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I'm Only Sleeping (WORD)
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Credited as a Lennon–McCartney song, it was written primarily by John Lennon. The song features the then-unique sound of a reversed guitar duet (backmasked) played by Harrison in a five-hour late-night recording session with producer George Martin. It was the first time that such a technique had been used on a pop recording. Harrison perfected the part with the tape running backwards so that, when reversed, it would fit the dreamlike mood. One guitar was recorded with fuzz effects, the other without. Engineer Geoff Emerick described the meticulous process as "interminable". "I can still picture George hunched over his guitar for hours on end", Emerick wrote in 2006, "headphones clamped on, brows furrowed in concentration." During the break before the second bridge, the sound of a yawn can be heard, preceded by Lennon saying to McCartney, "Yawn, Paul."
Since the standardization of the Beatles' catalogue for its international CD release, in 1987, the song has appeared on Revolver in North America. The 1996 Anthology 2 compilation includes outtakes of the song from the Revolver sessions, including an instrumental version that features the Beatles' first use of a vibraphone. In 2018, the music staff of Time Out London ranked "I'm Only Sleeping" at number 12 on their list of the best Beatles songs. (Wikipedia)