In honor of Global Beatles Day earlier this week, I thought we could talk about one of the Beatles most under-talked about songs (any my personal favorite): “Because.” “Because” feels different from their other songs, but manages to still sound dreamlike and nostalgic – like you’ve heard it somewhere before. It’s due to a blend of classical tradition and the classic Beatles studio experimentation.
The Making Of “Because”
“Because” was recorded over a few days in August 1969. Producer George Martin said of the process: “Between us, we also created a backing track with John playing a riff on guitar, me duplicating every note on an electronic harpsichord, and Paul playing bass. Each note between the guitar and harpsichord had to be exactly together, and as I’m not the world’s greatest player in terms of timing, I would make more mistakes than John did, so we had Ringo playing a regular beat on the hi-hat to us through our headphones.” But even before the recording, the inception of the song was wonderfully curious.
From John Lennon, as posted on The Beatles Bible: “Yoko was playing Moonlight Sonata on the piano. She was classically trained. I said, ‘Can you play those chords backward?’ and wrote ‘Because’ around them. The lyrics speak for themselves; they’re clear. No bullshit. No imagery, no obscure references.” Almost everyone knows Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” This is how I believe the song gets its nostalgic feel.
The Music Behind “Because”
The song features complex three-part harmonies, recorded over three times to create a nine-voice track. In Geoff Emerick’s book, Here, There, and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles, he recounts: “It was mid-afternoon. The lights in Studio Two were dimmed way down low for atmosphere. The four Beatles – Ringo was there, too, providing moral support – were gathered in a semicircle, the sparse backing track playing softly in their headphones.”
While the song was inspired by reversing the chords of “Moonlight Sonata,” that’s not the whole story. The chords were eventually reworked to be a bit more fitting for a more pop-like sound. Arguably, the most interesting chord in the progressions is the flat-II diminished that ends many of the phrases, giving them a lack of finality and pushing you to keep listening to the next verse. However, we also get G-sharp7 chords thrown in as well, which, for a song in C-sharp minor, adds interesting harmonies with the B-sharp.
The Legacy of “Because”
“Because” is my favorite Beatles song because it is a perfect example of the crossroads between classical and pop music. It shows off The Beatles’ experimental nature while still creating something truly beautiful in its production. Due to the impending breakup of the band, and since the Beatles had already stopped touring, “Because” has never been performed on stage. It’s been used in movies, trailers, and even a Cirque Du Soleil show, but it still remains largely “underground” compared to many other Beatles tracks. Hopefully, this song will eventually get the much-needed love it fully deserves.
