What You're Doing

"What You're Doing" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their album Beatles for Sale, released in December 1964. It was written by Paul McCartney, although credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song was one of eight original compositions on Beatles for Sale. In North America, where Capitol Records typically altered the content of the band's albums, "What You're Doing" instead appeared on the 1965 US release Beatles VI.

This article is about the song by the Beatles. For the Rush song of the same name, see Rush (Rush album). For the Seawind song What Cha Doin, see Seawind (band).
"What You're Doing"
Sheet music cover
Song by the Beatles
from the album Beatles for Sale
Released4 December 1964 (1964-12-04)
Recorded29–30 September & 26 October 1964
StudioEMI, London
GenreJangle pop[1]
Length2:30
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s)George Martin

Composition

"What You're Doing" was written by McCartney in Atlantic City on 30 August 1964, shortly following the end of the Beatles' 1964 world tour.[2] Throughout the song, McCartney adds to the rhyme scheme by combining a single, two-syllable word with two one-syllable words (i.e. "Look what you're doing, I'm feeling blue and lonely ... You got me runnin', and there's no fun in it"). He used the same technique on "She's a Woman", which was also recorded during the Beatles for Sale sessions.

The track features a guitar riff played by George Harrison on his Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar. The sound was influential on the Byrds, who crafted their sound partly on the Beatles' use of the Rickenbacker, and Harrison in turn adopted influences from the Byrds in his 1965 song "If I Needed Someone".[3]

Recording

The Beatles attempted to record the song on 29 September 1964, but only the basic rhythm track was taped over seven takes (with take seven being deemed the best).[4] A day later, after finishing the recording of "Every Little Thing", the group recorded five more takes, with take 11 being deemed the "best;" Lewisohn notes that at this point, the song differed from the final version in that "its breaks between choruses were less tight, the middle eight instrumental break was performed an octave above the vocals and it had a 1 & 1/2 second pause preceding a reprise instrumental coda."[4] The group remade the song into its final form on 26 October, immediately after completing work on the Carl Perkins-cover "Honey Don't".[5] It was the last song to be completed for Beatles for Sale.[2]

Sampling

The song was sampled to create a medley, along with "Drive My Car" and "The Word", on the band's 2006 remix album Love. "What You're Doing" shares a number of characteristics with (the also predominantly McCartney-written) "Drive My Car", particularly the home key (D major), meter (4/4), and chord progression (alternating between B minor and G major).

Personnel

According to Ian MacDonald:[6]

References
  1. LaBate, Steve (December 18, 2009). "Jangle Bell Rock: A Chronological (Non-Holiday) Anthology … from The Beatles and Byrds to R.E.M. and Beyond". Paste. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  2. Everett 2001, p. 260.
  3. Fontenot, Robert. "The Beatles Songs: 'If I Needed Someone' – The history of this classic Beatles song". oldies.about.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  4. Lewisohn 1988, p. 49.
  5. Lewisohn 1988, p. 51.
  6. MacDonald 1998, p. 116.

Sources
  • Everett, Walter (2001). The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-514105-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. London: Hamlyn. ISBN 0-600-61207-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • MacDonald, Ian (1998). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties. London: Pimlico. ISBN 978-0-7126-6697-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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