Symphony No. 16

***Symphony No. 16*** is the seventeenth studio album by the English-American rock band *the Beatles*, released on 13 March 1975. The album hit number one in the United Kingdom and United States. After the rejection of their would be seventeenth studio album '*Scandal*', The Beatles started from scratch, only remaining few overdubs from the original album.

The album cover imitates those of classical records to take a sarcastic jab at the EMI executives, while the title '*Symphony No. 16*', according to Lennon, was named so as a reference to this being The Beatles' 16th studio record, although Lennon was wrong. The album, despite it's tremulous development, was widely praised and widely disowned by critics alike. A remixed and expanded edition of the album was released in 2025.

## Background And 'Scandal'

*Main article: Scandal (Album)*

The Beatles had just released their 15th studio album, '*Everybody Out*' to near-universal acclaim, the world was advancing at speeds never before seen, and the political and economic climate was rapidly tensing up.

Nearly all of the Beatles were affected by the current times in one way or another. John Lennon was having issues gaining citizenship in the United States, and Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, George Harrison, and Denny Laine were constant subject of drug busts, sometimes real, and sometimes fake. When the six reconvened at Abbey Road, they discovered that they, collectively, were feeling disappointment and fear. Not just towards the world, but for the world. They decided that they would use their standing as one of the biggest musical acts in the world to let their minds be known. What they came up with was heavy, angry music. Something rather odd for the band that once spread the message of peace and love not just a few years prior. The material (enough for a double LP) was assembled into an album with the title '*Scandal*' and was sent over to the higher-ups for approval.

However, the album was refused by the label, stating that it's material was found too controversial. The Beatles fought for the album's release, namely John and George, but this proved to be one of the rare moments in history that The Beatles would not get their way.

*"...and so, due to the numerous and blatant controversies surrounding most of the track-listing, we as a company cannot and will not be able to release the record under our label.*

*We understand this may cause grievances among you all, and we wish we could help, but there is unfortunately nothing we can do but request that you redo the album, this time with less controversial material*

*We look forward to seeing what you come back with.*

*Best wishes,*

*The team at EMI Records." - An excerpt from the rejection letter of Scandal sent by EMI.*

The Beatles, rightfully upset, went back into the studio, threw out lyric sheets, erased tapes, and started the whole thing all over from scratch. The only remnants of this purge would turn up in the released album as sections of the opening medley (primarily "Scandal"), and the backing tracks to 'Soily' and 'Let It Down'. Multiple tracks including, "Back Off, Boogaloo", and "John Sinclair" would later appear on their 1975 album, *Earth & Mars*. Many of the scrapped songs would later be performed during live shows to spite EMI, dubbed as 'Scandal Shows' by fans.

New material was written up, as well as the cover and title. The Beatles, infuriated by the company's refusal to release '*Scandal*', decided to move in the complete opposite direction for the cover and take a trademark sarcastic Beatle jab at the executives. The album cover imitates those of classical records using Louis Béroud's painting "The Staircase of the Opera" with the title "Symphony No. 16" over the top, while 'Symphony No. 16', according to Lennon, is a reference to this being the Beatles' 16th studio record. Although Lennon was wrong and is in fact the seventeenth. The back cover presents the band, dressed in tuxedos and dresses surrounding Lennon as he lights a match, and burns the painting on the cover on an open canvas. Original copies of the album included the note "A better EMI recording" but was recalled with the text replaced. The album was also the first to feature the redesigned Apple Corps logo.

To hammer home the posh-ness of the record's appearance, a brass section and string section were both hired to play on most of the tracks, recordings of sections from George Gershwin's '*Rhapsody In Blue*' were scattered around the track listing, and reverb was applied wherever it could be to simulate a concert-hall. Despite the classical-esque title and cover, the music on the record still is fairly heavy for the Beatles, with even some ghostly remnants of the original album lingering around. Original copies of the album included the note "A better EMI recording" but was recalled with the text replaced. The back cover presents the band, dressed in tuxedos and dresses surrounding Lennon as he lights a match, and burns the painting on the cover on an open canvas.

The album, despite it's tremulous development, was widely praised and widely disowned by critics alike, who would usually single out Lennon's '*Nobody Loves You*' as the standout track.

## Songs

#### Opening/Intermission/Exit

The album includes excepts Rhapsody in Blue, a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin. "Opening", "Intermission" and "Exit" are used at the beginning of side one, end of side one and end of side two respectively. The songs to set the pastiche of older classical, band-hall albums.

#### Jerky (Pt. I)/Jerky (Pt. II)

"Jerky" is a two-part instrumental, in which Beatle historian Bruce Spizer describes as a "funky instrumental." "Jerky" developed during the recording sessions for "Let Me Roll It," which was the first Lennon-McCartney track since Abbey Road in 1969. The sound of "Jerky" was inspired by the early rhythm and blues songs." At one point during the song's bridge, there is a chorus calling out the words "beef jerky" several times mimicking The Bar-kays similar bridge in their instrumental hit Soul Finger. Lennon acknowledged its debt to earlier rhythm and blues and soul music by including a credit to "Booker Table and the Maitre D's," a pun on Booker T and the MGs. The title comes from the dried meat strips that Lennon and then-girlfriend May Pang used to eat in the recording studio.

#### Woman Don't You Cry For Me

Harrison started writing the song in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1969. Along with his friend, fellow guitarist Eric Clapton, Harrison was on a European tour at the time with Delaney & Bonnie and Friends. Delaney Bramlett handed Harrison a bottleneck slide guitar, which he immediately began to play around with. One of the first results of Harrison's discovery of this instrument was "Woman Don't You Cry For Me". He later said that the title of the song might have been suggested by Bramlett. The song almost went on 1971's *Junk In The Yard*, but instead appeared on *Symphony No. 16,* after being unable to think of new material for the album. "Woman Don't You Cry for Me" is one of several bottleneck-inspired Harrison tunes from the period − Scandal reject, "Sue Me, Sue You Blues" and "I Dig Love", being others. The song is in open E.

#### What You Got

The lyrics of "What You Got" reflect Lennon being upset at being separated from wife Yoko Ono at the time, during his "lost weekend." This is particularly the case of the refrain of "You don't know what you got until you lose it." Lennon acknowledged that this is the case, stating that "*Well, that's talkin’ about Yoko. You really don't know what you got till you lose it."* The lyrics are peppered with other cliches, including more reassuring ones such as "You gotta hang on in," and the refrain ends with the phrase "give me one more chance." One line, "Well it's Saturday night and I just gotta rip it up" recalls Little Richard's song "Rip It Up" (which was later covered in 1976's *The Speed Of Sight*) but unlike Little Richard, Lennon is not looking to celebrate Saturday night but rather expressing his anxiety about his personal situation and lamenting the time he has wasted getting drunk to try to forget about it.

Music lecturers Ben Urish and Ken Bielen describe "What You Got" as a "blues-tinged rocker with more than a little Latin funk thrown in." The music to "What You Got" was influenced by dance music. It recalls the O'Jays' song "For the Love of Money." Music critic Johnny Rogan sees it as a mixture between Sly Stone, the Isley Brothers and Tamla Motown. Beatle historians Chip Madinger and Mark Easter feel that it sounds like a Commodores song. The song is taken at a fast pace. Beatle historian Bruce Spizer likens the pace to that of the Beatles' "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey." Beatle biographer John Blaney states that while the music sounds "up-beat" it is "honest and self-explanatory" below the surface. Urish and Bielen interpret that "the taut rush of the song implies that the singer is trying to run away from himself," an interpretation that is supported by the line "I've just got to run away / It's such a drag to face another day."

#### Scandal

Scandal is a song of fragments from "Scandal (Riot In Cell Block #9)" (from the unreleased *Scandal* album) and a reprise of "Woman Don't You Cry For Me". The lyrics quote President Richard M. Nixion's famous "I Am Not A Crook" speech and signify the Lennon' distain for Nixon, due to Nixon trying to deport Lennon from the United States.

#### Soily

At least seven takes were recorded between 1974 and 1975 at Abbey Road Studios for inclusion in the unreleased Scandal album. These takes featured session drummer Geoff Britton, and several can now be found in unofficial bootlegged versions of Scandal.

#### Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out)

Lennon wrote the majority of "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)" early in his time in Los Angeles during his separation from wife Yoko Ono, often called his "lost weekend." The song reflects his feelings of depression and loneliness during that time. Lennon recorded an acoustic demo as early as October 1973, with the first bridge of the song originating from an unreleased song titled "Isolation" which was written as far back as 1970 and had been demoed during the recording of *Untitled* and *Tranquility Base*. Besides his separation from Ono, the lyrics are also influenced by Lennon's disappointment at the negative reception his recent work had received from critics and the public, and his feelings of having been cheated by the music industry. The lyrics describe the emptiness he felt as well as his disillusionment with show business. Various lines could be taken as cynical responses to Ono, or to Lennon's audience and music critics. In response to the question of whether he loves someone, the singer responds "it's all showbiz." The lyrics also seem to express resentment Lennon felt about being the one who had to awaken people to what was happening, and was still not appreciated, with lyrics about how he's "been across to the other side" and "shown you everything." Lines about crossing the water to see "one eyed witchdoctors" may refer to Lennon's disillusionment with the Maharishi. or his partial success with Arthur Janov. The song ends cynically, with the line "Everybody loves you when you're six-foot in the ground." Another line which adds to the cynicism is "I'll scratch your back and you knife mine." The bridge starts by stating that even though he seems to have everything, he is still as lonely and isolated as everyone else. The second verse focuses on his political activism, which many oppose generating even further isolation. The third generalizes the situation further. Lennon acknowledges that the people who have caused his pain can't be blamed, since we are all part of the same irrational world, and thus we are all victims of the world's insanity.

Authors Ken Bielen and Ben Urish describe Lennon's voice for the song as "hoarse," claiming that the production helps give "an alienated ambiance to his lethargic (but not dull) vocal performance." They also claim that the horn section adds to the "thick musical overcast," as does Jesse Ed Davis' guitar solo, which they compare to a "howling wolf." The song changes tempo when the lyrics move from apathy to emotional outbursts.

The title comes from the 1923 blues song "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," which had been covered by Eric Clapton with Derek and the Dominos in 1970.

#### Let It Down

Harrison wrote the song in 1968 and offered it to the rest of the Beatles in January 1969 for inclusion on what became their *Get Back* album (1969). It is one of several Harrison compositions that were turned down by the band initially and subsequently found acclaim on later albums. Harrison biographers recognise "Let It Down" as an erotic love song, perhaps written to a woman other than Pattie Boyd, his wife at the time. Separated by 18 months, the song's conception and recording marked two periods of romantic intrigue involving Harrison, Boyd and their friend Eric Clapton. Author Ian Inglis describes "Let It Down" as "a dynamic and passionate depiction of lust and desire". The song is one of the many to be from the rejected album *Scandal.*

#### Call Me Back Again

McCartney's vocal performance has received considerable praise from critics. John Blaney describes his singing as "a killer vocal that underlines a recording to relish," which "has a depth of emotion rarely equaled and reveals what a supreme vocalist he is." Guarisco described his singing as "a wild-eyed wail of a vocal that is a perfect blend of soulful grit and rock energy." Vincent Benitez particularly praised the vocal performance in the outro, stating that "McCartney shines as a bluesy vocal soloist, ad-libbing as the music fades out." In the book *The Rough Guide to the Beatles*, Chris Ingham noted a similarity between McCartney's vocal in "Call Me Back Again" and "Oh! Darling," although he considered "Call Me Back Again" to be "an inert sludge rocker." Author Tim Riley also remarked on the similarity between "Call Me Back Again" and "Oh! Darling." Robert Rodriguez, calling the song "a piano-based soul shouter" took the "Oh! Darling" analogy further, stating that it "fully achieved what 'Oh! Darling' only hinted at, with a full-throated vocal unheard since the coda of 'Hey, Jude' seven years before." McCartney himself stated "I ended up just sort of ad-libbing a bit, stretching out a bit. I like that myself. I had a chance to sing."

Allmusic critic Donald A. Guarisco compares the lyrics to lyrics in classic singles by such soul singers as Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding.

#### Aisumasen

The song's lyrics have Lennon apologising to wife Yoko Ono. Aisumasen is a slightly corrupted version of the formal term ai sumimasen, which means "I'm sorry" in Japanese. After the lyrics run out, a guitar solo is played. Authors Ken Bielen and Ben Urish interpret this solo as a continuation of the plea for forgiveness. The solo ends abruptly, which Bielen and Urish suggest symbolises the rejection of Lennon's plea. In fact, by the time "Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)" was released, Lennon and Ono had separated. Author John Blaney agrees that the song implies that Lennon will not get the forgiveness and comfort he needs from Ono, and further states that the song reveals just how much he needed her.

"Aisumasen" has some similarities to the song "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," which was also written by Lennon and inspired by Ono. Bielen and Urish claim that "Aisumasen" has a similar rhythm to "a slowed down, semi-acoustic version" of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" also ends abruptly.

Lennon had been working on the melody to "Aisumasen" since at least 1971. A demo of the song was recorded during sessions for Lennon's *Tranquillity Base*. Originally, the melody belonged to a song whose working title was "Call My Name.", dating from a demo recorded in December 1971. In "Call My Name," Lennon was offering to comfort someone, but in the final version of the song Lennon is the one asking for forgiveness. In "Call My Name," the melodic line that became "Aisumasen" was sung to the words "I'll ease your pain." Music critic Johnny Rogan finds the song to be "occasionally powerful" and feels it "brings some depth" to the *Symphony No. 16* album. Keith Spore of *The Milwaukee Sentinel* called the song "a lovely ballad" which serves as a reminder of Lennon's past brilliance.

#### 1985

Author Andrew Grant Jackson calls the lyrics "gibberish" and mere placeholders for the excitement and "cinematic purpose" of the music."

Paul McCartney has said that the song originated with just the first line.

*“With a lot of songs I do, the first line is it. It’s all in the first line, and then you have to go on and write the second line. With ‘Eleanor Rigby’ I had ‘picks up the rice in the church where the wedding has been.’ that was the one big line that started me off on it. With this one it was ‘No one ever left alive in nineteen hundred and eighty-five.’ That’s all I had of that song for months. ‘No one ever left alive in nineteen hundred and eighty… six?’ It wouldn’t have worked!”*

The song has a grandiose ending with a full orchestra and the band. Other instrumentation includes mellotron, organ and horns. TBA

## Reception

*Rolling Stone*'s Frank Rose was unimpressed, writing: "The 1975 Beatles has turned bitter and morose. They complain about the duplicity of human behavior. They sound like they've just discovered this – their message has become pointless and tedious." Robert Christgau of *The Village Voice* gave the album a "B+" rating and found the negative reaction overly cynical, reasoning that the album functions simply as "a piece of well-constructed political program music ... lyrical, ugly, and rousing, all in the right places".

## Track listing

**Side one**

1. "Opening" (Gershwin) - 0:36
2. Medley: "Jerky (Pt. I)"/"Woman Don't You Cry For Me"/"What You Got"/"Scandal"/"Jerky (Pt. II)" (Lennon-Harrison-McCartney) - 8:48
3. "Soily" (P. McCartney-L. McCartney) - 3:55
4. "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out)" (Lennon) - 6:01
5. "Intermission" (Gershwin) - 0:46

**Side two**

1. "Let It Down" (Harrison) - 5:06
2. "Call Me Back Again" (McCartney) - 4:07
3. "Aisumasen" (Lennon) - 4:45
4. "1985" (McCartney) - 4:13
5. "Exit" (Gershwin) - 0:34

## Personnel

* John Lennon - lead, harmony and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, whistling, percussion
* Paul McCartney – lead, harmony and backing vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards, piano, percussion
* George Harrison – lead, harmony and backing vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar, synthesizers, percussion, backing vocals
* Ringo Starr – lead, harmony and backing vocals, drums, percussion
* Linda McCartney – harmony and backing vocals, keyboards, guitars, percussion
* Denny Laine – vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion

Additional personnel

* Jim Keltner – drums
* Klaus Voormann – bass guitar
* Nicky Hopkins – electric piano
* Gary Wright – keyboards
* Billy Preston – piano, organ, synthesizer
* Jimmy McCulloch – guitars, percussion
* Strings and brass musicians from The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra – arranged and conducted by George Martin

Production

* George Martin – producer
* Alan Parsons – engineer
* May Pang – production coordinator
* Henry Daniels – art direction
* John Smith – photography