Act Naturally, plus It’s Only Love and their incredible recording process advancements.

“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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