What Goes On
Song by The Beatles • Lennon–McCartney–Starkey
Rubber Soul (late 1965) — Burnished tone, sitar curls, fish-eye perspective.
Background
What Goes On is a song by The Beatles, written by Lennon–McCartney–Starkey and led on vocal by Ringo Starr. Old Quarrymen-era song dusted off for Ringo; first Starkey writing credit. Within the catalogue, its country thread connects it to I'm a Loser, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party, Act Naturally; its ringo-vocal thread connects it to Boys, I Wanna Be Your Man, Honey Don't.
What's distinctive
One of 11 UK songs led primarily by Ringo. Recorded approximately 11 of 16 into the Rubber Soul Era (late 1965) sessions. Carries the unique tag 'starkey-credit' — no other UK song shares it.Opening line — "What goes on in your heart…" (brief identification excerpt; full lyrics © Sony Music Publishing — see Genius link in References.)
Recording
The session work falls within the band's Rubber Soul Era (late 1965) period, recorded 4 Nov 1965 at EMI Studios, Abbey Road. George Martin produced; Norman Smith (his last LP) engineered. The track was committed to Studer J37 four-track via the REDD.51, with the era's standard signal chain — EMI RS124, EMT 140 plate, fuzzbox prototypes. Likely instrumental setup followed the era's working kit: Epiphone Casino, Rickenbacker 360-12, Gibson J-160E, sitar (Harrison — first Beatles sitar on 'Norwegian Wood'), amplified through Vox AC30, Vox AC50, Fender Showman. For session-by-session detail, see Mark Lewisohn's account on p.67 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below).
| Studio | EMI Studios, Abbey Road — Studio Two |
|---|---|
| Tape machine | Studer J37 four-track |
| Console | REDD.51 |
| Microphones | Neumann U47, U48; AKG C12; STC 4038 (drums) |
| Outboard / effects | EMI RS124, EMT 140 plate, fuzzbox prototypes |
| Guitars | Epiphone Casino, Rickenbacker 360-12, Gibson J-160E, sitar (Harrison — first Beatles sitar on 'Norwegian Wood') |
| Amplifiers | Vox AC30, Vox AC50, Fender Showman |
| Producer | George Martin |
| Engineer / 2nd | Norman Smith (his last LP) • Ken Scott (2nd) |
Pattern analysis
Legacy & release history
In the UK canonical discography it appears on the LP Rubber Soul. 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
No documented alternate versions.
Released on
- Rubber Soul — LP, 3 December 1965
Cross-references
Other songs sharing themes (starkey-credit, country, ringo-vocal)
Other songs led by the same vocalist
Other songs from this era
starkey-creditcountryringo-vocal