I'm So Tired

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"I'm So Tired"
Cover of the song's sheet music
Song by the Beatles
from the album The Beatles
Released22 November 1968 (1968-11-22)
Recorded8 October 1968
StudioEMI, London
GenreRock
Length2:03
LabelApple
Songwriter(s)Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s)George Martin
Audio sample
"I'm So Tired"

"I'm So Tired" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles (also known as "the White Album"). It was written and sung by John Lennon, though credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon wrote the song during the Beatles' stay in India about insomnia he was having due to constant meditation and because he missed Yoko Ono. The song was recorded in the same session as another White Album song, "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill".

Composition

Lennon wrote the song at a

Sir Walter Raleigh "a stupid get" for introducing tobacco to England.[3][4]

The theme of insomnia complements Lennon's earlier song "I'm Only Sleeping" on the Revolver album.

The song is in the key of A major.

Recording

An early demo of the song was recorded at George Harrison's Esher home, in May 1968. It was basically identical to the released version, in terms of verse, but it does include a spoken section reminiscent of a similar section in "Happiness Is a Warm Gun". It goes:

When I hold you, in your arms,
When you show me, each one of your charms,
I wonder should I get up, and go to the funny farm.
No, no, no!

This section was probably improvised at the time, as it was never used again. The song was recorded on 8 October 1968 and was completed including all overdubs in this one session.[5] The Beatles also started and completed "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" during the same recording session.[5] The chorus of the monaural mix of the song features louder backing vocals from Paul McCartney than the stereo mix.

The Beatles later performed the song, with Paul McCartney singing lead vocal, in a jam session in Twickenham Film Studios in 1969.

"Paul is dead" conspiracy theory

At the very end of the song, what seems to be nonsensical mumbling can be heard in the background. The mumbling, if played backwards can be imagined as something along the lines of "Paul is a dead man. Miss him. Miss him. Miss him."[6] This only adds to the many supposed references to the "Paul is dead" conspiracy theory scattered throughout the White album. Mark Lewisohn has said that the mumbling is actually Lennon muttering, "Monsieur, monsieur, how about another one?"[5]

Legacy

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its release, Jacob Stolworthy of The Independent listed "I'm So Tired" at number 18 in his ranking of the White Album's 30 tracks. He wrote of the song: "The weary vocals from John Lennon remains desperately alluring to this day. A favourite of his, the song is best when viewed as a sequel to Revolver track, 'I'm Only Sleeping'."[7]

Personnel

Personnel per Ian MacDonald[8]

Notes

  1. ^ "83 – 'I'm So Tired'". 100 Greatest Beatles Songs. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  2. ^ Sheff 2000, p. 199.
  3. ^ "I'm So Tired". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  4. ^ https://www.thebeatles.com/im-so-tired
  5. ^ a b c Lewisohn 1988, p. 160.
  6. ^ "I'm So Tired - Backwards". Jeffmilner.com. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  7. ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (22 November 2018). "The Beatles' White Album tracks, ranked – from Blackbird to While My Guitar Gently Weeps". The Independent. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  8. ^ MacDonald 2005, p. 324.

References

External links