Because Lyrics

[Outro]
Ah ah-ah ah-ah-ah, ahh ah-ah ah-ah ah
Ah ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ahh, ah-ah-ah
Ah ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, ah

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

The final track to be recorded for Abbey Road was John Lennon’s composition, “Because.” The song was inspired by Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” and featured The Beatles' distinctive three-part vocal harmonies.

Yoko Ono was a classically-trained pianist whose interests had moved toward the avant-garde. One day in 1969, however, she played Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2” and John requested that she play it backwards:

I was lying on the sofa in our house, listening to Yoko play Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ on the piano. Suddenly, I said ‘Can you play those chords backward?’ She did, and I wrote ‘Because’ around them. The song sounds like ‘Moonlight Sonata,’ too. The lyrics are clear, no bullshit, no imagery, no obscure references.

The band gathered at Abbey Road Studio on Friday, August 1, 1969, to record the main backing track, which required 23 takes. George Martin played electric harpsichord, John Lennon played guitar, George Harrison utilized a Moog synthesizer, and Paul McCartney contributed bass. Ringo Starr kept time on cymbals, but they were only heard in the others’ headphones; no percussion appears on the final mix. The Beatles returned to lay three vocal tracks three days later. These takes were then layered to sound like nine voices.

It’s highly likely that John’s harmonies were also influenced by Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys‘ 1966 album, Pet Sounds. After it was released, Wilson said that Lennon rang him to say it was the greatest album ever made. The Beach Boys’ trademark was, of course, multi-layered harmonies.

Q&A

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Credits
Produced By
Electric Harpsichord
Electric Guitar
Moog synthesizer
Recorded At
EMI (Abbey Road) Studios, London (August 1-5, 1969)
Release Date
September 26, 1969
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