We Can Work It Out
Written by: Paul McCartney (50%), John Lennon (50%) (credited as Lennon-McCartney)
Recorded: October 20, 1965; October 29, 1965 (Studio 2, Abbey Road Studios, London, England)
Mixed: October 28, 1965; October 29, 1965; November 10, 1965; November 10, 1966
Length: 2:10
Takes: 2
Musicians:
John Lennon: harmony vocals, acoustic guitar (1964 Epiphone FT-79 "Texan"), harmonium
Paul McCartney: lead vocals, bass guitar (1963 Hofner 500/1)
George Harrison: rhythm guitar (1962 Gibson J160E)
Ringo Starr: drums (1963 Ludwig Black Oyster Pearl), tambourine
First released: December 3, 1965 (UK: Parlophone R5389), December 6, 1965 (US: Capitol 5555) (double a-side with "Day Tripper")
Available on: (CDs in bold)
Yesterday and Today, (US: Capitol (S)T 2553)
The Beatles 1962-1966, (UK: Apple PCSP 717, US: Apple SKBO 3403, Apple CDP 0777 7 97036 2 3)
Past Masters Volume Two, (Parlophone CDP 7 90044 2)
The Beatles 1, (Apple CDP 7243 5 299702 2)
Highest chart position: 1 (US: three weeks beginning December 16, 1965), 1 (UK: five weeks beginning January 28, 1966)
History:
Begun by Paul sometime in September 1965, the lyrics to this song were a direct plea to girlfriend Jane Asher; when the song was shown to John, he added the middle eight ("Life is very short, and there's no time..."). For his part, George suggested that the couplets in the middle eight suddenly end in a waltz or 3/4 time, marking the first time any Beatles song had switched time signatures in mid-record.
The song was important in Beatles history for other reasons, as well: it was the first song released (through not the first recorded) from the historic Rubber Soul sessions, and John's one-note harmonium (a reed organ powered by air pumped through foot pedals) created a pre-psychedelic drone that the group would revisit time and time again.
This single also claims the distinction of being the first "double a-side" single in rock history. 45 rpm records usually featured the potential hit on the a-side, but John argued that "Day Tripper" -- his idea, again fleshed out by both he and McCartney -- was the song with the most hit potential. The compromise reached meant that there was no designated "b" side, and both songs were counted as Number One singles. (When listing Beatles singles, most discographies put "We Can Work It Out" as the designated a-side, but only because it's billed first on the 45 sleeve.)
Although most of this song was completed in one day (February 20, 1965), Paul added a vocal doubletrack nine days later.
There are two different stereo mixes for the song, created exactly one year apart; one by Capitol for inclusion on the "Yesterday and Today" compilation and one by Parlophone in 1966 for the UK-only compilation "A Collection of Beatles Oldies."
Live versions: December 3, 1965 (Odeon Cinema, Glasgow, Scotland), December 4, 1965 (City Hall, Newcastle, England), December 5, 1965 (Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England), December 7, 1965 (Apollo Cinema, Ardwick, Manchester, England), December 8, 1965 (City Hall, Sheffield, England), December 9, 1965 (Odeon Cinema, Birmingham, England), December 10, 1965 (Odeon Cinema, Hammersmith, England), December 11, 1965 (Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, England), December 12, 1965 (Capitol Cinema, Cardiff, England)
Trivia:
- In America, the "We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper" single was released on the same day as the Rubber Soul album, although neither song was ever present on that album.
- A short film of the Beatles lip-synching this song was made for promotional purposes and first broadcast, along with a similar lip-synch clip for "Day Tripper," on the Granada Television special "The Music Of Lennon and McCartney," which first aired December 17, 1965 in the UK. Since these performances were not filmed in front of an audience, they can be considered the world's first music videos as we understand the format today.
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