I'm Only Sleeping - The Beatles

"I'm Only Sleeping" is a song by The Beatles that appeared on their studio album Revolver (in the US on the Yesterday and Today album). Though the song-writing credit is Lennon-McCartney, it was written mostly by John Lennon.The song is unique in featuring a dual guitar solo by George Harrison played backwards, as well as an electronically compressed rhythm guitar track. The solo is consistent with the rest of the song because Harrison took great pains to practice the entire melody of his solo backwards, so that when reversed and mixed in, it would fit the overall dreamlike mood of the rest of the song. It took him and producer George Martin six hours to perfect the guitar solo.

The psychedelic drone effect of the song was achieved by recording it at various speeds. The band also added other dreamlike touches: when Lennon sings "Please don't wake me", McCartney and Harrison's vocal harmonies were meant to sound like alarm clocks, and during the break before the second bridge at about 1:57 minutes into the song, a barely audible voice (probably Lennon's) can be heard saying, "Yawn, Paul." Following this, the slightly more audible sound of a yawn can be heard at about 2:00 minutes into the song.

This hazy, disjointed mood on top of the lyrics suggest a drug-induced state rather than actual dreaming, and this is the most widely accepted interpretation of the song. However, the first draft of Lennon's lyrics for "I'm Only Sleeping", written on the back of a letter from 1966, suggest that he actually was writing about the joys of staying in bed rather than any drug euphoria. In fact, Lennon loved staying in bed or on a couch, and when he wasn't sleeping, he would sit in it and read, write, or watch television. In a March 1966 interview with Maureen Cleave, the same interview in which Lennon made his "more popular than Jesus" remark, Cleave said, "He can sleep almost indefinitely, is probably the laziest person in England."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• im
• only
• sleeping
• beatles
• revolver
• 1966
• apple
• juice
• 37
• rain
• lucy
• abbey
• road
• psychedelic
• rock

[ExplosivePuddingCat]

Sometimes when my mom wakes me up too early in the morning I just moan

"I'm only sleeeeepinggg...!"

[Sufianslayer]

is it only me or i get dizzy listen to this??

[123456TOMAS]

Writer: LENNON, JOHN WINSTON / MCCARTNEY, PAUL JAMES When I wake up early in the morning Lift my head, I'm still yawning When I'm in the middle of a dream Stay in bed, float up stream (Float up stream) Please, don't wake me, no, don't shake me Leave me where I am, I'm only sleeping Everybody seems to think I'm lazy I don't mind, I think they're crazy Running everywhere at such a speed Till they find there's no need (There's no need)

[IngloriousBear]

In soviet Russia, panda poops you

[Nickkiyable]

john>xx

[MadTomOfBedlam]

@EmmaBeatleBug his third eye sure is wide open in that case

[EmmaBeatleBug]

John Lennons not dead, hes only sleeping <3

[HulloKat]

This is my favourite Beatles song, even though its a much lesser known one. Cool video. The video is high for you xD

[nandor690]

1:56 "yawn Paul"

2:01 "Y-A-W-N"

Gotta love them

[sirwob]

@dontheedthecallup if I may so bold to make a comment, Paul and Yoko said he was just trying to make a name for himself and asked us lets not say his name. People ask me who assassinated John I say "I don't know, google it".....just a thought

[bananymous1]

Paul>John

[SuperMegaUberGenius]

i don't mind, neither, i think they're crazy or sleeping.

finally they shup to get the tuning ceiling spin

i hate beiber i mean beatles what year s this?

merry christmas boxing day just gargbage muhmmad ali