There is no such thing as a final Beatles song. Because as long as there is a steward overseeing the band’s cache of recordings, something – whether demos, alternate versions or tracks buffed by enhanced fidelity – will always be unearthed.
The latest treasures land on The Beatles’ “Rubber Soul: Special Edition,”
out Oct. 2, with the most notable addition John Lennon’s unassuming ditty, “Little Girl.”“Rubber Soul,” released in 1965 and recorded over four weeks, marked a fleeting period in Beatles lore. The band – Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison – moved from the precipice to the reality of a creative leap, evidenced in the distorted bass on “Think For Yourself” or the baroque piano that anchors “In My Life.”
The deluxe version
of The Beatles’ sixth studio album also offers the U.S. album’s 12 songs in stereo clarity, along with the original mono mix.
The classics on “Rubber Soul,” from the French-spouting “Michelle” to the singsong sitar on “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” to the chiming introspection of “In My Life,” have aged well. But hardcore Beatles fans always want to know about the ingredients that created the finished product, which this “Special Edition” more than delivers.
‘Little Girl’ spotlights a Lennon love song in the works
The Lennon composition was discovered on a tape in the Abbey Road archives and was recently handed over by the Lennon Estate (primarily son Sean Lennon). The clearly unfinished ditty clocks in at 2 minutes and 17 seconds and is mostly a rough draft of a simple love song penned by Lennon, who sings against acoustic guitar and a tapping foot, “Little girl, I’ve come to say that this has been a lovely day/I love youuuuu.”
But before Lennon starts “la la la”-ing his way through the song’s close, injecting the meaningless phrase as a placeholder for more lyrics, he takes a typically biting turn. “If you’d asked me yesterday, then I would have told you sweet FA,” he sings, invoking a British term defined as “meaning absolutely nothing.”
In the pantheon of uncovered Beatles material, this ranks near the bottom of momentousness. But who would ever argue about hearing more music from John Lennon?
'Rubber Soul: Special Edition' includes sessions of ‘In My Life’
The deep dive into unearthed takes includes 20 that have never been released, such as the songwriting work tape of “Day Tripper” – sans its famous guitar lick in the middle, but full of charming giggles among the band – and McCartney’s demo of “We Can Work it Out,” a slightly faster rendition of the finished product.
Given the popularity of “In My Life,” fans will flock to a couple of deconstructed versions of the song: A first take, which sounds remarkably similar to the final recording, with the exception of some tweaked phrasing, and an instrumental chunk featuring an unused organ solo.
How many versions are there of 'Rubber Soul: Special Edition'?
As usual, an array of configurations is available depending upon your level of fandom.
Standard editions come as one CD or LP, while a two CD or LP version is considered a “special edition” and a four CD and five LP collection a “super deluxe edition.” The latter is accompanied by an 88-page hardbound book with an introduction from McCartney and a foreword compiled from Lennon’s words.
A Blu-ray disc featuring a new Dolby Atmos mix, high-resolution stereo audio and promotional films for “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out” is available, as well as limited-edition orange vinyl.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Beatles uncover hidden John Lennon song in archives. What is it?
