5 Fascinating Facts About 'Revolver' by The Beatles
The Beatles turned the studio into a lethal weapon on their 1966 album Revolver. Producer George Martin and the four men in the group went to great lengths to create sounds that broke down the boundaries of pop music.
The music from Revolver is endlessly surprising and compelling. So too are some of the stories behind the making of this legendary LP by the Fab Four.
John Lennon gained a reputation as someone who loved his shuteye. He wrote about it on Revolver in the song “I’m Only Sleeping”, which defended his right to sleep away even his waking hours. His penchant for sawing logs also inadvertently led to one of the most momentous songs on the record. Paul McCartney arrived at Lennon’s abode one day to start a writing session. But he had to wait a bit for his pal, because Lennon was still sleeping in when Paul arrived. To make the most of the time, McCartney settled out near the swimming pool. By the time Lennon awoke, Macca had pretty much written the gorgeous ballad “Here, There And Everywhere” while waiting.
We tend to think of “Yellow Submarine” as the ultimate kids’ song. The fact that it was turned into a well-regarded animated movie certainly plays into that notion. But when it began, it was something much different. A recent reissue of Revolver included some of the working tapes for the various songs on the album. On that release, you can hear John Lennon singing these downcast lyrics to the main melody of the verses: “In the place where I was born / No one cared, no one cared.” That’s a far cry from the finished version, one where Ringo Starr sings of the wonders of the ocean blue while Lennon and Paul McCartney make crazed aquatic noises.
Whenever The Beatles came to America, everybody wanted to have an audience with them. That included other rock stars and Hollywood celebrities. At one point, while taking a little breather in California during a tour break in 1965, the band threw a party at the house where they were staying. During that party, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr all took LSD. Harrison had a somewhat adverse reaction during his trip, believing at one point that he was dead. Actor Peter Fonda, who attended the party, tried to comfort Harrison by telling him how he had lived through a near-death experience as a child. Lennon made the incident the basis of the lyrics to “She Said She Said”.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
