She Said She Said, plus Good Day Sunshine and their incredible recording process advancements revealed.

After two-and-a-half months of intensive work recording their latest album, creating they’re most groundbreaking and innovative recordings to date, it was time to complete the mixes to ready the album for release. June 21st, 1966 was designated as the day to get this work done, George Martin and engineers Geoff Emerick and Phil McDonald filing into the control room of EMI Studio Three at 10 am for the task at hand. The Beatles themselves were interested enough in their work to attend this session as well, putting in the occasional input as to what sounded best to them.

Geoff Emerick, in his book “Here, There And Everywhere,” relates how a noteworthy issue developed this day. “It wasn’t until the very end, when most of ‘Revolver’ was mixed and ready to be mastered, that someone realized that the album was a song short…if they were too short, there would be complaints – or worse yet, returns – from consumers. Not only was there a release date set, and a hungry public clamoring to hear the finished album, but The Beatles were booked to begin a European tour just days after the sessions ended, so there was no time to spare.”

At this point, it was John who came to the rescue with “She Said She Said,” a song which hadn’t been fully worked out yet but he figured, with them due in Munich two days later, they had no choice but to piece it together in the studio. He hadn’t even decided on a title for the song and referred to it as “Untitled.”

Geoff continues: “So on the next-to-last night, after we had all spent a full day mixing, Mal and Neil reappeared with the band’s equipment, and the group began frantically rehearsing John’s new song ‘She Said She Said.’ John had always been the basher in the group – his attitude was ‘Let’s just get it done’ – so it was no big surprise that we got the entire song recorded and mixed in nine hours, as opposed to the more than three days we spent on ‘Here, There And Everywhere.’ Still, he made the group run through the song dozens of times before he was satisfied with the final result. For all of that…it’s got the ragged feel of a track that was done in the middle of the night, under pressure.” Mark Lewisohn, in his book “The Beatles Recording Sessions,” relates that the group spent “most of the time rehearsing through at least 25 takes.” This recording session began at 7 pm that evening.

The cavalier attitude of Lennon presumably got the best of McCartney on this day. “I’m not sure, but I think it was one of the only Beatle records I never played on,” McCartney remembers. “I think we’d had a barney or something and I said, ‘Oh, f##k you!’ and they said, ‘Well, we’ll do it.’ I think George played bass.” Although unnoted in the EMI studio records, the bass work on the finished recording is much more simplistic, although effectual, than what Paul usually contributed to Beatles sessions. Therefore, it can be stated with good confidence that Paul had made his exit on this day before the tapes rolled.

After the extensive rehearsals were complete, three takes of the rhythm track took place, these consisting of John on electric rhythm guitar, George on bass and Ringo on drums. Take three deemed as best, which then was used for overdubbing John’s lead vocals and background vocals by John and George (including the answering vocals during the fade-out), thus filling up the four tracks of the tape. A reduction mix was made to free up another track; this mix turning take three into take four. The open track was then filled by the lead guitar part (George), Hammond organ (John) and a shaker (Ringo). Upon examination of the recording, at least three different guitar parts had played a unique style, therefore a further guitar overdub was also made at some point. The thickness of the lead guitar riffs indicates that ADT (artificial double-tracking) most likely engineers applied during the recording process, as well as a large amount of compression added to the drums, hence the fullness of the cymbal crashes from Ringo.

The EMI staff did indeed create three mono mixes of the song early this morning, but none of these sounded suitable enough for the album. The records show, however, that these mixes bore the name of the song as “She Said She Said,” indicating that at some point during this day, a title for the song reached a means. By 3:45 am the following morning, the session ended with only final mixing work mandatory.

The final round of mixing for the album occurred the following evening, June 22nd, 1966, in the control room of EMI Studio Three. These were created by the same team of Martin and Emerick, although the 2nd engineer on this session was Jerry Boys. The mono mix of “She Said She Said” was made first, the stereo mix putting the drums fully on the left channel while all of the guitars as well as the organ are primarily on the right channel. The vocals lay centered in the mix.

On January 8th, 1969, The Beatles ran through "She Said She Said" at Twickenham Film Studios during their rehearsals for what became the "Let It Be" album and film. This version, of course, never got officially released.

Song Structure and Style.

A typical format of ‘verse/ verse/ bridge/ verse/ bridge/ verse’ (or aababa) is used here with a quick introduction and faded ending, no instrumental or solo section required. That having been said, just about everything else having to do with the structure and style of “She Said She Said” is anything but typical.

“I have a sort of strange rhythm scene,” Lennon explained in a 1968 Rolling Stone interview, “because I’ve never been able to keep rhythm on the stage. I always used to get lost – It’s me double off-beats.” This has never been more apparent up to this point than on “She Said She Said,” where his rambling rhythms are somewhat difficult for the listener to decipher, let alone the group themselves. This undoubtedly is why it took some 25 rehearsal takes in the recording studio before they were ready to record.

The three-measure introduction begins with a solo voicing of a distorted lead guitar line that follows an eighth note rising stair-step pattern as heard many times vocally throughout the song. This takes up the first measure, the downbeat of the second measure bringing in the entire instrumentation with a crash, signaling the heavy-energy of the song from this moment. The tumbling drum fill from Ringo in the third measure is a harbinger of impressive drum work to come in the next two-and-a-half minutes.

The first verse, like all of them, is ten measures long and begins on the downbeat with an octave vocal jump from John on the words “she saaaaaid.” Ringo steers away from keeping the beat on a ride cymbal or hi-hat, focusing on the kick drum and snare until an expressive drum fill appears, which does in the second measure, culminating in a cymbal crash at the beginning of the third measure. Harmony vocals also appear in the second measure on the lyrics “I know what it’s like to be dead,” the final four words sung in triplet form on top of straight 4/4 timing. Similar triplet singing has occurred before in The Beatles catalog, the “fussing and fighting” lines in “We Can Work It Out” being a prime example. Another expressive feature of the verse is George’s guitar lines that capture the essence of the vocal line just sung, thus filling in the gaps between the vocal phrases.

Ringo continues the "drum fill/cymbal crash" pattern in the fourth and sixth measures, setting a president of performing this pattern in the even-numbered measures of the verses. Also, slightly noticeable throughout the verse, is the high notes of a Hammond organ (overdubbed by John) which could get mistaken as guitar feedback. This sound keeps surfacing and disappearing throughout the verse, especially apparent in the final four measures. The harmony triplet singing comes up again in the fifth measure on the words “is to be sad.”

These final four measures accentuate the pay-off vocal line, “and she’s making me feel like I’ve never been born,” which is sung solo amid syncopated power chords, piercing drum fills and cymbal crashes. The standard eight-measure format is extended another two measures by repeating the last two bars instrumentally, George’s lead guitar voicing the lyric this time around. The power chord backdrop allows this melody line to permeate our consciousness and leave the intended lasting impression.

After another drum fill from Ringo, a second ten-measure verse then begins which follows the same basic pattern as the first. The Hammond organ high notes are especially noticeable throughout this verse, although they seem to disappear from view thereafter for the remainder of the song.

Next comes the bridge, and this is where things get sticky! The verses were all in 4/4 time, but John’s “strange rhythm scene” rears its head for the first time, leaving most of us a little bewildered but satisfied. Although experts are in disagreement here, it appears that the bridge is eleven measures long and changes from 4/4 time in the first two measures to 3/4 time for the remaining nine measures.

Most of the bridge is sung in harmony, the only exceptions being the first “she said” and the words “when I was a boy” in the fourth measure. Ringo keeps to the snare and kick drum throughout the first four measures, beating out a 4/4 rhythm even after the meter changes to 3/4 in the third measure. When the word “boy” signals the fifth measure, Ringo begins riding on the hi-hat for the first time in the song while accenting eighth notes in a march-like rhythm for the remainder of the bridge. The word “boy” also signals George to begin a well-rehearsed lead guitar passage that follows the chord changes perfectly, although it does appear a little rushed in the sixth measure.

This transcends abruptly back into 4/4 time as a third verse immediately appears, the format nearly identical to the first two. The difference here shows that Ringo performs his "drum fill/cymbal crash" in the first measure instead of the second, remembering the even-numbered pattern thereafter and resuming it in the fourth and sixth measure to round out the third verse nicely.

A repeat of the bridge comes next, which is also identical structurally. Ringo comes in a measure early with his march-like eighth notes, starting in the fourth measure with the words “wrong, when I was a.” George repeats his lead guitar passage from the first bridge and gets it a little more in tempo with the beat this time around.

A repeat of the third verse follows next, Ringo still comes in on the first measure instead of the second with his "drum fill/cymbal crash." However, this time, Ringo continues the opposite pattern, playing this feature on the odd-numbered measures instead of the even, finally compensating by performing it in the fifth and sixth measure consecutively.

The conclusion then appears which sounds for all sakes and purposes like a repeat of the first verse. However, Ringo decides to flail away at his highly compressed cymbals right from the get-go, then going into double-time from the third measure on until the song fades into the distance. Also, in a ‘row-row-row-your-boat’ fashion, John repeats every vocal phrase in the gaps of his lead vocal as an overdub, resulting as “I know what it’s like to be – I know what it’s like to be – I know what it is to be…” All in all, a very impressive finishing touch to side one of an amazing album.

John takes the reins on this completely self-penned composition, implementing his odd time signatures and detailed arrangement exactly how he conjured it in his mind. His confident vocal work gives the impression he means every word of what he says, whether you understand it or not. His finger-picking rhythm guitar playing does well in making the arrangement sound big, while his harmony vocals are slurred perfectly into pitch. While the Hammond organ details aren’t intrinsic to the overall sound, they are exactly what he wanted…enough said.

With Paul out of the picture, George plays a very impressive supporting role, suggesting what he would have been capable of with less dissension in the studio. His lead guitar work is an essential ingredient to the whole, arranged and performed with great self-confidence. His bass work, while performed adequately, shows his willingness and ability when needed. It also becomes apparent that he’s just as much of a natural at singing spot-on harmony as his MIA bandmate is.

Many writers point to this song as Ringo’s best work behind the drum kit, and understandably so. He may have gone on record as saying he didn’t like performing drum solos, but this could easily be considered the next best thing. His five-piece Ludwig set must have been smoking after the near nine hours that it took to get this recording done. I wouldn’t doubt that he may have shouted a “blisters on my fingers” remark two years earlier than his famous one!

While the genesis of the lyrics are explained above, changing the personal exchange from a “he” to a “she” paints a somewhat different picture for the average listener who isn’t in the know. Adding the phrase “I know what it is to be sad” to her interchange with Lennon gives a somewhat sympathetic view to the woman. However, John is undaunted and expresses nothing but irritation at her view, saying “you’re making me feel like I’ve never been born” and “I know that I’m ready to leave.” John’s reply, “Who put all those things in your head?” is followed by the revealing “things that make me feel that I’m mad,” that is, crazy.

His paranoia combines with his remembrance of a simpler life. When she tries to explain, he quickly interjects, “no, no, no, you’re wrong,” and then states, “When I was a boy, everything was right.” The innocence of his childhood is expressed in comparison to his drug-induced state of mind of the time. As stated above, John himself related this in an interview: “It was just an ‘acidy song, I suppose, ‘When I was a little boy,’ you see. A lot of early childhood was coming out, anyway.”

Next Song - Good Day Sunshine:

With the vast majority of the “Revolver” album complete, the group entered EMI Studio Two on June 8th, 1966 at 2:30 pm for what became a full twelve-hour session for recording “Good Day Sunshine” (or “A Good Day’s Sunshine,” mistakenly titled on the tape box). This song was the third from last song recorded for the album.

With the tapes rolling, The Beatles spent a long time rehearsing the song, getting the arrangement just so. They recorded three takes of the rhythm track which, according to Mark Lewisohn’s book “The Beatles Recording Sessions,” consisted of “bass guitar, piano, and drums.” Upon examination of the finished product, the bass work is less extravagant than what Paul was prone to perform, especially for a tune written primarily by him. It would also make sense that he, being the prime songwriter, would have been the pianist on the rhythm track. This would suggest that George was putting his Burns Nu-Sonic bass guitar to good use here as he was to do two weeks later on “She Said She Said.” It appears, therefore, that this is yet another “Revolver” track that John sat out on instrumentally.

After they recorded three takes, the tapes were spooled back to reveal that their first attempt, take one, was the best after all.  So, onto this take engineers overdubbed Paul’s lead vocals as well as John and George’s harmony vocals. By 2:30 am the following morning, the session was complete.

Twelve hours later, at 2:30 pm on June 9th, 1966, they returned to EMI Studio Two to put the finishing touches on the song. Many overdubs and “drop-ins” commenced, one being a whole new drum track from Ringo which was to be played simultaneously with what he performed on the rhythm track the previous day. This new performance consisted of cymbal crashes, syncopated drum accents, snare beats, and stick-tapping.

Quite a few other overdubs followed as well. George Martin was sequestered to perform the piano solo in the instrumental section of the second verse, this being taped at 56 cycles per second (a little slower than normal) to create an appropriate honky-tonk sound. John, Paul, and George also taped some more harmonies, which later dropped into the final nine seconds of the song. An additional piano part also took part throughout the song, undoubtedly performed by Paul, which includes the various runs and drops that are signature to the released recording. (A rather obvious edit to this piano overdub snuck in toward the end of the final verse.) All four Beatles added handclaps to the final verse and chorus and also a quiet tambourine sound plays throughout the song, which stands attributed to Ringo.

After all of the overdubs were complete, producer George Martin and engineers Geoff Emerick and Phil McDonald created six mono mixes, the first consisting of only the final harmony overdub they just completed. The remaining five mixes were of the complete song; take six being deemed the best at that time. This mix was to be improved upon at a later date, however. The session then ended at a more reasonable time of 8 pm.

The final day of mixing for the album took place on June 22nd, 1966 in the control room of EMI Studio Three. Both the mono and stereo mix of “Good Day Sunshine” (the correct title at this point) were performed on this day by Martin, Emerick and 2nd engineer Jerry Boys. The stereo mix has the rhythm track panned to the left channel while the instrumental overdubs are on the right channel. All vocals lay centered in the mix except for the ending harmonies, which bounce between the two channels for good effect.

Sometime between November 1982 and July 1983, Paul re-recorded a new studio version of the song for inclusion in the film and soundtrack album “Give My Regards To Broad Street.” The arrangement was nearly identical to the original, right down to mimicking John’s quietly repeated line, “she feels good” in the final verse. One subtle difference lyrically is the line “burns my feel as I touch the ground” instead of “as they touch the ground” as sung in 1966. Paul was privileged to have George Martin produce this version as well as the original.

Paul’s “World Tour” of 1989/1990 included the song as well, resulting in it being recorded and released as the B-side of the live version of “Birthday” to commemorate John Lennon’s 50th birthday. Surprisingly, this live version of “Good Day Sunshine” did not appear on the resulting “Tripping The Live Fantastic” album of November 1990.

Song Structure and Style

The structure used on this song stretches the boundaries in many ways to what fans recall within earlier Beatles music. One way is the use of a chorus at the beginning of the song, this being in a different key than the verse (the verse key designates the signature key of the song). The complete song structure amounts to ‘chorus/ verse/ chorus/ 1/2 verse/ solo/ chorus/ verse/ chorus/ chorus’ (or abacdabaa). A simple introduction and faded conclusion round out the proceedings. Many other twists and turns unfold within the boundaries of these two minutes and eight seconds.

The four-measure introduction is actually the simplest section of the song consisting of eighth-note E chords played on piano and bass guitar building in anticipation of what is to follow. This seems to be establishing the footing for the listener for the complex chorus that follows. The fourth measure of the intro brings triplet rolls of the snare drum along with an abrupt overdubbed cymbal swell to signal the emergence of that first chorus.

Three-part harmony from Paul, John, and George begin on the downbeat of the chorus, which is actually a straight six-measures long. Because of the slow syncopation of the melody line and the stagnation of the chord changes, it appears that the measures aren’t symmetrical but broken into different time signatures. This is an illusion. If you keep time to the beat heard in the introduction, keep tapping your foot in the same 4/4 pattern throughout the chorus, and you’ll see that the time signature hasn’t really changed. A further twist is that the key of the song appears to be in B major at this point. However, the transitional chord E7 in the fifth and sixth measures shows that the key has yet to be determined.

The traditional use of a "Beatles break" (first heard way back in 1962’s “Love Me Do”) appears at the end of the sixth measure of the chorus to highlight Paul’s lyric “I need to laugh.” This segues into the first eight-measure verse and thus reveals the signature key of the song – A major. The drums then switch from the march-like quarter-note snare beats to a regular-but-simplistic swing beat, the overdubbed piano from Paul playing a falling riff to fill the gap after the first lyric is sung. Paul sings the verse solo to contrast from the gorgeous harmonies in the choruses.

The chorus then repeats with the only difference being an overdubbed Ringo drum track with syncopated crashing cymbals accenting each sung syllable and a quaint snare drum cadence to fill in each gap. After this chorus is complete, what appears to be a second verse then appears with the same arrangement as the first. However, midway through, after the line “touch the ground,” the key pivots to D major for a George Martin piano solo. The chord pattern may have changed, but the remaining four measures of this pseudo-verse are filled with this solo to equal a uniform eight-measure length.

A third chorus then appears complete with the overdubbed drums of the second occurrence. This is followed by a full vocal verse as was heard toward the beginning of the song only with new lyrics. The only difference in arrangement is the appearance of handclaps on the two- and four-beats of each measure, not to mention John’s repeat of the line “she feels good” in the fifth measure. The rather obvious edit to the overdubbed piano track in the eighth measure completes the final verse.

Two more choruses follow this verse, both adding the new feature of quarter-note hand claps by the group. Both choruses are actually one beat short because of the absence of the "Beatles break," making the final measure 3/4 instead of 4/4. The second of these two choruses reveal a slight deviation from the original melody line, Paul raising the notes for “sun-shine” the first two times the word is sung. Then as the second chorus is complete, the key raises a half step to an F7 chord for a brief faded conclusion. The overdubbed cymbal crash cuts off abruptly to allow space on the tape for more three-part harmonies which are sung in echo of the original line. All instrumentation fades away to reveal a cappella Beatles harmonies from both channels of your speakers — an impressive touch.

Paul, no doubt with the help of George Martin, is in full control of proceedings. His vocal work is deliberate and focused, creating the desired atmosphere. His dual piano tracks are also suitable for the occasion but not too flamboyant to distract from the harmonies. Three cheers also go to George Martin for his always-appropriate piano solo and arrangement of harmonies.

George Harrison shows himself adept at bass guitar for the first of two tracks on the album (“She Said She Said” being the other) as well as with his spot-on harmony vocals. John’s distinctive voice is also quite apparent on the track, his delivery flawless. Ringo goes over and above with not one but two drum tracks superimposed on top of each other to good effect.

The happy-go-lucky lyrics are quite self-explanatory, the heaviness of the times leaving Paul with a “need to laugh,” a “sunny day” giving him just the fix he needs. Of course, being “in love” also helps. The Lovin’ Spoonful hit at the time of release, “Summer In The City,” may have expressed irritation because of the hot weather, but Paul doesn’t mind that the sun ‘burns his feet as they touch the ground.’  After all, he and his girl will find relief “beneath a shady tree” making love. A touch of conceit is made apparent in the line “she knows she’s looking fine,” but that doesn’t spoil the mood one bit as he finishes off the lyric with “I’m so proud to know that she is mine.” It’s summer in London, and all is right with the world!

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