Written by John Lennon in India, ‘Dear Prudence’ was about Mia Farrow’s younger sister, who refused to leave her chalet at the meditation retreat in Rishikesh, and had to be coaxed out by Lennon and George Harrison.
Prudence Farrow had become infatuated with meditation, locking herself away from the rest of the group and falling into deep states against the advice of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
‘Dear Prudence’ is me. Written in India. A song about Mia Farrow’s sister, who seemed to go slightly barmy, meditating too long, and couldn’t come out of the little hut that we were livin’ in. They selected me and George to try and bring her out because she would trust us. If she’d been in the West, they would have put her away.We got her out of the house. She’d been locked in for three weeks and wouldn’t come out, trying to reach God quicker than anybody else. That was the competition in Maharishi’s camp: who was going to get cosmic first. What I didn’t know was I was already cosmic. [Laughs.]
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
Farrow later confirmed she was more fanatical in her pursuit of enlightenment than those around her.
Being on that course was more important to me than anything in the world. I was very focused on getting in as much meditation as possible, so that I could gain enough experience to teach it myself. I knew that i must have stuck out because I would always rush straight back to my room after lectures and meals so that I could meditate. John, George and Paul would all want to sit around jamming and having a good time and I’d be flying into my room. They were all serious about what they were doing but they just weren’t as fanatical as me…At the end of the course, just as they were leaving, George mentioned that they had written a song about me but I didn’t hear it until it came out on the album. I was flattered. It was a beautiful thing to have done.
A Hard Day’s Write, Steve Turner
The song’s distinctive fingerpicked guitar style was taught to Lennon by Donovan, another guest at Rishikesh. The style was used on a number of other songs on the White Album, including ‘Julia’ and ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’.
In the studio
Like ‘Back In The USSR’, ‘Dear Prudence’ was recorded without Ringo Starr, who had temporarily left the group.
The Beatles taped the song over three days in Trident Studios, an independent facility in London’s Wardour Street. Unlike EMI Studios, Trident had eight-track facilities available, which The Beatles had previously used for the recording of ‘Hey Jude’.
Work on ‘Dear Prudence’ began on 28 August 1968. Although the studio records note that The Beatles only recorded one take, the luxury of eight tracks meant they were able to piece together the song instrument by instrument, wiping previous attempts as they went along.
The basic track, recorded on this first day between 5pm and 7am, featured John Lennon on fingerpicked guitar, George Harrison on lead guitar and Paul McCartney on drums.
The next day McCartney recorded a bass part, Lennon manually double-tracked his lead vocals, and backing vocals and handclaps were performed by McCartney and Harrison. They were assisted with contributions from Mal Evans, recent Apple discovery Jackie Lomax, and McCartney’s cousin John.
In The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn notes that the end of the song originally featured applause from those who contributed backing vocals and handclaps, though it was left out of the final mix.
The recording of ‘Dear Prudence’ was concluded on 30 August, with a piano track and a very brief flugelhorn section. Both of these were performed by McCartney.
What an amazing track this is. I love the circling guitar line from lennon working with georges drone guitar, add in the backing vocals, pauls amazing gulping bass line and the way the track resolves (genius) and i think it might be one of their best late period tracks.
Paul’s drums are pretty decent too i think, his hi-hat work is a little stiff but his fills are as good as anything ringo would have done.
That’s the thing- for all that Lewissohn wrote, working directly from EMI’s and Trident’s logs- we have to remember that ‘protocol’ got pretty shambolic during the WA sessions – I think that there must have been a non-logged session after Ringo’s ‘vacation’ where he overdubbed a drum track, at least for the final verse-chorus-outro. It ain’t Paul. Paul could manage a decent bang-bang-thump-bang, but he could never play like that.
No, the entire track featured McCartney on drums. The members of some other bands considered Paul to be the best drummer in the Beatles. The drum fill at the climax of the song sounds nothing at all like Ringo’s drumming.
The people who were actually there credit all of the drums to Paul.
Further, Ringo did not like flashy drumming. Again, this is just not his style.
It’s Ringo filling on the last verse. Those fills are signature Ringo. They’re too finesssed to be Paul, who always sounds caveman-ish on drums. Sorry, it’s true. As others have mentioned its entirely plausible, even probable that a quick session occurred and didn’t get logged. However, I think the drums previous to the last verse are a John-Paul two man effort, there are photos of them doing this with John on hi hat and Paul on bass and snare.
Nonsense , it’s Paul.
Listen to McCartney’s drumming on McCartney solo album. It’s really sloppy and has nowhere near the feel of Dear Prudence. There’s no way that is Paul on the end of this song. Sorry Macca freaks. Sometimes you just have to admit Paul wasn’t the greatest lead guitarist or drummer in the Beatles. He is, however, one of the greatest Bass players in rock history.
I get speculating on the ‘possibility’ of an unlogged Ringo drum session, but if always baffles me when people state their suspicions as fact (“It’s Ringo filling on the last verse.”). Rather pompous, don’t you think?
I’ve heard that the three of them actually played drums on the track. If you listen closely to fills at the end of the song it clearly sounds thicker than two hands could manage. Paul is not a great drummer (or keyboard player for that matter).
Listen to this isolation on the drum track – at least two drummers, maybe three…
I agree. If Paul even dreams that he was a better drummer than Ringo, he had better wake up and apologize! Ringo was very good. I’ve been a drummer for 55 years and he’s very underrated. Paul could never play the drum part on “I Feel Fine.” Never.
I 100% agree – you have the very typical Ringo rolls on the snare into the toms, etc, much like he does in Magical Mystery Tour, Rain, She Said She Said. The drums sound VERY different in the mix from the break to the end, and the high-hat in particular sounds much less heavy handed despite being forte.
We know historically that not all of the Beatles recording records are totally accurate and that even Paul has remembered incorrectly details from sessions. Not saying that makes this 100% Ringo, just saying it makes it possible.
Just not his style? I take it you are familiar with the drum fills in A Day in the Life and at the end of Strawberry Fields?
Whatever else Ringo played, this is Paul.
If you don’t believe the research and recording history, listen to the session track (50th anniversary edition) which features the three of them when they didn’t even had recorded the bass. All the drum fills are already there. Give it a rest, it’s Paul, doing really well on the drums.
Paul did a great job on the drums on Back in the USSR as well. I love listening to the drums on that.
The Rock Band stems conclusively prove that this final section of drumming was overdubbed, as you can hear the original drum track — VERY differently and more simply played at this point in the song — leaking into John’s vocal mic. Draw the conclusions you wish to about whom it is, but know that this section is most certainly an overdub.
Also, the mix on the 50th anniversary box is clearly of the final master take with nearly all the subsequent overdub tracks omitted, and the punch-in of the drums is extremely audible. It’s an entertaining alternate mix, but it doesn’t enlighten us any more about the method of recording or of what Paul actually played there on the backing track (which IS revealed partially by the isolated vocal track, and it’s most clearly not what is on the final mix or this alternate mix).
they sound the same
Name the bands whose drummers said Paul was a better drummer than Ringo? I would love to hear those names, because I’ve never heard anyone say that.
Total bullshit! Nobody ever said that Paul was a better drummer than Ringo except for some comedian whose comment got misrepresented as being John’s.
One of the hardest Beatles songs to play.The picking pattern takes much practice to learn.
Has anyone ever seen a picture of Paul’s cousin John….said to have provided handclaps along with Mal Evans and Jackie Lomax? I have never heard of Paul having a cousin John McCartney …would be great to see a pic or some more details.
Oh yes he could and did. Just listen to Kreen- Akrore from McCartney.
I hate to burst your bubble but Ringo did not play the Outro!
Wasn’t Prudence the one that maharishi was supposedly hitting on?
According to Lewisohn, Cynthia and Jenni Boyd had confirmed that Maharishi didn’t hit upon anyone. It was a vicious rumor created by Magic Alex who wanted to get the Beatles back to the UK so he could continue fleecing them. The Maharishi was truly innocent. This explains why He was truly clueless when John confronted him and said “if your so cosmic then you’d know why we’re leaving”
His fills are pretty decent because Ringo overdubbed them upon his return. ?
Yes, I had the same reaction. Paul’s high-hat ride when he doubles it up feels a little forced, but the fills on the toms are like he’s channeling Ringo and make it feels like a Beatles tune. What an amazing recording.
one of my favorite Lennon written songs of all time. Dear Prudence rocks.
Doesn’t the busy drumming have a typical Ringo style?
Could Ringo have done some overdubs?
Or is there proof that he didn’t?
Agree completely.
Comments by all who were there are proof enough. They all say it’s Paul (including Ringo, who wasn’t there).
Case closed.
If handclaps and tambourine were recorded on the same take, Paul wouldn´t posible play both.
Beautiful song. Wonderful lyrics, singing and finger-picked guitar by John Lennon.Instantly loved this from the first time I heard it after getting my copy got my of The White Album for Christmas 1980. “The sun is up the sky is blue, it’s beautiful and so are you “. No wonder Prudence Farrow was flattered!!
To anyone who still wants to know the answer to who drummed the outro, I have a link that without a doubt proves outro was a re-recorded piece. In the video you can hear the original drum beat Paul lays down for the outro which is simple and straight foward, as Paul’s drumming usually is. As a drummer myself I’m confident that a reinvigorated Ringo came back rested and recharged from vacation, excited from the great warm welcome home, had a few listens and laid down that outro with all of that new energy. Paul’s drumming couldn’t touch Ringo’s I’m sorry all you Paul fans. I’ve listened to his first solo album, Ram, and Band on the Run; he’s just not the great drummer Ringo is. Anyway sorry for my rambling here’s the link.
Spot on mate, I’m a semi-pro drummer of 41 years standing and those fills are 100% signature Ringo, very reminiscent of the outro of Strawberry Fields and the middle 8 of Hello Goodbye.
You may be a “semi-pro”, but according to all who were there, you are wrong.
Dear Prudence is all Paul. The reason for the overdubs is that Ringo could have done it all without additional tracking, though the Beatles were known to punch up the snare with overdubs due to the nature of production being limited to a few tracks, and the use of mixdowns would reduce the impact of the total drum ‘sound’.
Paul has been known to emulate Ringo’s style of drumming. And conversely, as much as it might tick some people off, many of the rhythmic signatures Ringo has across the Beatles catalog has a lot to do with the other three Beatles as the songwriters (the directors of their songs, if you will) collaborating with Ringo to get the exact sound and style just right.
A video link that compiles many clips of Paul drumming.
Having listened to the link it still does not confirm that Ringo played at the end. It just confirms that an overdub took place. It sounds like Paul did the overdub. Sounds nothing like Ringo’s playing.
That link does not confirm that Ringo played the outro. It only confirms that there is an overdub. It sounds like Paul as well as the rest of the song.
I’m not saying Paul is Ringo Starr (nobody is) but Paul drummed for Steve Miller (“My Dark Hour” – AMAZING) and was asked SPECIFICALLY to play drums for two Paul Jones songs, both of which were recorded before “Dear Prudence”. Paul could drum very well and anyone who says he couldn’t do the fills at the end are kidding themselves. ALL proof points to Paul, including all written records and witness accounts. The fills being an overdub does not mean Ringo did them, Paul overdubbed a ton of stuff for this song and many others!
Am I the only one who hear that loud percussion, like a block or something (not drums, nor hadclap or tambourine), coming in just after “Won’t you let me see you smile” at the end of the third verse?? It plays continously but always changing its rythm, until the the end of the last verse, only on the left channel. What is it? Who plays it? It is not listed.
It sounds like a woodblock or muted cowbell. And no, it isn’t credited.
It’s Paul bass (fender jazz), which sounds rather dry on this record. If you have the chance to listen to the multitracks of the rockband that circulated for a while on the web, you will realize this.
It’s cowbell. You can hear it clearly on the isolated bass track. Someone (Paul?) asks for “cowbell,” first softly at 3:16 then in a louder stage whisper at 3:21.
https://youtu.be/g7FvA3CdFE0?t=178
you should listen to Paul play drums on MY DARK HOUR by Steve Miller. FANTASTIC drumming. give it a rest.
Yes, Macca as Paul Raven.
Outstanding lead guitar from George on this track.You can hear the Indian influence on it.
Was there ever a video or film made for the Song? or was it too early for such things?
No there was no promo video as it was not released as a single.
Can anyone hear the flugelhorn? I can’t spot it anywhere in this song.
You can hear it in the isolated drum/bass track. It’s a single note sounded at 2:00 and 2:06.
The Flugelhorn comes in near the end. It is one long sustained note. You can only really hear it on the isolated tracks though. It is there but is hard to hear.
Any fan of McCartney would recognize the drums have the same feel as his drumming on kreen akore from his first solo album. The playback on the video is the initial basic track with the basic drumming and then an overdub track with piano percussion and another McCartney drum track just like back in the USSR.
My thoughts exactly
The first intelligent comment.
I have always said that this sounds the same as Paul’s drumming on Kreen~Akrore. Even the overdub at the end.
The drumming at the end is surely classic Ringo, what Abe Laboriel Jr called “that sloppy, swampy, falling down the stairs kind of sound.” It’s comparable to, say Blue Jay Way or Hello Goodbye. Nobody else sounds like that. Macca’s style is more careful and measured as heard on Back In The USSR and the other tracks by him mentioned above.
What was the effect pedal used by George on his guitar??
1) Vox Tone Bender Fuzz
2) Fuzz Face
Anybody knows??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0jX8y53ceY
McCartney on DRUMS….
Hard for me to accept the drumming outro as Mac since I can’t find anything close anywhere else. It also doesn’t sound like a “rejuvenated” Ringo as suggested here. How about an uncredited Alan White, later a Lennon regular.
Or, how about Buddy Rich….
No evidence, documentation, or even suggestion (except by you) that White was involved.
I’m surprised that there’s even a debate on who played drums here. Ringo wasn’t there at the time this was recorded! And, also, just listen to the song. Paul is competent, but he’s not on Ringo’s level. Compare this to Sexy Sadie, for example. And have you noticed the drums are more prominent in the mix than usual on this track? I love Dear Prudence, but I do wish Ringo had played on it.
The White Album 50th anniversary edition books puts this discussion to a definite end:
It clearly says that Ringo was not involved and mixing was done before he returned (as was already pointed out here).
That is one insdisputable fact.
On the other hand there’s the fact that the drum track sounds trippy but nowhere near as prescise as Ringo usually is. It also sounds multitracked, so Paul might even have done overdubs to make it sound more complex than it is (as was already pointed out here).
This is Paul on drums, like it or not. I’m sure Ringo likes it!
I agree. Paul played the drums and did the overdubs. It sounds like Paul’s drumming on Kreen~Akrore from McCartney.
There is no way this is Paul playing drum. Ringo even does some of the backing vocal (“round round round”) to signify he is BACK with the group. Probably Ringo’s best performance!
You can keep believing what you want, but that doesn’t change the FACT, that the 50th anniversary edition contains a take that was still without the bass – but the drums were already there. Paul played the drums first, and later the bass.
Ringo came back long after they finished mixing it.
But I give you that: The (obviously completely bogus) suggestion that Ringo is even doing some of the vocals is kind of refreshing!
Well, I guess it’s just pointless to point out the facts again and again and again…
I can hear Ringo sing “round round round”; I don’t need to check a recording session log; I can hear for myself and wont be convinced otherwise… ie are all the guest musicians who supposedly sang back up vocals on Sgt Peppers in a recording session book? No… sorry to those who think everything was documented in this fashion on paper, in the 60s no less??? Whoever played that channeled Ringo. Without Ringo’s style, it wouldn’t sound like that in the first place! If not Ringo it surely is supposed to sound like him.
Actually, there IS very much a way Paul played the drums. He sat behind the kit and did it.
And so he did.
The drumming on the first part of the song is crap. No way the ending was done by the same person.
Just Paul. Don’t re-invent the history, please! There’s no “uncredited Ringo drumming”. Accept it.
Anyone who thinks that was Paul on drums at the end doesn’t have a critical ear.
It’s 100% Ringo.
Maybe it’s you who need an ear checkup. That self-proclaimed “critical ear” is betraying you.
It’s Paul. All who were there say so (including Ringo, who wasn’t).
You are 100% wrong, I’m afraid.
Yes, MikeP. I’m not sure if there’s any evidence to prove that Ringo did overdub the drums on the coda upon his return and as far as I know, he wasn’t called into Trident by John to overdub the drumming at the end of “Dear Prudence”, so perhaps Paul had to do these drum overdubs himself.
In regards to his drumming abilities, Paul himself admits that he’s okay and can play basic 4/4’s, but he openly says that he can’t play shuffles.
I agree with MikeP.
Ringo was on the Howard Stern show in the 90’s
and said he did not play on Dear Prudence. It’s clearly Paul’s drumming. Ringo would have added so much more to this song. It’s a shame he didn’t leave The Beatles during the Ob la De Ob La Da sessions. This song desperately needed Ringo’s class and style to bring out more of its beauty. Even those ending fills that everyone is debating do not add anything to this beautiful song. The playing is a little annoying in its jerky attempt to force a heavy crescendo. The drums don’t sit in the mix… they stand out… which proves it’s McCartney. Ringo never failed to bring the right vibe and style to any Beatles song.
It’s Paul. It’s been well documented in multiple sources.
Doesn’t it sound like there is some slide guitar going on at the end of this song, most likely by George?
Dear Prudence has a double meaning to me. Prudence, a person, come out and play, and prudence, good though and reason, come out and meet the brand new day. I think Lennon was using this through out the lyrics.
Paul has a cousin called John McCartney? Who provided handclaps…I can’t see any official record of a John McCartney as a cousin. Is there any information on him?
Thanks
How is it that so many people who had nothing whatsoever to do with the record of this song know so much about it? WHY does everyone have to be right? Who cares. Maybe George Martin was on drums, or his wife’s third cousin Travis.
Because SOME of us are relying on the statements of those who WERE involved with this recording, as well as concurrent documentation. WE are trying to keep the record accurate. That’s why.
Then please examine ALL of the evidence, including the Rock Band isolations, which make it unarguable that the drums fills are an overdub. You may decide by whom for yourself.
Paul Raven as Macca. Yes indeed!
People comparing Dear Prudence’s outro to Kreen Akrore obviously don’t play drums, Kreen Akrore proves exactly that Paul couldn’t play triplets and swing properly, he’s always admitted it, it’s out of time with the other drums, stiff, no subtleties.
Ringo’s very at ease with triplets and swing, and he brings that into the straight beat of Dear Prudence effortlessly. He’s playing with the resonance of the snare, delays some beats while still being in time, that’s Ringo all over, stuff Paul never did on recordings and particularly not on Kreen Akrore.
So anyway, Dear Prudence is one of their absolutely perfect cuts. Thank the gods for smiling on Paul’s playing that day or thank you, Ringo as always. George’s perfect understated guitar, though sometimes I’d like to hear him rip a great solo, and John’s perfect singing. A real highlight. Also love Siouxsie Sioux’s cover. It’s different, but great. Check it out.
Ad thenthere we’re three. One of John’s greatest songs and perfectly played by 3 Beatles. The White Album is their best, not Pepper.
So I found what KEN SCOTT says about who’s drumming on Dear Prudence:
“I don’t know for sure but I believe it is Paul on the whole thing. The two things that lead me to that are that Ringo didn’t rejoin the band until they were back at Abbey Road and I KNOW WE DID NO RE-RECORDING on Dear Prudence. It is actually the Barry Sheffield, Trident, mix that’s on the album. ”
https://web.archive.org/web/20230528151557/https://gearspace.com/board/interviews/1380920-interview-ken-scott.html
PLEASE stop these silly conspiracy theories about how Ringo sneaked back in later and secretly overdubbed any of Paul’s parts – it’s just SILLY!
Paul COULD play it and Paul DID play it.
And it only sounds as complex because he overdubbed a second drum part to the basic beat he did before.
Enough said! Thank you.
I think this was the first finger picking pattern I ever learned (and I learned it because I thought it was so hypnotically great). It’s basically Travis picking but what did I know–it was just a new world to me. This was also one of the first drop-D songs I learned.
Thank you Donovan for showing this pattern to John. Thank you John for employing this pattern so wonderfully, not just here, but also in the start of Happiness is a Warm Gun, and in Julia, and in Sun King and Look at Me and Steel and Glass, and probably some others.
Who sings the deep vocal solo, “look around round round round” I always thought it was Ringo. Is that Lomax?
There’s a very good site on the internet with all the information you need:
https://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/dear-prudence/
Oh, wait – that is the VERY site you’re commenting on RIGHT NOW!!!
Not to throw gas on the fire…but here goes. If you listen to the isolated tracks of the drums, the overdubbed part (most likely Ringo, judging from the left-handed rolls and the rim shot snare hits) is quite clearly from a different session and is combined with a very rudimentary beat that Paul had originally created. The EQ’s are quite different…If unfamiliar with Ringo’s rolls and why they are so unique, there are plenty of interviews where he explains his left-handed approach toward drum fills. The two tracks aren’t even close to being in sync with each other and further points to the two different drummers as McCartney rarely left anything on a final track that wasn’t finely honed. Not his style. Hey….but why listen to exhausted engineers hearsay (and theories) when both of these drummers are still alive and still very much in control of their faculties! Not as if John and George played the parts.
And while the fire is glowing hot….how is it that no has ever questioned the “Travis” picking parts that John Lennon played mysteriously without noticeable errors. If you listen to the isolated picked guitar parts (as engineers freakishly enjoy doing, for some reason), you will discover that the droning thumb part of the Travis pick sounds as if played separately from the droning high E and B strings. High E and B strings are definitely double-tracked as well (not ADT….don’t go there, I know better). Furthermore, John never used anything but his dull thumb when he “Travis picked” (listen to “Julia” for a clear reference). These tracks sound like a plastic pick was used (pick “click” string articulation) and are not even in sync with each other (hard to achieve if one right hand is creating the entire Travis pick). Might be a studio magic situation where two or three tracks are reduced to sound like one performance. Two for the high E, B, and G strings and one track (maybe doubled… I wasn’t there) for the Low dropped D, A, D, and G strings. Very easy to do this with a single pick (much easier than a full Travis-style pick) and the articulation of the strings certainly leans toward this thought (just a thought). What do you think and keep in mind that there are session outtakes that show just how “clean” John’s picking was when attempting to play “Julia,” an infinitely easier song to Travis pick.
On the basic track, while John travis picks, George doubles the high E and B string notes. In the bridge and coda another guitar doubles the low (dropped) D A D picking pattern, the coda pattern continues to double the descending bass line on the A string. John’s travis picking is double-tracked, entering after four bars of the intro picking. https://youtu.be/eB51JchewDg?si=lznF8zWj6gtIW3EA
I don’t care about what the info of the personal saids. That’s Ringo playing the drums and singing in the chorus ” Look around round round round round “.
It’s definitely the gentle giant Mal Evans doing the deep bass part on the ‘Round, Round’ bit – not Ringo.