Written by: Harrison
Recorded: 2, 3 June 1966
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Released: 5 August 1966 (UK), 8 August 1966 (US)
George Harrison: lead vocals, lead guitar, handclaps
John Lennon: backing vocals, tambourine, handclaps
Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass, piano, handclaps
Ringo Starr: drums, maracas, handclaps
Available on:
Revolver
I Want To Tell You, George Harrison's third song on Revolver, was, he later said, "about the avalanche of thoughts that are so hard to write down or say or transmit".
The song was recorded under the working title Laxton's Superb, a type of apple. It later became known as I Don't Know, after George Martin enquired of Harrison whether he had come up with a title.
In the studio
The Beatles began recording I Want To Tell You on 2 June 1966. Mark Lewisohn's The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions notes this exchange prior to take one:
Martin: What are you going to call it, George?
Harrison: I don't know.
Lennon: Granny Smith Part Friggin' Two! You've never had a title for any of your songs!
Laxton's Superb was engineer Geoff Emerick's idea, a pun on Granny Smith, the working title of Love You To.
One really got the impression that George was being given a certain amount of time to do his tracks whereas the others could spend as long as they wanted. One felt under more pressure when doing one of George's songs.
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn
Their progress bears this out. On the first day The Beatles recorded five takes of the rhythm track, featuring piano, drums and guitars. The third of these was the best, and onto this were overdubbed George's lead vocals, backing vocals from John and Paul, and tambourine, maracas, handclaps and more piano.
On 3 June they overdubbed a bass track, as Paul had played piano on the rhythm tracks. I Want To Tell You was then complete, and mixed for the Revolver album on this day and on 6 June.
I read somewhere that they were going to perform this as part of the set at Candlestick Park in '66
This is one of three George "I" songs. It was almost as if he were trying to interject. Given the power of Lennon-McCartney, I suppose that's exactly what he was doing?
First taped were George’s Leslied guitar (the fade-in would be supplied during mixing), drums, Paul’s compressed piano and John’s tambourine. Overdubbed maracas were added and all reduced to one track.
A second track, with George’s lead vocal and handclaps was compressed, sped up, divided by ADT and sent to both left and right.
A third track has backing vocals from John and Paul and the fourth has Paul’s bass line.
One of the very few occasions where the Beatles harmonies are out of tune.
Paul is DYING on these high notes!
The Beatles are not out of tune. They are experimenting with discord sounds also known as dissonance.
Nah... it sounds like a rush job to me. They didn't want to spend long enough to nail the harmonies. They got it in "If I needed someone", but this one's bit rough
The Beatles nailed This Boy on live national TV on the Ed Sullivan Show.
The Beatles nailed the vocal harmonies for the recording of "If I Needed Someone" and "This Boy" in one day for each song!
If they were to aim for a harmony vocal they would have accomplished it.
This particular song presented another musical option and they went for it.
I'm not actually being critical of the slight out-of-tuneness. It's actually a pleasing effect. But I don't think was intentional, just as I don't think some of Paul's bass being out of tune on many tracks was intentional (Golden Slumbers, Get Back) or occasionally George's guitar (What goes on). That's what makes the Beatles so endlessly listenable. The performances were full of raw genius, but not note-perfect, like if they had been session players. I find I can listen to the songs over and over and hear new things, and it's because of the unintended imperfections.
You may think that the chords (and harmonies) are going wrong but they're not; he just wrote it like that.
Nope, he didn't!
Prove:
The version from the "Concert for George" is perfectly IN tune and sounds great!
We are not talking about a "version" of this song, we are talking about the original!
The Beatles use dissonance and melisma (by Paul) when they recorded I Want To Tell You.
I Want To Tell You by the Beatles is an adventure. Just like the rest of Revolver.
Jeff Lynne's version is a rendition and nothing more.
Listen to the original and tell me Paul is just having a good time, "experimenting" with dissonances!
His voice sounds totally strained, and the three part vocals are out of tune - just a bit, but they are.
Yes, the perfect cover proves that the harmonies were intended to sound like that but they just didn't get it right that day in the studio.
Since Revolver is an album of experimentation, it is not unfeasible to extend that to this particular song.
George is not on record complaining about Paul's efforts on this song.
If you are not comfortable with musical references that explain the song then that is your problem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZrkY0hO8xQ
Check out the song, please:
At 1.20 Paul's voice actually BREAKS!
I hate to support that kind of stuff, but maybe they really didn't take George's song that seriously, so they didn't try enough...
@Deadman , LOL. It's only a northen song. The version of that song on "Anthology 2" is great.
OK, I'm sorry and I'm usually not this "harsh", but I gotta say that the Paul strained vocals - regardless of whether they were intended in the moment that they happened - you have to believe that during play back they said, "Yea its great let's keep it."
By the time of Revolver these guys didn't release a note they didn't want on record. They had quit touring for the purpose of recording.
If you have ever actually recorded in a studio, then you know that there are "unplanned moments" that happen and you keep them because they work.
Paul's strained vocal is on the song because they wanted it on the song. We're talking about a band who at this point in their recording career was fixing a single note that was wrong.
The version on Revolver is the version they and George wanted. To think they just steamrolled George on this song and didn't bother to "clean it up" is contra-logical to the very intensity of quality and intent that made the Beatles the Beatles - ESPECIALLY at the time of Revolver and forward.
Does anyone really think that John or Paul at this point in their recording career really said, "Oh screw it, it's just a George song."? We are talking about the time period when Beatle product meant everything to them.
Bottom line, that song sounds exactly the way they wanted it to.
Find me even one comment from any of them saying different.
I agree with everything you said!
Especially in Paul's bass parts there are soooooo many "wrong" notes - but he kept them, for he liked the "feeling".
I guess they did like the result back then, otherwise, they obviously would've changed it.
The vocals are STILL out of tune in most of the "high" parts. Without checking, I think the third one is the "cleanest", but I could be wrong.
I've never read ANY comment on that song, which would support my theory it wasn't their most important song to them...
If you like it that way, as they seem to have then, good for you!
I find it annoying, because it DOES sound totally strained and it IS out of tune, and that's why it's my second least favourite Beatles song (least would be "Don't pass me by", in the slow version. The fast mono one even beats this one.).
To my ear, it seems that George in the lower register is flat on just about every one of the sustained triads. Maybe something to do with his vocal being prominent in the recording? Whoever is at fault, it's definitely out of tune.
Sorry, I'd also like to add the quote to support my "rush" theory:
"One really got the impression that George was being given a certain amount of time to do his tracks whereas the others could spend as long as they wanted. One felt under more pressure when doing one of George's songs."
Geoff Emerick
First of all, using Emerick's quote makes it his opinion not yours.
Second of all, Emerick's quote is generalised and not specific.
1) Eeeeeh, yes, of COURSE Emerick's quote is HIS opinion, and by using it I supported MY opinion (we disagree about other things, as you know). I don't really get your point...
2) It still supports my opinion and not yours.
I feel as if Joe is going to put this into the forum as well...
The little harmony tangent Paul goes off on at the end of the song fadeout is a nice touch.
Yeah! He does the same thing live in Japan in the chorus of "If I needed someone".
Pay attention, George contributes for once with 3 songs on this album, the largest amount for a single album. And of course I don't agree at all about John & Paul giving him less time to record his own repertoire. About the harmonies I can hear a sort of indian style, so I believe they were actually experimenting.
I'd read on some of John's songs he'd accused Paul of sabotaging songs he didn't like. I wonder if that's what he did here singing back up off-key.
Keep in mind that this early on they didn't perform songs they all didn't like.. later on by the White Album they'd given that up but Paul would have kept it off the album if they didn't like it.
This is a good song, but not one of George's best Beatle' numbers. Paul makes it interesting, though, with his jangling piano, bass and unique harmonies. I think he always gave 100% to his mates' songs when they got to them, and I think he complemented George's voice and music very well. It's a shame that George and Paul weren't close during a lot of George's solo career, as I think Paul would have helped his songs. Paul's harmonies and musical talents gave George's Beatles' numbers depth and texture that some of his solo numbers lacked. And George contributed very well to Paul's Beatles' numbers (Drive My Car, And I Love Her for example) when Paul let him.
This is a superb song on perhaps the greatest album the Beatles ever made. This is one of the few songs they could have performed in concert. It has some bits that must have jarred listeners, such as the use of Harrison's guitar and Starr's drums. It is one song that I never get tired of hearing.