Revolver

by The Beatles

While Revolver was not the first Beatles album I’ve heard — ironically, my first one was The Beatles’ last — it probably was the first I heard in its entirety and appreciated as such. Which is also somewhat ironic considering that Revolver is still just a collection of (brilliant) songs rather than a concept album. Never mind that. I discovered it in 1977 and listened to it a zillion times. Love You To was unlike anything I heard before.

Perhaps I was fascinated by those open endings: Taxman, I’m Only Sleeping, Love You To, Good Day Sunshine, wonderful as they are, fade away when something even more wonderful is just about to happen — wait, I’m still fascinated with them. And then, Tomorrow Never Knows — what was that? Is that how the album was meant to end? Amazing. Rewind the tape, listen again. The only song I felt out of place on the album was Yellow Submarine, and that despite (or because) it was the first Beatles song I ever learned the chorus. So did Yuri when he was about three, although in his rendition it was “we all live in a yellow atmosphere”.

Here’s the LilyPond file for the Love You To passage shown above:

% ****************************************************************
% Love You To (George Harrison)
% ****************************************************************
\version "2.18.2"
\header {
  title = "Love You To"
  composer = "George Harrison"
 }
theChords = \chordmode {
  r1 c1:m 
}
staffMelody = {
   \key g \minor
   \time 3/4
   f'8 g'16 a'16 bes'8 \times 2/3 {bes'16 a'16 bes'16} a'8 f'8
   \time 4/4
   \acciaccatura {g'16 a'16} g'1
}
\include "predefined-guitar-fretboards.ly"
\score {
  <<
    \context ChordNames { \theChords }
    \context FretBoards { \theChords }
    \new Staff {
      \context Voice = "voiceMelody" { \staffMelody }
    }
  >>
}