I'm So Tired
Encyclopedia
"I'm So Tired" is a song by The Beatles
from their double-disc album The Beatles
(also known as The White Album). It was written and sung by John Lennon
, though credited to Lennon–McCartney.
camp when he could not sleep. The Beatles had gone on a retreat to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
in Rishikesh, India
. After three weeks of constant meditation and lectures, Lennon missed his soon-to-be wife, Yoko Ono
, and was plagued by insomnia that inspired the song. Lennon later said of it: "One of my favourite tracks. I just like the sound of it, and I sing it well".
The theme of insomnia complements Lennon's earlier song "I'm Only Sleeping
" on the Revolver
album.
home, in May 1968. It was basically identical to the released version, in terms of verse, but it does include a spoken section reminiscent of a similar section in Happiness Is A Warm Gun
. It goes as such:
This section was probably improvised at the time, as it was never used again.
The song was recorded on 8 October 1968 and was completed including all overdubs in this one session. The Beatles also started and completed "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
" during the same recording session. The chorus of the monaural mix of the song features louder backing vocals from Paul McCartney than the stereo mix.
At the very end of the song, what seems to be nonsensical mumbling can be heard in the background. The mumbling, if played backward can be quite easily heard as something along the lines of "Paul is a dead man. Miss him. Miss him. Miss him." This only adds to the many supposed references to the "Paul is dead" conspiracy scattered throughout the White album.
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...
from their double-disc album The Beatles
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
(also known as The White Album). It was written and sung by John Lennon
John Lennon
John 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...
, though credited to Lennon–McCartney.
Composition
Lennon wrote the song at a Transcendental MeditationTranscendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation refers to the Transcendental Meditation technique, a specific form of mantra meditation, and to the Transcendental Meditation movement, a spiritual movement...
camp when he could not sleep. The Beatles had gone on a retreat to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
in Rishikesh, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. After three weeks of constant meditation and lectures, Lennon missed his soon-to-be wife, Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
, and was plagued by insomnia that inspired the song. Lennon later said of it: "One of my favourite tracks. I just like the sound of it, and I sing it well".
The theme of insomnia complements Lennon's earlier song "I'm Only Sleeping
I'm Only Sleeping
"I'm Only Sleeping" is a song by The Beatles from their 1966 studio album Revolver. It was released two months earlier in the United States on the album Yesterday And Today and did not feature on the original US version of Revolver...
" on the Revolver
Revolver (album)
Revolver is the seventh studio album by the English rock group The Beatles, released on 5 August 1966 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin. Many of the tracks on Revolver are marked by an electric guitar-rock sound, in contrast with their previous LP, the folk rock inspired Rubber...
album.
Recording
An early demo of the song was recorded at George Harrison's EsherEsher
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
home, in May 1968. It was basically identical to the released version, in terms of verse, but it does include a spoken section reminiscent of a similar section in Happiness Is A Warm Gun
Happiness Is a Warm Gun
"Happiness Is a Warm Gun" is a song by The Beatles, featured on the eponymous double-disc album The Beatles, also known as The White Album...
. It goes as such:
- When I hold you, in your arms,
- When you show me, each one of your charms,
- I wonder should I get up, and go to the funny farm.
- No, no, no!
This section was probably improvised at the time, as it was never used again.
The song was recorded on 8 October 1968 and was completed including all overdubs in this one session. The Beatles also started and completed "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
"The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" is a song by The Beatles from the 1968 double album The Beatles ....
" during the same recording session. The chorus of the monaural mix of the song features louder backing vocals from Paul McCartney than the stereo mix.
"Paul is dead" conspiracy
See also: Paul is deadPaul Is Dead
"Paul is dead" is an urban legend suggesting that Paul McCartney of the English rock band The Beatles died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a look-alike....
At the very end of the song, what seems to be nonsensical mumbling can be heard in the background. The mumbling, if played backward can be quite easily heard as something along the lines of "Paul is a dead man. Miss him. Miss him. Miss him." This only adds to the many supposed references to the "Paul is dead" conspiracy scattered throughout the White album.
Cover versions
- Elliott SmithElliott SmithSteven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
covered the song during several live performances. - Alex ChiltonAlex ChiltonWilliam Alexander "Alex" Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star...
recorded the song in 1975, during sessions that would eventually be released as Bach's Bottom in 1981. - You Am IYou Am IYou Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...
covered the song on their Jaimme's Got A GalJaimme's Got A Gal"Jaimme's Got A Gal" is the third single from the album Sound As Ever by Australian rock band You Am I. It was released in 1994 and reached #77 in that year's Hottest 100. The Jaimme of the title is Jaimme Rogers, the brother of You Am I's frontman and chief songwriter Tim Rogers, who had been a...
single in 1994. - Say Hi covered the song on their 2004 album Numbers & MumblesNumbers & MumblesNumbers & Mumbles is the second full-length release by Say Hi. It includes a cover of The Beatles' song "I'm So Tired". According to Elbogen, "Let's Talk About Spaceships" is the most popular song among fans and is a great crowd pleaser....
. - Orquesta Mondragón covered the song on their 2010 album El Maquinista de la General.
- SilverchairSilverchairSilverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
covered the song on their Young Modern Tour. - Kasabian covered the song at the Little Noise Sessions in 2006.
Personnel
- 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...
– lead 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...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with... - 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...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, backing vocalBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - 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...
– lead guitar - 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 ....
- 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...