You Can't Do That

"You Can't Do That"
Single by the Beatles
from the album A Hard Day's Night
A-side "Can't Buy Me Love"
Released 16 March 1964 (US)
20 March 1964 (UK)
Recorded 25 February 1964,
EMI Studios, London
Genre Rock and roll, rhythm and blues[1][2]
Length 2:37
Label
Songwriter(s) Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s) George Martin
The Beatles UK singles chronology
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"
(1963) I Want to Hold Your Hand1963		 "Can't Buy Me Love"
(1964) Can't Buy Me Love1964		 "A Hard Day's Night"
(1964) A Hard Day's Night1964
The Beatles US singles chronology
"Twist and Shout"
(1964) Twist and Shout1964		 "Can't Buy Me Love"
(1964) Can't Buy Me Love1964		 "Love Me Do"
(1964) Love Me Do1964

"You Can't Do That" is a song written by John Lennon[3][4][5] (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and released by the Beatles as the B-side of their sixth British single "Can't Buy Me Love".[6]

Composition

One of Lennon's semi-autobiographical songs,[5] "You Can't Do That," "contradicted the genial tone with its tense threats, sexual paranoia and nagging, dragging groove," according to Robert Sandall.[7] The song's jealousy theme was re-visited in other Lennon compositions, such as "Run for Your Life" and "Jealous Guy". Influenced by the then relatively unknown Wilson Pickett,[3] the song is rooted in the twelve-bar blues form, with Lennon introducing a discordant Sharp 9th (F) on the D7th chord, pointedly emphasising "…I told you before…" and then pushing this note for the exasperated "Oh!" before resolving to the song's key of G.[8] Lennon also played the guitar solo, which he conceived.[3] The song reflected Lennon's love for hard-edged American R&B—"a cowbell going four in the bar and the chord going chatoong!" as he put it.[9]

George Harrison wrote the intro and outro guitar riff in the studio according to Tom Petty in Rolling Stone. When asked by Petty how he came up with it, Harrison recalled "I was just standing there [in the studio] and thought, 'I've got to do something!'".[10]

With filming due to begin on A Hard Day's Night, film director Dick Lester needed the Beatles to provide him with original material ahead of production and "You Can't Do That" was selected to be part of the Scala Theatre "live performance" scene in the film, but was dropped from the final cut along with "I'll Cry Instead" and "I Call Your Name." The recording took nine takes to complete, and was considered for the A-side of their next single until McCartney wrote "Can't Buy Me Love."

Recording and release

"You Can't Do That" was recorded on Tuesday, 25 February 1964, in Abbey Road Studios in London.[11] An early take with a guide vocal is included on Anthology 1.[12] It was the first song completed in the week before the Beatles began filming A Hard Day's Night, though "I Should Have Known Better" and "And I Love Her" were also started on the same day.

While in New York for The Ed Sullivan Show, guitarist George Harrison was presented with a Rickenbacker 360 Deluxe electric 12-string guitar worth (in 1964) $900.[4][13] Only the second one produced, it was heard for the first time on "You Can't Do That" and gave the song its distinctive chiming sound.[4]

The song was first released as the B-side of the "Can't Buy Me Love" single on 16 March 1964 in the United States by Capitol Records and on 20 March 1964 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone. It was the Beatles seventh US single and sixth UK single.[6] It was later included in the A Hard Day's Night album in the UK, and The Beatles' Second Album in the US.[6]

The Beatles were filmed miming to "You Can't Do That" as part of the final concert sequence in the A Hard Day's Night film. The filming took place on 31 March 1964 at the Scala Theatre, London, but was not used. It was, however, broadcast on The Ed Sullivan Show on 24 May.[14] The performance is included in the documentary The Making of "A Hard Day's Night".

The Beatles recorded "You Can't Do That" four times for BBC radio in 1964. It also became a part of the group's live repertoire that year, and was the second song in their set—after "Twist And Shout"—during their Australian and North American tours.[14]

According to Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Recording Sessions book, George Martin overdubbed a piano track to Take 9 on 22 May 1964 ostensibly for the album version of this song, but it was never used.

Personnel

Personnel per Ian MacDonald[3]

Notable recordings

Harry Nilsson version

"You Can't Do That" was covered by Harry Nilsson for his debut album Pandemonium Shadow Show (1967). Nilsson re-arranged the song making it somewhat slower. He also worked references to 18[15] other Beatles tunes in the mix, usually by quoting snippets of Beatles lyrics in the multi-layered backing vocals.

The track was Nilsson's first hit as a performer; though it stalled at #122 on the US charts, it hit top 10 in Canada. It also (along with the rest of the album) established Nilsson as a favourite performer of the Beatles. Famously, Lennon listened to Pandemonium Shadow Show for 36 hours straight after being given a copy by Derek Taylor; he then called Nilsson to congratulate him, which started a friendship that would last for the rest of Lennon's life. Later, in a 1968 press conference to announce the formation of Apple Corps, Lennon was asked to name his favourite American artist. He replied, "Nilsson". McCartney was then asked to name his favourite American group. He replied, "Nilsson".

Other cover versions

Notes

  1. ↑ Pollack 1992.
  2. ↑ Unterberger 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 MacDonald 2005, p. 106–107.
  4. 1 2 3 Harry 1992, p. 715.
  5. 1 2 Miles 1997, p. 164.
  6. 1 2 3 Lewisohn 1988, p. 200.
  7. ↑ Sandall 2000, p. 114.
  8. ↑ Complete Scores 1993, p. 1077.
  9. ↑ "70 - 'You Can't Do That'". 100 Greatest Beatles Songs. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  10. ↑ "George Harrison | 100 Greatest Guitarists". Rolling Stone. 2015-12-18. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  11. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 39.
  12. ↑ Lewisohn 1995, p. 34.
  13. ↑ The Beatles 2000, p. 81.
  14. 1 2 The Beatles Bible 2008.
  15. ↑ "Song of the day: Harry Nilsson – "You Can't Do That"". Peter's Power Pop. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  16. ↑ Deming, Mark. B-Sides the Beatles at AllMusic. Retrieved 27 December 2016.

References

  • Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, ed. (1993). The Beatles - Complete Scores. Milwaukee: Hal Leanord. ISBN 0-7935-1832-6.
  • The Beatles (2000). The Beatles Anthology. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 0-8118-2684-8.
  • Harry, Bill (1992). The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-86369-681-3.
  • Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
  • Lewisohn, Mark (1995). Anthology 1 (booklet). The Beatles. London: Apple Records. 34445.
  • MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-84413-828-3.
  • Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
  • Palmer, Tony (1977). All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music. London: Book Club Associates. ISBN 0-670-11448-0.
  • Sandall, Robert (2000). "Mojo Special Limited Edition # M-04951".
  • "You Can't Do That". The Beatles Bible. 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  • Pollack, Alan W. (1992). "Notes on "You Can't Do That"". "Notes on" Series.
  • Unterberger, Richie (2009). "Review of "You Can't Do That"". Retrieved 10 May 2012.
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