For No One: Introduction
“For No One” is a Beatles’ song that is on their 1966 album “Revolver.”
In Detail
- Release Date: August 5, 1966
- Recorded: May 9, 16 and 19, 1966
- Studio: EMI Studios
- Genre: Baroque pop
- Track Duration: 2:01
- Record Label: Parlophone
- Songwriters: Lennon-McCartney
- Producer: George Martin
- Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Performers And Instruments
- Paul McCartney: vocals, bass guitar, piano, clavichord
- Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine, maracas
Other Performer
- Alan Civil: French horn
Where To Find “For No One”
You can still buy this song on the following album:
For No One: Background
Written by Paul McCartney, the song got some praise from John Lennon: “One of my favourites of his; a nice piece of work.” Obviously, the credit goes to the Lennon-McCartney partnership. The idea for this “Baroque pop” song came about in March 1966, while he was on holiday. He was at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps with his then-girlfriend, Jane Asher.
“I was in Switzerland on my first skiing holiday. I’d done a bit of skiing in Help! and quite liked it, so I went back and ended up in a little bathroom in a Swiss chalet, writing For No One. I remember the descending bassline trick that it’s based on, and I remember the character in the song—the girl putting on her make-up.”
“Occasionally, we’d have an idea for some new kind of instrumentation, particularly for solos… On For No One, I was interested in the French horn because it was an instrument I’d always loved from when I was a kid. It’s a beautiful sound, so I went to George Martin and said, ‘How can we go about this?’ And he said, ‘Well, let me get the very finest.'”
Paul McCartney
Anthology
The song is about the end of a relationship; McCartney later said, “I suspect it was about another argument.”
“It’s a horrible moment when you’ve broken up with someone and you look at them—this person you used to be in love with or thought you were in love with—and none of that old feeling is there. It’s like it just switched off too, and it’s not great to be on the receiving end of that.”
Paul McCartney
The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present
The lyrics show signs of maturity, and the track graces the “Revolver” album.
Recording Studio
The Beatles, minus John Lennon and George Harrison, began recording “For No One” on May 9, 1966, in Studio Two of the EMI Studios, London, during the 7.00 p.m.–11.00 p.m. session. There were 10 takes, and the last of those was suitable for the master rhythm track.
Paul McCartney added his vocals on May 16th. The vocals were recorded on the tape machine while it was running slightly slow. Of course, on normal playback, this speeded up the vocals as well as making them higher.
Alan Civil’s beautiful horn solo took place on May 19. He became chief horn player in the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the time, and he received notable recognition because of this piece.
The song sits after track 2, “And Your Bird Can Sing” and before “Doctor Robert” on side two of “Revolver.”
Take A Listen
Finally, listen to the song and then leave us your opinions.