The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows

The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows: A Psychedelic Voyage Through Sound

In the tapestry of popular music, few bands have woven threads as revolutionary and enduring as The Beatles. Their relentless exploration of sound and subject matter pushed boundaries and redefined entire genres.

Among their most daring sonic adventures lies Tomorrow Never Knows, a song that stands as a landmark of psychedelic rock and a testament to the band’s willingness to experiment.

Background

Released in 1966 on their groundbreaking album Revolver, “Tomorrow Never Knows” marked a significant departure from The Beatles’ earlier, more pop-oriented sound.

Gone were the catchy melodies and simple structures of their early hits. Instead, the song plunges the listener into a swirling vortex of distorted guitars, looped rhythms, and John Lennon’s hauntingly ethereal vocals.

The inspiration for the song’s otherworldly soundscape is often attributed to Lennon’s fascination with the works of Timothy Leary, a prominent figure in the burgeoning psychedelic movement. Leary’s exploration of mind-altering substances and his advocacy for expanding consciousness resonated with Lennon, who sought to translate that experience into a sonic tapestry.

Lyrically, “Tomorrow Never Knows” reflects this introspective journey. The fragmented and often nonsensical lyrics, co-credited to Lennon and Paul McCartney, evoke a stream of consciousness, a series of fleeting thoughts and impressions.

Lines like “Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream” and “Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see” capture the introspective and detached state associated with psychedelic experiences.

The song’s innovative production techniques were groundbreaking for their time. Engineer Geoff Emerick, working closely with The Beatles, employed tape loops, backwards recordings, and heavy reverb to create an atmosphere of disorientation and sonic collage. Lennon’s vocals were processed through a Leslie speaker, giving his voice a swirling, otherworldly quality.

“Tomorrow Never Knows” was met with mixed reactions upon its release. Some listeners embraced its avant-garde soundscape, hailing it as a bold artistic statement.

Video

Lyrics

🎵 Let’s sing along with the lyrics! 🎤

Turn off your mind relax and float down-stream
It is not dying, it is not dying
Lay down all thought surrender to the void
It is shining, it is shining

That you may see the meaning of within
It is being, it is being
That love is all and love is everyone
It is knowing, it is knowing

That ignorance and haste may mourn the dead
It is believing, it is believing
But listen to the color of your dreams
It is not living, it is not living

Or play the game “existence” to the end
Of the beginning, of the beginning
Of the beginning, of the beginning
Of the beginning, of the beginning
Of the beginning