| "Yes It Is" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US picture sleeve (Reverse) | ||||
| Single bythe Beatles | ||||
| A-side | "Ticket to Ride" | |||
| Released | 9 April 1965 (1965-04-09) | |||
| Recorded | 16 February 1965 | |||
| Studio | EMI, London | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 2:41 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriter | Lennon–McCartney | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| The Beatles UK singles chronology | ||||
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| The Beatles US singles chronology | ||||
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"Yes It Is" is a song by the English rock bandthe Beatles. Written byJohn Lennon (credited toLennon–McCartney), it was first released in 1965 as theB-side to "Ticket to Ride". It features some of the Beatles' most complex anddissonant three-part vocal harmonies and showcasesGeorge Harrison's early use ofvolume pedal guitar.Ian MacDonald describes the song as having "rich and unusual harmonic motion."[2]
In his 1980 interview withPlayboy, John Lennon described "Yes It Is" as an attempt to rewrite "This Boy" (the style of the song) that "didn't quite work".[3]Paul McCartney on the other hand described it as "a very fine song of John's" that he and Lennon had finished writing together.[4]
The song is in the12
8time signature, in the key of E and begins (on "If you wear red tonight ...") with a I–IV–ii7–V7 chord progression (E–A–F♯m7–B7) in which the word "tonight" (B melody note) appears as a "delicately haunting" 4th above the F♯m7,[5] creating asuspension. The melodic pitches of this first two bar phrase are repeated (with initial repetition of the G♯ melody note) on "remember what I said tonight," except that the B melody note on the second "tonight" is now backed by a♭VII (D) chord that shapes the B melody note into a more "luscious" 6th.[5] The chorus ("Yes it is, it's true. Yes it is, it's true") involves a I (E chord) – III (G♯ chord) – IV (A chord) – I (E chord) progression in which the major III (G♯) chord appears for the first time in the song to propel theplagal drop from IV (A) to the tonic I (E) chord.[6]
Over the course of a five-hour recording session, the Beatles attempted 14 takes of the basic track before perfecting it.[7] "Yes It Is" was recorded on 16 February 1965, the same day that they completed Harrison's "I Need You".[7] After finalising the rhythm track, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison recorded their vocal harmonies in three hours, singing live together, following the suggestion of George Martin that they sing their three-part harmony in the style of abarbershop quartet.[7]
"Yes It Is" was released as the B-side of the "Ticket to Ride" single in both the U.S. and the UK.[8] American pressings of the single erroneously show "Yes It Is" as being from the filmEight Arms to Hold You (the original title for the film,Help!),[9] in which it did not appear.[10] It reached number 46 in theBillboard Hot 100.
The song was included onBeatles VI in the U.S., using the "duophonic" stereo remix from the original mono track, with additionalecho andreverb added, and on compilation albums, includingLove Songs, the British version of theRarities album;Only the Beatles, an unauthorised British promotional cassette for Heineken Beer in 1986, on which it made its first true stereo appearance,Past Masters, Volume One, and onAnthology 2 in an alternate version that combines the second and fourteenth takes. The original mono single mix appears on theMono Masters CD as part ofThe Beatles in Mono box set.
AuthorIan MacDonald praised "Yes It Is", along with its accompanyingA-side, "Ticket to Ride". He described both songs as "psychologically deeper than The Beatles had ever recorded before" and declared that they marked a huge step forward in the Beatles' development as songwriters.[11]
According to Ian MacDonald:[12]
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Hot 100[13] | 46 |
