For No One

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Album This song officially appears on the Revolver (UK Mono) LP.
Timeline This song has been officially released in 1966
Timeline This song has been written (or started being written) in 1966 (Paul McCartney was 24 years old)

Master release


Related interviews



The 1984 Playboy interview

December 1984 • From Playboy



Paul McCartney Goes Classical

Nov 01, 1997 • From FI Magazine


Interview: Paul McCartney

Nov 29, 1997 • From New Statesman

Spread the love! If you like what you are seeing, share it on social networks and let others know about The Paul McCartney Project.

Song facts

I wrote that on a skiing holiday in Switzerland. In a hired chalet amongst the snow.

Paul McCartney – Interview with Playboy Magazine, 1984

From Wikipedia:

“For No One” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album Revolver. It was written by Paul McCartney, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. A blend of baroque pop and chamber music, the song is about the end of a relationship, and was one of McCartney’s most mature and poignant works upon its release. Mostly performed by the composer, the track is distinguished by its French horn solo, performed by Alan Civil and used as counterpoint in the final verse.

Writing and recording

McCartney recalls writing “For No One” in the bathroom of a ski resort in the Swiss Alps while on holiday with his then girlfriend Jane Asher. He said, “I suspect it was about another argument.” The lyrics end enigmatically with the line “A love that should have lasted years”. The song’s working title was “Why Did It Die?” The composition is built on a descending scale progression with a refrain that modulates to the supertonic minor.

The song was recorded on 9, 16 and 19 May 1966. McCartney sang and played clavichord (rented from George Martin’s AIR company), piano and bass guitar, while Ringo Starr played drums, tambourine and maracas. Neither John Lennon nor George Harrison contributed to the recording.

The French horn solo was by Alan Civil, a British horn player described by recording engineer Geoff Emerick as the “best horn player in London”. During the session, McCartney pushed Civil to play a note that was beyond the usual range of the instrument. According to Emerick, the result was the “performance of his life”. Civil said that the song was “recorded in rather bad musical style, in that it was ‘in the cracks’, neither B-flat nor B-major. This posed a certain difficulty in tuning my instrument.” Civil is one of the only session musicians to receive credit on a Beatles’ LP.

Reception

In her contemporaneous review of Revolver, for The Evening Standard, Maureen Cleave highlighted “For No One” among McCartney’s contributions to the album and deemed it “as moving as ‘Yesterday'”.

Thomas Ward of AllMusic describes “For No One” as “one of Paul McCartney’s great ballads with the Beatles”, adding that it is “a simply beautiful song, full of idiosyncratic McCartney touches yet undeniably inspired”. Ward praises McCartney’s vocal performance and calls the song’s melody “one of the most inspired of the singer’s whole career”. Ward also admires the bass line and French horn solo, and concludes his review by calling the song “one of the most delicate and fine ballads of the Beatles entire canon”.

Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone writes that McCartney’s songs on Revolver “have a new caustic realism”. He calls “For No One” the “ultimate ‘you stay home, she goes out’ break-up song”. Lennon said of the song: “One of my favourites of his – a nice piece of work.” […]

Paul McCartney recorded a different version of “For No One” for the soundtrack of his 1984 movie Give My Regards To Broad Street.


[Switzerland] was very nice and I remember writing ‘For No One’ there. I suspect it was about another argument. I don’t have easy relationships with women, I never have. I talk too much truth.

Paul McCartney – From “Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now” by Barry Miles, 1997

I can remember more about writing Revolver than recording it. I was in Switzerland on my first skiing holiday. I’d done a bit of skiing in Help! and quite liked it, so I went back and ended up in a little bathroom in a Swiss chalet writing ‘For No One.’ I remember the character in the song – the girl putting on her make-up.

Occasionally we’d have an idea for some new kind of instrumentation, particularly for solos. On ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’, John had wanted a flute. On ‘For No One’ I was interested in the French horn, because it was an instrument I’d always loved from when I was a kid. It’s a beautiful sound, so I went to George Martin and said, ‘How can we go about this?’ And he said, ‘Well, let me get the very finest.’

That was one of the great things about George. He knew how to obtain the best musicians and would suggest getting them. On this occasion he suggested Alan Civil, who, like all these great blokes, looks quite ordinary at the session – but plays like an angel.

George asked me, ‘Now, what do you want him to play?’ I said. ‘Something like this,’ and sang the solo to him, and he wrote it down. Towards the end of the session, when we were getting the piece down for Alan to play, George explained to me the range of the instrument: ‘Well, it goes from here to this top E,’ and I said, ‘What if we ask him to play an F?’ George saw the joke and joined in the conspiracy.

We came to the session and Alan looked up from his bit of paper: ‘Eh, George? I think there’s a mistake here – you’ve got a high F written down.’ Then George and I said, ‘Yeah,’ and smiled back at him, and he knew what we were up to and played it. These great players will do it. Even though it’s officially off the end of their instrument, they can do it, and they’re quite into it occasionally. It’s a nice little solo.

Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles Anthology” book, 2000

It’s a song about rejection. The breakup, or marking the end of a relationship that didn’t work, has always been quite a rich area to explore in a song. Having been through it a few times – as I suppose a lot of people have – it was an emotion I could relate to, and it seemed like a good idea to put into a song because probably a lot of other people could relate to it too. In the song, I’m talking about two people who’ve broken up, but obviously, as with any writer, it all comes from your own experience, and inevitably you’re talking about yourself.

There are two short lines: ‘She wakes up / She makes up’. Then you have long lines after the two short ones. ‘She takes her time and doesn’t feel she has to hurry / She no longer needs you’. Then this: ‘And in her eyes you see nothing / No sign of love…’ It’s a horrible moment when you’ve broken up with someone, and you look at them – this person you used to be in love with, or thought you were in love with – and none of that old feeling is there. It’s like it just switched off too, and it’s not great to be on the receiving end of that.

[…] Jane Asher and I were together for around five years, so at the back of my mind I expected to marry her, but as the time got closer, I think I also realised it wasn’t right. You can’t ever put your finger on it, but when Linda came along, shortly after Jane and I broke up, I just thought, ‘Oh, I dunno, maybe this is more right.’ And then when Linda and I got to know each other, I felt, ‘This is more me; I’m more her.’ And there were little things with Jane where we just didn’t quite match up. I loved a lot of things about her, and I will always admire a lot of things about her. She’s a wonderful woman, but little bits of the jigsaw weren’t quite fitting.

Paul McCartney – From “The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present“, 2021

That was Paul’s. One of his good ones. All his semi-classical ones are the best, actually.

John Lennon – Interview with Ray Connolly, 1970 – From “The Ray Connolly Beatles Archive”

Whereas other people have been studying classical music for thirty or forty years, I’ve only seen this in passing. I’ve heard a French Horn, liked its sound, and used it in a Beatles song like ‘For No One.” But that was incidental to my work.

Paul McCartney – Interview for FI Magazine, November 1997

I was surprised by the inclusion of a lot of Beatles songs [on “Give My Regards To Broad Street”].

Either we were going to create a new musical with a whole new score or we were going to think of it as a live show. In which case, you go to see [Mick] Jagger or you want to hear “Satisfaction,” you don’t go to hear an entire evening of new numbers. We chose to take that direction, so most of the songs you’ve heard before. Some of them I haven’t performed anywhere except on record — songs like “For No One” — I thought that was a good enough reason to sing them again.

Paul McCartney – From “Give My Regards To Broad Street” press conference, October 1984

Even now, while only a few people come up to me and sayd, “I do like your Mozart horn concertos,” so many others say, “See that big grey-haired old chap over there? He played with The Beatles!” For me, it was just another day’s work, the third session that day in fact, but it was very interesting.

Alan Civil – Horn player – 1988 interview – From “Revolver (2022)” book

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:

[a] mono 21 Jun 1966.
UK: Parlophone PMC 7009 Revolver 1966.
US: Capitol T 2576 Revolver 1966.

[b] stereo 21 Jun 1966.
UK: Parlophone PCS 7009 Revolver 1966.
US: Capitol ST 2576 Revolver 1966.
CD: EMI CDP 7 46441 2 Revolver 1987.

The vocal comes across louder in mono [a].


Paul McCartney – From “The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present“, 2021

Last updated on November 13, 2023

The book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present", published in 2021, covers Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, the Beatles, Wings, and solo careers, by pairing the lyrics of 154 of his songs with first-person commentaries of the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now.

"For No One" is one of the 154 songs covered.

Lyrics

Your day breaks, your mind aches
You find that all her words
Of kindness linger on
When she no longer needs you

She wakes up, she makes up
She takes her time and doesn't
Feel she has to hurry
She no longer needs you

And in her eyes, you see nothing
No sign of love behind the tears
Cried for no one
A love that should have lasted years

You want her, you need her
And yet you don't believe her
When she says her love is dead
You think she needs you

And in her eyes, you see nothing
No sign of love behind the tears
Cried for no one
A love that should have lasted years

You stay home, she goes out
She says that long ago she knew someone
But now he's gone
She doesn't need him

Your day breaks, your mind aches
There will be times when all the things
She said will fill your head
You won't forget her

And in her eyes, you see nothing
No sign of love behind the tears
Cried for no one
A love that should have lasted years

Variations


A Mono version • From "Revolver (UK Mono)"

A2009 2009 mono remaster • From "The Beatles in Mono (2009)"


A2022 2022 mono remaster • From "Revolver (Stereo - 2022)"

B Stereo version • From "Revolver (UK Stereo)"


C "Give My Regards To Broad Street" version • From "Give My Regards To Broad Street (CD version)"

C1993 "Give My Regards To Broad Street" version. 1993 remaster • From "Give My Regards To Broad Street (1993)"

D 2022 stereo mix • From "Revolver (Stereo - 2022)"

E Take 10 (Backing track) • From "Revolver (Stereo - 2022)"

F 2022 Dolby Atmos mix • From "Revolver (Dolby Atmos - 2022)"

Officially appears on


Revolver (UK Mono)

LP • Released in 1966

2:00 • Studio versionA • Mono

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Clavichord, Piano, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Maracas, Tambourine
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Alan Civil :
Horn

Session Recording:
May 09, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 16, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 19, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 21, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


Revolver (UK Stereo)

LP • Released in 1966

2:00 • Studio versionB • Stereo

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Clavichord, Piano, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Maracas, Tambourine
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Alan Civil :
Horn

Session Recording:
May 09, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 16, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 19, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 21, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


Revolver (UK Mono - first pressing)

LP • Released in 1966

2:00 • Studio versionA • Mono

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Clavichord, Piano, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Maracas, Tambourine
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Alan Civil :
Horn

Session Recording:
May 09, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 16, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 19, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 21, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


Revolver (US Mono)

LP • Released in 1966

2:02 • Studio versionA • Mono

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Clavichord, Piano, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Maracas, Tambourine
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Alan Civil :
Horn

Session Recording:
May 09, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 16, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 19, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 21, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


Revolver (US Stereo)

LP • Released in 1966

2:02 • Studio versionB • Stereo

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Clavichord, Piano, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Maracas, Tambourine
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Alan Civil :
Horn

Session Recording:
May 09, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 16, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 19, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 21, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


Give My Regards To Broad Street (CD version)

Official album • Released in 1984

2:13 • Studio versionC • Stereo

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer (?)
Jon Jacobs :
Assistant engineer (?)
Stuart Breed :
Assistant engineer (?)
John Kelly :
Recording engineer (?)
Gabrielli String Quartet :
Strings
Jeff Bryant :
French horn

Session Recording:
December 1982 to July 1984


Give My Regards To Broad Street (LP version)

Official album • Released in 1984

2:13 • Studio versionC • Stereo

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer (?)
Jon Jacobs :
Assistant engineer (?)
Stuart Breed :
Assistant engineer (?)
John Kelly :
Recording engineer (?)
Gabrielli String Quartet :
Strings
Jeff Bryant :
French horn

Session Recording:
December 1982 to July 1984


Give My Regards To Broad Street (1993)

Official album • Released in 1993

2:13 • Studio versionC1993 • Stereo • 1993 remaster

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer (?)
Jon Jacobs :
Assistant engineer (?)
Stuart Breed :
Assistant engineer (?)
John Kelly :
Recording engineer (?)
Gabrielli String Quartet :
Strings
Jeff Bryant :
French horn
Peter Mew :
Remastering

Session Recording:
December 1982 to July 1984


Revolver (Mono - 2009 remaster)

Official album • Released in 2009

2:00 • Studio versionA2009 • Mono • 2009 mono remaster

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Clavichord, Piano, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Maracas, Tambourine
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Alan Civil :
Horn
Paul Hicks :
Remastering
Guy Massey :
Remastering
Sean Magee :
Remastering
Allan Rouse :
Project co-ordinator

Session Recording:
May 09, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 16, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 19, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 21, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


Revolver (Stereo - 2009 remaster)

Official album • Released in 2009

2:00 • Studio versionB2009 • Stereo • 2009 stereo remaster

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Clavichord, Piano, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Maracas, Tambourine
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Alan Civil :
Horn
Guy Massey :
Remastering
Steve Rooke :
Remastering
Allan Rouse :
Project co-ordinator

Session Recording:
May 09, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 16, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
May 19, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 21, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


Bootlegs





Live In Iowa 2005

Unofficial live


Yellow Submarine Sessions

Unofficial album

1:59 • Outtake • RS From Take 14 Stereo


Films


For No One

2022 • For The Beatles

Live performances

“For No One” has been played in 43 concerts.

Latest concerts where For No One has been played







Contribute!

Have you spotted an error on the page? Do you want to suggest new content? Or do you simply want to leave a comment ? Please use the form below!

Jes Gonzalez 1 year ago

The first word of the lyrics is misspelled.


The PaulMcCartney Project 1 year ago

Thanks Jes. This has been fixed.


Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *