Tell_Me_What_You_See

Tell Me What You See

Tell Me What You See

1965 song by the Beatles

This article is about the Beatles song. For the 2022 book, see Tell Me What You See (2022 book).

"Tell Me What You See" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that first appeared in 1965 on their album Help! in the United Kingdom and on Beatles VI in the United States. The song is credited to Lennon–McCartney but mainly written by Paul McCartney. Regarding the song's authorship, McCartney said, "I seem to remember it as mine. I would claim it as a 60–40 but it might have been totally me."[1] John Lennon said, in his interviews with Playboy (1980) and Hit Parader (1972), that "Tell Me What You See" was written completely by McCartney.

Quick Facts Song by the Beatles, from the album Help! ...

Background and composition

Although "Tell Me What You See" is credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership,[2] both John Lennon and Paul McCartney identified it as being primarily written by McCartney. McCartney said in the 1997 biography Many Years from Now: "I seem to remember it as mine. I would claim it as a 60–40 but it might have been totally me."[1] Asked about the song in 1980, Lennon simply said, "That's Paul."[3] McCartney recalled little of its writing, later describing it as a filler track: "Not one of the better songs but they did a job, they were very handy for albums or B-sides. You need those kind of sides."[4]

"Tell Me What You See" has been described as a folk rock song,[5] foreshadowing the direction of the Beatles' next album, Rubber Soul.[6] It is in the key of G major and is in common time.[7] The song's second verse draws from a religious motto hung in Lennon's childhood home with his aunt Mimi Smith.[8] Lennon himself would parody the lines in the story "Silly Norman" from his 1965 book A Spaniard in the Works:[9]

More information Original motto, "Silly Norman" ...

Author Kenneth Womack also suggests that the line "trying to get to you" was in reference to Elvis Presley's 1956 song "Tryin' to Get to You", which had also inspired McCartney's early composition "In Spite of All the Danger".[6]

Recording

The Beatles recorded "Tell Me What You See" on 18 February 1965, during the sessions for the soundtrack of their second feature film, Help! It was the last song recorded in the day, after Lennon's "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and the unsatisfactory attempt of "If You've Got Trouble". The session was held in EMI's Studio Two with George Martin producing and Norman Smith and Ken Scott engineering. The band achieved a satisfactory basic track in four takes,[12] featuring McCartney playing his Höfner 500/1 bass, Lennon playing rhythm guitar on his Rickenbacker 325, Ringo Starr on drums, and George Harrison playing a güiro.[13]

The band then added several overdubs to take four.[14] McCartney and Lennon added vocals – McCartney on lead and Lennon on harmony, with McCartney then doubling his part.[15] Starr added claves and maracas, Lennon added tambourine, and McCartney added an electric piano part to the break, played on a Hohner Pianet.[16][nb 1] Martin, Smith, and Scott mixed the track for mono on 20 February and Smith and Malcolm Davies mixed it for stereo on 23 February.[18]

Other versions

George Martin recorded an instrumental version of "Tell Me What You See" for his 1965 easy listening album, George Martin and His Orchestra Play Help![19]

The American Christian rock band Jacob's Trouble covered the song for their 1989 debut album Door into Summer.[20]

Personnel

According to Kenneth Womack,[6] except where otherwise indicated:

Notes

  1. [N 1]
    The Beatles had used the Pianet for the first time the previous day, on "The Night Before" and "You Like Me Too Much".[17]

References

Citations

  1. [1]
    Miles 1997, p. 200.
  2. [2]
    MacDonald 2007, p. 149.
  3. [3]
    Sheff 2000, p. 195.
  4. [4]
    Miles 1997, p. 200; Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 246.
  5. [5]
    Halpin 2017, p. 93.
  6. [6]
    Womack 2014, p. 893.
  7. [7]
    Pollack, Alan W. "Notes on 'Tell Me What You See'". soundscapes.info. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  8. [8]
    Asher 2019, p. 122.
  9. [9]
    Davies 2014, p. 104.
  10. [10]
    "Tell Me What You See". thebeatles.com. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  11. [11]
    Lennon 2015, p. 69.
  12. [12]
    Lewisohn 1988, p. 55.
  13. [13]
    Everett 2001, p. 289; Womack 2014, p. 893.
  14. [14]
    Everett 2001, p. 289: overdubs; Lewisohn 1988, p. 56: take four was used.
  15. [15]
    Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 246: McCartney; MacDonald 2007, p. 149: Lennon.
  16. [16]
    Everett 2001, p. 289; Womack 2014, p. 893: maracas; Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 246: Pianet.
  17. [17]
    Guesdon & Margotin 2013, pp. 226, 244.
  18. [18]
    Lewisohn 1988, p. 56.
  19. [19]
    Castleman & Podrazik 1976, p. 278: 1965 album; Schaffner 1978, p. 215: easy listening; Everett 2001, p. 299: George Martin & His Orchestra Play Help!.
  20. [20]
    Cummings, Tony (27 November 2011). "Jacob's Trouble: Quirky purveyors of retro pop with a still relevant musical legacy". Cross Rhythms. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  21. [21]
    Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 246.

Bibliography
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