Greek Theatre in Los
Angeles, California, in 2008 was released on his 2010 album “Live At The Greek
Theatre.”
Song Structure and Style
The song satisfyingly glides through a simple structure consisting
of ‘verse/ bridge/ verse/ solo/ verse/ bridge/ verse’ (or abacaba). Throwing in
a simple introduction and nearly identical conclusion, and you have a perfect
country formula that, undoubtedly, was used as a template in country music for
many decades. The only difference from the pop formula The Beatles mostly used
up to this point was the omission of a second verse before the first bridge.
Other than that, it was an easy fit for them.
While The Beatles worked hard to mimic the arrangement used in the
original Buck Owens version, right down to the key used (G major), background
vocals in the bridges and stick tapping throughout the song, noticeable
differences gave the song its own Beatles flare. For instance, the descending
guitar lick heard in the introduction, conclusion and twice in the bridge is
only heard once in the original. Buck’s version has harmony vocals on the
song’s title in the second verse while The Beatles chose to omit it. Also, the
final verse of the original is sung mostly solo by Buck to emphasize his loneliness
in relation to the lyrical content, while The Beatles arrangement shows Paul
joining in here for a big ending.
As for The Beatles version, the first thing we hear is George’s
double-tracked descending guitar lick which is heard before the downbeat where
the rest of the band immerges. This four-measure introduction quickly establishes
G major as the home key with its appearance in the third measure. George’s
perfected double-tracked guitar phrasings in these measures introduce the song
with a polished touch to counteract the roughness that appears a little later.
The first sixteen-measure verse begins immediately with Ringo’s
single-tracked vocals which continue solo throughout the entire verse. As is
his wont, George interjects guitar lines in-between the vocal phrases which are
all single-tracked but sometimes, as in the eighth measure, two of his guitar
overdubs are heard playing different lines. While Ringo’s pitch isn't perfect,
he comes across as charming in the first verse right down to the fourteenth
measure where his countrified “act nyaaaturally” pronunciation shines through.
The group ends extremely tight at the sixteenth measure, turning the original
Buckaroo arrangement into another ‘Beatles break’ as heard throughout their
career thus far (starting with "Love Me Do").
The sixteen-measure bridge then appears which brings Paul’s
overdubbed harmonies into the picture. George continues to add his overdubbed
guitar licks in-between the vocal phrases, once again adding two in the eighth
measure. His acoustic guitar is also accentuated in the rhythm track just
before the thirteenth measure to emphasize the A chord and the pay-off line
“’cause I can play the part so well.” Also evident here is Ringo’s overdubbed
bass drum beats that help create the same emphasized effect.
The second verse then begins which is identical in structure to
the first. George continues his complimenting guitar riffs throughout but Ringo
begins to show subtle signs of vocal wavering, his repeat of the song’s title
especially sounding rough.
The break at the end of the second verse leaves room for George’s
double-tracked descending riff as heard in the introduction but this time, his
low E string is detuned to D in order to play the descending riff one octave
lower than he had in the introduction. This solo section of the song is eight
measures long and, for all sakes and purposes, is a 2x repeat of the
introduction except for being played an octave lower.
A third verse is then heard which shows a little more wavering in
Ringo’s tone, noteworthy in the first line about making “a scene about a man.”
The following repeated bridge shows a little slowing down of Ringo’s phrasing,
making Paul’s overdubbed harmony lines stagger to mimic what Ringo had
previously sung, evidenced in the line “be a big star.” The final four measures
are emphasized once again by the acoustic guitar and overdubbed bass drum beats
with the added element of George reaching up to the A chord with his electric
guitar overdub.
A repeat of the second verse works as the final verse of the song
with the added feature of Paul singing harmony vocals here as well as the
bridges. It appears that Paul at first forgot to come in, since he misses the
first three words and finally chimes in at “you come and see.” George continues
to play his answering guitar flourishes throughout, struggling with the last
one in the fifteenth measure. It also appears that Ringo forgot the break at
the end of this final verse since he is the only one that keeps playing on the
rhythm track.
A brief conclusion rounds out the song which is simply a repeat of
the solo section cut in half. George once again is double-tracked and is
playing in the lower octave. The song stops suddenly on the downbeat of the
fourth measure and leaves the instruments ringing, George’s acoustic guitar
producing a glaring fret noise. So was the informality of this lastly-recorded
“Help!” album track.
Chosen possibly because of his prominent role in the plot of their
just finished second film, Ringo’s vocal work makes him come across as the
lovable simpleton who is now a big Hollywood movie star in the minds of his
teenage fans. His drum work and overdubs are also played with the enthusiasm of
knowing that the rest of his mates are cooperating fully with his song choice.
George Harrison is next worthy of mention because of his prominent
country guitar riffing, easily the biggest instrumental contribution to make
this Beatles’ track irresistible. Paul’s ‘oom-pah’ bass work plays the part
nicely as does his usual harmony vocals, him being a natural to get the job
done quickly during these time constraints.
Johnny Russell’s lyrics, while simple and to the point,
deliciously depict the sentiment perfectly. His “sad and lonely” existence is
explained sarcastically to his former lover through the illustration of
becoming “a big star” in Hollywood. While most actors need to study their lines
and train hard to convincingly depict the heartbreak that a sad movie calls
for, all he would have to do is “act naturally” because that what she’s brought
him to. He even predicts that he’ll “win an Oscar” for the role he plays
“begging down upon his bended knee.” To top it off, his Academy Award will be
won without any “rehearsin’” at all! So, to coerce pity from this woman, he
asks her to “come and see” this movie so she can see for herself “the biggest
fool that ever hit the big time” that she created. This clever expression of
self-pity, coupled with a rollicking country rhythm in a major key, creates a
sympathetic ear of empathy from the listener that is nothing short of
irresistible.
Next Song – It’s Only Love:
Documentation reveals a
total of twelve days of recording sessions were utilized to complete the entire
British “Help!” album. With February
15th, 1965 prompting the first date of recording, June 15th of that year saw
the eleventh day of recording for the album, this being a three-hour session
devoted to the new composition “It’s Only Love.”
The Beatles entered EMI Studio Two at 2:30 pm and, after a short
time of rehearsals, ran through six takes of the rhythm track. The instrumentation comprised both John and
George playing acoustic guitars, Paul on bass and Ringo on drums while John
sang lead vocals. Takes one and two were
complete versions but weren’t deemed good enough, although take two, as can be
heard on the album “Anthology 2,” appeared flawless.
Take three lasted no more than one second as it was simply an
acoustic guitar flub by John followed by a chuckle (as also heard on “Anthology
2”). Take four was complete but unsuitable,
while take five broke down because of a mistake by Ringo. “We all make mistakes…” he is heard to say on
tape. Finally, take six is decided to be
the best and is spooled back for overdubs.
George Harrison overdubs the characteristic lead guitar phrases
throughout the song as well as some ad-libbed picking at strategic spots in the
verses. The lead guitar phrases are
played through a rotating Leslie speaker cabinet as usually used for a Hammond
organ, which give it a unique warbling effect.
This experimentation continued throughout The Beatles recording years as
they played quite a bit of instruments with this effect, even vocals (as on
“Tomorrow Never Knows”).
Other overdubs include John playing a ‘chopping’ rhythm on
electric guitar in the verses, Ringo on tambourine during the choruses, and
John double-tracking his vocals during the choruses, the last two of these
overdubs appearing on the same track of the four-track tape. By 5:30 pm, the song was complete.
On June 18th, 1965, both the mono and stereo mixes of the song
were made. This was done in the control
room of EMI Studio Two by George Martin and engineers Norman Smith and Phil
McDonald. The stereo mix created on this
day basically has the rhythm track on the left channel with the lead vocals,
which were isolated on its own track, centered in the mix. Therefore, all of the overdubs appear
exclusively on the right channel.
One thing that was noticed at this stage was that John’s vocal
double-tracking during the choruses was quite off at times, especially in the
fourth measure of the first chorus on the word “only.” To remedy the problem, the EMI staff cut out
the track with John’s double-tracked vocals while this word was being sung on
both the mono and stereo mixes. The only
problem was that Ringo’s tambourine was also missing for this short time as
well, but they apparently figured no one would notice. Another executive decision was made for both
mixes, that being to fade out the same track at the end of the song when John’s
vocals end. This resulted in the same
problem of Ringo’s tambourine disappearing for the last four measures of the
songs’ conclusion. Nonetheless, this is
how we all heard the song in the 60’s.
However, in 1986, George Martin pulled out the master tapes of the
entire “Help!” album to create new stereo mixes for its debut on compact
disc. There are noticeable differences
between the new and old mixes, one being that there is a slight panning of the
left and right channels which result in a little presence of the rhythm track
in the right channel and the overdubs in the left channel. The obvious difference, though, is that
George Martin left John’s second vocal track intact, which allows us to hear
the out-of-sync word “only” that the EMI staff were trying to hide in 1965. They also left the track up until the end of
the song, which allows Ringo’s tambourine to finish up the song with the rest
of the instrumentation.
Song Structure and Style
When analyzed, we see their uncommon use of the chorus on “It’s
Only Love,” something that was used only sparingly in the early Beatles catalog
(such as on “It Won’t Be Long”) and came into prominence in their later years
(such as on “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La Da”). The
short format used on this song also contains a bridge between the verses and
choruses, which is also rather new ground.
As a whole, the structure consists of ‘verse/ bridge/ chorus/ verse/
bridge/ chorus’ (or abcabc) with a brief intro and conclusion thrown in for
good measure. No solo or instrumental
section was included, although it would have worked nicely to project the song
passed the two-minute mark if the mood would have struck them. It didn’t.
The four-measure introduction is for guitars only, two acoustics
primarily in the left channel (first John on 12-string for the first two
measures, then joined by George on 6-string played high up on the neck for the
last two measures) and one electric played through the rotating Leslie speaker
cabinet primarily in the right channel.
The two jangly chords are played twice while the lead guitar passage is
also repeated.
The first eight-measure verse then begins with bass, drums and
vocals kicking in directly on the downbeat.
Ringo plays an inventive Latin-style drum part with rim shots and
accents on his closed hi-hats and stays comfortably in this rhythm for the
entire song. John’s descending
single-tracked vocal melody line begins with a throat that definitely needs to
be cleared but, after some time being spent already getting the rhythm track
down, is deemed ‘good enough.’ (Some
sources suspect that there is a flaw in the tape which resulted in John’s first
three words sounding the way they do.
However, this was a common occurrence in John’s vocal delivery as can be
heard in songs such as “Baby You’re A Rich Man” and even “A Day In The Life.”)
John’s overdubbed electric rhythm guitar appears in the right
channel during the verse, which plays a syncopated Latin-sounding rhythm
throughout. One further ingredient is
George’s accenting guitar lines in the third and seventh measures, which appear
to be ad-libbed. The same
instrumentation continues during the four-measure bridge that follows except
for the reoccurrence of the introductory guitar passage through the Leslie
speaker in the third and fourth measure.
The bridge ends with John’s double-tracked vocals coming in on the
fourth measure with the words “It’s only…”
One would expect the following eight-measure chorus to begin in the home
key of C but they surprise us by jumping into B flat to take the song to a
noticeably higher level. Ringo’s
overdubbed tambourine is added to the mix for the chorus, but the absence of
Lennon’s accented electric guitar is not as noticeable. George puts in another appearance as lead
guitarist with a further repeat of the guitar passage in the third and fourth
measure of the chorus.
The exact pattern of ‘verse/ bridge/ chorus’ is then repeated with
the exact same instrumentation. Two
interesting anomalies are included in this verse, one being John’s comical
reading on the word “brrrright” in the seventh measure (followed by a slight
chuckle in the following line “very bright”) and then George’s fumbling guitar
licks in measures seven and eight.
This second chorus is actually extended by two measures by
repeating the last phrase “it’s so hard loving you” for emphasis. This is immediately followed by a
seven-measure conclusion which is an extended repeat of the introduction with
its jangly acoustic chords and guitar passage.
To propel the conclusion, as well as tidy up the entire song, John adds
a dramatic “loving you” which jumps into falsetto for the first three
measures. This becomes the satisfying
climax to the proceedings and leaves the listener with a happy sigh.
John is the obvious focal point of the song, playing the ultimate
singer/songwriter role on acoustic guitar and vocals. While his double-tracking in the chorus
leaves much to be desired, the overall vocal delivery is pleasurable. Paul’s bass guitar work is suitable to the
mood of the song, the downward swoop in the opening measures of the verses
being most noteworthy. While Ringo keeps
his syncopated drum beat and tambourine playing as a perfect backdrop, George
puts in an acceptable performance as lead guitarist, flubs and all.
‘Lyrical gymnastics’ would best describe what John delivers in the
verses. The hard “I” sound is heard an
astonishing seventeen times in the first verse and bridge, as evidenced in the
line “I get high when I see you go by…my, oh, my…etc.” The same pattern is repeated in the second
verse and bridge on the sound “ite,” which is heard eight times, starting with
“Is it right that you and I should fight…every night?...etc.” Also apparent is the obvious inclusion of a
drug reference in the very first line “I get high.” Bob Dylan may have misheard the lyrics in the
bridge of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” as this phrase instead of “I can’t hide,”
but this time they really say it!
It’s obvious that cleverness outshone meaning when it came to
writing the song, however. The first
verse depicts the “butterflies” that you feel when you see that special someone
“go by.” The innocence of a beginning
love affair switches gears suddenly at the end of the chorus when John sings
“it’s so hard loving you.” All of a
sudden, the singer and his girl are fighting “every night” about something he’s
done, which is indicated by him demanding “the right to make it up” to her.
But, after all, “it’s only love” anyway. John can’t help to remind us that this is
just another song about the same cliché they’ve been singing about for the past
three years. Funny enough, even for a
song that appears to have been thrown together quickly as an album track, it
still comes across convincingly, warts and all.
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