Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 17, 19 April 1966
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Released: 5 August 1966 (UK), 15 June 1966 (US)
Available on:
Revolver
Personnel
John Lennon: vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonium
Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass
George Harrison: backing vocals, lead guitar, maracas
Ringo Starr: drums
‘Doctor Robert’, written mainly by John Lennon, is notable for containing The Beatles’ first explicit references to drugs, although at the time of release they went largely unnoticed.
Lennon later described ‘Doctor Robert’ as an autobiographical song.
Another of mine. Mainly about drugs and pills. It was about myself. I was the one that carried all the pills on tour. Well, in the early days. Later on the roadies did it. We just kept them in our pockets loose. In case of trouble.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
Although many in London thought the titular doctor referred to art dealer Robert Fraser, it was actually written about Dr Robert Freymann, who ran a discreet clinic on Manhattan’s East 78th Street.
Known as Dr Robert or the Great White Father, Freymann had a reputation for giving vitamin B-12 injections containing large doses of amphetamines, mainly to well-heeled New Yorkers.
Word spread of his willingness with prescriptions, eventually finding its way to Lennon and McCartney on one of their American trips.
John and I thought it was a funny idea: the fantasy doctor who would fix you up by giving you drugs, [the song] was a parody on that idea. It’s just a piss-take. As far as I know, neither of us ever went to a doctor for those kinds of things. But there was a fashion for it and there still is. Change your blood and have a vitamin shot and you’ll feel better.
In the studio
The Beatles began recording ‘Doctor Robert’ on Sunday 17 April 1966. The laid down seven takes of just the backing track: lead and rhythm guitar, bass and drums, plus overdubbed maracas, harmonium and piano.
The vocals were added two days later, on 19 April 1966.
George does sing backing on this song. Listen closely to, “Well, well, well, you’re feeling fine…” and you’ll hear his voice there.
In Youtube, some says that the speed is altered. But they don’t know that the original speed is the released.
I would agree that George is on backing vocals as well.
I think you’re right. I’ve amended the line-up as it seems likely.
I don’t think George does any singing on this song.
We hear the basic track of Rickenbacker bass, drums, maracas and distorted guitar. Overdubs include John’s harmonium and an ovedubbed Leslied lead guitar from George that has its signal split with one half receiving ADT.
John’s lead and Paul’s descant vocals were added to the fourth track with ADT added.
ADT was also added in the final mix and a fade out given to a full ending to mask an extended jam of forty-three seconds that completed the original recording.
Is it true that in one version there is something hard to hear during the fade-out, like maybe the “Herb” thingy?
Yup. I’m 12 years late replying but John says “Ok Herb.” at the end of the fadeout. You could hear it on the original vinyl of “Yesterday and Today”, which I bought in 1966. It was cut from the CDs. On the new Revolver package of alternate takes, the song doesn’t fade and John says clearly “Okay Herb.”
I’d always thought that this song, with obvious references to drugs, was like a homage to those who introduced the Beatles to a new and “another kind of mind”, for the inspiration that gave them and for what they created after that. They being, the DOCTOR (dentist) who first gave them LSD, and ROBERT (Zimmerman) who first shared with the fab four the well accepted (by them) cannabis. This idea, though Lennon says the song is about him, at least would explain the title. 😉
Hey, that’s a nice interpretation! And it might even help to suggest why they apparently sing “Bob Robert” a couple of times near the song’s end.
It sounds more like “Doc Robert” to me.
They 100% say Bob Robert a couple of times. Listen to the isolated vocals on YouTube.
Bob Robert may also have been a reference to Mayfair Art Dealer and druggie Robert Fraser.
Here you go, folks. John featured very prominently on guitar. Maybe not technically stellar or pyrotechnic – but a great sound and tone. Very Lennon. I’ve always been in awe of John’s playing. He takes simple and gives it a bigger sound. BB King doesn’t play phenomenally complicated anything either – but that sound.
That’s the sound John wanted, but he couldn’t have achieved it because he was useless in things technical. It was the late, great Geoff Emrick who achieved these things with the most basic of tools available to a sound engineer back then. He was amaaaaazing. I highly recommend his book about “his” Beatle albums and later career. Don’t miss his account about “Tomorrow Never Knows” in which he Leslied John’s VOICE.
If you listen closely to the fade, there’s a full ending they tried to cover up (on the fourth beat of the B chord)
Yeah, ain’t that great? Always loved that part, with the high vocals right before.
Did you know that John said “OK Herb” on the very last second of this song?
I always liked the way this song elevated itself from the ordinary with nice touches like the intricate vocal arrangement. For instance, the “Well, well, well…” middle 8 is SO much better with the layered voices. And Lennon’s sense of humor is nicely showcased here, too. And… well, heck, MY name is “Robert,” so there’s THAT, too.
May never no one deny that the intention for the song was the feeling of A certain kind of experience, wich they have had… and besides, they do it magnificently in the middle 8… precisely THAT middle 8, just like that.
It’s always amazed me that George has never gotten more credit for his amazing work on this tune. Just before the “well, well, well, you’re feeling fine” vocals…his fills are just fantastic. Great tasty stuff. Not to mention his sneering guitar work throughout.
I agree whole heartedly here about Georges playing on this tune. Awsome.
We have to constantly remember to do our own thinking, to discern meanings of Beatles lyrics, especially those of John.
Hearsay, anecdotes, even John’s own wry descriptions of any subject, rarely are factual.
That being said, this is a great song, on a legendary album.
George Harrison, who probably was factual, most or all of the time, on the Dick Cavett show, 1971, clearly states that the dentist they had, gave them coffee, laced with the notorious “L”.
“Take a drink from his special cup…” I mean, what could be more obvious?
A dentist is a doctor. And whether or not his real name was Robert, is also immaterial.
This whole charade is almost as blatant as Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. In that song, everyone I knew, felt strongly that it was a reference to LSD.
Naturally, the band denied this. You have to remember the mindset of America, (one of the Beatles’ best markets ), at the time.
If they admitted this, It would have caused a major outrage.
That bit about Julian’s picture, was pomp and circumstance.
Far too much of a coincidence that the initials in it, just happened to be LSD.
Decades later, in a interview, Sir Paul admitted that it was an obvious reference to LSD.
I agree, and remember this was less than a year since the infamous ‘Bigger than Jesus’ controversy which almost broke Lennon in my opinion.
Dr. Robert was mainly written by Lennon and was a direct influence on all the different varieties of pills he was probably using with his favorite being LSD. But by then in 1966 all of the Beatles were pouring different drugs into there system on a regular basis. Years later Lennon would admit that he always had more. Dr. Robert proves it.
The Beatles were the most successful influential band of their time. They really were not at that point afraid to say exactly what they wanted to… even recording music, they did on their terms.
So when Lennon says the song was about a drawing his son made. That I trust was a fact.
I think The Beatles would have said the song was about LSD if it was. They were not afraid to say something like that to keep it under wraps.
Now John being presented with the drawing, making the connection Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds to include the letters LSD and it suddenly inspire an idea for the song… yeah.
However the LSD myth is hard to imagine since it includes LITSWD which could be linked to all sorts of words really and in my opinion a reason even more to take Lennons words on the matter as the facts.
“One of”?? America provided well over half their income.
Some sources say McCartney helped write the lyrics to “Dr. Robert”
And also the middle 8 itself. I believe John himself said in 1970 that Paul helped with the middle.
Yet another example of one of the writing partners providing a tweak or two, to elevate something mainly written by the other guy from good to great.
Okay, I’ve been trying for a few hours now to get the intro riff to this very cool John song right. I’ve got a ’64 Epiphone Casino played through a Vox AC30, and a Boss ME-50 multi effects pedal with multiple effects engaged in order to get the snarly sound on the guitar right. Got that. It’s just the riff itself… Sounds simple (built around an A7 chord, but is it barred or is it in the open position?), but it’s actually bamboozling to get it just right, like it sounds on Revolver. Seen lots of attempts online, but NO ONE really gets it.
Was George playing along on the intro riff, or was it just John? I can clearly hear George’s guitar at various points in the song, but the intro sounds like just one guitar to me, but it seems to be doing just a bit too much to be just one guitar (of course Paul’s simple bass line can be heard underneath…). Any wisdom on this that anyone can impart would be appreciated.
I play the A7 barred. It makes it easy to slide down to F#7. B7 is easier that way too. The YouTube tutorials don’t sound quite right to me though. I think it should just be slightly 4th with your pinky while keeping it 7th.
And I agree that it’s too busy for just one guitar on the intro. But John and George’s guitars have sounded great woven together before, like on I Feel Fine, Nowhere Man and She Said She Said (on this album). And of course on Rain.
I agree entirely; really I think the riff is very complicated indeed – John seems to be playing three things at once, especially when the chord changes to F#7; and I really like how George didn’t want to get in the way, so did nothing till the end of verse two, and there and in subsequent verses just put in “comments”, still letting John’s part come through clearly.
Tasty rhythm work by john
Largely a John Lennon song, great tongue and cheek lyrics. I love the “Well,well,well,you’re feeling fine….” line. Brilliant rhythm and lead guitar work by John and George. John, Paul, George’s harmonizing, outstanding. This song has great drive. Loved this song from the first time I obtained and listened to “Revolver”.
Well (well well) a bit after the fact, but…
>>This whole charade is almost as blatant as Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. In that song, everyone I knew, felt strongly that it was a reference to LSD.
Naturally, the band denied this. You have to remember the mindset of America, (one of the Beatles’ best markets ), at the time.
If they admitted this, It would have caused a major outrage.
That bit about Julian’s picture, was pomp and circumstance.
Far too much of a coincidence that the initials in it, just happened to be LSD.<<
A lot of rubbish in the above.
• First of all, Julian's picture *exists*. You can easily find it online.
° Secondly, The Beatles have always been candid about their use of LSD, right from the time they started it. There are any number of statements they made in public about using it. If there was any "outrage" at all, it certainly didn't cause them any great grief or loss of record sales…in America, or any other market. If you think an LSD reference of any kind (title or otherwise) could have slowed the sales of the "Sgt. Pepper" album…then you didn't live through this era.
• Third, there's no question that "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was *influenced* by The Beatles' (and in particular, John's) use of LSD. But that's a different issue entirely from saying the song title is a coded reference to it.
• John says he saw Julian's picture, and then wrote the song. He swears he didn't give the initial letters a thought until sometime later. No offense to anyone, but I'll take his version of events over others who are on the outside looking in.
• Finally…I'm sorry, but I just don't see John Lennon being *corny* enough to say, "Ah, I've got it! I'll write a song that has LSD as letters in the title of it. Heh-heh-heh!" He simply had no reason to do something that corny.
You’re partly right. But what you forget is the fact that John was impulsive. Julians picture doesn’t look anything like a drawing by a 4-year old. My take is that John wrote the song as a pean to LSD, then after realising the possible consequences (and the fact that the title/phrase was corny and obvious) changed his mind and thought it was best to come up with a suitable story.
A cool song indeed. Love Paul’s descant/counter melody when he sings with John.
This song wasn’t even on the American “Revolver”. The 3 songs left out, including this one, matter greatly. But even with them, the view here is that “Sgt. Pepper” surpasses this album, and certainly obliterates all albums prior. It is that much better in every respect. But “Revolver” was the best they had done up to that point, no doubt. I still like to listen to it, mainly for the last song “Tomorrow Never Knows”… by far the best on “Revolver”… well, in my humble opinion. But I like “Dr. Robert”! Before “Revolver” I have a hard time, sometimes… maybe a few here and there, like “Norwegian Wood”, “Michelle”, “Yesterday” of course… but I find the humour lacking prior to the zinging chords and words of “Dr. Robert” and everything else on “Revolver”…
In my opinion Sgt. Pepper’s is a one of a kind masterpiece, an album with a true artistic vision that is fully realized. Many people think Revolver is their best, but Sgt. Pepper’s will always hold that honor for me!
Do someone have the complete track with the 43 seconds studio jam?
I asked the same thing? Also note the galloping drum set… is the missing 43 seconds on u tube somewhere?
Awesome guitar playing by both Lennon and Harrison that really makes this recording stand out.
I wonder if the real-life “Doctor Robert” in NYC is the same doctor who messed up Don Everly with his enhanced “vitamin B-12” shots…
I think this is a song they could have added to their live set had they continued touring, although the powers that be may not have allowed it. It’s not so complicated that they couldn’t have played it live and it would have been a fun one for the fans at that time…that is if would have allowed themselves to actually hear the music! Weren’t other bands playing songs with drug references live at that time? I always liked this one. Here in the USA it came out on Yesterday And Today, which became the butcher baby album after my brother steamed off the cover photo that it came with!
Lennon was a prankster. This seems to me to be lampooning of Britain’s new social medicine. Lennon had lots of other ways to sing about drugs.
Check out another plausible option for who Dr Robert was, or a candidate in the amalgam of figures that Dr Robert was: Doctor Robert De Ropp.
He has the credentials, & through the Indica book shop, which is where Lennon got Timothy Leary’s commentary on the Tibettan Book of the Dead that same year, Lennon could easily have got hold of Dr De Ropp’s publications.
Hunter THompson sought out Dr Robert De Ropp in the mid-1960s & wrote of the encounter in FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS. In book form, the name is deleted at the insistence of lawyers. In the original Rolling Stone issue, Dr Robert De Ropp is spelled out by Thompson. It’s a bit of a rich coincidence if Lennon was NOT mindful of Dr Robert De Ropp as he crafted that song in 1966.