Music
The Beatles’ “Revolver”: A Spiritual Journey of Death and Rebirth
Shedding Suit Straight-Jackets to Embrace Their Own Beliefs
Sitars, tape loops, singing through a Leslie speaker cabinet, and references to LSD and The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Timothy Leary.
These are not what a typical Beatles fan expected to hear in 1965.
Sure, one could look at the “Rubber Soul” album cover, thinking the fish-eye lens with the psychedelic font was a departure from their goofy photo-booth tic-tac-toe face display of “A Hard Day’s Night”…
But they were still the Beatles, right?
The heart throbbing sensation that was sweeping multiple nations? Where you could pick which Beatle you loved, whether it be the intellectual John Lennon, the lovelorn Paul McCartney, the charming Ringo Starr, or the spiritual George Harrison? Right? Right?
Wrong.
“Revolver”: Spiritual Death and Rebirth
Drop the needle on “Revolver,” and you’ll get a different take on where the Beatles are headed.
A song about taxes? Eastern meditations on philosophy? A children’s song about a yellow submarine? A violin-backed piece about loneliness?
Where are the “Love Me Do’s”? The “Can’t Buy Me Love's”? The “I Wanna Hold Your Hand’s”?
Dead.
Gone.
The Beatles have shed those tight, straight…*cough*…suit jackets for a chance to show us how they feel.
The name of the album “Revolver” is supposed to be a pun for how the record “revolves” on the turntable.
However, I think this is no joke but a metaphor for a darker meaning.
The Beatles wished to figuratively “kill” and “put their former selves to rest” to become who they wished to be.
A Spiritual Successor to “Love Me Do”
Penned by George Harrison, the song “Love You To” expresses a dichotomy to the song “Love Me Do.”
“Love Me Do” is a typical love song of the ’60s expressing the want for mutual love between the singer and the recipient of the lover.
“Love, love me do
You know I love you
I’ll always be trueSo please
Love me do”
The Beatles, “Love Me Do” — 1962
Simple, effective lyrics cut to the quick sentimentality that any teen can identify with and relate to. We see fear flash subconsciously through these lyrics. The speaker proclaims their love and hopes the other will love them back.
However, this exclamation is external and demands the other person’s answer:
“Hey. I love you. How are you going to deal with that?”
Musically, the Beatles also use a harmonica, calling back to the folk and blues music they are known for covering. In the late ’50s and early ’60s, the Beatles played in clubs, covering Chuck Berry and Smokey Robinson tunes. When they are writing originals, they hearken back to what sells and how they’re identified: a teen idol band.
All in all, a commodity.
We see a transformational shift to this mentality in the song “Love You To.”
Notice the similarity in the titles of both songs. Both are three words long and start with the same word: “love.”
However, we are shifting from a “me” focus to a “you” focus. And why did they choose the word “to?” Isn’t it “too?” Does Harrison not know his grammar?
Not quite. Let’s start by looking at the lyrics:
“Each day just goes so fast
I turn around, it’s passed
You don’t get time to hang a sign on meLove me while you can
Before I’m a dead old manA lifetime is so short
A new one can’t be bought
But what you’ve got means such a lot to me”
“Love You To” — “Revolver,” 1965.
George Harrison is singing about wanting to feel more present in life. The day is escaping him. Harrison’s spiritual beliefs of presence are front and center for the first time.
Harrison also mentions that whoever listens doesn’t “get time to hang a sign on me.” Harrison refers to labels here, particularly those the critics and audience have put on the Beatles.
When he mentions that “a lifetime is so short” and a “new one can’t be bought,” Harrison chooses to step into his power here and be himself. Instead of a commodity that sings love songs that appeal to the general public, the man is a deep thinker with much to say.
Is it a love song? Yes. But instead of being a love song to another person, it’s penned to himself.
There’s people standing ‘round
Who’ll screw you in the ground
They’ll fill you in with all their sins
“Love You To” — “Revolver,” 1965.
This can be seen as a direct reference to Christ and the crucifixion, or more likely death and rebirth of the Beatles themselves.
Harrison is acknowledging that others may view the Beatles differently in this new light. Implying that others may take what they don’t like about themselves, Harrison worries they may dump it on the Beatles, making it their issue.
George ends with a plea:
“I’ll make love to you
If you want me to”
“Love You To” — “Revolver”, 1965.
To achieve oneness in ourselves, we must accept others. Harrison asks the fans, “Are you ok with us being this way?”
If you will, the Beatles will make love to you through their music.
But they’re asking for your consent.
The song “Love Me Do” still has the same fear, but it’s more internal. Instead of claiming that you love them and asking for an answer whether they love you back, the Beatles are asking, “Will you accept us as we are?”
This is where the “to” verbiage comes in.
“Love Me To” is a fragment. But it is also implying something.
You love me now, but to what odds? To what ends? When will you stop loving me?
Harrison is asking us to finish the fragment.
Instrumentation Choice of Sitar
Instead of a harmonica, hearkening towards the past, the use of the sitar calls to the future: The Beatles self-actualized identity through instrumentation.
An Eastern instrument with a twangy, almost unearthly sound, the sitar still catches ears on this song and also on the track “Tomorrow Never Knows.”
George was interested in Indian culture, music, and philosophy and wished to share his learnings with the world.
He started by trying to integrate it into the previous album. It first appears on “Rubber Soul” in the song “Norwegian Wood.” However, not until “Love You To” do we see it showcased for what it can do.
Through this song, Harrison gives us the one-two punch:
First by lyrics, then by the music.
We are made to question who the Beatles are. Are they the pop rock musicians that call back to the blues days of yore?
Or are they a revolutionary band calling forth a new generation of music?
The sitar challenges our preconceived notions on who we believe the Beatles are, pushing these questions to the forefront.
Revolutions Abound
Regardless of how you feel about the transformative nature of the Beatles on this record, it is hard to argue that the album isn’t revolutionary.
Songs on the album, such as “Taxman” and “Got to Get you Into My Life” created new genres of music. “Tomorrow Never Knows” feels like it could have been written today.
It’s interesting that the cover of “Revolver” is black and white because deep inside, it is rich with the color of the Beatles' souls.
Instead of choosing to wrap themselves in the “black and white” thinking of “Yesterday,” The Beatles moved forward because as Lennon sang on the record:
“Tomorrow Never Knows”
I’m Bill. I write about spirituality, self-help, advice, and mental health, and I’m listening to 1001 Must-Hear Albums Before You Die in a year and documenting it on Youtube.
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