You Won't See Me

Canadian singer Anne Murray has always been rightfully proud of the fact that John Lennon once told her backstage at the Grammy Awards that her rendition of You Won't See Me was the best cover of a Beatles song that he had ever heard.  Her version features a fuzz bass part played by Skip Beckwith, different backing vocals than those sung by the Beatles, and a string arrangement.  While it may have been John's favorite, I merely find it to be rather pleasant.

The original, on the other hand, is a hidden gem.  It is a McCartney composition about his relationship with Jane Asher, written during a time when it was difficult for him to reach her while she was in Bristol working as a member of the Old Vic acting company.  Though the lyrics are downbeat, McCartney frames them in a catchy melody with one of his typically soaring bridges, one so good that he simply had to repeat it, bringing the number in over the three-minute mark.

November 11th, 1965 was the last day of sessions for the album Rubber Soul - it had to be in stores in time for the Christmas rush! - and more songs were needed to reach the usual quota of fourteen.  Vocals were added to the instrumental track of I'm Looking Through You (another song about Paul's strained relationship with Jane Asher), then Wait, a leftover number from the Help! sessions, was dusted off and given some new overdubs, and Lennon's brilliant composition Girl was recorded from start to finish...and all of this was done after You Won't See Me was begun and seen through to completion.  All in all, an amazingly productive thirteen hours.

Paul on piano, George on guitar, Ringo on drums and John on tambourine only required two takes to arrive at the master.  Paul then sang and double-tracked his lead vocals, harmonizing with himself at the end of each verse and in the bridges, while John and George sang backing vocals that build impressively over the course of the song.  Paul also overdubbed his very active bass part, and Ringo added some accents on hi-hat.  The group's assistant Mal Evans even got in on the action, holding down a single Hammond organ note throughout the final verse.  They could not resist giving him credit on the album sleeve as Mal "Organ" Evans.

You Won't See Me sits in the third position on side one of both the UK and US versions of the LP Rubber Soul.  It easily merits its place on an album filled with such powerhouse tracks as Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), Michelle, Girl and In My Life.  Its only other release was on the 1966 British EP Nowhere Man.  Somehow, it has never made the cut for any post career compilations.  However, Anne Murray's 1974 version proved that even a lesser-known composition by the Beatles could be a successful single for another artist when it hit number eight on the Billboard chart.