’Ticket To Ride’ went in with the rest of the songs the boys had lined up for their forthcoming film,” explained George Martin. “It was one of the first we recorded during the week in the studio before they went off to the Bahamas on location.”
The week of recording took place from Monday (February 15th) through Saturday (February 20th) and resulted in eleven songs for consideration for the not-yet-titled movie “Help!” The very first song The Beatles recorded on the very first recording session of the week was “Ticket To Ride,” the writing of which was completed the previous day. With inspiration and enthusiasm at a high, they tackled the song while it was fresh in their minds.
The afternoon session on this day, the first of two, ran from 2:30 to 5:45 pm and concentrated solely on recording this song. As usual, the session took place at EMI Studio Two in London. What wasn’t usual was their recording techniques, which dramatically changed on this day. With the tapes rolling, they rehearsed the song until they were ready to record, at which time the tapes were rewound to start the actual first take. This resulted in a smaller number of “takes” being stipulated but, with the tapes rolling, they could capture a good performance or idea and review it so it could be easily incorporated into the finished recording.
Another new technique was to concentrate solely on the rhythm track (either with or without lead vocals) and then overdub other needed ingredients without having a new “take” number allocated to it. Therefore, since the tape box only shows two “takes” for “Ticket To Ride,” it required a good number of overdubs and took over three hours to perfect.
In this case, since the isolated single-tracked vocals of John and Paul are heard with most of the instruments bleeding through their microphones, it appears that both John and Paul sang their vocal parts with the rhythm track. The instrumentation on the rhythm track also includes John on rhythm guitar, Paul on bass, George on lead guitar and Ringo on drums. Handwritten documentation has been unearthed, presumably written by George Martin, which specifies that Paul's bass and Ringo's drums were on track one, John and George's guitars were on track two, and John and Paul's vocals were on track three.
Although many sources credit Paul playing the distinctive opening riff, listening to the master tapes shows it was done on the rhythm track along with the bass guitar, which was impossible for Paul to play at the same time. It is also apparent that the riff was played on a Rickenbacker 360-12 string, which was owned and played quite regularly by George. Describing the instrument in a 1987 BBC interview, George stated: “All it ever seemed was that there was one sound I could get where it was bright, which was the sound I used…the sound you hear on ‘Ticket To Ride.’” George had stated specifically that “Ticket To Ride” was the very last Beatles song that he used this Rickenbacker 12-string guitar on, but the above handwritten documentation specifies that he did use the guitar on the next day as well, on his song "I Need You."
“Take one” was an immediate false start, but “take two” was complete. Overdubs were then added onto track four, which included John double-tracking his lead vocals during the second half of each verse (from “she’s got a ticket…” on), Ringo playing tambourine and hand-clapping (not simultaneously, of course) and George playing single open-string A notes on his newly acquired Fender Stratocaster to add a heavy punch to the verses.
The lead guitar riffs at the end of the bridges, as well as the conclusion of the song, was also added as an overdub. In an interview in Melody Maker magazine in 1965, Lennon himself tells us who played these guitar riffs. With the song playing in the background, John states: “Hey, listen. Hear that play by Paul? He’s been doing quite a bit of lead guitar work this week. Gear. I guess he’s moving in!” (Paul also performed lead guitar work on “Another Girl” and “The Night Before,” both recorded the same week.)
The first mono mix of the song was performed on February 18th, 1965 in the control room of EMI Studio Two by George Martin and engineers Norman Smith and Ken Scott. This mix fades at 3:03, which puts the song just over the established three-minute mark for pop songs at the time. With a good amount of reverb added, a worldwide number one hit was born.
The first stereo mix was made on February 23rd, 1965 in the control room of EMI Studio Two, but George Martin wasn’t present on this day. He left this relatively unimportant mix to engineers Norman Smith and Malcolm Davies to create. Not quite as much reverb was applied and the bass quality of the entire track was boosted to compensate for Paul’s bass guitar being somewhat buried on the master tape. Another difference was the fade out, which extended the song to 3:10 to reveal another McCartney guitar riff or two. This unique version appeared on British stereo copies of the album “Help!” but wasn’t available in the US until seventeen years later.
On March 15th, 1965, another mono mix was created in the control room of EMI Studio Two by Norman Smith and an unknown 2nd engineer. This mix was dispatched to United Artists and was used in the first prints of the “Help!” movie.
Two other recording sessions were made of the song as live performances at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California during their second American tour. Both shows, August 29th and 30th, 1965, were recorded for the intended purpose of being included in a live album by the end of the year. While this didn’t happen, many songs from these performances did eventually get released in 1977 on the album “The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl.” The August 29th performance of the song, which was produced by Engeman and engineered by Hugh Davies, made the album while the August 30th version, produced by Voyle Gilmore and engineered by Pete Abbott, is still in the vaults. George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick were asked in 1977 to clean up the recordings for release.
There is some uncertainty whether a further Beatles recording session took place concerning “Ticket To Ride.” Their August 15th, 1965 performance of the song at Shea Stadium in New York City was filmed and being prepared for a television special about this monumental show. On January 5th, 1966, The Beatles were brought into CTS Studios in London to touch up the somewhat flawed performances of the songs they performed had that day. With many songs receiving overdubs and two songs receiving completely new versions at CTS Studios, there is speculation as to whether “Ticket To Ride” was also improved upon. John Lennon wanted a whole new version recorded on that day, but a decision was made to just use the existing performance. Mark Lewisohn, in his book “The Complete Beatles Chronicle,” suggests that maybe some overdubbing was recorded to add some texture.
In 1986, with the imminent worldwide release of the complete British “Help!” album on compact disc, George Martin felt it necessary to revisit the master tapes to create a new stereo mix of “Ticket To Ride,” as well as the rest of the album. This was due to the improved technology of the time as well as him not being involved in the original stereo mix made in 1965. The resulting new mix shows sharper vocals from John, lessening overall bass frequencies, and more prominence of Paul’s bass guitar. He smartly kept the longer fade-out ending as well.
An even more vibrant stereo mix was made in Abbey Road Studios by George Martin's son Giles, along with Sam Okell, in 2015 for the re-release of the compilation album "Beatles 1."
Song Structure and Style
’Ticket To Ride’ was probably one of our hardest singles for others to get used to, because of the strange lines,” stated George Harrison shortly after its release.
“It’s not that unusual though, I mean it’s still us,” said John Lennon around the same time. “It’s no more unusual than we are. Does that make it unusual? We are quite pleased with the record.”
The structure of the song was actually very usual for The Beatles, comprising the standard ‘verse/ verse/ bridge/ verse’ format with an added bridge and verse at the end (making it an aababa structure). What was quite unusual, though, was the arrangement which, from all vantage points, was unlike anything The Beatles had ever done before.
The song starts off with a four-measure introduction that repeats a distinctive single-measure guitar riff four times played on George’s Rickenbacker 12-string guitar. After the riff is heard by itself twice, a vibrant drum roll from Ringo ushers in the rest of the group for the final two measures of the intro. Having the full band arrangement come in after two measures of a guitar riff had been done previously by the group, such as on “You Can’t Do That.”
What hadn’t been done previously was the fullness of sound that comes in on this third measure, as John himself explained in 1970: “’Ticket To Ride’ was slightly a new sound at the time. It was pretty f**king heavy for then, if you go and look in the charts for what other music people were making. You hear it now and it doesn’t sound too bad…It’s a heavy record and the drums are heavy too. That’s why I like it.”
This heavy sound, which motivated John to described the song in 1980 as “one of the earliest heavy-metal records,” was made by a twelve-string electric guitars, a six-string electric guitar (thumping the bass notes quite high in the mix), a bass guitar and a unique drum pattern that accents the bass drum, snare and toms without touching the cymbals.
This drum pattern, which John clarifies as “Paul’s contribution,” mimics the exact rhythm of the guitar riff with its ending triplet-like syncopation. “It is pretty slow and we are all very pleased with it,” McCartney explained in 1965, adding “I suppose it has a bit of an Arabian rhythm going on.” While the syncopated beat is played on the drums, the tambourine overdub accents the two and four beat of the song to keep the usual 4/4 beat going in our heads.
The first verse, as well as all of the verses, are sixteen measures long and seem to feature the guitar riff running all the way through, although it does cut out in the ninth measure and reappear in the fifteenth measure to round out the verse. John sings lead vocals single-tracked through the first eight measures, which personalizes the sadness of the lyrics, but then switches to double-tracked vocals for the second half of the verse to highlight the title of the song. Paul’s vocals appear only when harmonies are needed, which occur on the words “today, yeah,” “the girl that’s driving me mad” and “she don’t care.”
A predictable but effective feature of the song is the trademark “Beatles break” that occurs in the twelfth measure to highlight the three-syllable descending “ri-i-ide” from Lennon. Ringo brings the group back in with a thunderous drum roll on his toms just in time for the vocal crescendo and climax of the verse, with the guitar riff and thumping guitar notes reemerging as a perfect segue into a structurally identical second verse.
The eight-measure bridge then follows, which contrasts nicely from the verses in many ways. First of all, Ringo rides on his hi-hat for the first time in the song with a usual steady 4/4 beat while his overdubbed tambourine plays a steady full rock beat as well (which actually comes in a measure early on this bridge). Paul harmonizes throughout the entire bridge and ends this section with a fragrant guitar fill to usher in the next verse. While this is happening in the seventh and eighth measure, the band takes another “break” but the guitar rhythm builds in anticipation for the upcoming verse as does the shaking tambourine (similarly played to equal effect in “Day Tripper” later in the year).
The first verse is then repeated but with some distinctive differences. Ringo plays the same “Arabian rhythm” but no longer with the triplet-like syncopation (whether this is intentional or not is debatable), and John adds a couple nuances to his solo vocal work in the first eight measures. First, he adds the word “yeah” at the end of the seventh measure (after he sings “away”). Then he injects a double-tracked Bob Dylan-like “ahhh” that descends dramatically into the key lyric “she’s got a ticket to ride.” At the end of the “break” in the twelfth measure, Ringo this time plays a rapid-fire snare/floor tom fill to bring the group back in to finish the verse.
After an identical repeat of the bridge (with the steady tambourine beat coming in exactly when it should this time) the second verse is then repeated with only minimal differences. The first word is sung as “shed” instead of “she said,” and Ringo’s drum fill after the “break” is now reduced to a single snare beat. John's descending "ahhh" in the eighth measure is not double-tracked this time, as if its appearance was an afterthought. The sixteenth measure, however, consists of an additional “break” as a transition to the conclusion of the song which, when faded, extends the song by ten measures (eight in mono).
Paul describes this conclusion in his book “Many Years From Now”: “I think the interesting thing was a crazy ending; instead of ending like the previous verse, we changed the tempo. We picked up one of the lines, ‘My baby don’t care,’ but completely altered the melody. We almost invented the idea of a new bit of a song on the fade-out with this song; it was something specially written for the fade-out, which was very effective but it was quite cheeky and we did a fast ending. It was quite radical at the time.”
Notable ingredients of this conclusion include John’s delving into falsetto for the first time in the song as well as Paul’s colorful guitar licks that propel the song into the fade. Although Paul is always the perfectionist, he does flub the first bass note of this conclusion by playing one fret too high, but then quickly corrects the mistake for the duration of the song. One set of clapping hands, most likely those of Ringo, are also heard in the fade. This switch to a double-time tempo was used again later, such as in next year’s “She Said She Said.”
John’s deadpan vocal work is matchless in convincingly conveying the mood of the lyrics. His rhythm guitar may be very low in the mix, but his emotive vocal performance moves the listener to believe he really has been dumped and is wallowing in self-pity.
Paul, being thoroughly vested in this song, insists on maintaining a high profile throughout. His bass work is suitably busy and his lead guitar flourishes work nicely as icing on the cake. (His guitar performance on this day was what most likely gave him enough confidence to play an even larger role on “Another Girl” the following day.) His vocal harmonies, whether directed by George Martin or not, were superbly crafted and executed.
George Harrison is viewed as being demoted to rhythm guitarist in “Ticket To Ride,” although the truth of the matter is that his input, from the winding 12-string guitar riff to the thumping overdubbed lower notes that drive the song, gives it the push that makes it sound so heavy and insistent.
Ringo didn’t have an easy ride here either. With his heavy-handed “Arabian” beat, his innovative drum fills, and his tambourine and hand-clapping, he was also quite involved in making this song the force that it became.
Being sad had been a feature of Lennon-penned songs throughout the last couple of years, but the melody line and delivery that brought the beginning words “I think I’m gonna be sad” really makes you feel the reality of his pain. The lyrics were very straightforward and simple, which is how you would convey this story if you were the one who was feeling the hopelessness the singer did.
As if with an open-mouthed dumbfounded expression, John is depicting this newly informed loss to a close friend. “The girl that’s driving me mad is going away,” he exclaims with shoulders raised and arms outstretched. He’s not mad or trying to convince her to stay, not even lashing back with sarcasm or seeking revenge. He knows it’s too late. He simply can’t believe this is happening and knows he lost and there’s nothing he can do about it. The kicker is that “she don’t care,” which is, because of the repeated use of the phrase, the ultimate shock.
He knows what she should do; “she ought to think twice, she ought to do right by me.” But there’s no use in wishing because she “don’t care” about him anyway. The reason for her leaving is explained in the second verse, namely that she wants her freedom. But “she would never be free” when he was around. As if to drown his sorrow, he ends by repeating the shocking reality “my baby don’t care!”
Next Song – Yes It Is:
"We did it one morning," Paul McCartney explained in 1965. "We finished 'Ticket' then we went onto this number and when we heard the playback in the evening, we all thought this sounded very weird. It's unusual for us."
Paul's facts may have been a little off, but the result surely spiked "unusual" considering the standard Beatles track before this time. "Ticket To Ride" was actually fully recorded the day before on their first recording session of 1965 (February 15th) while "Yes It Is" got tackled on February 16th. And it wasn't morning either, the day's session running from 2:30 to 10 pm that evening. The first two-and-a-half hours that day were spent finishing off two songs started the previous day, namely Harrison's "I Need You" and McCartney's "Another Girl." The final five hours of the day, from 5 to 10 pm, were devoted to starting and completing "Yes It Is."
The recording of the song became quite problematic for them, resulting in 14 takes to get the rhythm track down (the most takes The Beatles needed for any song in all of 1965). According to George Martin's handwritten notes, the rhythm track, which was recorded on 'track one' of the four-track tape, consisted of John on acoustic guitar, Paul on bass guitar, and Ringo on drums. None of the 'takes' had any vocals other than a "guide vocal" from John used only to keep the band in-step with the song.
Most of the 'takes' rendered either incomplete or false starts, although 'take one' was a complete run-through. An interesting observation here is that the first verse was one measure short at the end and the song didn't have a complete ending yet. John just repeats the lyrics "yes it it, it's true" over and over with the intention of the song fading out. 'Take two,' on the album "Anthology 2," still had the missing measure in the first verse and featured Lennon singing "die-de-de-die" for the bridge, but the 'take' ended during the bridge only because he broke a string
After a couple of false starts, John introduced the group to adding an extra measure at the end of the first verse and then started off 'take five' with a count-down of "one-two-three-bread!" After three more incomplete 'takes,' 'take nine' made it through the entire song to reveal that they had finally written the full ending. They eventually made it to 'take fourteen' which was deemed suitable for overdubs. This rhythm track took a complete two hours to record, from 5 to 7 pm.
It took the following three hours, from 7 to 10 pm, to record all the overdubs needed to complete the song. The first step was for George to overdub the chords of the song onto 'track two' of the tape with his Gretsch electric guitar using a foot-controlled volume pedal, the same device he had used that same day as an overdub on "I Need You." This device was connected to the volume of the guitar to create swells of volume after the chord or note was played. When the pedal is used in connection with the tone of the guitar, as by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Cream, the result became what was famously referred to as a wah-wah pedal.
Then, onto 'track three," the excellent three-part harmony was perfected. John, Paul and George first had to get the harmonies down and rehearse them, which they did with the help of producer George Martin. "They always experimented with close harmony singing," Martin explains, "all I did was change the odd note." It appears that many odd notes were changed in this arrangement because these harmonies lifted and dove in ways that no other Beatles harmonies had done.
Many unnumbered attempts at the harmonies were tried until they finally arrived at what was deemed to be acceptable. What made it especially cumbersome is that John, Paul and George insisted on hovering around a single microphone and perform these newly learned harmonies live. After this, onto 'track four' of the tape, John double-tracked his vocals during the bridge and George overdubbed volume pedal guitar passages in-between vocal lines in the song. Also performed simultaneously on 'track four' was Paul playing cymbals and, as indicated in George Martin's handwritten notes, a slight Hammond organ track which may have been played by George Martin himself, apparently recorded so quietly as to not be detected in the finished product. By 10 pm, the weary Beatles had completed three songs in one day.
The mono mix was made two days later on February 18th in the control room of EMI Studio Two by producer George Martin and engineers Norman Smith and Ken Scott. With a slight bit of reverb added to create some depth, this was the mix used on the British single. Capitol Records added a substantial amount of reverb to the American single.
On February 23rd, 1965, a stereo mix of the song was made in the control room of EMI Studio Two by engineers Norman Smith and Malcolm Davies. Notice that George Martin didn't even bother to show up for this stereo mixing session for the current Beatles songs since mono was the most important format of the day. Normally a song only intended as a single, didn't need a stereo mix. At this early stage, though, the verdict apparently was still out whether the song would be included in the upcoming soundtrack album or not, or whether it would be issued as a single or not.
Be that as it may, when it was decided that the song would be the B-side of the next Beatles single, this stereo mix was hidden very well in the EMI vaults. Capitol didn't receive a copy of this stereo mix, so when they included it on their make-shift "Beatles VI" album, they created a "duophonic" stereo mix from the mono mix they received, adding further reverb in the process. And even though "Yes It Is" was included in compilation albums in Britain and America in the 70s, the stereo mix still didn't surface. It wasn't until 1986 during a short-lived promotional tape offer for Heineken Beer in Britain that the stereo mix was used. Finally, with the compact disc release of the song on "Past Masters, Volume One," the stereo mix made on February 23rd, 1965 was available for all to witness.
Song Structure and Style
"Yes It Is" follows a pattern similar to that of most Beatles songs up to this point, namely the 'verse/ verse/ bridge/ verse' structure (or aaba). Deeming an instrumental section not appropriate, they followed their usual habit of repeating the bridge and final verse which also contains a suitable conclusion.
The obvious comparison to their 1963 classic "This Boy," substantiated by Lennon himself, will be analyzed in this review. While some features sound similar, there are more dissimilarities when examined closely. A year-and-a-half of growth and maturation as songwriters proves that, instead of "Yes It Is" being just a simple "re-write" as John claimed, it's more of an update.
The first thing we hear in the song is Paul's introductory bass note which precedes the two-measure introduction to the song. This note is so quiet that a considerable amount of tape hiss begins the song, although the remastered version on the 2009 "Past Masters" release removes a degree of this. The introduction then begins which introduces the full instrumentation of the song, with acoustic rhythm guitar, snare/hi-hat accents and volume pedal guitar work. The home key of E is established right from the start of this introduction.
The first verse then begins on the one-beat of the next measure with the appearance of their intricate three-part harmony. This is the only verse in the song that is an odd fifteen-measures long, created that way by John introducing an extra measure at the end for breathing space before the second verse begins. Unlike Lennon's guide vocal, they end up taking advantage of this extra measure by stretching out the harmonizing of the song's title in a triplet-like style. George's volume pedal chord changes all land on the one-beat of each measure, but he overdubs lilting accent notes whenever there is a lull in the vocal work.
The similarities with "This Boy" in the verses amount to the three-part harmony throughout and the doo-wop chord pattern used. However, the harmonies are much more unpredictable, weaving up and down around John's lead, while the doo-wop chord pattern in only used in the first four measures and is then complimented with much more extraordinary progressions. Another dissimilarity include no 'Beatles breaks' in the song as in every verse and bridge of "This Boy."
The second verse is virtually the same except that an additional measure is deemed necessary as a transition to the bridge that follows, resulting in a more traditional sixteen-measure verse. The ten-measure bridge then follows, which reveals John's solo vocals for the first six measures. The first four measures display a melodic passage with chord pattern that appears to repeat itself afterward, but instead is cut in half at the seventh measure by John's dramatic revelation "it's my pride, yes it is..." At this point the chord pattern shifts unexpectedly as Paul and George chime in with vibrant "aaah" background vocals to set up the four-measure segue into a third verse. All-in-all, the bridge is the emotional high-point of the song, as is their more common trick in recent compositions (such as "No Reply" and "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party").
The comparison with "This Boy" in the bridge section is also noteworthy, although different in many ways. Both songs display John singing solo vocals accompanied by background vocals from Paul and George, as well as the bridge being the emotional high-point. Differences include the shorter duration of the bridge in "Yes It Is" as well as more surprising twists in choice of chord changes and patterns. Interesting also is that the bridge and final verse are not repeated in "This Boy," so while the standard structure of both songs are the same, the emotional impact of the current song is accentuated by the repeat of the passionate bridge.
The story actually is completed with the third verse which, while identical to the second verse in arrangement and number of measures, contains the ultimate lyrical impact of the song. This is followed by a repeat of the bridge and third verse, although this final verse is extended to seventeen measures to include a fitting conclusion to the song. The surprising G# major chord during this conclusion (on the word "true") gives the song its final emotional jolt. Thereafter it comes to a satisfying close with George's final melodic volume pedal riff hanging in the air. While "This Boy" fades off to whether the girl will take him back again, "Yes It Is" has a complete ending which gives finality to the story.
John, as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, is the standout performer on the song, as he is by sheer percentage during the early Beatles days (although this will begin to switch very soon). His impassioned vocal work, especially noteworthy in the bridge, gives the impression that he feels very strongly about these lyrics, whether they're clearly stated or not. The guitar rhythm he uses throughout the song is identical to what he played in "This Boy," which may have motivated his comparative opinion of the song, although in this case his guitar is buried somewhat in the mix.
Paul's bass work is also hard to distinguish in this song (turn up the bass on your system to hear it better) but is played with the appropriate simplicity to highlight the lyrics and vocal work. Speaking of vocals, you can always count on Paul for hitting the harmonies correctly, even with the complex layout George Martin prescribed for the boys.
However, George Harrison seems to be the "weak link" when it comes to harmony on this song. Notice, for instance, the off-sounding harmonies at the end of the first two phrases of the first verse (on the word "tonight"). As the song progresses, however, the three-part harmony is quite impressive. After many attempts with them singing this overdub live into one microphone, this was obviously the best they could get with this complicated vocal arrangement.
George's strong suit is his guitar work. While the other two Beatles songs he uses the volume pedal for ("I Need You" and "Wait") come across as somewhat awkward, his use of this effect on "Yes It Is" provides an eerie-yet-haunting quality to the song. Here we see another unique element of this song as opposed to "This Boy." A job well done, George.
While most sources claim Ringo is playing a tambourine on this track, close listening reveals the sound of a slightly open hi-hit and snare being hit on the off-beat of every measure, Paul accentuating the cymbal as an overdub. While this made for an easy recording session for him, Starr's steady hand and perfect sense of timing worked in favor of the song and provided another ingredient different from "This Boy."
The song's lyrics are very telling but ambiguous at the same time. The way the song is presented gives the impression that a deep emotional message is being revealed, although the actual words leave a lot unexplained. What we do know, he attempts to start a new relationship while the embers of the old one still burns. He emphatically instructs the new woman not to "wear red tonight," explaining that "red is the color that my baby wore." This is the first indication that his previous love had died, since no right-thinking man would call a previous flame his "baby" unless possibly she had passed away.
She apparently wore red quite regularly since "everybody knows" this fact and it would most likely cause talk if they were seen together. The line "I would remember all the things we planned" also hints at her death as well as tugs on the heartstrings of anyone who has lost a loved one in death. However, the bridge, emotionally sung solo by John, honestly reveals the gist of the matter and sums up the message of the song. "I could be happy with you by my side, if I could forget her," with the final word slurred downward has a saddened undertone. It appears his dilemma will take time to get over. But he knows that, mysteriously, it's his "pride" that is getting in the way of starting a new relationship.
The clinching phrase of the song is revealed in the final verse, which is "red is the color that will make me blue." While "Baby's In Black" used this exact play on words ("baby's in black and I'm feeling blue"), The Beatles take it a step further. They add the phrase "in spite of you," that is, even though his new love is right there and willing to see him through his sorrow, her wearing red will only extend his sadness.
There are still unexplained elements to the lyrics, such as the often-repeated phrase "it's true," which in the long run may only be a meaningless two-syllable filler. Choosing the title "Yes It Is" also seems puzzling because, while it's far from being descriptive of the lyrical content, we're not even sure what "it" is in the first place. Is "it" the color his former lover wore, or is it his "pride" as explained in the bridge? Many books explain the lyrics in different ways as if their interpretation is the only one possible, so this may be another example of less-is-more in regard to songwriting. To understand the meaning adds mystique of a song, as The Beatles explored even further in years to come.
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