I'm Only Sleeping

"I'm Only Sleeping"
"I'm Only Sleeping"
	Cover of the Northern Songs sheet music (licensed to Sonora Musikförlag)
Song by the Beatles
Released	5 August 1966 (UK: Revolver); 20 June 1966 (US: Yesterday and Today);
Recorded	27 and 29 April, 5 and 6 May 1966
Studio	EMI, London
Genre	Psychedelia; folk rock; psychedelic rock;
Length	3:02
Label	Parlophone
Songwriter(s)	Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s)	George Martin
Audio sample
	"I'm Only Sleeping" file; help;
Music video
	"I'm Only Sleeping" on YouTube

"I'm Only Sleeping" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 studio album Revolver. In the United States and Canada, it was one of the three tracks that Capitol Records cut from the album and instead included on Yesterday and Today, released two months before Revolver. Credited as a Lennon–McCartney song, it was written primarily by John Lennon.^[4] The track includes a backwards lead guitar part played by George Harrison, the first time such a technique was used on a pop recording.^[5]^[6]

Since the standardisation of the Beatles' catalogue for its international CD release in 1987, the song has appeared on Revolver in North America. The 1996 Anthology 2 compilation includes outtakes of the song from the Revolver sessions, including an instrumental version that features the Beatles' first use of a vibraphone. In 2018, the music staff of Time Out London ranked "I'm Only Sleeping" at number 12 on their list of the best Beatles songs.^[7]

^ Swanson, Dave (30 March 2013). "Top 10 Beatles Psychedelic Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
^ Ursula Dawn Goldsmith, Melissa (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! – Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. p. 39. ISBN 9781440865794. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
^ Ursula Dawn Goldsmith, Melissa (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! – Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. p. 39. ISBN 9781440865794. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
^ Fontenot, Robert. "The Beatles Songs: 'I'm Only Sleeping' – The history of this classic Beatles song". oldies.about.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
^ Gilmore, Mikal (25 August 2016). "Beatles' Acid Test: How LSD Opened the Door to 'Revolver'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
^ McCormick, Neil (7 September 2009). "The Beatles – Revolver, review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
^ Time Out London Music (24 May 2018). "The 50 Best Beatles songs". Time Out London. Retrieved 11 December 2018.

[1] Swanson, Dave (30 March 2013). "Top 10 Beatles Psychedelic Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 9 February 2019.

[2] Ursula Dawn Goldsmith, Melissa (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! – Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. p. 39. ISBN 9781440865794. Retrieved 21 October 2022.

[3] Ursula Dawn Goldsmith, Melissa (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! – Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. p. 39. ISBN 9781440865794. Retrieved 21 October 2022.

[Fontenot/About-4] Fontenot, Robert. "The Beatles Songs: 'I'm Only Sleeping' – The history of this classic Beatles song". oldies.about.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2017.

[GilmoreAcidTest-5] Gilmore, Mikal (25 August 2016). "Beatles' Acid Test: How LSD Opened the Door to 'Revolver'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2017.

[McCormick/Tele-6] McCormick, Neil (7 September 2009). "The Beatles – Revolver, review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 16 February 2017.

[7] Time Out London Music (24 May 2018). "The 50 Best Beatles songs". Time Out London. Retrieved 11 December 2018.

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