The Beatles Lyric John Lennon Hated (Even Though He Wrote It) but Paul McCartney Loved

Musical taste is subjective, as in subject to the whims and personal predilections of the individual listener. Since that’s the case, it stands to reason that two people can hear the same song quite differently, even if the two people are in the same band, and even if that band is The Beatles.

Such was the case with “Yes It Is,” a 1965 B-side by the band. John Lennon wrote it, but later dismissed it. His songwriting partner, Paul McCartney, has gone on record with his opinion that it’s a fine effort. We tend to agree with Paul, which is why we want to take a deeper dive into this unheralded track.

A Gentlemanly Difference of Opinion

“That’s me trying a rewrite of ‘This Boy,’ but it didn’t work.”

That’s the succinct description of “Yes It Is” John Lennon gave to interviewer David Sheff in 1980. For those who might not know, Lennon had also been the chief writer of the song “This Boy,” and there are indeed plenty of similarities between the two songs. They include the plentiful vocal harmonies and the big vocal flourish by Lennon in the middle eight of each song.

When Paul McCartney assessed the same song in the book Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, he held a much more positive outlook:

“I was there writing it with John, but it was his inspiration that I helped him finish off. ‘Yes It Is’ is a very fine song of John’s, a ballad, unusual for John. He wrote some beautiful ballads but I’m known generally as the balladeer.”

What you have to take into account when you consider the above quotes is Lennon tended to be harsher on the work of The Beatles in retrospect than McCartney. When the group first disbanded, Lennon was particularly critical, in part because he was trying to consciously leave the group behind. His views softened a bit as the years passed, but he was still quick to call out the songs he thought were weak, even his own.

In this case of “Yes It Is,” maybe he didn’t like that he was repeating himself somewhat in the format of the song. But taken on its own, it’s a lovely track, one that benefits from the group’s incredible vocal blend. And George Harrison gave the recording something special with the volume pedal effects he created on his guitar, making the notes seem as if they appeared without being plucked.

Exploring the Lyrics to “Yes It Is”

“Yes It Is” is an intriguing tale about the narrator’s fixation on his ex, which won’t quite allow him to move on to something new. It’s that someone new he addresses in the song, and he asks her to do whatever she can to avoid being compared to that other girl, specifically steering clear of a particular outfit: Please don’t wear red tonight.

It’s not clear for much of the song why the former girlfriend is out of the picture. Based on the nostalgic way he looks back to her (For red is the color that my baby wore), one might assume she passed away. Only in the middle eight is there a clue that she might simply have split, as Lennon sings, If I could forget her, but it’s my pride.

On the one hand, you can admire this guy’s honesty in dealing with his new relationship. But you can also look at it as he probably shouldn’t be involved with anyone if he’s so hung up on his ex: I would remember all the things we planned / Understand it’s true / Yes it is, it’s true.

“Yes It Us” popped up as the B-side to the classic single “Ticket to Ride” in 1965. It didn’t even make it onto one of the British Beatles albums, although it did appear on Beatles VI in the U.S. As such, it’s a bit of an underrated gem in the group’s impressive catalog. Even if the writer didn’t like it, we sure do.

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