You Won't See Me
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| "You Won't See Me" | ||||
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| Song by The Beatles from the album Rubber Soul | ||||
| Released | 3 December 1965 | |||
| Recorded | 11 November 1965, EMI Studios |
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| Genre | Pop rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:22 (stereo version) 3:25 (mono version) |
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| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Writer | Lennon–McCartney | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| Rubber Soul track listing | ||||
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| "You Won't See Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Anne Murray | ||||
| from the album Love Song | ||||
| A-side | He Thinks I Still Care | |||
| Released | April 1974 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | January 1974 | |||
| Genre | Pop, country | |||
| Length | 3:07 (7" version) | |||
| Label | Capitol 3867 | |||
| Writer(s) | Lennon–McCartney | |||
| Producer | Brian Ahren | |||
| Anne Murray singles chronology | ||||
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"You Won't See Me" is a song by The Beatles, from the album Rubber Soul. Though credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was written by Paul McCartney. This is one of the few songs where McCartney sings lower harmony while Lennon and Harrison sing higher harmony together.
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[edit] History
The song is about a crisis in McCartney's relationship with his then-girlfriend Jane Asher. She was rejecting him by not returning phone calls and ignoring him — for once, he was in a vulnerable position. The more biting tone of the song marks a change away from his earlier, happier love songs. "You Won't See Me" was recorded during the last session for Rubber Soul. At 3:22, the song was the longest that The Beatles had recorded to that point and marked a trend by Bob Dylan and others at the time to start writing longer songs.[2]
Mal "Organ" Evans (one of The Beatles' roadies throughout their career) is credited on the album sleeve as having played Hammond organ on this track, his contribution consisting solely of an A note quietly held throughout the last part of the song.[2]
"You Won't See Me" was never a part of The Beatles' concert repertoire, but McCartney played the song live during his 2005-2006 concert tour.
[edit] Personnel
- Paul McCartney – lead vocal, bass guitar, piano
- George Harrison – backing vocal, lead guitar
- John Lennon – backing vocal
- Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine
- Mal Evans – Hammond organ
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald[3]
MacDonald commented that Starr added an overdubbed hi-hat part in addition to the hi-hat part played in the basic rhythm track, and that Evans' organ part was a single A note held throughout the final verse and chorus.[3]
[edit] Covers
[edit] Anne Murray version
In 1974, "You Won't See Me" became a big hit for Anne Murray, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Easy Listening singles chart.[4] Lennon is said to have told Murray that her version of "You Won't See Me" was his favourite Beatles' cover ever.[5] Murray herself is a confessed Beatles fanatic and later covered several other of their songs as singles, including "Day Tripper" and "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You." Murray would re-record the song as a duet with Shelby Lynne as part of her 2007 Duets: Friends & Legends album.
"You Won't See Me" was a double A-sided hit for Murray. The flip side — "He Thinks I Still Care" — reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in July 1974, about the time "You Won't See Me" peaked in popularity on the Hot 100.
[edit] Other covers
The Bee Gees recorded a cover of the song in Australia in 1966. It first appeared on the album "Inception/Nostalgia" in 1970, which was released in Germany, France and Japan only.
The song was covered by Bryan Ferry on his 1973 album, These Foolish Things.
Helmut Köllen, the former bassist, vocalist of Triumvirat, six months before die at age of 27, recorded an album called "You Won't See Me". It was issued posthumately and the theme song closes the B-side.
The song wasn't performed live by Paul McCartney until his '04 Summer Tour (in 2004), with McCartney telling the audience that, up until then, he literally had not played the song since recording it 39 years prior.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Olivier Julien, "Sgt. Pepper and the Beatles: it was forty years ago today", (Ashgate Publishing, Ltd, 2008), ISBN 0754667081, p.27.
- ^ a b The Beatles Bible 2009.
- ^ a b MacDonald 2005, p. 180.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 176.
- ^ Capitol 2010.
[edit] References
- (2010) Album notes for The Best...So Far by Anne Murray. Capitol (ASIN: B000002TU5).
- MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-84413-828-3.
- "You Won't See Me". The Beatles Bible. 2009. http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/you-wont-see-me/. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
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