- No Reply (song)
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"No Reply" Song by The Beatles from the album Beatles for Sale Released 4 December 1964 Recorded 30 September 1964
EMI StudiosGenre Rock Length 2:15 Label Parlophone, Capitol Writer Lennon/McCartney Producer George Martin Beatles for Sale track listing 14 tracks - Side one
- "No Reply"
- "I'm a Loser"
- "Baby's in Black"
- "Rock and Roll Music"
- "I'll Follow the Sun"
- "Mr. Moonlight"
- "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!"
- Side two
"No Reply" is a song by The Beatles from the British album Beatles for Sale and the American album Beatles '65. It was written mainly by John Lennon and credited to Lennon/McCartney.[1]
Contents
Composition
Lyrics
The song is about a young man who is unable to contact his apparently unfaithful girlfriend, although he knows she is home ("They said it wasn't you, but I saw you peek through your window".)
According to Lennon in a 1972 interview, The Beatles' music publisher Dick James was quite pleased with "No Reply":
“ I remember Dick James coming up to me after we did this one and saying, 'You're getting better now — that was a complete story.' Apparently, before that, he thought my songs wandered off. ” Reviewer David Rowley found its lyrics to "read like a picture story from a girl's comic," and to depict the picture "of walking down a street and seeing a girl silhouetted in a window, not answering the telephone."[2]
In his last major interview, Lennon said that lyrically, the song was inspired by "Silhouettes", a 1957 song first recorded and released by doo-wop group the Rays.[3]
In his book, "Revolution in the Head", Ian MacDonald remarks that the middle eight ("If I were you, I'd realize that I love you more than any other guy; and I'd forgive the lies that I heard before, when you gave me no reply") was the most powerful phrase featured in any Beatles song thus far.[4]
Music
The song is in the key of C major. The song form is standard AABA (verse-verse-bridge-verse), without a chorus as such, but including the refrain "No Reply". The instrumentation includes acoustic guitar, bass, drums and piano.
Originally Lennon had intended to sing the higher harmony part, as this was the original melody. However, his voice had deteriorated due to excessive use, forcing Paul McCartney to sing the part, and relegating Lennon to the lower harmony line.[5]
Personnel
- John Lennon – double-tracked lead vocal, acoustic rhythm guitar, handclaps
- Paul McCartney – harmony vocal, bass, handclaps
- George Harrison – acoustic rhythm guitar, handclaps
- Ringo Starr – drums, handclaps
- George Martin – producer, piano
- Norman Smith – engineer
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald[6]
Notes
- ^ Dowlding 1989, p. 82.
- ^ Rowley 2002, p. 66.
- ^ Sheff 2000, p. 174.
- ^ "The Beatles - No Reply | Video". Nme.Com. 2008-10-16. http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/QOOf-kmdBYc. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 49.
- ^ MacDonald 2005, p. 131.
References
- Dowlding, William J. (1989). Beatlesongs. New York: Simon & Schuster.
- Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
- MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-844-13828-3.
- Rowley, David (2002). Beatles For Sale. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 1-84018-567-8.
- Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying. St Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.
External links
Beatles for Sale Related articles Songs Side one: No Reply · I'm a Loser · Baby's in Black · Rock and Roll Music · I'll Follow the Sun · Mr. Moonlight · Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!
Side two: Eight Days a Week · Words of Love · Honey Don't · Every Little Thing · I Don't Want to Spoil the Party · What You're Doing · Everybody's Trying to Be My BabyPlease Please Me · With The Beatles · A Hard Day's Night · Beatles for Sale · Help! · Rubber Soul · Revolver · Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band · Magical Mystery Tour · The Beatles (White Album) · Yellow Submarine · Abbey Road · Let It Be Categories:- The Beatles songs
- Songs produced by George Martin
- Songs written by Lennon–McCartney
- English-language songs
- Songs published by Northern Songs
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