Not A Second Time: Introduction

“Not A Second Time” is a Fab Four song from their album, “With The Beatles.” This was The Beatles’ second British album from 1963. Meanwhile, in America, it was on the album “Meet the Beatles!” That is because, in the early years, the Fab Four’s albums differed between the UK and US.

In Detail

Release Date: November 22, 1963
Recorded: September 11, 1963
Genre: Rock
Track Duration: 2:08
Record Label: Parlophone
Songwriter: Lennon-McCartney
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith

Performers And Instruments

John Lennon: double-tracked vocal, also the acoustic guitar
Paul McCartney: bass guitar
George Harrison: acoustic guitar
Ringo Starr: drums
George Martin: piano

Where To Find “Not A Second Time”

If you are looking to buy this song, it is still available. Indeed, all you need to do is find the following album. Click on the image to explore that record.

With The Beatles (1963)

Not A Second Time: Background

This song, written and sung by John Lennon, was featured on Fab Four’s second studio album, “With The Beatles.” Obviously, the songs on the album were subject to the usual scrutiny from the critics.

“Harmonic interest is typical of their quicker songs, too, and one gets the impression that they think simultaneously of harmony and melody, so firmly are the major tonic sevenths and ninths built into their tunes, and the flat submediant key switches, so natural is the Aeolian cadence at the end of Not A Second Time (the chord progression which ends Mahler’s Song of the Earth).”
William Mann
The Times (December, 1963)

This obviously drew confusion from the singer/songwriter.

“I still don’t know what it means at the end, but it made us acceptable to the intellectuals. It worked, and we were flattered. I wrote Not A Second Time, and, really, it was just chords like any other chords. To me, I was writing a Smokey Robinson or something at the time.”
John Lennon
Anthology

A further interview confirms Lennon’s confusion over the term “Aeolian cadence.”

“To this day, I don’t have any idea what they are. They sound like exotic birds.”
John Lennon
All We Are Saying, David Sheff

Be that as it may, the song certainly graces the album. Indeed, George Martin makes good use of the piano within the song’s structure.

Recording Studio

The Beatles began recording “Not A Second Time” on September 11, 1963, in Studio Two of the EMI Studios in London during the 7.00 p.m.–10.15 p.m. sessions. The band recorded five takes, but with overdubs, that number went up to nine.

The final mono mix was created on September 30, while the stereo version became available on October 29.

Take A Listen

Finally, hit the play button to listen to the remastered song. After you give it a spin, let us know your thoughts below or create a thread in the Beatles forum.