She Said She Said
Song by The Beatles • Lennon
Revolver (1966) — Studio awakening — backwards everything, tape loops.
Background
She Said She Said is a song by The Beatles, written by Lennon and led on vocal by John Lennon. From an LSD trip with Peter Fonda saying 'I know what it's like to be dead.' Within the catalogue, its death thread connects it to Eleanor Rigby.
What's distinctive
One of 101 UK songs led primarily by John. Recorded approximately 16 of 16 into the Revolver / Studio Awakening (1966) sessions. Carries the unique tag 'lsd-trip' — no other UK song shares it.Opening line — "She said, 'I know what it's like to be dead'…" (brief identification excerpt; full lyrics © Sony Music Publishing — see Genius link in References.)
Recording
The session work falls within the band's Revolver / Studio Awakening (1966) period, recorded 21 Jun 1966 at EMI Studios, Abbey Road. George Martin produced; Geoff Emerick engineered. The track was committed to Studer J37 four-track (with vari-speed, ADT) via the REDD.51, with the era's standard signal chain — EMI RS124, EMT 140 plate, Fairchild 660 limiter, EMI Artificial Double Tracking (ADT), Leslie cabinet (vocals). Likely instrumental setup followed the era's working kit: Epiphone Casino, Gibson SG (Harrison), Rickenbacker 4001S bass (McCartney introduced), amplified through Vox AC100, Vox 7120, Fender Showman, Fender Bassman. For session-by-session detail, see Mark Lewisohn's account on p.84 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below).
| Studio | EMI Studios, Abbey Road — Studio Three (largely) |
|---|---|
| Tape machine | Studer J37 four-track (with vari-speed, ADT) |
| Console | REDD.51 |
| Microphones | Neumann U47/U48, AKG C12, STC 4038, close-miking pioneered (Emerick) on Ringo's bass drum |
| Outboard / effects | EMI RS124, EMT 140 plate, Fairchild 660 limiter, EMI Artificial Double Tracking (ADT), Leslie cabinet (vocals) |
| Guitars | Epiphone Casino, Gibson SG (Harrison), Rickenbacker 4001S bass (McCartney introduced) |
| Amplifiers | Vox AC100, Vox 7120, Fender Showman, Fender Bassman |
| Producer | George Martin |
| Engineer / 2nd | Geoff Emerick • Phil McDonald (2nd) |
Pattern analysis
Legacy & release history
In the UK canonical discography it appears on the LP Revolver. Documented alternate versions include 2009 Stereo Remasters. Mono and stereo histories vary by era — see the dedicated section below.
Mono & stereo
- Mixed primarily in MONO at Abbey Road; the Beatles attended only the mono mixes through Sgt Pepper.
- Stereo mixes from this period were prepared (often without the band present) and are now considered secondary by purists.
Documented alternate versions
- 2009 Stereo Remasters — Allan Rouse / Guy Massey remaster
Released on
- Revolver — LP, 5 August 1966
Cross-references
Other songs sharing themes (lsd-trip, peter-fonda, death, paul-walked-out)
Other songs led by the same vocalist
Other songs from this era
lsd-trippeter-fondadeathpaul-walked-out