Norwegian Wood
Written by: John Lennon (80%), Paul McCartney (20%)(credited as Lennon-McCartney)
Recorded: October 21, 1965 (Studio 2, Abbey Road Studios, London, England)
Mixed: October 25 and 26, 1965
Length: 2:02
Takes: 4
Musicians:
John Lennon: lead vocal, acoustic rhythm guitar (1964 Gibson J160E)
Paul McCartney: harmony vocal, bass guitar (1961 Hofner 500/1)
George Harrison: sitar (double-tracked), acoustic rhythm guitar (1964 Framus 12-string "Hootenanny")
Ringo Starr: bass drum, tambourine
Available on: (CDs in bold)
Rubber Soul (UK: Parlophone PMC 1267; PCS 3075; US: Capitol (S)T 2442; Parlophone CDP 7 46440 2)
The Beatles 1962-1966 (UK: Apple PCSP 717, US: Apple SKBO 3403, Apple CDP 0777 7 97036 2 3)
History:
- "Norwegian Wood" was mostly a John composition, the first two verses or so of which were written the previous winter, while vacationing with wife Cynthia and producer George Martin in the Swiss Alps. Martin, who had broken his foot early in the getaway, would often find himself serenaded with this song by Lennon in his hotel room.
- John brought the song to the Rubber Soul sessions, where Paul, in his account, threw in the title line as a reference to the sort of cheap pine then just being popularized in homes (though several accounts try to pin down inspiration from a specific room's decor, none has been verified). It's also been suggested that the title was a corruption of the phrase "knowing she would," in reference to a one-night stand. Paul also helped come up with the music for the bridge, as well as inserting the infamous line "So I lit a fire."
- Lennon, by his own admission, has revealed that the song was written about a clandestine affair he'd had while still married to Cynthia, his first wife. Rumors abound as to the woman in question: including reporter friend Maureen Cleave, who conducted the infamous 1965 interview in London's Evening Standard in which John claimed the group was "bigger than Jesus." In any event, it appears the affair was not consummated, leading the woman to order John to "sleep in the bath." One imagines the last line, in which Lennon gets revenge by setting fire to the place, is apocryphal. (Some have suggested that the "fire" being lit is a joint of marijuana; consensus at the time was that the woman's refusal to sleep with John meant that she was a lesbian.)
- This is the first major pop song to feature a sitar as an instrument, though several sitar-like guitar lines had been featured in pop singles before, most notably the Yardbird's early '65 hit "Heart Full Of Soul." George had become interested in the sitar while watching it being played by an Indian band during the filming of Help! the previous year; he was encouraged in his study of the instrument by the Byrds' Roger McGuinn and David Crosby, and soon ordered one from a London shop called India Craft. During the Rubber Soul sessions, George picked up the instrument to see if he could add an interesting new element to "Norwegian Wood," and, though difficult for Western studios to record, the idea stuck.
- This song was attempted first at the first Rubber Soul session on October 12, 1965, considered completed, and then shelved. The final version, however, was a complete remake recorded in a single day-long session on the 21st.
- The original version of "Norwegian Wood," which can be heard on Anthology I, is much like the final version, but a key lower, being played in D. Lennon had some vocal trouble hitting the low notes of his composition, however, and so the track was re-recorded in E. Also, the sitar is present throughout the original version, not just in the instrumental breaks; though some attempt was made to replicate Indian musical styles further by adding finger cymbals, this was later abandoned.
- The original mono mix of this song features coughing just after the phrase "told me to sit anywhere." The stereo mix featured on the compilation Love Songs also moves the lead vocal track from right to center.
- This track features a strong Bob Dylan influence, clearly picking up where "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away." Dylan, never taking imitators lightly, recorded a song called "4th Time Around" for his classic 1966 album Blonde On Blonde. The melody and rhythm are strikingly similar to "Norwegian Wood," pointedly so; however, the lyrics, some of which have been taken as insults to John, appear to have been inspired by his relationship with ex-girlfriend Joan Baez.
- The Beatles Fan Club of Norway is indeed named Norwegian Wood.
