Studio sessions
13 October 1965
25 October 1965
26 October 1965
One of Paul's more salacious come-ons; the working line was originally "I can give you golden rings" but John hated it and they both came up with the more lubricious car metaphor, which led to the "beep-beep"s. Outrageously fun, it's one of the Beatles' sexiest numbers ever. Pauls' solo is perfectly matched; Ringo's fills are the stuff of drum legend.
Studio sessions
12 October 1965
21 October 1965
25 October 1965
26 October 1965
Original Title: This Bird Has Flown
Written as a semi-comic way for John to discuss a painful secret: he'd been cheating on wife Cynthia. George had discovered the sitar while filming Help! in India, and he used it to great effect here; it was the first time a pop act had done such a thing. (John really didn't burn down the girl's house: this was a joke thought up by Paul.)
Studio sessions
11 November 1965
15 November 1965
Paul's turn at romantic unrest, and a sadly overlooked slice of pure pop. The main reason for that may be the odd arrangement; there's a droning organ note in the background courtesy of longtime asscoiate Mal Evans, and the song bizarrely slows almost to a crawl after coming out of the second bridge.
Studio sessions
21 October 1965
22 October 1965
25 October 1965
26 October 1965
One of the finest songs in the Fab canon. It's an oddly kind denunciation of the uptight Establishment types that their generation would rail against so often in coming years. The harmonies, with the new overdubbing technology, achieve perfection, and George's guitar solo is the template for every folk-rocker to follow. John had been trying, tortuously, to write a song one night, then after five hours of trying "I gave up. And the song just came to me."
Studio sessions
8 November 1965
9 November 1965
Original Title: I Won't Be There With You
George's best Beatles' song to that time and the band's first real "protest song", even if it is very subtle and somewhat disguised in boy-girl terms. Paul adds a dynamite fuzz-bass, which gives the track an extra-grotty, extra-cynical quality.
Studio sessions
10 November 1965
11 November 1965
15 November 1965
The funkiest messiah complex ever waxed. John broke standard convention and talked of love as an abstract concept and not a moon-June-spoon thing, and the results are surprisingly danceable. The harmonies at the end are paradise in and of themselves, John's own ascension into Something Higher. Paul goes insane on bass.
Studio sessions
3 November 1965
9 November 1965
15 November 1965
A track that started as a joke and later superseded what it was supposed to be parodying, this developed from a corny Charles Aznavour style Francophonic love song Paul used to play at parties. The second verse is sung in French, which still confuses a lot of folks, but who cares: the French translations (cooked up by friend and French teacher Jan Vaughan) were good enough to make this a number one hit in France. John came up with the bridge -- the "I love you"s came to him after hearing Yma Sumac's version of "I Put A Spell On You". Boasts a guitar solo that's more melodic than the verse, which is saying something.
Studio sessions
4 November 1965
9 November 1965
The Beatles were now writing their own songs exclusively from here on out, and instead of cooking up another bit of country swing for Ringo to sing, McCartney and Lennon dredged up an old one and polished it up, with assistance from Ringo himself. A fun number in the midlle of a fairly serious album.
Studio sessions
11 November 1965
15 November 1965
A tortuously beautiful ballad with a unique arrangement that makes it sound Greek, of all things, this song is about many things: unrequited love, co-dependency, feminine wiles, the working-class, peer pressure... a masterpiece of deep emotion. (Even if the backup vocals are naughtily repeating "tit".)
Studio sessions
24 October 1965
6 November 1965
10 November 1965
11 November 1965
15 November 1965
A gentle folk number that keep bursting into bluesiness, this song was a direct hit on Paul's paramour Jane Asher, whom he was growing increasingly tired of (for whatever reason). The American version of "Rubber Soul" contained a fake intro to this song which is still highly prized. Featuring Ringo on organ!
Studio sessions
18 October 1965
22 October 1965
25 October 1965
26 October 1965
One of the clearest distillations of John's talent, right up there with "Strawberry Fields Forever". Like that classic, this one began by using old haunts and old memories to dredge up the emotion inside; this song, in particular, was practically a travelogue in its original form. John decided that he was more concerned with the present, however, and rewrote the lyrics to focus on where he was now. Great John Falsetto at the end, more stutter-step beats by Ringo, and George Martin doing the piano solo (which was purposefully recorded slow and then sped up to sound like a harpsichord). Everytime I hear this song it makes me think of so many things. It is one my my favorite songs of all time.
Studio sessions
17 June 1965
11 November 1965
15 November 1965
Another oldie, this leftover from "Help!" was dusted off and retooled. It's probably a testament to the growing talents of the four that this "reject" comes out better than most of what was on the last album.
Studio sessions
16 October 1965
18 October 1965
25 October 1965
26 October 1965
George's other RS original hints at the quality that was to come in his songwriting; in fact, this is the standard by which quite a bit of folk-rock is based. Lyrically, it sounds standoffish, but the music tells a different story.
Studio sessions
12 October 1965
9 November 1965
10 November 1965
Rubber Soul ends with one of the most hotly debated songs in the Beatles' repertoire. Is John, the loveable moptop, really capable of killing the woman he loves? Maybe, maybe not. On the one hand, John professed to being violent towards women at this time. On the other, the main lyric he was working from was actually Elvis' cover of "Baby, Let's Play House." On the one hand, this song sounds lighthearted, and was written specifically on order to fix a hole in the album. On the other hand, those minor chords...
