Old Brown Shoe
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This article's factual accuracy is disputed. Please help to ensure that disputed facts are reliably sourced. See the relevant discussion on the talk page. (February 2012) |
| "Old Brown Shoe" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by The Beatles | ||||
| A-side | "The Ballad of John and Yoko" | |||
| Released | 30 May 1969 (UK) 4 June 1969 (US) |
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| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 16, 18 April 1969 Abbey Road Studios |
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| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:16 | |||
| Label | Apple | |||
| Writer(s) | George Harrison | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| The Beatles singles chronology | ||||
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"Old Brown Shoe" is a song written by George Harrison that was first released by The Beatles as a B-side to "The Ballad of John and Yoko". It is also available on the Beatles' compilation albums Hey Jude, 1967–1970 and Past Masters, Volume Two.
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[edit] Composition and music
Harrison commented about this song: "I started the chord sequences on the piano, which I don't really play, and then began writing ideas for the words from various opposites... Again, it's the duality of things – yes no, up down, left right, right wrong, etc."[1] This idea was also prevalent in their earlier single, "Hello, Goodbye"[2]. Pollack notes that though the song is mostly in the key of C Major it often veers towards the relative minor (Am).[3] Everett states this "A/C duality" fits well "with the composer's main concern in the poetic text" ("I want a love that's right but right is only half of what's wrong").[4] Pollack also emphasizes the song's interesting flat VI (Ab) chord in the verse, the V-IV (G-F chord) alternation in the bridge and the 'bluesy' effect of the flat 3rds and 7ths with the frequent dissonant I7 (C7) chords. [5] Everett considers that the voice leading and harmony on 'Old Brown Shoe' are "far more subtle and interesting" than such qualities in the song ('Ballad of John and Yoko') on the A side of the single.[6]
[edit] Recording
The Beatles' recording of this song features lead vocals from Harrison, and backing vocals from John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The unusual bass sound was achieved by tracking the bass with the lead guitar. Everett states that it was McCartney's jazz bass doubled in the bridge with Harrison's telecaster playing chromatically moving arpeggiations in a similar manner to the bridge guitars in And Your Bird Can Sing. [7]
In a two part CREEM interview (published December 1987 and January 1988) George Harrison said that he played bass for the piece. Extract from the interview:[8]
- Creem: You also told me you played bass on "Old Brown Shoe."
- George: It’s like a lunatic playing.
- Creem: It sounds like McCartney was going nuts again.
- George: That was me going nuts. I’m doing exactly what I do on the guitar.
Everett states that Harrison's "stinging highly Claptonesque solo" was played on a telecaster coloured through a Leslie speaker given Automatic double tracking (ADT) treatment and "sent wild to both channels."[9] Although Lennon did play guitar on the track, his instrumentation was removed and replaced by the organ sound.[10]
The song was recorded during the sessions for the Abbey Road album. The group had previously performed the song a number of times over three days during the Let It Be sessions at Apple Studios in January 1969, which have been widely bootlegged.[11] Harrison made a solo demo on electric guitar at EMI Studios on 25 February 1969 (along with "Something" and "All Things Must Pass"), which was released on Anthology 3 in 1996.
In 1980 John Lennon claimed that he was responsible for the inclusion of "Old Brown Shoe" as the B-side of "The Ballad of John and Yoko" single.[12]
[edit] Personnel
- George Harrison – vocal, guitars, organ
- Paul McCartney – backing vocal, piano, bass guitar
- John Lennon – backing vocal
- Ringo Starr – drums
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald[13]
[edit] Cover versions
- Gary Brooker performed the song at the Concert for George in 2002
- Leslie West covered the song on the 2003 album, Songs from the Material World: A Tribute to George Harrison.
[edit] Notes
- ^ The Beatles Interview Database 2006.
- ^ Turner 1994, pp. 139–140.
- ^ Alan W Pollack. Notes on Old Brown Shoe 1999. http://www.recmusicbeatles.com/public/files/awp/obs.html accessed 10 Jan 2012
- ^ Walter Everett. The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology. Oxford University Press. NY. 1999. p 244
- ^ Alan W Pollack. Notes on Old Brown Shoe 1999. http://www.recmusicbeatles.com/public/files/awp/obs.html accessed 10 Jan 2012
- ^ Walter Everett. The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology. Oxford University Press. NY. 1999. p 243
- ^ Walter Everett. The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology. Oxford University Press. NY. 1999. p 243
- ^ Kordosh 1987.
- ^ Walter Everett. The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology. Oxford University Press. NY. 1999. p 243
- ^ Walter Everett. The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology. Oxford University Press. NY. 1999. p 242
- ^ The Beatles Bible 2008.
- ^ Sheff 2000, p. 166.
- ^ MacDonald 2005, p. 347.
[edit] References
- "Abbey Road". The Beatles Interview Database. 2006. http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/dba11road.html. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
- Kordosh, J. (December 1987). "The George Harrison Interview". Creem Online. Creem Media, Inc.. http://www.creemmagazine.com/_site/BeatGoesOn/GeorgeHarrison/Interview001.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 978-1-84413-828-9.
- Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying. London: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-25464-3.
- "Old Brown Shoe". The Beatles Bible. 2008. http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/old-brown-shoe/. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
