Revolution (Beatles song)
"Revolution" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. Three versions of the song were recorded and released in 1968, all during sessions for the Beatles' self-titled double album, also known as the "White Album": a slow, bluesy arrangement ("Revolution 1") included on the album; an abstract sound collage (titled "Revolution 9") that originated as the latter part of "Revolution 1" and appears on the same album; and the faster, hard rock version similar to "Revolution 1", released as the B-side of "Hey Jude". Although the single version was issued first, it was recorded several weeks after "Revolution 1", intended for release as a single. A music video for the song was shot using the backing track from the single version, their appearances reflecting the song's atmosphere, along with live-sung lyrics that more closely resemble the album version.
For the similarly titled Beatles song, see Revolution 9.
Inspired by political protests in early 1968, Lennon's lyrics expressed sympathy with the need for social change but doubt in regard to the violent tactics espoused by some members of the New Left. Despite his bandmates' reservations, he persevered with the song and insisted it be included on their next single. When released in August, the song was viewed by the political left as a betrayal of their cause and a sign that the Beatles were out of step with radical elements of the counterculture. The release of "Revolution 1" in November indicated Lennon's uncertainty about destructive change, with the phrase "count me out" recorded instead as "count me out – in". Lennon was stung by the criticism he received from the New Left and subsequently espoused the need for Marxist revolution, particularly with his 1971 single "Power to the People". However, in one of the final interviews he gave before his death in 1980, he reaffirmed the pacifist sentiments expressed in "Revolution".
"Revolution" reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and topped singles charts in Australia and New Zealand. "Revolution" has received praise from music critics, particularly for the intensity of the performance and the heavily distorted guitar sound. In 1987, the song became the first Beatles recording to be licensed for a television commercial, which prompted a lawsuit from the surviving members of the group. The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Thompson Twins, who performed it at Live Aid in July 1985, and Stone Temple Pilots.
Recording[edit]
"Revolution 1"[edit]
The Beatles began the recording sessions for their new album on 30 May, starting with "Revolution 1" (simply titled "Revolution" for the first few sessions). At this first session, they concentrated on recording the basic rhythm track. Take 18 lasted 10:17, much longer than the earlier takes, and it was this take that was chosen for additional overdubs recorded over the next two sessions.[28] The full take 18 was officially released in 2018, as part of the Super Deluxe Edition of The Beatles coinciding with the album's fiftieth anniversary.[29]
During overdubs which brought the recording to take 20, Lennon took the unusual step of performing his lead vocal while lying on the floor. He also altered one line into the ambiguous "you can count me out, in".[30] He later explained that he included both because he was undecided in his sentiments.[31][32]
"Revolution 1" has a blues style, performed at a relaxed tempo. The basic time signature is 12
8 (or 4
4 in a "shuffle" style), but the song has several extra half-length bars during the verses.[33] There are also two extra beats at the end of the last chorus, the result of an accidental bad edit during the mixing process that was left uncorrected at Lennon's request.[34]
Release[edit]
The "Hey Jude" / "Revolution" single was issued on 26 August 1968 in the US,[60] with the UK release taking place on 30 August.[61] Two days after the record's US release, violent scenes occurred at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago,[62] as police and National Guardsmen were filmed clubbing Vietnam War protestors.[53][63] This event came two months after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, the Democratic presidential nominee who had pledged to end America's involvement in Vietnam,[64] and coincided with further militant action in Europe.[65] According to author Jonathan Gould, this combination ensured that, contrary to Lennon's doubts about the song's relevance, "'Revolution' had been rendered all too relevant by the onrushing tide of events."[65]
The single was the band's first release on Apple Records, their EMI-distributed record label.[66] As part of their Apple Corps business enterprise, the label was run on counterculture principles[67][68] and intended to be a form of what McCartney termed "Western communism".[69] The single was one of the four records that were sent in gift-wrapped boxes, marked "Our First Four", to Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family, and to Harold Wilson, the British prime minister.[70] According to music journalist Jim Irvin, the heavily distorted sound of "Revolution" led some record buyers to return their copies, in the belief that "there was bad surface noise" on the disc. Irvin recalled of his own experience: "The exasperated [shop] assistant explained, for the umpteenth time that Saturday, 'It's supposed to sound like that. We've checked with EMI ...'"[71]
"Hey Jude" topped sales charts around the world,[66] while "Revolution" was a highly popular B-side.[72] In the US, where each side of a single continued to be listed individually, it peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 11 on the Cash Box Top 100, and number 2 on Record World's chart.[73] The latter peak was achieved while "Hey Jude" was at number 1.[73] The single was listed as a double-sided number 1 in Australia, while "Revolution" topped New Zealand's singles chart for one week, following "Hey Jude"'s five-week run at number 1 there.
"Revolution 1" was released on The Beatles on 22 November 1968.[74][75] It was the opening track on side four of the LP, four spots ahead of the companion piece "Revolution 9".[76] In an interview following the album's release, Harrison said that "Revolution 1" "has less attack and not as much revolution" as the single B-side, and described it as "the Glenn Miller version".[77] The lyric sheet included with the original LP carried the words "count me out", without the appended "in".[78]
Critical reception[edit]
In his contemporary review of the single, for Melody Maker, Chris Welch praised the A-side, saying it was a track that took several listens before its full appeal became evident, but he dismissed "Revolution" as "a fuzzy mess, and best forgotten".[98] More impressed, Derek Johnson of the NME described "Revolution" as "unashamed rock 'n' roll" but "a cut above the average rock disc, particularly in the thoughtful and highly topical lyric", and "a track that literally shimmers with excitement and awareness".[99] Johnson concluded by stating that the two sides "prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Beatles are still streets ahead of their rivals".[100] Cash Box's reviewer described "Revolution" as "straight-out rock with lyrical flavor of a pre-Revolver feel and fifties-rock instrumentation", adding: "More commercial at first few hearings, but hardly able to stand up against 'Hey Jude.'"[101]
Time magazine devoted an article to discussing "Revolution",[6] the first time in the magazine's history that it had done so for a pop song.[78] The writers said the song was "exhilarating hard rock" directed at "radical activists the world over", and that its message would "surprise some, disappoint others, and move many: cool it".[102] Dave Marsh featured "Revolution" in his 1989 book covering the 1001 greatest singles, describing it as a "gem" with a "ferocious fuzztone rock and roll attack" and a "snarling" Lennon vocal.[103] Writing for Rough Guides, Chris Ingham includes "Revolution" in his list of the essential Beatles songs and calls it a "remarkably cogent" statement. He says that whereas "Revolution 1" resembles a "stoned, bluesy jam", the vibrant quality of the single version "has the effect of making [Lennon's] flower-proffering pacifism a dynamic option, rather than a soporifically waved white flag".[104] In his song review for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger calls "Revolution" one of the Beatles' "greatest, most furious rockers" with "challenging, fiery lyrics" where the listener's "heart immediately starts pounding before Lennon goes into the first verse".[49]
In 2006, Mojo placed "Revolution" at number 16 on its list of "The 101 Greatest Beatles Songs". In his commentary for the magazine, Pete Shelley of the punk band the Buzzcocks recalled that he had never heard such distorted guitar sounds before, and hearing the song was his "eureka moment" when he decided he wanted to be in a band.[105] The track was ranked at number 13 in a similar list compiled by Rolling Stone in 2010.[106]