Tomorrow Never Knows

The Beatles

About Tomorrow Never Knows

"Tomorrow Never Knows" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in August 1966 as the final track on their album Revolver, although it was the first song recorded for the LP. The song marked a radical departure for the Beatles, as the band fully embraced the potential of the recording studio without consideration for reproducing the results in concert. When writing the song, Lennon drew inspiration from his experiences with the hallucinogenic drug LSD and from the book The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert and Ralph Metzner. The Beatles' recording employed musical elements foreign to pop music, including musique concrète, avant-garde composition and electro-acoustic sound manipulation. It features an Indian-inspired modal backing of tambura and sitar drone and bass guitar, with minimal harmonic deviation from a single chord, underpinned by a constant but non-standard drum pattern; added to this, tape loops prepared by the band were overdubbed "live" onto the rhythm track. Part of Lennon's vocal was fed through a Leslie speaker cabinet, normally used for a Hammond organ. The song's backwards guitar parts and effects marked the first use of reversed sounds in a pop recording, although the Beatles' 1966 B-side "Rain", which they recorded soon afterwards using the same technique, was issued over three months before Revolver. 


Year:
1984
36 
#3

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Turn off your mind relax and float down stream
It is not dying, it is not dying

Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void,
It is shining, it is shining.

Yet you may see the meaning of within
It is being, it is being

Love is all and love is everyone
It is knowing, it is knowing

And ignorance and hate mourn the dead
It is believing, it is believing

But listen to the colour of your dreams
It is not leaving, it is not leaving

So play the game "Existence" to the end
Of the beginning, of the beginning

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The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. They became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music. Their best-known lineup consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, they later utilised several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. In the early 1960s, their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania", but as their songwriting grew in sophistication, they came to be perceived by many fans and cultural observers as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the era's sociocultural revolutions. more »

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Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


14 facts about this song

Songwriting
The song was penned primarily by John Lennon, even though the credit goes down as Lennon-McCartney. Lennon took inspiration from Timothy Leary's, Richard Alpert's, and Ralph Metzner's book "The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead".
Album Appearance
"Tomorrow Never Knows" is the final track of The Beatles' 1966 studio album "Revolver."
Title Origin
The title came from one of Ringo Starr's many malapropisms, which were often labeled as 'Ringoisms'. Although the phrase was not specifically related to the song's lyrics or meaning, the Beatles liked it and decided to use it as a title.
Song Composition
Known as one of the first songs to showcase the psychedelic rock genre, it features unusual musical techniques such as reverse guitar, processed vocals, and looped tape effects.
Technological Innovations
The heavy use of tape loops in "Tomorrow Never Knows" essentially turned the recording studio into a musical instrument, which was an inventive approach at the time, praised for its innovation and creativity in sound design.
Paul McCartney's Contribution
Paul McCartney was the one who introduced the band to tape loops, which became a significant feature of the song.
Vocal Effects
The distinctive vocal effect on this song was created by running John Lennon's voice through a rotary speaker, generally used for an organ, to give it a direct, cutting sound.
Cultural Influence
"Tomorrow Never Knows" was largely influenced by the burgeoning counterculture of the 1960s and Lennon's interest in psychedelic drugs like LSD.
Cover Versions
It's been covered by other famous artists, including Phil Collins, The Mission, and The Monkees.
Appearance in Popular Culture
The song was used in a significant episode of Mad Men, where Don Draper listens to it in an attempt to understand youth culture.
Live Performance
The Beatles never performed "Tomorrow Never Knows" live, likely due to the complex studio manipulations used to create its unique sound.
Released Singles
The song has not been released as a single.
Critical Acclaim
It is often cited as a groundbreaking track in terms of studio recording, and is considered a standout track on "Revolver," frequently cited as one of the best albums in popular music history.
Influence on Music
This song played a key role in the evolution of ambient music because of its tape looping technique, which was considerably pioneering for the time.

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