Casual fans of The Beatles probably know “Eight Days a Week.”
Videos by American Songwriter
It appears at the midway point of their fourth album, Beatles for Sale. The song fits with the group’s early period pop on an album where The Beatles began to experiment. “Eight Days a Week” begins with its intro fading in—unheard of at the time for a pop song.
But The Beatles had become restless. Their comfort in the recording studio showed in how they manipulated its technology. John Lennon and Paul McCartney, inspired by Bob Dylan, aimed for something higher than the charts. And a new writing style emerges immediately on Beatles for Sale with the opening track, “No Reply.”
The song describes Lennon trying to reach an unfaithful girlfriend. Though his songwriting had evolved, he drew inspiration from an older song.
The Rays
Lennon adapted his song from The Rays’ 1957 R&B hit “Silhouettes.” He said, “It was my version of ‘Silhouettes’: I had that image of walking down the street and seeing her silhouetted in the window and not answering the phone, although I never called a girl on the phone in my life. Because phones weren’t part of the English child’s life.”
This happened once before
When I came to your door
No reply
They said it wasn’t you
But I saw you peep through your window
“Silhouettes” gave Lennon a blueprint for his story. It marked a turn toward the kind of detailed narratives in Dylan’s songwriting. The Beatles’ publisher, Dick James, said to Lennon, “That’s the first complete song you’ve written where it resolves itself.”
Here’s the opening verse to The Rays’ song for comparison:
Took a walk and passed your house late last night
All the shades were pulled and drawn way down tight
From within the dim light cast
Two silhouettes on the shade
Oh, what a lovely couple they made
Meant for Someone Else
However, Lennon wrote the song for singer Tommy Quickly. But Quickly, who had signed with The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, never recorded “No Reply.”
Meanwhile, The Beatles recorded Beatles for Sale under a frantic deadline. So Lennon took the song back as they cobbled together a track list for the album.
Quickly had already released another Lennon and McCartney composition in 1963 called “Tip of My Tongue.” But his career was short-lived. By 1965, he retired from the music business and after a brief stint in television, receded from public life.
If I were you, I’d realize that I
Love you more than any other guy
And I’ll forgive the lies that I
Heard before, when you gave me no reply
Looking Back to Move On
Beatles for Sale also contains cover songs from The Beatles’ early days performing at the Cavern Club. Still, the old songs and the emerging influence of Dylan pushed them further into more experimental territory.
Though “No Reply” marks Lennon entering his self-described “Dylan period,” McCartney helped him finish the song.
Said McCartney, “I think he pretty much had [“No Reply”], but as usual, if he didn’t have the third verse and the middle eight, then he’d play it to me pretty much formed, then we would shove a bit in the middle, or I’d throw in an idea.”
The Beatles had achieved enough commercial success for EMI to allow them more freedom to experiment in the studio. They pushed the boundaries of four-track recording and utilized the studio as an instrument itself.
“No Reply,” like “Eight Days a Week,” straddles the threshold between The Beatles’ past and their groundbreaking future.
Photo by Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.