"Things We Said Today" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in July 1964 as the B-side to the single "A Hard Day's Night" and on their album of the same name, except in North America, where it appeared on the album Something New. The band recorded the song twice for BBC Radio and regularly performed an abbreviated version during their 1964 North American tour.

McCartney wrote the song while holidaying in the United States Virgin Islands with his girlfriend, actress Jane Asher. The lyrics address the singer's love for a girl despite the distance between them. McCartney later described the song as exhibiting "future nostalgia", being "nostalgic about the moment we're living in now." The music is melodically complex, using chords more typical of classical music and jazz than pop music. Between verses, it changes between major and minor keys, while the lyrics shift between the first and third person, and between the future and present tense.

"Things We Said Today" has received a favourable response from several music critics. Some reviewers said the song is more like John Lennon's style than McCartney's, with others comparing its mood to Lennon's "I'll Be Back". The song has been interpreted as relating to difficulties in McCartney's relationship with Asher, caused partly by their pursuits of different careers.

Background and composition

thumb|alt=A photograph of beaches and water in the Virgin Islands.|left|The [[Virgin Islands, where Paul McCartney composed "Things We Said Today" in May 1964.]]

Paul McCartney wrote "Things We Said Today" in May 1964 while holidaying in the United States Virgin Islands. He and his girlfriend Jane Asher travelled to Saint Thomas for the month with bandmate Ringo Starr and his girlfriend Maureen Cox. Hiring a private yacht with a crew, the Happy Days, the couples spent their time fishing, swimming and listening to Calypso music. McCartney bought a cheap acoustic guitar to "keep in practice", playing it below deck in his cabin one afternoon to distract from his seasickness. A July 1964 piece in The Beatles Monthly Book quotes him as saying: "There was something about the atmosphere there that made me quite keen on writing new songs in the evenings."

"Things We Said Today" is mostly in the natural minor key of A and is in 4/4 (common time). The song plays on alternating major and minor chords, with A minor playing in the verses before the release changes to A major. The transitions are marked by a change in harmony and an acoustic guitar flourish. The song is melodically horizontal, using chord changes typical in both classical music and jazz. It consistently uses a B chord, which musicologist Alan W. Pollack writes "adds even more spice to both the melody and harmony", and is suggestive of the "exotic Phrygian mode". Tom Ewing of Pitchfork describes the song as "wintry and philosophical before the surprising, stirring middle eight". Journalist Robert Sandall suggests that the song's "mood of brooding reverie" is more closely aligned with fan's perceptions of Lennon's feelings than McCartney's. Writer Ian MacDonald also states it is closer in style to Lennon than McCartney, further writing that the song "established a model of strident dramatic contrasts" for the Beatles' next album, Beatles for Sale, heard in songs like "Baby's In Black", "Every Little Thing", "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" and "No Reply".

In McCartney's authorised biography, Many Years From Now, Barry Miles writes that, like "And I Love Her", the song was inspired by McCartney and Asher's relationship and the frequent separation from one another they experienced due to their busy careers. MacDonald similarly writes that the sombre lyric of "Things We Said Today" was inspired by the interruptions in McCartney and Asher's relationship.

BBC Radio and live versions

British law in the 1960s compelled BBC Radio to play material recorded especially for the medium. In keeping with this practice, the Beatles played "Things We Said Today" twice for radio, recording for the BBC Light Programmes Top Gear and From Us to You on 14 and 17 July 1964, respectively. The former, broadcast two days later, was the first Top Gear programme to run on BBC Radio 1. EMI included this performance on the album Live at the BBC, released in the UK and US on 30 November and 6 December 1994, respectively. The album achieved number one on the UK Music Week top 75 and number three on the Billboard 200.

The Beatles regularly performed an abbreviated version of the song during their 1964 North American tour. MacDonald writes the song's combination of "ease and effectiveness" secured its inclusion in their set list. Capitol, hoping to release a live album of the band in the US market, recorded their 23 August 1964 concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles but deemed the recording of insufficient quality for release. In 1977, Capitol approached Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick to re-edit the tapes, along with a 30 August 1965 concert. EMI released the resulting album, The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, on 6 May 1977, with "Things We Said Today" sequenced as the sixth track, between "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Roll Over Beethoven". Apple released a remixed and remastered version of the album on 9 September 2016, re-titled as Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Calling the song "often-overlooked", Beatles writer Robert Rodriguez writes that the live version of "Things We Said Today" features a "rave-up bridge". Unterberg suggests that, while the song is often overlooked in modern-day listening, its inclusion in the Beatles' 1964 set list points to its major contemporaneous impact. It remains the only Beatles song that Dylan has released a cover of in an official capacity.

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

  • Full lyrics for the song at the Beatles' official website