Tuesday, October 12, 1965
Recording "Run For Your Life", "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"
For The Beatles
Last updated on December 12, 2025
Tuesday, October 12, 1965
For The Beatles
Last updated on December 12, 2025
Oct 12 - Nov 30, 1965 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Rubber Soul (UK Mono)
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road • London • UK
Session Oct 11, 1965 • Marianne Faithfull records "Yesterday"
Single Oct 11, 1965 • "Kansas City / Boys" by The Beatles released in the US
Session Oct 12, 1965 • Recording "Run For Your Life", "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"
Session Oct 12 - Nov 30, 1965 • Recording "Rubber Soul"
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Rubber Soul (UK Mono)" LP
On this day, The Beatles entered EMI Studios, Abbey Road, to begin recording their new album, “Rubber Soul.” They were under pressure to deliver the album in time for a Christmas 1965 release, and with a UK tour starting on December 3, giving them just over a month to record the material. Most of the songs for “Rubber Soul” had been composed shortly after their return to London following the August 1965 North American tour, and many ideas still needed to be shaped and developed in the studio.
“Run For Your Life,” the closing track of the album, was the first song recorded. Author Jerry Hammack, in “The Beatles Recording Reference Manual – Volume 2: Help! through Revolver (1965–1966),” argues — based on audio evidence — that Paul McCartney recorded his bass part as an overdub, which he considers the first instance of Paul taking this approach.
Five takes of the basic track were recorded, with John Lennon on acoustic guitar, Paul on tambourine, George Harrison on electric guitar, and Ringo Starr on drums. All instruments were placed on track one of the four-track tape. Take 1 was a false start, while Take 5 was judged the best.
Overdubs onto Take 5 followed. John’s lead vocal was added to track three. John’s backing vocals and Paul’s bass were recorded onto track two. Track three then received further overdubs: additional backing vocals by John and Paul, and extra electric guitar parts by John and George.
By the end of the session, which ran from 2:30 pm to 7 pm, the recording of “Run For Your Life” was complete. The mono mix would be prepared on November 9, followed by the stereo mix on November 10.
The second session of the day, from 7 pm to 11:30 pm, saw The Beatles begin work on John’s track “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),” then using the working title “This Bird Has Flown.”
They recorded one take of the basic track, with John on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Paul on bass, George Harrison on sitar — the first time a sitar had been used on a Beatles recording, and likely on any pop recording to that point — and Ringo on drums.
Overdubs onto take 1 followed. John and Paul added backing vocals, George added more sitar, and Ringo added maracas and finger cymbals.
Take 1 with overdubs was released on “Anthology 2” in 1996.
Take 1, an earlier model issued here for the first time, was recorded during the first day of sessions for the new album. Like the eventual master, it includes a sitar contribution by George Harrison (the first time this Indian instrument was heard in a “pop” song) and also a lead and occasionally double-tracked vocal by John, harmonies from Paul and John, acoustic guitar, finger cymbals, maracas and bass guitar. The recording was marked “best” on the tape box and studio log-sheet so, clearly, the Beatles thought that they had made a master, and indeed it remained the preferred take for nine days, until they cut a remake
From the liner notes of “Anthology 2“
The Beatles left the track as it was and returned to it on October 21. However, they ultimately decided to abandon the work done on this day and start again with a remake.
Recording • Take 1
AlbumReleased on bootleg Rubber Soul - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Recording • Take 2
Unreleased track
Recording • Take 3
Unreleased track
Recording • Take 4
Unreleased track
Recording • Take 5
Recording • SI onto take 5
AlbumReleased on bootleg Rubber Soul - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
Recording • Take 1
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
Recording • SI onto take 1
AlbumOfficially released on Anthology 2
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!
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.
If we modestly consider the Paul McCartney Project to be the premier online resource for all things Paul McCartney, it is undeniable that The Beatles Bible stands as the definitive online site dedicated to the Beatles. While there is some overlap in content between the two sites, they differ significantly in their approach.
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