RainIt was the first time that we had used a backward voice on a track. This is a song I wrote about people who are always moaning about the weather all the time, you know, whatever it is, it’s OK, it’s meant to be. John Lennon The Beatles: Off the Record by Keith Badman
I don't think Rain was just John's. We sat down and wrote it together. It was John's vocal and John's feel on the song, but what gave it its character was collaboration. Paul McCartney Anthology
Rain was written in March 1966 at John Lennon's Kenwood home. On 14 April 1966, the sixth day of the Revolver Sessions, The Beatles entered EMI Studio Three at 2:30 PM to work on two songs that would not be on the album but werer to be released on their next single. By 7:30 PM they had completed Paperback Writer which was to be the A-side. After an hour break, they returned to recording Rain.
Before work on the rhythm track began, an important recording technique was implemented. "One of the things we discovered when playing around with loops on Tomorrow Never Knows was that the texture and depth of certain instruments sounded really good when slowed down," remembers engineer Geoff Emerick in Mark Lewisohn's book The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. "With Rain, The Beatles played the rhythm track really fast so that when the tape was played back at normal speed everything would be so much slower, changing the texture. If we'd recorded it at normal speed and then had to slow the tape down whenever we wanted to hear a playback it would have been much more work…It all seems very simple now – and, of course, tricks like this are easily accomplished in today's computers – but in 1966 it was a pretty revolutionary technique, one that we would repeatedly use to great effect on Beatles recordings."
Five takes of the rhythm track were recorded during the five hour evening session which featured John and George on electric guitars, Paul on bass and a Ringo on drums. Take 5 was deemed the best and then John's lead vocals were overdubbed. A decision was made to alter the speed of his lead vocals as well, but in the opposite direction. John recorded his vocal track with the tape slowed down to 42 cycles per second instead of the normal 50 cycles per second. This made his voice sound somewhat faster when played back at the regular speed...
The Beatles left the studio at 1:30 AM and John asked for a tape of the rough mix to take home.
I took the tracks home to see what gimmicks I could add, because the song wasn’t quite right…I got home from the studio stoned out of my mind on marijuana and, as I usually do, I listened to what I’d recorded that day. Somehow I got it on backwards and I sat there, transfixed, with the earphones on, with a big hash joint. I ran in the next day and said, "I know what to do with it, I know…Listen to this!" So I made them all play it backwards. John Lennon Anthology
In fact, it was on 16 April that John had Geoff Emerick instruct EMI engineer Phil McDonald to turn the tape copy over so it would play backwards. John's backward vocal was placed into the multitrack at the proper spot at the end of the song. The 45 RPM single was released on 30 May 1966 in the United States...
It was released on 10 June 1966 in The United Kingdom.
John Lennon - Lead and Harmony Vocals, Rhythm Guitar (1962 Gretsch 6120)
Paul McCartney - Bass Guitar (1964 Rickenbacker 4001S), backing vocals
George Harrison - Lead Guitar (1964 Gibson SG Standard), backing vocals
Ringo Starr – Drums (1964 Ludwig Super Classic Black Oyster Pearl), tambourine