“Because” is undoubtedly one of the simplest Beatles songs–especially when you consider how often they tried to push the envelope musically. This John Lennon penned piece showcased a sweeter side of his writing. The sparse arrangement saved space for his ode to love to shine. While the end result is stunning, it was apparently very difficult to record. Find out why, below.
The Beatles Song Every Member Struggled to Record
Ah, because the world is round, it turns me on
Because the world is round
Harmonies aren’t always easy to pull off–even for a band like the Beatles, who specialized in them. According to George Harrison, the harmonies in “Because” were particularly hard to pull off. He once called it “Pretty difficult to sing” for every member involved.
“The backing is a bit like Beethoven,” Harrison once said. “And three-part harmony right throughout. Paul usually writes the sweeter tunes, and John writes the, sort of, more the rave-up things, or the freakier things. But John’s getting to where he doesn’t want to. He just wants to write twelve-bars. But you can’t deny it, I think this is possibly my favorite one on the album. The lyrics are so simple. The harmony was pretty difficult to sing. We had to really learn it. But I think that’s one of the tunes that will impress most people. It’s really good.”
ah Because the wind is high, it blows my mind
Because the wind is high, ah Love is old, love is new
It is indeed impressive. One of the most impressive efforts in the Beatles’ catalog, in fact. The power of this song is held in its simplicity–or at least implied simplicity. Though the song was difficult to record, the final result sounds like it was as easy to sing as breathing for the band. It’s just a straight-forward, well written, and well performed track. That seems to be what Lennon was going for in the first place.
“Yoko was playing Moonlight Sonata on the piano,” Lennon once said. “She was classically trained. I said, ‘Can you play those chords backward?’ and wrote ‘Because’ around them. The lyrics speak for themselves; they’re clear. No bullsh**. No imagery, no obscure references.”
Love is all, love is you Because the sky is blue, it makes me cry
Because the sky is blue, ah, ah, ah, ah
