The song so nice The Beatles recorded it thrice? In a manner of speaking, although not many people would likely describe any version of the song “Revolution” as “nice.” Thought-provoking, maybe, or perhaps confrontational.
But it is true that The Beatles released three different takes on the song, all in 1968, and each one wildly different from the others. Here is the story of a song that divided the fans, divided The Beatles, and even divided itself.
Lennon Speaks Out
The year 1968 saw great tumult in the world, and John Lennon didn’t want The Beatles to ignore it. In the years when Brian Epstein managed the group, they were dissuaded from speaking out on any issues. But with Epstein gone, Lennon, whose relationship with Yoko Ono had begun to fire up his social consciousness, was ready to make his point within The Beatles’ music, specifically in the song “Revolution.”
Although the word “revolution” is in the title, the song is quite level-headed. Lennon’s lyrics preach caution, explaining he’s not about to jump forward for any cause or promote any method of change without first understanding all points of views. He famously hedged his bets in the initial version of the song about the need for radical action: ‘Cause when you talk about destruction / Don’t you know that you can count me out, in.
Concocting an arrangement that included some drowsy horns, Lennon kept the tempo slow on the initial version of the song—which would be known as “Revolution 1”—so that people could focus on the lyrics. He wanted the song to be a Beatles single, but both Paul McCartney and George Harrison balked, worried about both the pace and the political nature of the song. But Lennon wasn’t done with this song, or this fight, by any stretch.
Number Nine…Number Nine…
The version of “Revolution 1” that would appear on The White Album came from a long take that went on for several minutes after the main section of the song was complete. It included Lennon doing all kinds of vocal improvisations, including grunts and moans. It was that extended portion that Lennon used to create “Revolution 9.”
“Revolution 9” came from Lennon’s growing fascination with the avant-garde, a development in his life that was also fueled by Ono’s interests. Using tape loops and adding strange sound effects, while also throwing in some spoken-word interludes, Lennon concocted a sound collage that lasted over eight minutes and took up much of the fourth and final side of The White Album.
This weird, spooky creation was made without any contribution from Paul McCartney, who tried to get a similarly bizarre piece called “Carnival of Light” onto a Beatles’ album to no avail. “Revolution 9” inspired some amateur sleuths to go looking for meaning in it, occasionally by playing it backwards. But mostly it confused people. As if the story of this song wasn’t odd enough after the first two versions, the group weren’t quite done with it.
One for the Rockers
John Lennon always thought his recording of “Revolution 1” deserved to be a Beatles single. The rest of the group offered a compromise. If Lennon agreed to speed up the tempo of the song, they’d use it as a B-side. And that’s how The Beatles came to put together the rocking version of the song, known simply as “Revolution,” that has stood the test of time as the most popular take of the three.
The Beatles fearlessly cranked up the guitars into the red on the track, while also getting a crucial contribution from session ace Nicky Hopkins on the piano solo. Lennon also capitulated in the lyrics by omitting the part about counting him in for destruction. In that way, the group was able to slip the political messaging into the track without too much of a stir.
Even though it wouldn’t be released as an A-side, John Lennon certainly got his wish in that his lyrics received just about the widest exposure they could hope to get. That’s because “Revolution” ended up as the flip side to “Hey Jude,” the biggest single in Beatles history.
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