We Can Work It Out - Music

Frogtoon Music - Song Info: We Can Work It Out

The-Beatles - 1

"We Can Work It Out" Is A Song Written By John Lennon And Paul McCartney And Recorded By The Beatles In 1965 During The Sessions For Their Rubber Soul Album. The Song Would Be Released As A "double A-Sided" Single With "Day Tripper" The First Time Both Sides Of A Single Were So Designated In An Initial Release. The Song Is An Example Of Lennon/McCartney Collaboration At A Depth That Happened Only Rarely After They Wrote The Hit Singles Of 1963. This Song "A Day In The Life" And "I've Got A Feeling" Are Among The Notable Exceptions Oasis Guitarist Noel Gallagher Described The Song As "the Song That Defines The Beatles". Composition McCartney Wrote The Words And Music To The Verses And The Chorus With Lyrics That "might Have Been Personal" And Thus A Reference To His Relationship With Jane Asher. McCartney Then Took The Song To Lennon "I Took It To John To Finish It Off And We Wrote The Middle Together." According To Lennon He "did The Middle Eight." With Its Intimations Of Mortality Lennon's Contribution To The Twelve-Bar Bridge Contrasts Typically With What Lennon Saw As McCartney's Cajoling Optimism A Contrast Also Seen In Other Collaborations By The Pair Such As "Getting Better" And "I've Got A Feeling". As Lennon Told Playboy In 1980 "You've Got Paul Writing 'We Can Work It Out / We Can Work It Out'—real Optimistic Y'know And Me Impatient 'Life Is Very Short And There's No Time / For Fussing And Fighting My Friend.'" Recording The Beatles Recorded "We Can Work It Out" At EMI Studios Later Abbey Road Studios In London On 20 October 1965 During The Sessions For Their Rubber Soul Album. Along With Lennon's "Day Tripper" The Song Was Earmarked For The Non-Album Single That Would Accompany The Release Of The New LP. The Band Taped A Satisfactory Basic Track In Just Two Takes. With Nearly Eleven Hours Dedicated To The Song However It Was By Far Their Longest Expenditure Of Studio Time Up To That Point. A Vocal Overdubbing Session Took Place On 29 October. No Record Exists Of The Band Members' Exact Contributions To The Recording Leading To Uncertainty Regarding The Playing Of Some Of The Instruments. Reduced To A Single Track In The Final Mix Where It Was Placed Hard Left In The Stereo Image The Group's Initial Performance Consisted Of Acoustic Guitar Bass Tambourine And Drums. Promo Films For The First Time For One Of Their Singles The Beatles Filmed Promotional Clips For "We Can Work It Out" And "Day Tripper". Subsequently Known As The "Intertel Promos" These Clips Were Intended As A Way To Save The Band Having To Appear In Person On Popular British Television Shows Such As Ready Steady Go! And Top Of The Pops And Also Ensured That The Beatles Reached Their Large International Audience. Filming Took Place At Twickenham Film Studios In South-West London On 23 November 1965 With Joe McGrath As Director. The Beatles Made A Total Of Ten Black-And-White Promos That Day Filming Clips For The New Songs As Well As For Their Previous Hit Singles "I Feel Fine" "Ticket To Ride" And "Help!". Three Of The Films Were Mimed Performances Of "We Can Work It Out" In All Of Which Lennon Was Seated At A Harmonium.