Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 1, 4, 5 August 1969
Producer: George Martin
Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald
Released: 26 September 1969 (UK), 1 October 1969 (US)
John Lennon: vocals, lead guitar
Paul McCartney: vocals, bass
George Harrison: vocals, Moog synthesiser
George Martin: electric spinet Baldwin harpsichord
Available on:
Abbey Road
Anthology 3
Love
The final song to be recorded for Abbey Road was John Lennon's Because. The song was inspired by Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and featured The Beatles' distinctive three-part vocal harmonies.
Yoko Ono was a classically trained pianist whose interests had moved towards the avant garde. One day in 1969, however, she played Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 – the Moonlight Sonata.
Lying on their sofa listening, John Lennon asked her to play the chords backwards, and wrote Because around the result. While not an exact reversal of Beethoven's piece, it contains a number of musical similarities.
Yoko was playing Moonlight Sonata on the piano. She was classically trained. I said, 'Can you play those chords backward?' and wrote Because around them. The lyrics speak for themselves; they're clear. No bullshit. No imagery, no obscure references.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
The vocal harmonies are one of the most distinctive aspects of the much-admired Because. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison sang together, and overdubbed their voices twice more, giving the effect of nine voices.
John wrote this tune. The backing is a bit like Beethoven. And three-part harmony right throughout. Paul usually writes the sweeter tunes, and John writes the, sort of, more the rave-up things, or the freakier things. But John's getting to where he doesn't want to. He just wants to write twelve-bars. But you can't deny it, I think this is possibly my favourite one on the album. The lyrics are so simple. The harmony was pretty difficult to sing. We had to really learn it. But I think that's one of the tunes that will impress most people. It's really good.
The vocal harmonies, isolated from their instrumental backing, can be heard on both Anthology 3 and Love. The Love album, however, features the sound of birds twittering in the background.
I wouldn't mind betting Yoko was in on the writing of that, it's rather her kind of writing: wind, sky and earth are recurring, it's straight out of Grapefruit and John was heavily influenced by her at the time.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
The instrumentation on Because was simple, with arpeggio accompaniment on harpsichord, guitar and Moog. Paul McCartney later bought the electric harpsichord, played here by George Martin, when EMI were reducing their instrument collection; it remains in his recording studio.
In the studio
On Friday 1 August 1969 Lennon, McCartney and Martin taped 23 takes of the basic track, with Lennon on electric guitar and McCartney on bass. Ringo Starr added a basic hi-hat rhythm, but this was for guide purposes only and wasn't recorded.
Take 16 was the best of the 23 attempts. With the backing track in place, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison recorded the first of their harmony vocal tracks. Two more were added on 4 August.
A final overdub was recorded on 5 August, when George Harrison taped a Moog part – the first time the synthesiser was used on the Abbey Road recordings. Harrison recorded it twice, filling up the last two available tracks on the tape.
Of course Paul McCartney was never influenced by anyone. But don’t bet on it.
Dear Prudence and Across The Universe preceded Because and both of those songs mention the sky and the sun and who wrote those songs?
I don’t think Paul was knocking John when he said that. He’s just making an observation and a pretty apt one at that.
Paul had nothing but positive things to say about John’s contributions to Abbey Road back when it was originally released and had stated that “Come Together” and “Because” were his favorite tracks on the album.
Meanwhile, all John had to say about the album was mainly negative – calling the medley “junk” and stuff like that.
Perhaps if he had lived into middle age and beyond, John Lennon may have mellowed in his attitude towards Abbey Road and other Beatle related topics.
John was already mellowing about the Beatles before his death. Wasn’t he starting to collect Beatle memorabilia?
There’s an interview of John done during the recording of Abbey Road where he talks very excitedly about the album and specifically about he and Paul working on the suite of songs on side two. That he was going over to Paul’s house to continue working on it.
Also the day before his death producer Jack Douglas quotes John as being very excited to get the “boys back together” in order to work on Ringo’s new album. And in that John speaks with affection to the old sound.
Point being that for every opinion John had, he had an equal and opposite opinion.
That makes him sound like Trump. 🙂
Is there no subject that won’t be sucked into recent politics these days? This is a Beatles forum, and a damn good one at that. Please keep it that way.
Could you please provide links to these interviews? Specially the 1969 one?
Thanks 🙂
I don’t think that’s quite so.. He rated both George’s as ‘real funky tracks’…
And i think he liked his own come together… and I want you…
*sigh* … It gets so old when people bash Paul. Why? Because he lived and John didn’t? If it’s any other reason, then you don’t really know, unless you knew both of them personally. Otherwise, you don’t really know what went on between them, or what they were really like.
Quoting John speaking to the NME in April 1969: “As far as that’s concerned in my case, Yoko and I stimulate each other like crazy. For instance, did you know she’d trained as a classical musician. I didn’t know that until this morning. In college she majored in classical composition.
“I’ve just written a song called ‘Because’. Yoko was playing some classical bit, and I said ‘Play that backwards,’ and we had a tune. We’ll probably write a lot more in the future.”
Lennon wrote them, so they don’t sustain whatever point you’re trying to make.
I honestly see this song as a masterpiece. The three part harmony being backed by Paul’s amazing bass, with John’s cleverly simple lyrics and arpeggio guitar and the Beethoven inspiration just makes this a perfect piece of music to relax your mind right before the Medley just blows it away.
Reply to LongLongLong89: I agree 100%. For me, it’s the MUSIC. Personal lives? We all are human, I don’t really care. I love MUSIC. So much of it that if I tried to follow personal lives, I’d be following 100’s of thousands of people’s lives. JUST PLAY IT is the motto in my band…no “yap yap” about it………we JUST PLAY IT……..for the joy of it……….or whatever emotion the music conveys.
Well said its all about music! but I found interesting the way it came out to life and the inspiration and who makes what! at the end is another ground breaking master piece that other will follow…
The 3 part harmony in this song is unbelievable. One of my favorite songs on the album. The bass and guitar parts are beautifully done.
This is quite possibly the most beautiful piece of music ever committed to tape, “Yesterday” or otherwise.
Agreed. Have you heard the Lennon demo? I don’t hear any Beethoven there, just an impossibly masterful piece of songwriting in its purest form
The version mastered for “Love!” should convince even the most elementry listener that the Beatles, by the end of their careers as a group, vocalized like no one else at the time and rarely ever since. If you have not seen the show and heard this in that venue, then you are missing a great work. It opens “Love!” and sets the entire tone for the show… just amazing…
I was fortunate to hear this – just the three part harmonies – played over studio 2’s huge speakers in September 1983 when Abbey Road opened its doors to Beatles nutters like me.
It was one of the most emotional and unbelievable experiences in my life! (This being well before the days of Anthology.)
That a group disintegrating so rapidly could join forces and sing like this in such a heavenly manner – so together the voices become one – is incredible.
You’re one lucky Beatle fan, David. Wish I coulda’ been there – bet it was awesome!
Am I wrong or “Because” in spite of the very melancholic melody, has quite ironic lyrics? I never read it anywhere so as I’m not englishspeaking, I really have the doubt that I’m misunderstanding a “double” meaning that doesn’t exist.
I love this song. Probably one of the best compositions at least harmonically, and in terms of the harmonies. Though, I kind of wish I did not know that it was sort of just its ideas from backwards Beethoven. Don’t get me wrong! The results are the results. They sound great no matter how they were conceived. It’s just the egghead in me wants to be impressed by the idea of John or whoever just being able to naturally here this sort of complicated progression. Sort of like how he just was able to naturally come up with the odd measures in across the universe. Though it is funny to hear him talk about how he doesn’t even know what time it is in. But had he known, he may have been less intuitive and able to come up with it just by being true to the phrases and flow of the piece, which is a type of genius in a sense.
But it is also said that this progression is not EXACTLY the backwards Beethoven. So I would like to know more about how it was flushed out and by who (if not just John, or if just John). I mean, it eventually had to be pretty arranged note for note with the pauses and such. How much did George Martin arrange this, and how much was it note for note transcribed before he started working on it etc.
So like I am saying. Sounds great regardless, but I would have been a little more impressed had his mind been able to compose this progression by hearing it one chord/phrase at a time. And I am still impressed, since it is so beautiful, and obviously he must have made some decisions to change up some of the harmonies to fit with the lyrics and such.
He says he reversed the chord sequence, not the actual music. He would be able to make his original melody and arrangement from the new chord sequence without needing George Martin to do anything.
Again, find the demo of just John doing “Because” on youtube and you’ll see the whole “Beethoven” thing has become so trumped up, and it’s Lennon’s own fault by his self-deprecating comments in the media. Another thing he once said (can’t find exact quote) is it’s no use trying to compete with Bach and Beethoven and the like so why even try?
I think he thought by giving Beethoven the credit he wouldn’t be perceived as pretentious and trying to reach the heights those composers did (and of course he gave Yoko credit as well, which he loved to do as one does when they have to defend their partner to the world).
He thought of himself as a pure rocker, remember (really a punk rocker before his time) despite his capacity for gorgeous softer songs/”ballads”. But these ideas he had about classical or (eck!) prog-rock are the reasons he never tried anything like “Because” in his solo year’s, or ‘I Want You”, “Walrus”, etc, the real ambitious grandiose stuff – he just wanted to rock or make sad songs.
He still had the songwriting chops, esp at the beginning and sadly, the end of his solo career. He could have easily written “Because” in 1979 and would probably just released it raw, no crazy 9-part harmonies and Moogs and Celestes, etc. That would’ve been neat. Like how he said he wanted to redo “Help” how it should have been, a slow and sad piano song as he originally wrote it in 65’ before the record label made him speed it up for proper “single-sound”.
Fact is, the truth of “Because” is quite the opposite of what people think, this becomes clear on the demo – it’s a little Beethoven and a lot John. To me, the demo reminds me a lot of the demo of “Strawberry Fields Forever” from Anthology 2 (the one where it’s just him after he says he “cannot do it”) – that song is obviously about as good as pop gets and has just as many chords as “Because”, even strummed similarly.
I know I’ve been all over the place but one last piece of evidence to prove my point – listen to “Moonlight Sonata” (perhaps my favorite all-time piece of music) backwards – just youtube those very words, its very easy to if you weren’t aware you could do this. I did and I heard virtually no similarities and I have some classical background. For instance, I know that Paul in a way stole “Blackbird” from a Bach composition that I can play, that he and George used to warm up with (well, he stole the beginning and then greatly expanded on it to make his own “Because”…hmm, sounds familiar. Another reason to love the Beatles, just the give and take and influence. It’s like if Michael Jordan played on the same team as Magic Johnson or something.)
When I was a young musician, I became obsessed with originality. I was consuming a lot of psychedelics and I was convinced that my improvisations on the saxophone were strictly my own creation. I became an unbearable snob about this, eschewing many great opportunities to make music with other great players, and the gigs were very rare. As I grew older, I began to see the cracks in my thinking, and now, in my 60s, I realize that ALL of my music was inspired by stuff that came before. This isn’t a sad realization at all. I absolutely LOVE that my songs (and yes, they are original, in any meaningful sense) are contributions along the pathway of Music. What I learned is that I do NOT play Music, Music plays ME. It is an awesome power in the Universe, and it comes through whom IT chooses, not the other way around. I still do my best to make all my creations my own, but I’m no longer embarrassed to acknowledge that many of my initial ideas come from other amazing musicians. It’s NOT stealing, if you do it right. It’s honoring the greatness of one’s inspirations.
You are missing the session brass players on this track.
There is no brass on this track.
During the B section, when the lyrics are “Love is old, love is new…”
That’s a Moog.
A football or boxing analogy is apt here. If you were another band in the 60s, give up. The Beatles could beat you so many ways. Got a great lead singer? A shredder, like Daltrey? Listen to John on Twist and Shout. Give up. Got great harmony, like the Everly Brothers or the Beach Boys? Listen to this song and gasp in astonishment. Perfect three part harmony and yet no saccharine. Give up. The greatest bass player in history. The drums on Rain or A Day in the Life. A guy who could belt “Why don’t we do it in the road” like a bluesman, and follow it up with “I will”, better than any crooner you ever heard. Give up. Your *two* songwriters running out of ideas? Ok, the backup dude will throw in While my guitar gently weeps, Here Comes the Sun, and Something. Give up. Think you can at least become a great kids party band? Ringo singing Yellow Submarine, the greatest sing along of all time. Give up. But at least you can write great poetry, right? All you need is love. Yesterday. For no one. Eleanor Rigby. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Give up.
Thinking of starting a band? Give up. Truly, it has all been done, much better than you could ever hope to do it, all of it, by four guys in the space of six years. One and done. Over and out. Good night, Jack. Give up.
Wonderful analogy! But instead of giving up, I was always “inspired”. Now that is for me what The Beatles did for the world!
Great!!!
Brilliantly said. I’ve felt exactly that way about how many ways their genius expressed itself. It’s overwhelming and astonishing to think about. No other band has or likely will ever match their musical achievement. When Paul first met John he had a guitar with a missing string (“guaranteed not to crack”) and could play 3 chords. A few short years later he/they wrote “I Want to Hold Your Hand” with an impressive middle section turning the V chord into the II minor chord of a II-V-I in a different key, then deftly returning to to original key! A portent of things to come!
It’s a good job music isn’t competition then if that’s your view!
:o)
I agree with all that (except for Yellow Submarine)….but I woiuldn’t say give up….the thing to do is just resign yourself you will never be as good as the Beatles and get on with you writing your songs and playing in your band and having a good time. I think that we run the risk of thinking that only Beatles songs were great…there was a lot of a great music in the 60s…
Does anyone notice how much the beginning of Because resembles the first 20 seconds of Mozart’s Fantasia in D minor? I know the song’s inspriation is creditied to the Moonlight Sonata played backwards, but backwards or forwards, the Moonlight Sonata and Because sound nothing alike, The Mozart piece is much closer.
For the origins of Because, you should all read this:
http://markmitchell-music.com/music/documents/LennonsBecause.pdf
It’s pretty clear to me that this song was based on Chopin’s famous Fantasie Impromptu in C# minor (used as a demo piece on many electronic keyboards). Read the article – you’ll see.
Interesting Because demo. Never hear it before.
albertozeta, I think you are absolutely correct. Each line has a double meaning. Because the world is round, it turns me on. Turn me on was a drug reference in the 60s, but because the world is spinning and round, we are all constantly turning in a physical sense in relation to space. Because the wind is high, it blows my mind. A double meaning of wind blowing and blowing my mind in the psychedelic sense. Because the sky is blue, it makes me cry. The color of the sky being blue and blue as in a sad state of mind. Good catch. I didn’t notice this for many years. Maybe it was easier for you to catch because you were not that familiar with English.
Take it a step further –
“Why?”
“Because”
“…the World…”
“…the wind is High…”
“…the skY is blue…” (and “it makes me crY”)
Lennon composed the melody to Because. With the harmonies it sounds like a madrigal from the 15th century. The most beautifulpart is when they sing it withouit the words “…aaaaaa…”.
In march 1970 McCartney was interviewed by David Wigg in Daily Express. (A half year before Lennon had left The Beatles). McCartney dared to indicate that he was the composer, without saying it exactly. But David Wigg interpreted it as McCartney was the compposer. After MacDonald´s book Revolution in the Head 1994, McCartney admitted it is a Lennon composition.
Hi Johan,
I just read the interview with David Wigg. Here’s the transcript: http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/db1969.0919.beatles.html
I don’t think Paul indicated or implied that he was the composer. In response to David’s gentle criticism of the lyrics, Paul clearly states that they are *John’s* lyrics, strongly indicating that it’s a John song. I don’t see anything suggesting that David inferred Paul to be the composer.
I know that Paul can seem a little vain at times, but I don’t think he’s as arrogant or disrespectful to his colleagues as some would like us to believe.
All the best. 🙂
Jason
Hi jason
When David Wigg asked McCartney how he got some words to the song, McCartney was forced to admit “Well it´s John´s lyrics, …I don´t blame you…”,
meaning that David Wigg´s question was excusable! because Wigg presupposed McCartney had written the song. All musicwriters in the world at that time – 1970 – believed that McCartney was the Beatles composer, and McCartney knew that. Many even called him “The Beatles songwriter” (I can give you some examples of that). McCartney could have said “Well it´s John´s song”, but he carefully emphasized “it´s John´s lyrics”.
1976 the tapes were released in two records “The Beatles Tapes, from the David Wigg interviews”. In the cover there is an enormous picture of McCartney and besides him small pictures of Lennon. There are even some instrumential versions of some Beatle songs. David Wigg confirmes he believed McCartney composed the melody to Because, the song is put in among McCartney´s songs.
When I read all the interviews with McCartney about all the Beatles songs, I get astonished by how often he tells very clever half lies, with the result that he often gets the credit over compositions he never made. I am surprised that not more people have discovered that. McCartney´s ego was the reason The Beatles split.
All the best
Johan
As I read the interview they only discuss the lyrics to “Because” not the music and Paul clearly says that they are John’s lyrics. It’s that simple. You read more into it because you very obviously dislike Paul.
Anybody who disses the lyrics to this song, well, joke’s on them obviously. The wind blew over their mind. And I don’t think you’re entirely right about the opinion of critics in 1970 about the Beatles and who was considered the main writer – I believe John Lennon was asked directly by Rolling Stone in the 1970 interview – “Were you the Beatles?”
I assume he only thought that as the (incorrect) cliche was that John was the one who wrote the rockers and weird stuff while Paul wrote the gentle songs with lovely melodies…
I always heard this as a “John doing a Paul” song and “Oh Darling” as a “Paul doing a John” song. Maybe because of that I never quite clicked with either song.
Reading all the praise for this one, maybe I need to give it another listen.
As so many have commented, a beautiful song with wonderful three part harmony courtesy of John, Paul and George. One of Lennon’s great late 60’s Beatle contributions.This song is part of the great tapestry that makes “Abbey Road” one of the greatest albums of all time.
hi im writing a piece for uni on beatles and how they were influenced ny classical music, this interests me and all of this information is great, im wondering if any one knows where these quotes are from and how i can get to the primary source?
I always thought the Yoko is a clasically train pianist comment was just hype and John was trying to sell her to the press. It seemed in the years after he was force feeding her to the press. But in all the shows she played with Lennon not once do I remember seeing her in front of a piano. I could be wrong but did she ever have a piano credit on an album?
I find it interesting that this backwards riff finds its way into several Abbey Road songs including Because, I Want You, You Never Give Me Your Money, Carry that Weight. and partially hints at it in the middle eight of Here Comes The Sun. Although some will argue the chords are different in some songs the hint is there.
So if Yoko did in fact play that classical piece than all those songs have her influence including two Macca songs. Because if she didn’t play it, Lennon wouldn’t have asked her to play it backwards.
Well, there is classically trained and there is classically trained. Moonlight is one of the simpler pieces in the canon of Beethoven music. It is the first movement of a sonata (Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia) whose third movement is incredibly challenging. If she could play the third movement, that would be quite impressive. I don’t mean to be too negataive here. Any music training is wonderful. But the term “classically trained” could be misconstrued to imply virtuosity. Most every new piano student plays Moonlight within 2’ish years of taking lessons.
When all those that imagine dark plots, double entendres, innuendos & back ground feuds fueling art fights a la reality TV are gone, and only the music remains, those in the future will listen to this song and love it for the sound, and the almost child-like lyrics. Mmm, that’s nice. Who did you say was singing this?
Growing up, I always considered Because to be part of the Medley on side 2. I have read here and in other places that it was not intended as part of it, but I truly feel that is flows as part of it.
I definitely feel that Here Comes the Sun sits apart (and by the way, beyond being an incredibly beautiful song, it is such a great palate cleanser after I Want You).
But even listening to how You Never Give Me Your Money begins, it feels to me that it picks up from Because. And I realize that there is a pause between these two songs, but there is also a pause before Golder Sumbers begins…
Intended or not, to me, the medley begins with Because. 🙂
There is a definite pause between this song and “You Never….” , setting it apart from the medley. just like the pause between “She Came In…” and “Golden Slumbers”, denoting a separate piece.
This is top 10 of all Beatles compositions … gorgeous in all respects!
The comments here are awfully silly at times. Can people please listen to opus 14 by Beethoven? Play the first movement’s bass line and tell me you are not able to play « Because » over that. The C sharp minor key is tough to play on any instrument! Quasi une fantasia requires very delicate playing. This is exquisitely difficult from start to finish. There is nothing backwards in « because » and that’s silly !!
It’s a variation on the first movement that is rather straightforward in fact. The three part harmony is straight out of classical music too. Don’t you think it’s hard enough to be a classical music fan as it is? Do pop music fans feel so superior that they have to trash us no matter what the obvious connection to it? I m tired of popular culture and of the peopleisation of everything. The genius of the Beatles was to take beauty in all styles and adapt it to their compositions and yes that includes classical music. Deal with it people. Be happy that there was a time when this was possible. I love this composition and feel it is neglected sadly for the simple fact that « Beethoven » is present. Well face it people …. Beethoven is popular still … more popular than the Beatles and not so far off Jesus . Just ask my friend Schroeder !!!!!
I’ve always wanted to hear each individual voice isolated so I could really hear what’s going on . It’s very difficult for me to discern their voices as distinct from one another in this track . Amazing how it sounds like all three of them simultaneously .
One of my lifelong ‘if only’s’ has been to be a ‘fly on the wall’ when Paul or John would walk into Abbey Road with a scrap of paper and say to George Martin..’What do you think of this I wrote it a couple of nights ago?’….and then John gets out his acoustic… and for the first time ever they hear the raw ‘Because’ or ‘Yesterday’ etc etc…..Did George Martin ( bless him) ever feel ..’What the hell” life’s not fair..”
The three part harmony with John, Paul and George singing vocals was overdubbed twice which made it a nine part harmony and it sounds heavenly! The harpsichord that George Martin played has a haunting quality reminiscent of Beethoven himself.