Song Of The Week - Nowhere Man

[Hello Goodbye]

Great song.
Amazing that a song this strong was 'merely' an L.P. track.

In Britain it came out on the same day as 'Day Tripper', 'We Can Work It Out', 'Girl' and 'Norwegian Wood' (and the Who's debut LP!) among others.

The Beatles Monthly Poll of 1983 had it in 43rd place with 299 votes, which sounds about right to me, though I suspect many would place it higher.

Here in the United States, Nowhere Man was released as a single on 21 February 1966 with What Goes On on the flip side.  It was on The Beatles Yesterday...And Today LP sounding real good...


The Beatles - Nowhere Man (Vinyl)




We also enjoyed the song on The Beatles Cartoons which aired Saturday mornings on TV...


THE BEATLES CARTOON Ep33a Nowhere Man

Cute reference to Herman's Hermits in there. 

[Hello Goodbye]

       

[oldbrownshoe]

Hello Goodbye, here's a small piece about the U.K./U.S. differences in this month's Mojo magazine.

February 5th, 1966:
It's reported that several U.S. radio stations have received telegrams urging them not to play four songs by The Beatles. The telegrams, from a leading music business attorney connected to Northern Songs, The Beatles' music publisher, concern 'What Goes On', 'Nowhere Man', 'If I Needed Someone' and 'Drive My Car', none of which have been released in the U.S.A. One programme director in Buffalo, New York, said he was puzzled by the telegram. "I've never heard of the songs," he claimed.

I wonder if U.K. stations were also steered away from those Beatles' songs which appeared in the U.S. before the U.K.?
Presumably, in the States, Import copies of 'Rubber Soul' were initially quite desirable for this very reason?

[Moogmodule]

Hello Goodbye, here's a small piece about the U.K./U.S. differences in this month's Mojo magazine.

February 5th, 1966:
It's reported that several U.S. radio stations have received telegrams urging them not to play four songs by The Beatles. The telegrams, from a leading music business attorney connected to Northern Songs, The Beatles' music publisher, concern 'What Goes On', 'Nowhere Man', 'If I Needed Someone' and 'Drive My Car', none of which have been released in the U.S.A. One programme director in Buffalo, New York, said he was puzzled by the telegram. "I've never heard of the songs," he claimed.

I wonder if U.K. stations were also steered away from those Beatles' songs which appeared in the U.S. before the U.K.?
Presumably, in the States, Import copies of 'Rubber Soul' were initially quite desirable for this very reason?

Is that because these were the songs held over for Yesterday and Today?

[Moogmodule]

Yes, its a buzz roll.  I don't know where George Martin is coming from.  Ringo can roll.  What about the roll at the beginning of 'All You Need Is Love'?  Now, some drummers are better at it then others and I'm sure old George Martin was used to his classical and jazz trained drummers, but to say Ringo couldn't do a drum roll is preposterous .

Thanks tkitna. That's what I thought (although hadn't heard the term buzz roll before). I think his rolls in Nowhere Man to my ears sound quite neat and deft too. Wasn't there also some rolls in the live versions of I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry Over You.

It's funny how such stories become received wisdom.

[Hello Goodbye]

Is that because these were the songs held over for Yesterday and Today?

Yes.  Nowhere Man was a big hit here after its single release.  Yesterday...And Today was released on 20 June 1966





Side One

1. Drive My Car
2. I'm Only Sleeping
3. Nowhere Man
4. Doctor Robert
5. Yesterday
6. Act Naturally


Side Two

7. And Your Bird Can Sing
8. If I Needed Someone
9. We Can Work It Out
10. What Goes On
11. Day Tripper

[oldbrownshoe]

As you can see from that track-listing this policy worked both ways with 'I'm Only Sleeping', 'Doctor Robert' and 'And Your Bird Can Sing' not appearing in the U.K. until Friday, 5th August, 1966.

I wonder if any hip England fan was humming any of these songs when we won the World Cup on 30th July?!

[Kaleidoscope_Eyes]

Ah, Nowehere Man, or as it known in my family, exclusively as "Jeremy's song". Great song, with deep lyrics and nice melody and of course conjours up the image of the fluffy bottomed Jeremy from Yellow Submarine.

That picture in the first post.... I have never realised how tall and lanky the lads were!