In defence of ‘Revolution 9’
I like ‘Revolution 9.’ There, I said it.
Most rankings of Beatles’ songs are predictable. ‘Hey Jude,’ ‘A Day in the Life,’ and ‘Yesterday’ are normally near the top. At the other end of the scale, we find such numbers as ‘Wild Honey Pie,’ which is a man amusing himself with random noodling on a guitar and bass drum. It’s only because the man is called Paul McCartney that the track got released at all. The original Let It Be album features ‘Dig It’ and ‘Maggie Mae’ which are snippets from a raucous jam session. Beatles For Sale was recorded in a hurry. They’d used up most of their new songs on A Hard Day’s Night so filled up their next album with under-inspired covers such as ‘Honey Don’t’ and ‘Mr Moonlight,’ neither of which are likely to appear in anyone’s top ten.
But if there’s one track that has even the most ardent Beatlemaniacs reaching for the skip button, it’s ‘Revolution 9.’ It squats near the end of the White Album like a troll ready to pounce on anyone who thinks the Beatles are all pretty harmonies and wanting to hold your hand. ‘Revolution 9’ isn’t a song but snippets of conversation, bursts of music, and a voice saying “number nine” over and over like he’s testing the microphone.
I like ‘Revolution 9.’ There, I said it. To me, it captures the chaos of an uprising. There is revolutionary fervour as a new convert to the cause is handed a weapon and told, “Take this brother. May it serve you well.” Some of the music is upbeat and martial, suggesting an enthusiastic charge into battle. There are also screams of pain as people are caught up in the conflict. Someone spinning the dial on a radio desperate for any news might well hear random snatches of music and dialogue. The report from the front comes in, “They are standing still.” There are sad reflections. A man finds the only café still open and laments into his drink, “Every one of them knew that as time went by, they’d get a little bit older and a little bit slower.”
If I could only take one Beatles’ track with me to a desert island, I might well choose this one. Much as I love songs like ‘Think For Yourself’ and ‘Hey Bulldog,’ I’d get bored if I could listen to nothing else because there are no more surprises in them for me. I’ve been listening to ‘Revolution 9’ for forty years and I hear something new in it every time. The only other Beatles’ song that does that for me is ‘I Am The Walrus.’
I will add this to the list of unpopular opinions I hold:
Diamonds Are Forever is my favourite James Bond film.
I don’t think Sofia Coppola was that bad in The Godfather Part III.
I prefer the Scissor Sisters’ version of ‘Comfortably Numb’ to Pink Floyd’s.
And ‘Revolution 9’ is one of the most interesting things the Beatles ever did.