Yes It Is

"Yes It Is" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney), it was first released in 1965 as the B-side to " Ticket to Ride". It features some of the Beatles' most complex and dissonant three-part vocal harmonies and showcases George Harrison's early use of volume pedal guitar. Ian MacDonald describes the song as having "rich and unusual harmonic motion."

Composition

In his 1980 interview with ''Playboy'', John Lennon described "Yes It Is" as an attempt to rewrite "This Boy" (the style of the song) that "didn't quite work". Paul McCartney on the other hand described it as "a very fine song of John's" that he and Lennon had finished writing together.

Musical structure

The song is in the time signature, in the key of E and begins (on "If you wear red tonight ...") with a I–IV–ii⁷–V⁷ chord progression (E–A–Fm⁷–B⁷) in which the word "to''night''" (B melody note) appears as a "delicately haunting" 4th above the Fm⁷, creating a suspension. The melodic pitches of this first two bar phrase are repeated (with initial repetition of the G melody note) on "remember what I said tonight," except that the B melody note on the second "to''night''" is now backed by a VII (D) chord that shapes the B melody note into a more "luscious" 6th. The chorus ("Yes it is, it's true. Yes it is, it's true") involves a I (E chord) – III (G chord) – IV (A chord) – I (E chord) progression in which the major III (G) chord appears for the first time in the song to propel the plagal drop from IV (A) to the tonic I (E) chord.

Recording

Over the course of a five-hour recording session, the Beatles attempted 14 takes of the basic track before perfecting it. "Yes It Is" was recorded on 16 February 1965, the same day that they completed Harrison's " I Need You". After completing the rhythm track, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison recorded their vocal harmonies in three hours, singing live together using the suggestion of George Martin that they sing their three-part harmony in the style of a barbershop quartet.

Release and reception

"Yes It Is" was released as the B-side of the "Ticket to Ride" single in both the U.S. and the UK. American pressings of the single erroneously show "Yes It Is" as being from the film ''Eight Arms to Hold You'' (the original title for the film, ''Help!''), in which it did not appear. It reached number 46 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

The song was included on ''Beatles VI'' in the U.S. (using the "duophonic" stereo remix from the original mono track, with additional echo and reverb added), and on compilation albums, including ''Love Songs'', the British version of the '' Rarities'' album; '' Only the Beatles'', an unauthorised British promotional cassette for Heineken Beer in 1986 (on which it made its first true stereo appearance); '' Past Masters, Volume One''; and on ''Anthology 2'' in an alternate version that combines the second and fourteenth takes. The original mono single mix appears on the ''Mono Masters'' CD as part of ''The Beatles in Mono'' box set.

Author Ian MacDonald praised "Yes It Is" along with its accompanying a-side " Ticket to Ride". He described both songs as "psychologically deeper than The Beatles had ever recorded before" and declared that they marked a huge step forward in the Beatles' development as songwriters.

Personnel

According to Ian MacDonald:
*John Lennon – double-tracked lead vocal, classical guitar
*Paul McCartney – harmony vocal, bass guitar
*George Harrison – harmony vocal, lead guitar
*Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine

References

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The Beatles songs
Song recordings produced by George Martin
Songs written by Lennon–McCartney
Songs published by Northern Songs
1965 songs
Parlophone singles
Capitol Records singles
1965 singles