Comments on: I Want To Tell You

By: Mikey C

Mikey C — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 20:51:24 +0000

It’s certainly an unusual sounding recording

While this may have been EXACTLY what George wanted for his song, in those days as noted they spent less time and effort on them when compared to L&M songs. And the Beatles were still a touring act when Revolver was recorded, so it’s not like they had unlimited time to record the album (as they did from Pepper onwards when they lived in the studio.

By: Teddy Salad

Teddy Salad — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 20:01:38 +0000

And wasn’t it the other way round? Didn’t John do the sabotage or just plain not play on songs he didn’t like?

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 08 Oct 2017 12:41:41 +0000

It’s E7flat 9. Used a lot in jazz.

By: Micahelbearfella

Micahelbearfella — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 17:35:14 +0000

That bothered me too until I messed around with my piano and figured it out. I’ve learned a lot beatles songs that way actually.

By: Micahelbearfella

Micahelbearfella — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 17:32:00 +0000

John on tambourine would be unnecessary. John on piano, George on guitar, Paul on bass, Ringo on drums.

By: Chord man

Chord man — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 12:00:38 +0000

It’s an E7, but Paul alternates between the tonic and the small 9 on the piano. It’s very wobbly and ‘ugly’, if you get my point.

By: Vera, Chuck & Dave

Vera, Chuck & Dave — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 11:51:56 +0000

In understand that it’s fascinating to discuss and theorize the intentions of the musicians, especially when it comes to the Beatles since they are so well covered and written about that they almost become characters in a fascinating story, but as serious music listeners, do we not need to transcend beyond the intentions of the musician so and instead approach the music as its own contained entity? Wether or not the strained backing vocal from Paul was intentional, they exist, and they convey a certain feeling.
When the people start to take up more thought room than the music, I personally think one’s approaching thin ice.

By: John Pepper

John Pepper — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 21:24:02 +0000

Paul on piano, George on guitar, Klaus on bass, Ringo on drums. John on tambourine or somesuch.

By: Peter Paizis

Peter Paizis — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 04:53:41 +0000

George is definitely the culprit! Flat as a pancake.

By: SaxonMothersSon

SaxonMothersSon — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 04:19:02 +0000

So? What IS that chord? More baffling than the opening of Hard Day’s Night!

By: Xenophon

Xenophon — Sun, 16 Oct 2016 09:13:07 +0000

Not to mention the stunning harmonies on “Because.” The Beatles were highly accomplished whether rock screaming or choir singing.

By: Robert

Robert — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 21:39:08 +0000

I always felt that the Beatles wanted this song a little out of tune (I didn’t know the term dissonance). It sounded different and uniquely cool. Maybe it goes with some of the lyrics:”I feel hung up and I don’t know why…” I’ll bet a nickel that if they ultimately wanted it perfectly in tune they would have accomplished that, too.

By: Sergioq

Sergioq — Fri, 13 May 2016 20:57:49 +0000

I don’t want t get dragged into this tit for tat, intentional or not, rushed or not, etc.But someone brought up a great point. Paul did some really nice work for George on Taxman. That’s an excellent guitar solo and George even acknowledged that he appreciated that Paul wrote it with an Indian style.

So maybe Paul did give his all to at least all the songs on this album. (minus She Said, She Said of course)

By: Graham Paterson

Graham Paterson — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 09:54:24 +0000

Lovely track by George Harrison off”Revolver”.George was on the verge of a great new awareness and creativity and this song signals that. I love the fade out. Lyrics are great and I love the fade out. The Byrds and The Beach Boys influence is there.

By: k. cain

k. cain — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 09:21:01 +0000

I love this song. Always have- Always will. Of course its out of key, the harmonies, piano, bass, vocals. I LOVE IT!!!! This band had the BALLS to listen to the playback and say there you go. DONE!! If you listen to REVOLVER ALMOST every track is out of key somewhat. Revolver is one of my favorite beatles albums. One thing, I do not hear john on this song. At the fadeout you get George sturgging to hold the note (TIME). Then two paul vocals. Paul holding on real well with the word (time) and paul doing his melisma on the word (time). Its just great. MONO version is much better. Say what you want, but out of tune is alright by me. And that’s my 2 cents.

By: Pete

Pete — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 03:07:04 +0000

It’s also possible that it was intentional but not premeditated. They may have chosen this take over others because the out of tune harmonies worked for the mood of the song.

By: John Leper

John Leper — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 22:58:11 +0000

What would have John played I wonder? Maybe piano.

By: Tim Cox

Tim Cox — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 00:11:53 +0000

The dissonance is obviously intentional, but dissonance and out of tune are very different. I think the hasty nature of recording attributed to it. I, however, also believe they listened back and probably thought it was a neat sound!

By: Tim Cox

Tim Cox — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 22:51:09 +0000

Upon close inspection, it is very evident that George’s lead is off during the harmonies. That being said, I’m fairly sure Paul is off as well. The big issue here is that a vocal take can sound very nice until you add harmony, then suddenly bad notes become more apparent.

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 10:45:53 +0000

With this song, George demonstrates his ability to turn the mundane into the profound. This might be the most ephemeral Beatles song: very dark, very twisted, and yet it defies explanation as to why that is the case.

Note how he rhymes the final word of one line with the second-to-final word of the next (“Sometimes I wish I knew you well/Then I could speak my mind and tell you”), this is consistent with the song’s overall off-key-ness and supports the “it was intentional” side of the argument.

In fact, the intentional off-key-ness is explicit in the lyrics themselves, just like Northern Song only subtler: when we’re here, all his words “they seem to slip away” (slip out of key), our games “begin to drag him down” (drag him down out of key. It’s only him, it’s not his mind, “that is confusing things”, translation: we may be baffled, but George knows *exactly* what he’s doing.