I've Just Seen a Face
Encyclopedia
"I've Just Seen a Face" is a song
by The Beatles
. It appears on their 1965 United Kingdom album
Help!
, although in the United States it and "It's Only Love
" first appeared on the Capitol
version of the Rubber Soul
album.
(credited to Lennon–McCartney) and features McCartney on vocals. Before its release, the song was briefly titled "Aunty Gin's Theme" after his father's youngest sister, because it was one of her favourites. It is one of very few Beatles songs that lacks a bass
track.
McCartney has stated, “It was slightly country and western from my point of view... it was faster, though, it was a strange uptempo thing. I was quite pleased with it. The lyric works; it keeps dragging you forward, it keeps pulling you to the next line, there’s an insistent quality to it that I liked.” According to music critic Richie Unterberger
of allmusic, "Several songs on 1964's Beatles for Sale
, as well as "I'll Cry Instead
" from A Hard Day's Night
, had leaned in a country and western direction. But 'I've Just Seen a Face' was almost pure country, taken at such a fast tempo that it might have been bluegrass if not for the absence of banjo and fiddle." Music critic Ian MacDonald
said the up tempo song "lifted the later stages of the Help! album with its quickfire freshness." Capitol Records chose it as the lead track for the US edition of Rubber Soul
with the intent of giving the album a stronger acoustic feel, in step with the then-current folk-rock movement.
in London
in the same session with "Yesterday
" and "I'm Down
".
, on the 1991 album Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)
and on the 2005 DVD
, Live In Red Square.
recorded a bluegrass version on their 1966 Beatle Country album.
Calamity Jane
, a country music band, charted in 1982 with a cover that went to number 44 on Hot Country Songs
.
David Lee Roth
played the song live on his 1988 Skyscraper tour.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
by 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...
. It appears on their 1965 United Kingdom album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Help!
Help! (album)
Help! is the title of the fifth British and ninth American album by The Beatles, and the soundtrack from their film of the same name. Produced by George Martin for EMI's Parlophone Records, it contains fourteen songs in its original British form, of which seven appeared in the film...
, although in the United States it and "It's Only Love
It's Only Love
"It's Only Love" is a song written mostly by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first released by The Beatles in 1965, on the Help! album in the United Kingdom, and on the Rubber Soul album in the United States....
" first appeared on the Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
version of the 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...
album.
Composition
"I've Just Seen a Face" was written by Paul McCartneyPaul 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...
(credited to Lennon–McCartney) and features McCartney on vocals. Before its release, the song was briefly titled "Aunty Gin's Theme" after his father's youngest sister, because it was one of her favourites. It is one of very few Beatles songs that lacks a bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
track.
McCartney has stated, “It was slightly country and western from my point of view... it was faster, though, it was a strange uptempo thing. I was quite pleased with it. The lyric works; it keeps dragging you forward, it keeps pulling you to the next line, there’s an insistent quality to it that I liked.” According to music critic Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger is a US author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.-Life and writing:Having worked as a DJ at WXPN in Philadelphia, he started reviewing records for Op magazine in 1983...
of allmusic, "Several songs on 1964's Beatles for Sale
Beatles for Sale
Beatles for Sale is the fourth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released in late 1964 and produced by George Martin for Parlophone. The album marked a minor turning point in the evolution of Lennon and McCartney as lyricists, John Lennon particularly now showing interest in...
, as well as "I'll Cry Instead
I'll Cry Instead
"I'll Cry Instead" is a John Lennon composition credited to Lennon–McCartney, and recorded by The Beatles for the soundtrack to their film A Hard Day's Night.-Background:Lennon wrote the song for the "break-out" sequence in the film...
" from A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night (album)
A Hard Day's Night is the third studio album by The Beatles, released on 10 July 1964 as the soundtrack to their film A Hard Day's Night. The American version of the album was released two weeks earlier, on 26 June 1964 by United Artists Records, with a different track listing...
, had leaned in a country and western direction. But 'I've Just Seen a Face' was almost pure country, taken at such a fast tempo that it might have been bluegrass if not for the absence of banjo and fiddle." Music critic Ian MacDonald
Ian MacDonald
Ian 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...
said the up tempo song "lifted the later stages of the Help! album with its quickfire freshness." Capitol Records chose it as the lead track for the US edition of 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...
with the intent of giving the album a stronger acoustic feel, in step with the then-current folk-rock movement.
Recording
The song was recorded on 14 June 1965 at Abbey Road StudiosAbbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the same session with "Yesterday
Yesterday (song)
"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...
" and "I'm Down
I'm Down
"I'm Down" is a song by the Beatles written by Paul McCartney and first released as the B-side to the single "Help!" in 1965.-Composition:...
".
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...
– 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... - 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...
– 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... - 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...
– acousticAcoustic 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... - 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...
– brushed snare, maracasMaracásMaracás is a town and municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil.-References:...
- 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...
McCartney live versions
The song has remained a favourite of McCartney's as indicated by live performances during his solo career. It was one of only five Beatles numbers performed on his Wings Over America Tour in 1976. Post-Beatles live versions appear on the 1976 album Wings over AmericaWings over America
Wings over America is the sixth album by Wings and their only live album. In its initial release, it was a triple album and included a poster of the band.-Recording history:...
, on the 1991 album Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)
Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)
- Personnel :*Paul McCartney: Acoustic guitar, drums, vocals.*Linda McCartney: Piano, Indian harmonium, percussion, vocals.*Hamish Stuart: Acoustic bass guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals.*Robbie McIntosh: Acoustic guitars, piano, dobro, vocals....
and on the 2005 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, Live In Red Square.
Cover versions
American group Charles River Valley BoysCharles River Valley Boys
The Charles River Valley Boys were an American bluegrass group who toured and recorded in the 1960s and were best known for their 1966 album, Beatle Country, presenting bluegrass versions of songs by The Beatles.-History:...
recorded a bluegrass version on their 1966 Beatle Country album.
Calamity Jane
Calamity Jane (band)
Calamity Jane was an American, all-female country music band composed of Mary Fielder , Mary Ann Kennedy , Linda Moore and Pam Rose...
, a country music band, charted in 1982 with a cover that went to number 44 on Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
.
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Roth was ranked nineteenth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time....
played the song live on his 1988 Skyscraper tour.