I'm Looking Through You
Encyclopedia
"I'm Looking Through You" is a Lennon–McCartney song, written mainly by Paul McCartney
, that first appeared on The Beatles
' 1965 album Rubber Soul
.
It was written about Jane Asher
, McCartney's girlfriend for five years, "You don't look different, but you have changed," the lyrics declare, reflecting his dissatisfaction with their relationship.
compilation. The final version was recorded on 10 November with overdubs on 11 November and is the version included on Rubber Soul.
The North American stereo version of the song contains two false guitar starts.
At 1:18, feedback can be heard on both the mono and stereo remastered versions.
If the mono version of this song on the 2006 box set The Capitol Albums, Volume 2
has this false guitar start, it indicates that it is from the first pressing of this set which erroneously substituted incorrect mono mixes; they were simply the channels of the stereo versions combined, rather than the original mono mixes.
The album sleeve and other sources indicate that Ringo Starr
played Hammond organ
on this track, an unusual instrument for the Beatle drummer. Mark Lewisohn
reported that he could not hear the organ and that Hammond organ was not listed on the session tape box. Starr plays quick two-note vamps in the choruses.
MacDonald was unsure if Harrison played a guitar part.
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, that first appeared on The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' 1965 album Rubber Soul
Rubber Soul
Rubber Soul is the sixth studio album by the English rock group The Beatles, released in December 1965. Produced by George Martin, Rubber Soul had been recorded in just over four weeks to make the Christmas market...
.
It was written about Jane Asher
Jane Asher
Jane Asher is an English actress. She has also developed a second career as a cake decorator and cake shop proprietor.-Early life:...
, McCartney's girlfriend for five years, "You don't look different, but you have changed," the lyrics declare, reflecting his dissatisfaction with their relationship.
Recordings
The Beatles recorded three versions of the song in October and November 1965. The original version recorded on 24 October was slower than the released version, had a significantly different rhythm, and lacked the "Why, tell me why..." middle eight of the final version. It was eventually released in 1996 on the Anthology 2Anthology 2
Anthology 2 is a compilation album by The Beatles, released by Apple Records in March 1996. It is the second of the three-volume Anthology collection, all of which tie-in with the televised special The Beatles Anthology. The opening track is "Real Love", the second of the two recordings that...
compilation. The final version was recorded on 10 November with overdubs on 11 November and is the version included on Rubber Soul.
The North American stereo version of the song contains two false guitar starts.
At 1:18, feedback can be heard on both the mono and stereo remastered versions.
If the mono version of this song on the 2006 box set The Capitol Albums, Volume 2
The Capitol Albums, Volume 2
The Capitol Albums, Volume 2 is a box set compilation composed of The Beatles' 1965 American Capitol Records releases. The set, which contains stereo and mono versions of all 92 tracks was announced on 22 March 2006...
has this false guitar start, it indicates that it is from the first pressing of this set which erroneously substituted incorrect mono mixes; they were simply the channels of the stereo versions combined, rather than the original mono mixes.
The album sleeve and other sources indicate that Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
played Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
on this track, an unusual instrument for the Beatle drummer. Mark Lewisohn
Mark Lewisohn
Mark Lewisohn is an English author and historian, regarded as the world's leading authority on the English rock band The Beatles.-The Beatles and related subjects:...
reported that he could not hear the organ and that Hammond organ was not listed on the session tape box. Starr plays quick two-note vamps in the choruses.
Personnel
- Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
– double-trackedDoubletrackingDouble tracking is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or "bigger" sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. It is a form of overdubbing; the distinction comes from the...
vocalLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
– harmony vocalBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, acoustic rhythm guitar - George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
– electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
- Personnel per Ian MacDonaldIan MacDonaldIan MacCormick was a British music critic and author, best known for Revolution in the Head, his forensic history of The Beatles which borrowed techniques from art historians, and The New Shostakovich, a controversial study of the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich...
MacDonald was unsure if Harrison played a guitar part.
Cover versions
- Steve EarleSteve EarleStephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
included a version on his Train a Comin'Train a Comin'Train a Comin' is an acoustic studio album by Steve Earle. The album, Earle's first in five years, was released in 1995. In addition to Earle, it features Peter Rowan, Norman Blake, Roy Huskey, and Emmylou Harris...
album. - Mark HeardMark HeardJohn Mark Heard was a record producer, folk-rock singer, and songwriter originally from Macon, Georgia, USA....
covered the song on his album Second HandSecond HandSecond Hand is the title of an album by Mark Heard, released in 1991, on Heard's own Fingerprint Records. The album was listed at #4 in the book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music ....
. - The WallflowersThe WallflowersThe Wallflowers is a rock band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Jakob Dylan. Formed in 1989 and originally known as The Apples, the ensemble has gone through numerous personnel changes with Dylan the only constant....
recorded a version of the song for the film I Am SamI Am SamI Am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with a developmental disability, Dakota Fanning as his inquisitive seven-year-old daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer...
, whose soundtrack was composed entirely of contemporary Beatles covers. - Ted Leo and the PharmacistsTed Leo and the PharmacistsTed Leo and the Pharmacists are an American rock band formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. and currently recording for Matador Records. They have released six full-length studio albums and have toured internationally...
recorded a version of the song for the 2005 release of This Bird Has Flown - A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber SoulThis Bird Has Flown - A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber SoulThis Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul is an indie tribute album by a variety of artists that commemorates, as the title suggests, the fortieth anniversary of the release of The Beatles' 1965 album Rubber Soul. It was released on October 25, 2005 by Razor & Tie...
, an album composed of Beatles covers by various artists. - The MuppetsThe MuppetsThe Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
team performed a cover of the song for a special Halloween episode (guest starring Vincent PriceVincent PriceVincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
) in season one of The Muppet ShowThe Muppet ShowThe Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
. A pun was added to the song with the fact that the performing Muppets were ghosts. - Davey GrahamDavey GrahamDavid Michael Gordon "Davey" Graham, originally spelled Davy Graham, , was a British guitarist and one of the most influential figures in the 1960s British folk revival...
covered this on his 1966 album Midnight Man. - The PunklesThe PunklesThe Punkles were a band performing songs by The Beatles in punk style. They formed in 1998 in Hamburg, Germany and it was actually a side project of Prollhead!....
did a cover of this song on their third album Pistol. - Tyler HiltonTyler HiltonTyler James Hilton is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Hilton began his professional career in music in 2000. Rolling Stone Magazine compared him to his contemporary, Howie Day, while others have compared Hilton to Elton John, both vocally and instrumentally...
covers the song on the soundtrack for the film Imagine That.
Other appearances
- The Beatles version appears toward the end of the trailer of Ghost TownGhost Town (film)Ghost Town is a 2008 American comedy-drama film directed by David Koepp, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Kamps. It stars English comedian Ricky Gervais in his first leading feature-film role, as a dentist who can see and talk with ghosts, along with Téa Leoni as a young widow and Greg...
, and also during the opening scene of the film. It is one of the few times the original recording of a Beatles song has appeared on a movie soundtrack. - The song is a playable track in The Beatles: Rock BandThe Beatles: Rock BandThe Beatles: Rock Band is a 2009 music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the third major console release in the Rock Band music video game series, in which players can simulate the playing of rock music by using...
. - MafaldaMafaldaMafalda is a comic strip written and drawn by Argentine cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado, better known by his pen name Quino. The strip features a 6-year-old girl named Mafalda, who is deeply concerned about humanity and world peace and rebels against the current state of the world...
is listening and dancing the song, at QuinoQuinoJoaquín Salvador Lavado, better known by his pen name Quino is an Argentine cartoonist. His comic strip Mafalda is very popular in Latin America and many parts of Europe.-Early life and work:...
's famous "Mafalda" Cartoon.