Released in 1965 on Rubber Soul, ‘The Word’ found The Beatles singing for the first time about love as a notional concept. It was a turning point in their writing, marking a transition between early songs such as ‘She Loves You’, and the psychedelic era’s belief that ‘All You Need Is Love’.
It sort of dawned on me that love was the answer, when I was younger, on the Rubber Soul album. My first expression of it was a song called ‘The Word’. The word is ‘love’, in the good and the bad books that I have read, whatever, wherever, the word is ‘love’. It seems like the underlying theme to the universe.
The lyrics of ‘The Word’ displayed an almost religious fervour, with John Lennon and Paul McCartney acting as evangelists for their new revelation about love.
In the beginning I misunderstood
But now I’ve got it, the word is good…Now that I know what I feel must be right
I’m here to show everybody the light
‘The Word’ demonstrated The Beatles’ increasing awareness of their power as spokesmen and figureheads. This was developed especially by Lennon, in 1966’s ‘Rain’ (‘Can you hear me?’; ‘I can show you’) and his later political songs.
The song was a collaboration between Lennon and McCartney, and began as an attempt to write a song based around a single note.
We smoked a bit of pot, then we wrote out a multicoloured lyric sheet, the first time we’d ever done that. We normally didn’t smoke when we were working. It got in the way of songwriting because it would just cloud your mind up – ‘Oh, s**t, what are we doing?’ It’s better to be straight. But we did this multicoloured thing.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
Lennon later allowed Yoko Ono to give the lyric sheet to John Cage as a birthday present. It was reproduced in Cage’s book Notations, a collection of scores from modern music.
Elements from ‘The Word’ were combined with ‘Drive My Car’ and ‘What You’re Doing’, for a sequence on the 2006 album Love.
‘The Word’ was written together, but it’s mainly mine. You read the words, it’s all about – gettin’ smart. It’s the marijuana period. It’s love, it’s the love-and-peace thing. The word is ‘love’, right?
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
In the studio
‘The Word’ was recorded in a session beginning at 9pm on 10 November 1965, finishing at 4am the following morning.
It took just three takes to perfect the rhythm track. Onto this were overdubbed harmony vocals, piano by Paul McCartney, a harmonium part performed by George Martin, and maracas played by Ringo Starr.
I remember the first time I heard that song. The announcer had prefixed it with a (not altogether verbatim) reading of the Vision of Lehi from the BOOK OF MORMON. Does anybody else remember a similar event?
Haha, Not sure if you’re a mormon or not. I am, and let me tell you when you try to cross The Beatles and religion of any kind it just gets awkward.
You would be mistaken. John was certainly a cosmic fellow, and the fact that he presented this work to a woman with whom he later conceived and raised a child is no accident. This song is appropriately played in church services.
what planet are you from?
Well Ben did admit he was Mormon.
You’re right…however…he has yet to reveal his planet of residence!
Would you like to give a guess?
Off topic, sorry Joe, but they started it. It’s amazing how the comments about a song about love being “whatever, wherever” start out with thinly veiled hatred.
A complex recording with a total of seven vocals. We hear the following four tracks, 1 and 2 on the left, 3 and 4 on the right:
1) Paul’s piano, Ringo’s drums, John’s “chick” rhythm on Strat
2) John’s lead vocal and backing vocals from Paul and George
3) John’s double-tracked lead vocal (muted for the British stereo mix) and doubled backing vocals from Paul and George, maracas (Ringo) plus Martin’s harmonium
4) Paul’s bass, high falsetto vocal in the last chorus and coda by John and George’s overdubbed lead guitar (doubling Lennon’s mantra-like repeated line, first time appearing 0:28-0:36) plus more maracas by Ringo
That reminds me. John’s double-tracked lead vocal can only be heard on the USA stereo version of Rubber Soul.
Actually the 4 tracks are like this:
1: Both guitars, Drums, Piano
2: Maracas, George’s backing vocals, Bass, Harmonium
3: Paul and John’s vocals, more of George’s vocals
4: More of Paul and John’s vocals
love the piano and the Harmonum
I don´t hear more than one guitar here. Suspect John played maracas.
Actually, if you listen to the song, there are two contrasting guitar styles: George’s precisely played fills and John’s syncopated rhythm guitar.
As other posters have stated, Ringo was the one playing maracas, not John, and it’s also a good idea to trust your ears to listen for evidence.
More accurately, based on listening both UK & US stereo mixes:
Track 1 – Piano, drums, electric guitar (panned left on both stereo mixes)
Track 2 – bass, maracas, electric guitar fills, George’s falsetto vocal, harmonium (panned right on UK mix, panned left, then jumps back and forth between right & left during the instrumental break on US mix)
Track 3 – Vocals: John & George (panned right on both stereo mixes)
Track 4 – Paul’s vocal (panned left on UK mix, right on US mix) plus John double-tracking vocal on the verses (panned right on US mix, muted on the UK mix)
Given that John Cage turned 50 in September 1962, the chart couldn’t have been presented to him then, as the song wasn’t written until late 1965.
When interviewed by Howard Stern in 2001, Paul claimed Yoko came around to his flat to ask for some manuscripts to give away for ‘John Cage’s 60TH birthday or something…’
Being rather unwilling to give away any of his own memorabilia, Paul suggested she’d go and see John instead, and HE then ended up giving away the lyric sheet/chart they made for ‘The Word’.
54th birthday is probably correct.
Thanks Albert. I’ve taken out the 50th reference – should have checked that myself, really.
Paul’s bass at it’s absolute best!
As a bassplayer of 4 decades, I concur. It isn’t perfect, or consistent, but it drives and rides the song exquisitely!
You are so right – Paul’s bass part really complimented the song’s arrangement, and there’s no question that his new Rickenbacker bass was beneficial, given that the richer tone was better suited to recording than his Höfner due to the latter having a pressing intonation problem, not to mention that it was their “growing up” album.
It’s obvious that over the course of the Rubber Soul sessions, Paul clearly came to love his new left-handed Rickenbacker bass, since he used it on practically every song and by the time of “Revolver”, it was his bass of choice for recording.
AFAIK, he used his Rickenbacker bass on “Drive My Car” (the tone is obvious), “You Won’t See Me”, “Nowhere Man”, “Think for Yourself”, “The Word”, “Michelle”, “I’m Looking Through You”, “In My Life” and “If I Needed Someone”.
He almost certainly used his Höfner on “Wait”, because he didn’t have the Rickenbacker when it was cut in June ’65, as well as on “Norwegian Wood”, “What Goes On” and “Run for Your Life”, but I’m not sure if he used it on “Girl” or if it was cut with his Rickenbacker. If “Girl” was recorded at the same day that he happened to have his Rickenbacker with him, he probably would’ve used it out of convenience.
Does anyone see the connection between this song and “All You Need Is Love”? Its like the Beatles did the psychedelic hippie thing first on this song. I also loved how the merged funk elements in this song.
Yes. If you read the first sentence of this article, I made the connection there.
I agree with the “funk elements” – you could almost imagine Jimmy “Scratch” Nolen playing those clipped chords.
“The Word” may be the first in what would be a long line of songs that reflected John’s affinity for the song as T.V. commercial. “All You Need Is Love,” “Give Peace A Chance,” “Come Together,” “Happy Xmas(War is Over),” “Mind Games” (especially the fadout), and even stuff like “Imagine” were songs that instantly grabbed you and then kept you with a simple compelling message.
every time this song comes on my ipod- I have to play it twice – the vocal harmonies are just so tight.
The bass and piano is lesson perfect.
When I played this to my little brother (about 14 at the time) he reacted just like I hoped:
After 5 seconds of this incredibly tight and funky beat he just said: “Who will ever be better than the Beatles?”
There are so many things to love about this song:
1) The lyrics/message. John at his best.
2) The groove. Paul and Ringo at their best. I mentioned the excessive and very effective use of the tambourine on this album somewhere else before (also check Paperback writer), it’s very important for the groove.
3) The vocal harmonies. Love it how they put more and more on top of it in the last verse.
4) Nobody mentioned the organ solo yet, which is about the best part! Put on your headphones and check out how the notes are swinging more and more the more dissonant they get – and the release in the last last notes. Genius!! Sounds best on Vinyl and mono, of course.
One of my top ten Beatles songs, easily.
Totally agree with you on the rythm section. Paul’s bass almost sounds like Duck Dunn. As in Taxman, I believe this was the Ric he used here.
Also, not mentioned, is the piano part, which lends the song a very R&B flavor. Paul, brilliant, as usual. I actually have this song as my ringtone on my cell, haha.
A funky song indeed, just like “Taxman” with the 7th chords on guitar leaving Paul free to jump around and provide most of the motion. And dig that wonderful little bass fill at 1:15!
I can’t but help and think of The Gospel of John when listening to this song. As it begins, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And as it says in John 4:8, “God is love.”
I don’t know if Lennon was aware of this as he wrote the song, but to me it is endlessly interesting.
I agree… I get such a kick out of sharing this insight with my teenage students, who so ignorantly proclaim that rock music and the Bible don’t mix! To see their eyes widen in amazement as they see the connections is priceless! Even my Metal Heads – Black Sabbath, Lord of This World… AWESOME!
I concur with Joe T’s analogy between the song, The Word and The Gospel of John. In many ways, this song was the first epistle of John Lennon’s on the subject of Universal Love. More obviously though are the lines that almost seem to be lifted from the Bible: “IN THE BEGINNING I misunderstood” vs. “In the beginning was the Word.” and the lines “Now I know what I feel must be right. I’m here to show everybody the Light.” vs. “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” Also, “Give the word a chance to say, That the word is just the way…” John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Finally, given John’s fascination with the number 9, there is John 9:9 “Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.” vs. “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.” I Am the Walrus.
Yes absolutely – the word play between the Biblical concepts and his version based on love always seemed to me to be the dominant concept here but I hadn’t noticed the later verses you mention and the direct connection to those passages. Also there’s the “in the good and the bad books that i have read” bit which Joe touches upon too in the song write up he has here. This song is just brilliant. And think how this album must’ve really blown people’s minds, being barely a year after the height of Beatlemania (Hard Day’s Night etc)
In my opinion,this song captures the essence of the classic Beatles sound during the mid sixties.This song has it all,great lyrics,great melody,great harmonies,great tempo.This song grooves. One of my all time favorites.
There is nothing but greatness in this tune.
It says on the back of the cover that George Martin plays the harmonium on the track. To me it sounds more like an organ, perhaps the Vox Continental. Comments anyone?
I am so glad Paul is playing piano in this song and not George Martin. I’ve always found George Martin’s piano playing a little stiff…
It really sounds different in Capitol Records and EMI… I actually prefer the Capitol Albums–
Great song, I immediately loved when I got Rubber Soul in 1979.Brilliant fade out and piano. A Lennon- McCartney song, but owes more to Lennon. I love the evangelical tone of John and Paul on this. This song just has a great feel. This certainly lead to the likes of All You Need Is Love etc..
One of my least favorite Beatles songs. By far the worst on Rubber
soul. Second worst would be Drive My Car, then the usual Ringo downer. The rest are pure diamonds.
I’ve been listening to this all in my truck for the last week or two! And yes, I really think John had read the Bible more than once for sure!! I was singing the line that some say here; “In the good and the bad books (corny sounding for John to say) that I have read”. I think he is saying; “In the front of the back books (back books as 3/4 thru the bible) that I’ve read”, which makes more sense, going along with how others hear has put it into an evangelistic song right 😉
Perhaps “good and bad” sounds corny, but “front of back” sounds clunky and not at all like John.
Does anyone know what drum kit Ringo is using here? Really love the sound of it, especially the snare.
Does anyone see the resemblance between the main groove in “The Word” and “Wooly Bully” by Sam the Sham and the Pharoes? They’re not nearly identical, of course, but I wonder if “Wooly Bully” came out early enough in 1965 for The Beatles to have been influenced by its feel when writing “The Word?”
I have heard a version with no fade out on the Beatles Channel on SiriusXM
Where can i find the unfaded version they play on The Beatles Channel?