Why The Beatles' 'I'm Only Sleeping' Features a Guitar Played Backward
John Lennon once explained the meaning of The Beatles’ “I’m Only Sleeping.” Paul McCartney revealed why the song features the sound of a guitar getting played in reverse. The tune appeared on Revolver, which was more popular in the United States then the United Kingdom.
The Beatles‘ “I’m Only Sleeping” was inspired by an aspect of John Lennon’s life. Subsequently, Paul McCartney explained why the song features the sound of a guitar played backward. “I’m Only Sleeping” isn’t the only time The Beatles sang about wanting to sleep.
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview from 1980. In it, John was asked about the meaning of “I’m Only Sleeping.” “That’s me — dreaming my life away,” he said.
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed the origin of “I’m Only Sleeping.” “It was a nice idea, there’s nothing wrong with it,” he said. “I’m not being lazy, I’m only sleeping, I’m yawning, I’m meditating, I’m having a lay-in the luxury of all of that was what it was about.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
