She Said, She Said (Lennon/McCartney)
The lyric for She Said, She Said stemmed from an acid trip experienced by John and George with several others, including actor Peter Fonda. Fonda claimed to know what it was like to be dead, because he had been shot in the stomach as a child and his heart stopped beating three times on the operating table. John thought this ridiculous, countering “You’re making me feel I’ve never been born. Who put all that shit in your head?” and subsequently demanding that someone “Get this guy out of here.” Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn thought John may have been particularly sensitive because he was strung out on acid, adding that the whole scene was “morbid and bizarre”.
A last second addition
She Said, She Said was the final song recorded for Revolver, added once it was discovered they needed one more song for the album.
An absent Paul
Paul does not appear on the song, and George plays bass.
Quotes
“I finally made my way past the kids and the guards. Paul and George were on the back patio, and the helicopters were patrolling overhead. They were sitting at a table under an umbrella in a rather comical attempt at privacy. Soon afterwards we dropped acid and began tripping for what would prove to be all night and most of the next day; all of us, including the original Byrds, eventually ended up inside a huge, empty and sunken tub in the bathroom, babbling our minds away.
“I had the privilege of listening to the four of them sing, play around and scheme about what they would compose and achieve. They were so enthusiastic, so full of fun. John was the wittiest and most astute. I enjoyed just hearing him speak and there were no pretensions in his manner. He just sat around, laying out lines of poetry and thinking – an amazing mind. He talked a lot yet he still seemed so private.
“It was a thoroughly tripped-out atmosphere because they kept finding girls hiding under tables and so forth: one snuck into the poolroom through a window while an acid-fired Ringo was shooting pool with the wrong end of the cue. ‘Wrong end?’ he’d say. ‘So what f**in’ difference does it make?'” – Peter Fonda
“Fonda seemed to us to be a bit wasted; he was a little out of it. I don’t know if we expected a bit more of Henry [Fonda]’s son but he was certainly of our generation and he was alright.” – Paul McCartney
“I’m not sure but I think it was one of the only Beatle records I never played on. I think we had a barney or something and I said, ‘Oh, fuck you!,’ and they said, ‘Well, we’ll do it.'” – Paul McCartney
Personnel
- John Lennon – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, Hammond organ
- George Harrison – backing vocal, bass guitar, lead guitar
- Ringo Starr – drums, shaker
Release dates
- Revolver (1966)
- Tomorrow Never Knows (2012)
