The Beatles, Tomorrow Never Knows - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction / Excerpts

#thebeatles #johnlennon #paulmccartney #georgeharrison #ringostarr #virginrock
Well, the moment has finally come! I get to use the word “weird”! What a brilliant, fascinating, and wonderfully weird piece of music this is!
Here’s the link to the original song by The Beatles:
• Tomorrow Never Knows (...
/ @amyscut
/ @littleliesel
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by The Beatles
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[@BecomeConsciousNow]

Happy 84th Birthday John Lennon.

[@atleengelstad5303]

And happy birthday to Sean as well :)

[@Billp19733]

In my top ten Beatles songs. In the 90’s, I was a young Beatle fanatic, still am. I put this on in my car with my girlfriend and I could not convince her that it was The Beatles. She kept say “no, this is new”. New as I’m 91-92ish. It’s so far ahead of it’s time. Revolver sounds like a Beatle album and then you get to this and it’s shocking. To me, it’s the end of the mop tops right there. I can’t even imagine what it sounded like to the kids of the 60’s. It sounded amazingly crazy to this kid of the 90’s.

[@angelcervantes5464]

I heard it for the first time in the 2010's and blew my mind

[@richardfehlmann4593]

I was such a kid in the 60ies and we got Revolver as soon as it came out. This song just blew our minds and we found it so cool that John Lennon did something like that, we called it "experimental" 😅

[@philippesauvie639]

As a painter I believe that there is no such thing as an ugly color. I believe that the Beatles prove that there is no such thing as an ugly sound. The sounds simply need to be juxtaposed properly and wisely.

[@J0hnC0ltrane]

Some color choices are better than others and in music, as Jerry Garcia said, any note can work as long as you don't lay on something odd. Paraphrasing here.

[@BloggerMusicMan]

This sounds so bold and original even today. It must have blown people's minds in the 1960s.

[@WessStewart]

It's still blowing minds in the 2020's. Just gotta tune in. :D

[@pardeeplace4480]

I used to think the Beatles were dorks, when I was a kid I out on my mom's copy of Revolver and heard this song and realized how daring and creative they really were

[@richardfehlmann4593]

I'm one of the people in the 60ies that's minds were blown 😁👍

[@andyallan2909]

It did.

[@rb9628]

When Jerry Garcia first listened to "Tomorrow Never Knows," he said the "Beatles get it."

[@Bassman2353]

When Bob Dylan heard it, he said "So you no longer want to be cute".

[@josephbobrowskysr9519]

The Beatles at their very best. Thank you for all the enjoyment you give to me and all your viewers.

[@-R.Gray-]

See the video with George Martin's son about how they made this song. Those strange sounds were tape loops of sped up and sometimes backwards recordings. For example, the one sounding like seagulls was a sped up recording of Paul laughing. There were also sped up backwards guitars, and bits of orchestral music from the radio. Five loops were playing at the same time during mixdown, and they were bringing in these sounds via the console faders as they mixed - so that was a one-time, spontaneous combination of those sounds on the loops. Giles Martin demonstrates this on the video. The droning background was Harrison on tamboura and he also played the backwards guitar solo.

[@elev140]

Really brilliant observation at 27:18 - “You have to have some thing to provide a pathway through the noise” - the melody, John’s voice - “it traces a very fine line … it’s like a sharp, pointed pencil drawing a fine line through a maze …”

[@Bassman2353]

Can one find peace, calm and beauty surrounded by the chaos of the world? With Ringo beating out the continuous, discontinuous pulse of creation? An unprecedented piece of genius from John.

[@djardine2520]

The first song the boys recorded for revolver. A fantastic piece of sonic psychedelia. The lyrics are based on Tibetan Book of the Dead, and the title is based on a Ringo Starr adage (as was Hard Day’s Night)

[@drusilla3882]

This was one of the earliest and most influential songs to use sampling and tape manipulation techniques in mainstream music. The song marked a significant departure from traditional rock music, incorporating various studio effects and loops, which were quite innovative at the time Artists like Pierre Schaeffer and Karlheinz Stockhausen were pioneers in this field, but The Beatles stand out for bringing these avant-garde techniques into the mainstream and influencing the future of music production.

[@edgarsnake2857]

This song shook everything up when it appeared. Loved your reaction.

[@captainsatellite2112]

First heard this when my teen sister bought the album when I was five. She loved them from the start, making scrap books, buying stuff like bobbleheads and riding her bike to buy the singles and albums the day they came out. Same thing when she got her license. I wore the record grooves out myself and it inspired my lifelong love for rock and psychedelic music. To show my gratitude, I eventually took her to see Paul in concert and later Ringo. Great sis.❤

[@beholdmessiah6526]

Awesome vocals by John, unmatched.

[@slakemanson5238]

John asked the engineers to make him sound like the voice of the Dali Lama coming down from a mountain top.

[@Moonie804]

True... poor Geoff Emerick must have felt very worried at John's request (how do I get this sound? and how does the Dalai Lama sound like??). And then he had the great idea of the Leslie speaker, and John loved the result 😊

[@stevenboettcher4796]

I’ve listened to this song for years and I could never break it down like you did. It gives me a whole new experience for this song. Thank you.

[@chrisdunmore9433]

the song that changed EVERYTHING!!!!!

[@aisle_of_view]

Might be my favorite Beatles song. Certainly top 3.

[@Bill_Jones.]

The screeching sound is Paul McCartney’s laughter recorded and distorted.

[@richardfehlmann4593]

❤😀👌 I was waiting for this reaction 😊 It was very pleasant to see you commenting on this "far our" piece 👌😅 They pulled out all the stops 👍🏻😃 I love this reaction, you have to find a way through this beautiful noise and it has a lot of complexity 👌 A wonderful closure to this reaction to the Revolver album 😊👏👏👏👏

[@pablorey9203]

It was the first record. The "birds" (kind of evil gulls) is Paul laugh played backward and accelerated.

[@aldoesposito8195]

And using tape loops

[@FiremanSam60]

They moved on from the Revolver soundscape so fast. For me it's a stand-alone year in that it's a significant departure from Rubber Soul yet doesn't really hint at Pepper. Revolver (along with Paperback Writer/Rain) represents a band now in full control and re-drawing the boundaries of pop and rock. They used that power brilliantly, and my only regret in relation to 66 is that we didn't get 2 albums that year, with more early rock and psychedelic exploration, distorted guitars and close harmonies. It's a stunning achievement that simply hasn't dated.

[@nazfrde]

This was the first track recorded during the Revolver sessions. All the extra sounds are tape loops that McCartney made. Some of them are backwards, some are sped up, some are slowed down. They were manually faded in and out during the mixing process.

[@ifandwhen-kl2cr]

All 4 Beatles made loops for this.

[@criss_v33]

This song is ahead of its time. This song stands out on the album, it brings a sonically mind-blowing experience. It was like electronic music and drum'n bass in the 60s!

[@tomtompkins7546]

First comment! Yay! Love this channel and love the Beatles. Tomorrow never knows is an amazing song.

[@yes_head]

We've come a long way from "She loves you, yeah yeah yeah" in 3 years, eh? This is perhaps one of the most important songs in the entire Beatles catalog. Maybe in all of rock music, period. With this song The Beatles created a song they knew couldn't possibly be performed on stage, and in one stroke the rules were forever changed. And to think this was the FIRST song on Revolver they worked on. Oh, and 'whatever comes next' is "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane", and then we're on to 1967 and Sgt. Peppers.

[@splitimage137.]

I first got Revolver in junior high school in 1975, and then the Dark Side Of The Moon the following year. Tomorrow Never Knows and DSotM were the two musical earthquakes in my life. (Okay, and Led Zep's STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, which I first heard in 1975, too.) There is a concept in chaos theory called "the Butterfly Effect," which says that the initial conditions of a system has a huge effect on what occurs later, after a long series of chain reactions - such was the case for these two influences on me: my life would have been TOTALLY DIFFERENT had I not heard these songs just at that time in my life. I have a music appreciation channel on KZbin, which consists mainly of isolated tracks of classic rock songs (where you hear each track presented, in edited form, sequentially, rather than all-at-once); and I also have videos of song fragments strung together into a medley that is based on a theme. The third most popular video on my channel, TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS (isolated tracks), has nearly 10,000 views now: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaOvqZ-bjs2Nptk And, I have just posted a medley of covers of TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS by the following bands: The Beatles; Phil Collins; Living Colour; Jimi Hendrix (1968 bootleg); Monsoon (featuring singer Sheila Chandra); and 801 LIVE (featuring Phil Manzanera, onetime Roxy Music guitarist). kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZ3CZIyEp6aLa68 FYI: I have 4 more "Variations On" medley videos to be published eventually: The Beatles' DEAR PRUDENCE; and Bob Dylan's CHIMES OF FREEDOM; MR. TAMBOURINE MAN; and IT'S ALRIGHT MA (I'M ONLY BLEEDING)... all done by multiple artists.

[@marysweeney7370]

This was a great analysis of the song. I have been waiting for your reaction for, it seems, ages, ever since you began the Revolver album....and I was not disappointed. One must keep in mind that it was a mere three years since She Loves You to Tomorrow Never Knows. Interesting point about there being a mantra. Another of my favorite John songs, Across the Universe, has a true mantra repeated as part of the song. I hadn't thought about it that way, but yes, John's voice does act in the way you describe - pulling us through the song through all of its "noise" as a sharp pencil drawing a line. Something I didn't know until recently, even after all my years of familiarity with the Beatles, is that the "seagull" sound is actually Paul laughing and sped up. At least that is what I read. Finally, one does not have to have had a real psychedelic trip in order to be able to comment on the psychedelic experience produced by and represented in the music. An ordinary person can sort of feel how it must have been. At least that is the way I experience the music. The Beatles were eager to share their experiences of the counter culture with their fans and that was a major mode of expression in this period.

[@albertwallace5060]

What a treat on my birthday (John Lennon’s birthday too, yeah). Thank you! Always brilliant.

[@ifandwhen-kl2cr]

Geoff Emerick gets credit here for that great drum sound that is so up- front on this track. He had to break studio rules to make it happen.

[@FrankieTheDog-ps9ik]

One of Rock's first psychedelic songs. It's amazing. I always imagined the end sounds like lemmings jumping off a cliff en masse.

[@dago87able]

that’s hilarious

[@Merseyrock]

Amazing how The Beatles went from 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', to this, in a matter of 2-3 years. Great analysis, Amy; a tribute of sorts, too, for Lennon, whose birthday is today as well.

[@EddieReischl]

Absolutely love what you were saying around the 17-minute mark, how the song is set up for the listener to focus on what John is communicating against the backdrop of the clutter of everyday life created by the music. This song really is all four of these guys doing what they do best. What amazes me about this song is that it doesn't have an obvious hummable tune, and yet it is a total earworm once it gets inside your head. Also, it totally displays what composers that aren't virtuosos on any particular instrument can do when their imaginations and creativity are completely unleashed. It gives all of us run-of-the-mill musicians hope that we can occasionally or accidentally do something brilliant.

[@smfult]

If you had a channel like this, but dedicated to introducing ears to various 20th/21st century composers, that would be incredible. Your approach to talking about music is revelatory!

[@tele789]

"Wow" was my first reaction as well, back in the day (even now!). What an album!

[@debjorgo]

Ringo's drums make this song for me.

[@deadwood75]

I was going into the eighth grade when Revolver was released. "Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream" sounded like good advice, so I did exactly that, all through school. I had to play catch-up, with my GPA after I got out of the Army and wanted to get into an apprenticeship program. Revolver broke a lot of new ground in the record industry, and it's my favorite Beatles album.

[@anarcovision]

For 1966 this is WAY farout, it still sounds futuristic today. I've always wondered wht it would be to liten to this in 66. This is my favourite Beatle song

[@mauri_gno2467]

I believe that in all this wonderful kaleidoscope of images and sounds a special mention should be given to the wonderful reverse solo by George and the stunning drum loop by Ringo

[@Deebhoy]

We have lift off 😂. It's an incredible song from an incredible album. Just look at all of the different genres of music you've listened to these last number of weeks. No band has ever been capable of pulling together so many different styles than The Beatles. All done in 7 years - now that is truly incredible!

[@parissimons6385]

Thank you for this fine reaction. I was curious how this song would strike you. Well spotted connections to contemporary art music in the 1960s! Minimalist/systems music, musique concrete, perhaps a bit of Cage's aleatoric process. And also you're right about the South Asian influence with drone, some close tone intervals, etc., that show up. Plus rock and roll elements. Great way to close this album, as you commented. Revolver is a classic! And will be great to find out what you hear in the next Beatles LP, too! Hope you continue enjoying the process of discovery.

[@jprg1966]

The placement of this song at the end of the album is perfect for many reasons. One of them is that the preceding track, "Got to Get You Into My Life" is in the key of G, while "Tomorrow Never Knows" is in C. The perfect cadence it creates unconsciously brings such a natural conclusion.

[@TheNordicharps]

I am lying on my back in a lush primordial forest with giant insects buzzing above me and the sound of pteradaktyls high in the sky. That has always been my take 😊

[@charleskelly1887]

They became big fans of Leslie speakers, which had to be rewired to use in that fashion. You will hear guitar played through it on later tracks.

[@kokomojoe6552]

I don't think the Beatles themselves analyzed there music this much. They just did it.

[@ifandwhen-kl2cr]

+1

[@gigatoob]

Loved it, squeaky business and all! John's creativity and experimentation is a favorite Beatle aspect for me. Thank you!

[@bobair2]

This song is my favorite off of Revolver! The Beatles were very cutting edge.

[@deancarter9210]

Your analysis reaches the level of poetry here Amy, describing John's simple raga voice/chant melody as 'a fine pencil line drawn through the maze'...hits it. And realising the chant and its meditative musing statements (all drawn from Leary's translation of the Bardo Thodol) as being in contrast to the chaotic sound picture of the world and/or ones usual flow of thoughts tumbling like a waterfall. The comment re the perfect sequencing and programming (TKN was the first piece recorded in April '66, the album coming out in November) means the band are now writing 'song-cycles', aware of the importance of programming and sequencing of the tracks as a whole experience. The 'album' format having created the new symphonic form, if you like, of a series of shorter 'movements' rather than the traditional 4 longer ones, with a further side 1/side 2 split in the programme (John's 'She Said She Said' ending side 1).

[@ForbiddTV]

Glad Vlad didn't skip this one. There are several more trippy psychedelic Beatles tunes to get to yet.

[@barriehull7076]

What is the origin of the phrase on tenterhooks? Tenters and tenterhooks were commonly used from the fourteenth century, both as an important part of the process of weaving woolen fabric. Starting sometime in the eighteenth century, the phrase "on tenterhooks" came to mean "in suspense," the way a piece of cloth is suspended from tenterhooks on a tenter.

[@stlmopoet]

I've been waiting for you to get to this song! It was so revolutionary!

[@LeeKennison]

Great reaction! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much,. You had many great observations. A very revolutionary song for its time. I was pretty sure that you would get that this was Lennon. I think when it is actually Lennon you have been able to guess correctly each time, it is just the non-Lennon ones that you sometimes are not as sure.

[@captainsatellite2112]

In 1965, John and George and their wives had dinner with a prominent dentist and his wife. The dentist slipped LSD (which was legal) into their drinks. When told, John was very angry and said "How dare you ****ing do that to us?" George himself said John turned to him and said, "We've had LSD," to which George replied, "Well, what's that? So what? Let's go."

[@johnbyrnes7912]

A truly revolutionary piece way ahead of the pack with its backwards play , sonic effects and choice of the Tibetan book of the Dead for lyrics ! The Psychedelic future of pop & Rock music foretold here. 👁️🌈🛣️😹

[@joeldf6859]

While I had known of and heard The Beatles all my life, it wasn't until the CDs were finally officially released beginning in 1987 while I was in college that I began to purchase their music. Prior to that, all I had was a copy of the '67-'70 Blue double LP compilation that originally belonged to my mother. So it was a treat to re-acquaint myself with their previous music before '67 that I had heard over the years, but never really paid attention to. There was also a companion '62-'66 Red double LP compilation that I knew of, both released by Capitol in '73, but I never had. Back then, I later made my own Beatles mixed tapes for my car, and I separated out the songs in the same '62-'66 group and '67-'70 group. I like to mix my own compilation tracks out of chronological order - more of what feels better in sequence. But I kept them within the two date ranges. I did the same thing years later burning my own CDs for the car - because by the early 2000s, I had a car with a CD player instead of a cassette player. So I started off my version of '62-'66 with "Love Me Do", the Ringo on drums version. Then, I scatter all over the place. But, I ended it on "Tomorrow Never Knows".

[@fractaljack210]

Fantastical song, and a fantastic reaction. In my top ten Beatles songs, easy.

[@billythedog-309]

lt's a great production, but not in any way a great song.

[@WayneKitching]

Yet again, Fathom did an incredible analysis of this song. She explainer how the sounds were made. George Martin was very interested in modern composers who did interestingly things with tape and the technology of the times, so he was the perfect produce for this. Also, the sound engineers were also pushing what was possible to do in the studio.

[@sharonsnail2954]

When I first heard this track in 1966 (aged 19) I thought it was wonderful. A mantra with seagulls 😃. Philosophy over a chaotic monotonous background. It certainly stood out from anything they had produced. Props to George Martin, Geoff Emerick and the other engineers!! These guys were, in effect, added to the Beatles team now they were studio bound. I wasn't a Beatle fan until "Paperback Writer/Rain" which came out before this album. I suppose Amy will miss those out of her 150 now. Shame on you Vlad.

[@jakob8884]

Paul did both the cool parts : The tape loops AND (less known) he wrote the angular drum part (which makes the song).

[@fromchomleystreet]

He did not “do” the cool parts. The idea to use tape loops on the song at all MAY have been McCartney’s, as he’d recently seen a Stockhausen performance, but All of the four Beatles, along with Martin and Emerick, worked on the tape loops. The only reference to Paul’s involvement in the drums is Geoff Emerick recalling that Paul had some suggestions for Ringo (as the other members of the band often did - because they were a band). Paul didn’t “write” a drum part for Ringo. Also, the tape loops and the drums are far from the only “cool” elements of this song, in the opinions of most people who like it. The song would hardly hold up sixty years later if they were.

[@jakob8884]

@@fromchomleystreet Yes, they were a team. But let me clarify: 1.) “Did” = “came up with the idea for”. He did. 2.) “wrote the angular drum part” = suggested that angular syncopation, which is what makes the drum figure so vital 3.) “The cool parts” = the coolEST parts. And the two parts that makes the song really stand out. But I agree the song's has other, (less but still) cool parts.

[@davidrauh8118]

I don't know if you ever watch other people's reactions. But the female known as Fathom, did a great job dissecting this song. Giving background as to what each Beatle did with their previous time off and singling out each tape loop and who was responsible for each one.

[@fernandodeleon7466]

She's awsome .

[@Stratocus]

THANK YOU! I was afraid you might skip this song because it is, to me, the greatest song John Lennon wrote. It's so complex and unique and such a significant step in music. I'm 74 years old and bought the album when it was originally released. It was a game changer and Tomorrow Never Knows was it's crowning achievement.

[@z0n0ph0ne]

Can you imagine what it was like for those of us who were there when we heard this for the first time?? It is a whirling dervish of a song, swirling out of our loudspeakers. The guitar solo from Taxman chopped up and played backwards at the wrong speed. And the drones!! We had bee brought up on "I wanna be Bobbys Girl" and "Poetry in Motion" And now this! MAGNIFICENT! is the only word. She said she said.

[@davidrauh8118]

Although it was the last song on the album, it was the first to be recorded. Paul had been exposed to "music concrete" in London. such as Stockhausen. George Martin suggested that each Beatle go home and create tape loops. Martin was familiar with that type of recording having worked on the Goon Show that used similar tape loops for comedic effect. John wanted to sound like a monk singing from a mountain top.

[@drmikebass]

I experience that Bb part as an implied Bb major chord over the pedalling C of the bass. There again, I'm a bass player, so that's where my brain naturally goes. :-)

[@Nogill0]

I experienced this entire album for the first time under the influence of Owsley's "Blue Cheer". It was quite amazing and every time I hear this particular piece of music I recapture some of that otherworldly enchantment.

[@David-mo5jw]

its like abstract painting, once you stop trying to understand or place it in your taste it will reveal its self, just buckle up and fly right as they say and enjoy the ride

[@ForbiddTV]

You missed your own commentary you read. The song was the first to be recorded for Revolver after returning from a 5 -month hiatus.

[@SteveMenardDesignDXM]

Tomorrow Never Knows was the album's first song recorded and completed, about the same time as Paperback Writer and Rain. (the two singles that were released that early summer and not included on the album)

[@philshorten3221]

A great example of why the Pink Floyd guys regarded the Beatles as "Gods".

[@tetleyT]

Ah brilliant! What a bold tune to analyse! Thanks so much!

[@Bassman2353]

Musicians as artists, painting a soundscape with the assistance of fellow genius Sir George Martin. Love your reaction, Amy. And John was right; it was "the end of the beginning", as the cover of their next album would make plain. "The boys" were gone; the men moved on into legend.

[@tenderbiscuit]

At the time of this recording, Paul was listening to a lot of avant-garde composers--Stockhausen, for instance. I think you're totally right that these composers are showing their influence here.

[@pallhe]

Enjoyed your reaction to this great song. It made me think how it presages Harrison's "Within You Without You". Looking forward to your reaction to that one.

[@benedictnothing]

I once showed this song to a young lad at work who only knew the Beatles from their usual radio-friendly pop songs. He was convinced this was a 90s drum and bass remix rather than a 60s original. It really does still sound very modern to me too.

[@gwengoodwin3992]

Daniela Andrade's stripped-down cover of this song reveals its beauty. It is well worth hearing. Also, you might notice that the entire song is played and sung over just one chord: C Major. Though admittedly, some of the accompanying instruments stray a bit. At one point the Hammond B3 is playing Bb Major. The "bird calls" are supposedly Paul McCartney's laughter, sped up and played backward on a tape loop.

[@PFNel]

John told George Martin that he wanted the sound of a thousand monks chanting. Well, they couldn't get that, but it is so close to some of your thoughts on the track!

[@z0n0ph0ne]

In a Leslie speaker the speaker spins while playing. This produces that "thin" wobbling sound.

[@fredneecher1746]

This was John pushing the boundaries, but not quite as far as they would go. For that you need to hit Revolution 9 from the White Album. Be warmed - it is eight minutes that you will never recover.

[@captainsatellite2112]

Great decision to follow it up with the soothing lullaby Goodnight to end the album.

[@agapitomalteni7320]

we could talk about this song for hours. it was the first to be recorded for Revolver with Geoff Emerick at the mixer for the first time with the Beatles, he was the one who broke the rigid rules of the Emi studios, using the Leslie and bringing the microphones closer to Ringo's drums and using a sweater that was stuffed into the bass drum of the drum kit. there are 5 tape loops, recorded by all 4 Beatles at their home. the fantastic drum pattern was suggested by Paul who told Ringo to add the Ticket to ride pattern (you can hear the initial pattern in the Deluxe box 2022). Turn off your mind... is the first line that John read in Timothy Leary's book. if you want to delve deeper into the meaning and construction of the song, I recommend a beautiful video on the youtube Channel of James Hargreaves kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3nUq6ehlrmYoc0si=kQ944OIclzGTK8Vh

[@fernandodeleon7466]

This song is a mantra, that is the most appropriate concept

[@ChristopherSchaub1]

Each Beatle had their hands on the mixing faders controlling certain tape loop sounds. So the final mix is a backing track of drums, bass, sitar and vocals, with sounds via loops mixed live. A live mix performance to create the final music, a first. Very modern too.

[@MOLLOYALLOY]

When you consider that many modern bands typically take over 3 years to produce a single album ie Muse then the most staggering thing is to consider that within 3 years they have moved from "She Loves You" to "Tomorrow Never Knows". Also that harmonic question: there is an orchestral sound in Bb when Lennon hit the Bb so it IS a drone in C but has occasional harmonic overtones of Bb.

[@adlermeni]

Thank you Amy for another great one (can't wait for Sgt. Pepper) Regarding 'how they made it', I highly recommend this one of Fathom: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4uuYqpjqM1omdE

[@toymen-ze3zr]

Happy birthday john ❤️

[@PartTimeBuddhist]

I think my favorite instrumental touch is the random honky tonk piano that comes flying in with about ten seconds left, as if its friends hadn't bothered to tell it about the drug-fueled orgy, but it managed to get there at the last minute and wanted to make its presence known anyway.

[@strathman7501]

The lyrics are based on, and sometimes quote, Timothy Leary's guide for an acid trip in 'The Psychedelic Experience' for which Leary took inspiration from The Tibetan Book of the Dead

[@frankylaseure2641]

Eleonar Rigby and Towmorrow are the only 2 pieces I like, but the drums on this, I love them so much

[@Uetti]

Strawberry Fields Forever was actually the first thing The Beatles released right after the Revolver album, so if you listen to their songs chronologically Tomorrow Never Knows is exactly the song that precedes it

[@zzzaphod8507]

Thanks for your review! An actual Beatles song (not a cover) appears in a TV show, which seems rare (the "Lady Lazurus" episode of Mad Men). Guess which part of the episode the song appears in...

[@menopausalmusician414]

My Favorite Group and My Favorite Channel! Peace

[@harrypalma8821]

Mark I (aka The Void) was the first song that The Beatles worked on for Revolver. Listen to the funky "rumba" early take on Anthology 2. Great show, thanks!

[@foxdenham]

The Beatles can never be accused of chasing 'pop chart' hits! A historical musical curve-ball that cements it in time.

[@papercup2517]

Apparently John was not contented with the final product of TNK. He'd wanted it to sound like 'ten thousand Tibetan monks on a mountainside, chanting'. Their collective efforts never quite achieved that, but did end up with something totally original, containing elements that were both ancient, current and futuristic - timeless, even. The lyrics were not John's own but as others have indicated, taken pretty much word for word from Tim Leary's acid inspired translation/ interpretation of the so-called Tibetan Book of the Dead (or, of Living and Dying), that John had picked up in Paul's friends' bookshop/ gallery. Leary was a maverick Harvard professor of psychology who, having experimented with the then still legal LSD as a therapeutic drug, wanted to put it into the mains water supply because he believed it would raise everyone's consciousness and on realising our essential Oneness, it would bring an end to all war and misery. He wrote several books enthusing over the drug's potential for psychological and social transformation. Those original Tibetan teachings were of course nothing to do with psychedelic drugs but constituted an instruction manual for monks on how to prepare oneself for death while still living. At some point, once you reach a certain level of consciousness you realise death doesn't actually exist. .. 'It is not dying, it is not dying...' So, nothing to panic about. Just do your mind control thing, relax and go with it... The Beatles had been tinkering with psychedelics and (IIRC) were on the verge of following George in extending their explorations of the nature of consciousness, existence, etc, to Eastern spiritual philosophy and practice, which would help make more sense of it all conceptually and integrate the new realisations into everyday life. When John played Tomorrow never Knows to Bob Dylan IIRC his comment was "Oh, so you want to be taken seriously now, then...!"

[@captainsatellite2112]

Sean Lennon's band, The Claypool-Lennon Delirium has a great live version on YT with Geddy Lee of Rush on bass. Les Claypool is no slouch on bass either.

[@tommydevlin702]

My favourite Beatles song on my favourite Beatles album. For me, "Tomorrow Never Knows" "Strawberry Fields Forever" "A Day in the Life" "Whiter Shade of Pale" "Space Oddity" "Bohemian Rapsody" "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" "Wuthering Heights" - to misquote Hamlet 'the rest is silence.'

[@fractaljack210]

Vlad, not, "Rain," as an introduction to this stellar track?

[@Upe-f9c]

1966: Beatles Tomorrow Never Knows, Beach Boys Good Vibrations - the gateway to the more modern popular music.

[@XFLexiconMatt]

Amazing when you consider that John presented this with a C chord and they tucked in a B flat chord as it developed, the loops predates Synthizisers, sequencers, apagaiators, samples, and the song was the template for Synth pop, new wave, and ambient music, 'Revolver' is considered by some to be their most important album, and it had so many significant sign posts to what rock and pop musicians could do.

[@arttoegemann]

Reminded of the feedback imtroduction to I Feel Fine years before. TNK avant garde to pop brilliant success.

[@NoviJimB]

This is a John song all the way, though Paul helped out with 'arranging' the crazy sounds. The amazing thing is this song was recorded in April of 1966. It was so different from anything else that thad been done back then, and then when you compare it to the other incredibly diverse songs on the album... Wow. They were in their own world back then.

[@SRG1966]

My favorite Beatles song, maybe because I'm a Taoist lol. There's no other song that sounds like it. And it's one of those very rare songs where the drums never change. I can only think of two others offhand. Adam Ant's "Goody Two Shoes" and "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus.