What Goes On
From Beatles Wiki - Interviews, Music, Beatles Quotes
| "What Goes On" | ||||
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| Song by The Beatles | ||||
| Album | Rubber Soul | |||
| Released | 3 December 1965 | |||
| Recorded | 4 November 1965, EMI Studios, London |
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| Genre | Country rock | |||
| Length | 2:50 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Writer | Lennon/McCartney/Starkey | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| Rubber Soul track listing | ||||
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| “What Goes On” | |||||
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| Single by The Beatles | |||||
| A-side | "Nowhere Man" | ||||
| Released | 15 February 1966 (US) | ||||
| Format | 7" | ||||
| Recorded | 4 November 1965, EMI Studios, London |
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| Genre | Country rock | ||||
| Length | 2:50 | ||||
| Label | Parlophone | ||||
| Writer(s) | Lennon/McCartney/Starkey | ||||
| Producer | George Martin | ||||
| The Beatles singles chronology | |||||
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| “ | That was an early Lennon, written before the Beatles when we were the Quarrymen or something like that. And resurrected with a middle-eight thrown in, probably with Paul's help, to give Ringo a song... and also to use the bits, because I never liked to waste anything. | „ |
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—John Lennon, The Playboy Interviews p.188, 1980 |
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| “ | I contributed about five words to "What Goes On.' [laughs] And I haven't done a thing since! | „ |
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—Ringo Starr, 1966 |
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| “ | A very early song of mine. Ringo and Paul wrote a new middle-eight together when we recorded it. | „ |
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—John Lennon, Hit Parader interview, Apr 1972 |
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| “ | It was on 5 March 1963 that the Beatles first attempted to record 'What Goes On', though lack of' time meant that the tapes never actually rolled. It was. even then, quite an old Lennon-McCartney song. Now it was revived and handed to Ringo for his statutory one vocal per LP'. He also ended up with a joint composing credit too, though what exactly he contributed to warrant this has never been clarified. The song was recorded in one take, with overdubs of Ringo's rockabilly vocal and John and Paul's backing. | „ |
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—Mark Lewisohn, The Beatles Recording Sessions, p.67, 1988 |
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Additional Resources
- Wikipedia Entry
- Alan W. Pollack's Musicological Analysis
- About 'What Goes On?' - Beatles Music History
