7″ Black Gold
The Beatles – We Can Work it Out
The Beatles – We Can Work it Out
“We Can Work It Out” was first issued as a double A-side single with “Day Tripper” in December 1965. The song was recorded during the sessions for the band’s Rubber Soul album and charted as number 1 in the UK, the US, and several other countries.
A comparatively rare example of a Lennon–McCartney collaboration from this very period in the Beatles’ career – plus a little help from George Harrison as well, as Paul McCartney explained later: “I took it to John to finish it off, and we wrote the middle together. Which is: ‘Life is very short. There’s no time for fussing and fighting, my friend.’ Then it was George Harrison’s idea to put the middle like a German waltz. That all came together in just one session.”
The song is just a superb example of that unique blend only the Beatles were able to deliver so brilliantly: pure and cleansing optimism by McCartney and Lennon’s often bitter and sarcastic views on life – just remember “It’s getting better”.
But there is more to it than just that typical Lennon–McCartney twist, this song is funky. 1971 Stevie Wonder himself released a superb cover version as a single that earned him his fifth Grammy nomination in 1972, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance – quite rightly so.
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