Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 30 September 1964
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Released: 4 December 1964 (UK), 15 December 1964 (US)
John Lennon: vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar, handclaps
Paul McCartney: harmony vocals, bass, handclaps
George Harrison: rhythm guitar, handclaps
Ringo Starr: drums, handclaps
George Martin: piano
Available on:
Beatles For Sale
Anthology 1
The song which opened the Beatles For Sale album, No Reply was written by John Lennon for Tommy Quickly, another of Brian Epstein's recording artists.
That's my song. Dick James, the publisher, said, 'That's the first complete song you've written where it resolves itself'. You know, with a complete story. It was my version of Silhouettes: I had that image of walking down the street and seeing her silhouetted in the window and not answering the phone, although I never called a girl on the phone in my life. Because phones weren't part of the English child's life.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
Silhouettes was a 1957 hit for The Rays, an R&B quartet from New York. The opening lines of the song bear a certain resemblance to No Reply:
Took a walk and passed your house late last night
All the shades were pulled and drawn way down tight
From within the dim light cast
Two silhouettes on the shade
Oh what a lovely couple they made
This happened once before
When I came to your door
No reply
They said it wasn't you
But I saw you peep through your window
I saw the light
I saw the light
I know that you saw me
'Cause I looked up to see your face
Paul McCartney later claimed to have assisted Lennon in writing the song:
We wrote No Reply together but from a strong original idea of his. I think he pretty much had that one, but as usual, if he didn't have the third verse and the middle eight, then he'd play it to me pretty much formed, then we would shove a bit in the middle or I'd throw in an idea.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
In the studio
The Beatles taped their demo of No Reply for Tommy Quickly on 3 June 1964, although he never released a version of the song. This demo was misfiled and became lost in the 1960s, only resurfacing in 1993; it was released on Anthology 1.
This sprightly first version was treated casually by the group, who played around with they lyrics - at one point singing "I saw you walk in your face". It also had a shorter "I saw the light" section.
The demo featured a drummer, although Ringo Starr had been taken ill earlier in the day with tonsillitis. Jimmie Nicol may have played instead; he was certainly at Abbey Road that morning for a tour rehearsal with Lennon, McCartney and Harrison.
The Beatles - with Starr - recorded No Reply properly on 30 September 1964, with piano played by George Martin. They perfected it in eight takes, the last of which was used on Beatles For Sale.
For take five, the group tried repeating the middle section, extending the song from 2'14" to 3'17". However, they dropped this idea in the final version.
Take two of No Reply was also released on Anthology 1. As in the demo version, The Beatles had trouble recording the song without deliberately messing up the lyrics ("You walked hand in hand with another plank in my place"). It also repeated the first verse towards the end of the song, in place of the one beginning "I tried to telephone".
In this song Harrison played his Gretsch, not an acoustic guitar. It is very subtle in the final mix but can be heard in the last chord.
I always loved that John tried to modify his voice either by singing it differently or by effects. This is one of my favorites where he certainly is trying to sing it differently. Lennon was one of the most expressive singers ever
I'm not sure where I read this, but Tommy Quickly has stated that the version on Anthology was not actually the demo that was sent to him, which lacked the bridge section.
Surprised that no-one has commented on the amazing 'darkness' of this song, surely one of the best album opening tracks of all time (certainly compared with some of the stale r'n'r fare on 'Beatles For Sale', e.g. 'Rock n Roll Music').... McCartney's backing vocals are chilling, almost possessed....
Agreed. In fact it is that "darkness" you mentioned that is, for me, the most compelling aspect of the song. That the Beatles had recorded such a moody, dark track in 1964 made me appreciate them all the more. One of my favorite of their pre-Rubber Soul work.
John Lennon is a genius.
This is perhaps my favorite Fab song from their early period, say 1963-64. I love John's voice, and this song was superb. No Reply was dark, yet still shined with its catchy middle section of handclaps and backing vocals. A real original in 1964. Still a tremendous song 46 years on!
Is the demo recorded for Tommy Quickly take 1? Because on Anthology, an engineer announces it as take 1.
On the demo from 3 June 1964, is possible that the drums were played by Paul McCartney. Ringo had tonsillitis, and Jimmy Nicol had left after his rehearsal. Any ideas on who plays drums on this track?
Elsewhere in his biography McCartney cited "No Reply" (along with "Yes It Is" and "I'm A Loser") as "very much John Lennon songs." Now he says - appearing to speak hypothetically - "IF he didn't have the middle eight" we would "shove a bit" in the middle. That "middle bit" is possibly one of the finest of any Beatle song. I wish Paul would state clearly how much of that crucial middle John had when he brought it to him. The melody, chord changes and only lacking, say, the latter half of the bridge lyrically? Or did he and Paul write it together in the studio? On something like "Norwegian Wood" one gets the sense that Paul pretty much wrote the whole middle melody. Here he leaves it vague.
It's vague because he really hasn't got a clue. Paul cannot say he wrote something outright and then be proven incorrect later. That would cause all other claims to be doubted. Meanhwile, by the benefit of surviving Paul can bend history a bit. I do notice that his shadow of contribution in the Beatles gets a bit bigger with his later explanations. He sees himself being overshadowed by the legend of the deceased John. He is used to having people in awe of his prowess. The only problem is that he failed to meet expectations after the breakup. None of them ultimately mustered, but Paul was the one who advised the world that he would write music that would put the world on its ear. And, really, he didn't. Despite all of the great McCartney-only Beatle songs, Paul couldn't seem to so it after the breakup - although he did have some solid tunes, there was always something lacking. It all fits his character though. He even had to own more shares in the Beatles at the end and behind the backs of the others. He is trying to chart his own legend without being too arrogant.
Here we go again about Ringo's drumming capabilities. I always thought the drumming on this song was ace musicianship, almost orchestrial. The last huge cymbal was so tasty and expressive. The rather offbeat tempo drumming throughout. The high hat during the middle 8 and it's transition to the remainder of the song. Was Ringo capable of all that? I have my doubts.
Of course Ringo was capable of all that, just as he was capable of the equally orchestral tympani fills on "Every Little Thing" elsewhere on BFS.
Check the article.
There's nothing in this song Ringo wasn't capable of.
I love these comments about Ringo that pop up on the site, like they had some mystery drummer come in and perform certain songs.
I'm not sure if you are commenting on my statement from way back on 24 Nov 2010, but I was not refering to the studio version released by the Beatles but the DEMO that was recorded when Ringo was sick. Mark Lewisohn notes that Jimmy Nichol had left after his rehearsal, when the demo was recorded. Listen to Anthology. There are drums on that track. Who played them?
I have nothing but respect for Ringo and his drumming.
Not at all. They were referring to the comment below yours about doubt Ringo played the final version. Which, for the record, is idiotic. He played the studio version. My guess is Norman Smith played on the DEMO.
“No Reply,” Take 1, has McCartney playing bass and singing descant
over Lennon’s vocal and Capri, and perhaps Harrison
playing drums in the ill Ringo’s absence. (Walter Everett)
With all the great Beatles songs, I keep coming back to this one as my favorite. There's so much happening within it!
I love Ringo. Love him, love him, love him.
But I have to pass along Lennon's reported comment when aksed if Ringo was the best drummer in the world"
"He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles".
Was it coincidence, or perhaps spite, that the first two tracks on the album titled "The Beatles" feature Paul McCartney on drums?
Was Ringo the most technically skilled drummer in the world? Of course not. But that doesn't matter, he was one of the most creative. HE knew how to lay back and create negative space when it was needed to create massive dynamics, when the part would transition. He played with such variety int terms of tempos and could explode when the part needed it. He WAS the best drummer the Beatles could of had.
I agree completely. He was and is a great drummer. I was just passing along Lennon's comment.
Lennon was a great writer for a drummer. If you think about Ringo's best work--Ticket To Ride, Rain, Strawberry Fields Forever, Come Together--they're all Lennon compositions.
just to add to the great Ringo-Lennon songs Day in the Life, Cry Baby Cry, Baby You're A Rich Man, Tomorrow Never Knows etc. John just left more space and freedom for the other Beatles to play. If you really think about the great 100% group effort songs are usually John's.
Don't forget "She Said She Said" and "Ticket to Ride," the former's drumm part cited by drummers as one of the greatest, most subtle drum parts ever, and the latter's, ironically, cited by John as Paul's inspiration. Hell, John's tunes even brought out the drummmer in Paul himself, like "Ballad of John and Yoko."
Yes, I didn't mean my listing to cite all of them, just to give examples, and others have come up with better examples I didn't cite.
In addition to Ringo and Paul, I would also point to Alan White on "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On). The drum fills, and the crash cymbal at the end of the first three lines of the refrain.
Paul on "Dear Prudence" was also excellent, especially the crash before the final verse.
And in response to JP, there was some criticism of Ringo, but it was stupid, and largely evolved around the Beatles/Stones rivalry, with Stones fans comparing Ringo unfavorably to Charlie Watts.
In my judgment, Keith Moon is clearly the best ever rock and roll drummer. I would round out the top five with Mitch Mitchell, Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker, and Richie.
Hi. Thanks for all the comments. Can we keep this to No Reply please? I don't want the page to be filled with the pros and cons of different drummers, as that's not really what this is about. The Fab Forum is the best place for that, if you want to continue.
Why would you take at face value a quip by Lennon that was most said just to be funny? Do you really think he meant this literally?
Lennon used Ringo on his solo albums when he had the money to use any first-rate session drummer, so he had to have thought highly of Ringo.
Lennon also trashed half of his Beatle compositions in interviews, as well as "Sgt. Pepper." He also busted on George Martin. Should be take every word he said that seriously?
Clearly, Lennon was a mercurial personality, prone to saying what reflected his mood at any given second, whether or not that had any connection to reality.
The drum accents in "No Reply" are one of the best things about it and reflect perfectly Ringo's sense of "conversational" playing, where his parts would drive home a point the song was trying to make. One of his best parts, IMO.
When I was a young teen and discovering the Beatles for myself, it was a fairly common perception that Ringo was a "bad" drummer. I never thought that, and it is a pretty false assumption today. In fact, Ringo was the perfect drummer for the Beatles' songs. He contributed greatly to every song he was allowed to, and No Reply is no exception. For me, John was easily the most appealing writer in the band throughout 1964. I know many do not consider Beatles For Sale as one of the group's better LPs, but actually favor it a lot - primarily because of John's dark and moody tracks, especially No Reply - one of my favorite Lennon songs.
I assume that Joe is the proprietor of this site, since there is not a button to respond to his comment, unlike all the others'.
Twenty comments here in more than 2 years, then 7 in the last month, leading to the request that we post elsewhere.
Goodbye to all.
Yes, it's my site, and yes, I'd rather discussions on drummers were taken elsewhere. It's not really relevant to this article. I do try to curate or steer comments, otherwise things end up a bit of a free-for-all (this isn't YouTube), but I'm actually not overly interested in stopping people from commenting. The forum is a far better place for drumming discussions than this No Reply article though.
The reason there's no facility to respond to the other message is because there's a limit of six replied-to comments - any more and the way they're indented makes the comments very narrow and unreadable. There's nothing more sinister than that - it'd happen to any popular thread.
Ringo's drumming in the verse is a bossa nova style
There´s additional drums (No one can deny that´s Ringo playing here both). Sleeve notes quotes that it´s Paul who plays piano.