1966 was Paul
McCartney's annus mirabilis, and "Revolver" is its testament - the
soulful "Got to get you into my life", the haunting "Eleanor
Rigby", the sweeping ballad "Here There & Everywhere", but
my favourite is the sublime "For No One". It is such a mature and sophisticated
effort, that it is hard to conceive, it was barely three years since their
first album.
Paul wrote it
in a bathroom of a ski chalet in the Swiss Alps, during a trip with girlfriend
Jane Asher. It is sorrowful charting of a break-up, and includes great economy
of detail in just two minutes.
A superb
opening line "Your day breaks, your mind aches", sets the scene in
just six words - a sense of pain and
long nights of the soul. Followed by the poignant "You find that all the
words of kindness linger on / When she no longer needs you" - a breakup
and he is tormented by the memories.
Constructed
like a poem, it is tempting to review every line. Not only does he convey his hurt,
but also the girl's, who is crying not for him, but for the end of another
relationship ("that should have lasted years").
He uses the
same pattern at the start of each verse, which describes the story ("You stay
home, she goes out") and the minor details ("She wakes up, she makes
up"). Brevity and fullness. Each word
is carefully selected and honed, describing her love as "dead" is
brutal.
McCartney has
rarely sung better, slow and clipped. The backing echoes the more adventurous
approach, with Paul playing bass, piano, and most importantly the baroque sound
of the clavichord. Ringo supplies light drums, with the percussion of tambourine
and maracas. Finally there is the beautiful French horn solo, from Alan Civil, pushed
to its limits. A beautiful background to desolation.
For most
artists "For No One" would be a career defining highlight, but for
McCartney (and the Beatles) it is a "routine" album track, quickly written
and recorded between tours. The wonder of the Beatles is not only their unassailable
peaks, but the consistency and quantity.
Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELlLIwhvknk
Hear Next -
The "Revolver" album is a always a great place to start.
