Recording "The Night Before", "You Like Me Too Much"

This was the third day of work on The Beatles’ “Help!” album. Two new compositions were recorded across two sessions, both taken from backing track to finished overdubs within the same day.

The first session ran from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The Beatles recorded “The Night Before” from start to finish. The backing track featured John Lennon on a Hohner Pianet (an electro-mechanical piano) and George Harrison on electric guitar — both recorded together onto track two of the four-track tape — with Paul McCartney on bass and Ringo Starr on drums, recorded together onto track one. Two takes were attempted; Take 2 was deemed the best.

Overdubs followed. Track three received Paul’s lead vocals alongside John and George on backing vocals. Track four received Paul’s double-tracked lead vocal, a dual lead guitar solo by John and George, and maracas by Ringo.

The second session ran from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. The Beatles recorded George Harrison’s “You Like Me Too Much“, also from start to finish. The backing track — recorded entirely onto track one — featured George on acoustic guitar, Paul on bass, John on tambourine, Ringo on drums, and George Martin on piano. Eight takes were recorded, with Take 8 considered the best.

Overdubs were distributed across the remaining tracks. Track four received George’s lead vocals with Paul on backing vocals. George then double-tracked his lead vocal onto track three. Track two received electric piano from John, George’s solo guitar, and additional piano played simultaneously by George Martin and Paul.

Both tracks completed on this day were mixed in mono on February 18 and in stereo on February 23.

Session activities

1. The Night Before

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 1

2. The Night Before

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 2

3. The Night Before

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • SI onto take 2

4. You Like Me Too Much

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 1

5. You Like Me Too Much

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 2

6. You Like Me Too Much

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 3

7. You Like Me Too Much

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 4

8. You Like Me Too Much

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 5

9. You Like Me Too Much

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 6

10. You Like Me Too Much

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 7

11. You Like Me Too Much

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 8

12. You Like Me Too Much

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • SI onto take 8

Staff

Musicians on "The Night Before"

Musicians on "You Like Me Too Much"

Production staff

Going further

The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions • Mark Lewisohn

The definitive guide for every Beatles recording sessions from 1962 to 1970. We owe a lot to Mark Lewisohn for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - the number of takes for each song, who contributed what, a description of the context and how each session went, various photographies... And an introductory interview with Paul McCartney!

Buy on Amazon

The Beatles Recording Reference Manual - Volume 2 - Help! through Revolver (1965-1966)

The second book of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC)-nominated series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 2: Help! through Revolver (1965-1966)" follows the evolution of the band from the end of Beatlemania with "Help!" through the introspection of "Rubber Soul" up to the sonic revolution of "Revolver". From the first take to the final remix, discover the making of the greatest recordings of all time.Through extensive, fully-documented research, these books fill an important gap left by all other Beatles books published to date and provide a unique view into the recordings of the world's most successful pop music act.

Buy on Amazon