Back In The U.S.S.R.
Original titles: I'm Backing The U.S.S.R.Written by: Paul McCartney (100%)
(credited to Lennon-McCartney)
Recorded: August 22 and 23, 1968 (Studio 3, Abbey Road Studios, London, England)
Mixed: August 23, October 13, 1968
Length: 2:42
Takes: 6
Musicians:
John Lennon: backing vocals, bass guitar (1961 Fender Bass VI), handclaps
Paul McCartney: lead vocals, backing vocals, lead guitar (1965 Epiphone E230TD(V) Casino), bass guitar (1964 Rickenbacker 400IS), piano (1905 Steinway Vertegrand "Mrs. Mills"), drums (Ludwig), handclaps
George Harrison: backing vocals, rhythm and lead guitars (1968 Fender Rosewood Telecaster), bass guitar (1961 Fender Bass VI), handclaps
Available on: (CDs in bold)
The Beatles (a/k/a "The White Album"; UK: Apple PMC 7067-8; US: Apple SWBO 101; Parlophone CDP 7 46443 2; CDP 7 46444 2)
The Beatles 1967-1970 (UK: Apple PCSP 718; US: Apple SKBO 3404; Apple CDP 7 97039 2)
Rock And Roll Music (UK: Parlophone PCSP 719; US: Capitol SKBO 11537)
History:
- One of many "White Album" songs written during the band's famous trip to India to study under the guru Maharishi Maheshi Yogi, this song was written sometime in early March 1968 solely by Paul. Beach Boy lead singer Mike Love, who was also studying at the Maharishi's ashram, mentioned a recent attempt by the British government to raise funds from citizens with a campaign entitled "I'm Backing Britain." Love suggested McCartney write a tongue-in-cheek song called "I'm Backing The U.S.S.R." Paul eventually changed the title to "Back In The U.S.S.R.," making it a play on Chuck Berry's 1959 smash "Back In The U.S.A."
- Under McCartney's guidance, the song became a clever take on Berry's song, which celebrated life in postwar America; to that end, Paul mirrored Berry's style closely, and even added a bridge which paid homage to the Beach Boys themselves (who had also, in 1962, had a hit with a song called "Surfin' USA," which was modeled closely on another Berry song, "Sweet Little Sixteen"). At the end of the bridge, Paul even makes a clever pun on Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind," writing instead about the then-Soviet republic of the same name.
- "Back In The U.S.S.R." was missing only a third verse when McCartney tired of the ashram and returned to London in mid-March. On August 21 of that same year, the song was rehearsed after work was completed on Lennon's "Sexy Sadie," but when Ringo couldn't play a tom-tom fill to Paul's satisfaction, he left, fed up with the infighting, and went to vacation in Sardinia. The next day, the song was laid down in five takes with Paul playing the drums himself, augmented by John on bass and George on guitar. On the 23rd, Paul redid his lead vocals and George overlaid a new bass line which Paul later touched up; both John and George then laid new drum tracks over Paul's original. George then added the guitar solo, and Paul played his own one-note solo over the last verse. Paul then overdubbed his drum part and piano, and the three recorded their Beach Boys-style backing vocals. During mixing, producer George Martin added the opening and closing sound effects: a Viscount aircraft from the EMI sound files, recorded at London's Heathrow Airport.
Trivia:
- This is the first Beatles song on which John and George play bass and drums. It's also the only one featuring three bass parts and three drum parts!
- The mono mix of this song features a louder piano track but omits it from the section with the guitar solo. It also features a different airplane sound. This was also one of the songs inexplicably given a new stereo mix by George Martin in 1976, when it was re-released on the Rock N' Roll Music collection.
- Ringo stayed in Sardinia while the band completed another track, "Dear Prudence," without him. On August 30th, the other members of the band sent Ringo a telegram, calling him the best drummer in the world and professing their love, urging him to return. Ringo came back to London on September 3rd, in time to begin work on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." He returned to find his drum kit covered in flowers and a banner reading "Welcome Home."
- Paul has made several references to the song in regards to Russia, where the track was seen as a gesture of goodwill. Ringo played drums on this song when the Beach Boys performed it at a White House-sponsored concert in 1984. Anti-communist Americans, however, considered the song "un-American," to which John once replied, "That's very observant of them, since we're not American."
