The Beatles, “Think For Yourself” from Rubber Soul (1965): Deep Beatles
During the Beatles years, George Harrison grew rapidly as a songwriter. He often dealt with philosophical themes of living for the moment and renewal. In “Love You To,” Harrison rails against people “who’ll screw you in the ground” and “fill you in with their sins.” A precursor to “Love You To,” “Think for Yourself” tells the story of a man distancing himself from someone who has lied and wreaked emotional havoc. Accented by Paul McCartney’s fuzz bass, the song not only reveals Harrison’s darker side, but foreshadows the thematically sophisticated tracks he would pen on subsequent Beatles albums as well as his solo works.
The inspiration for the bleak lyrics is unclear; in his autobiography I Me Mine, George Harrison wrote that he did not remember a specific incident that preceded the song. “‘Think For Yourself’ must be written about somebody from the sound of it — but all this time later I don’t quite recall who inspired that tune. Probably the government,” he said. Originally titled “Won’t Be There with You,” Harrison and the Beatles recorded the song in one session on November 8, 1965. After recording the rhythm guitars, drums, and bass in one take, they overdubbed lead guitar, additional bass (the sound wired through a fuzz box), and additional percussion. They then overdubbed the lead and backing vocals, which produced an interesting artifact: over 20 minutes worth of studio chatter caught on tape.
As the Beatles and George Martin rushed to complete Rubber Soul in time for the holiday shopping season, they also had to produce the annual fan club Christmas record. Thus, Martin kept the tape running during initial rehearsals, hoping to capture witty banter. According to Mark Lewisohn’s The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, the Beatles were well aware of being recorded, and therefore hammed it up with fake accents and in-jokes. Nothing came out of these sessions that could be used on the Christmas flexidisc, so Martin scrawled “this will eventually be issued” on the tape box for safekeeping.
By: Kit O'Toole
Source: Something Else Reviews
