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The Beatles – No Reply (2:15)

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About This Track

“No Reply” is a song by the Beatles from the UK album Beatles for Sale and the US album Beatles ‘65. It was written mainly by John Lennon and credited to Lennon/McCartney.

The song is about a young man who is unable to contact his possibly unfaithful girlfriend, even though he sees her through her windows.

According to Lennon in 1972, the Beatles’ music publisher Dick James was quite pleased with “No Reply”:

“I remember Dick James coming up to me after we did this one and saying, ‘You’re getting better now — that was a complete story.’ Apparently, before that, he thought my songs wandered off. ”

Reviewer David Rowley found its lyrics to “read like a picture story from a girl’s comic,” and to depict the picture “of walking down a street and seeing a girl silhouetted in a window, not answering the telephone.”

In his last major interview, Lennon said that the song was sort of his version of “Silhouettes”, a 1957 song written by Bob Crewe and first recorded by The Rays.

Music
The song is in the key of C major. The song form is standard AABA (verse-verse-bridge-verse), without a chorus as such, but including the refrain “No Reply”. The instrumentation includes acoustic guitar, bass, drums and piano.

Originally Lennon had intended to sing the higher harmony part of the chorus, as this was the original melody. However, his voice had deteriorated due to excessive use and Paul McCartney had to take this part, relegating Lennon to the lower harmony line.
Lyrics
This happened once before,
When I came to your door,
No reply.
They said it wasn’t you,
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Albums featuring this track

  • A Hard Day's Night
    The Beatles Play
    Buy
  • Beatles for Sale
    The Beatles Play
    Buy
  • Anthology 1 (disc 2)
    The Beatles Play
    Buy
  • Beatles '65
    The Beatles Play
    Buy
See all 16 albums

Shouts

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  • RafaelDivoz

    my favorite of "Beatles for Sale" [2]

    yesterday afternoon

  • oiGlush

    my favorite of "Beatles for Sale"

    last month

  • BiIIyShears

    This is my favorite song off of "A Hard Day's Night"!

    last month

  • WWOMENN

    ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Fantastic song, Fantastic vocals, Fantastic Beatles ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

    February 2012

  • promisedeyes

    My goodness, it's so wonderful that I feel goosebumps :-D

    November 2011

  • MrPsychedelia

    I love the beggining of this song. <3

    October 2011

  • Hulum

    Very underrated and very beautiful song.

    October 2011

  • pablo_cerve

    one of my favourites

    July 2011

  • chlorres

    <3 <3 <3 beautiful song *

    June 2011

  • williamc99

    Amazing song.

    June 2011

  • corky64

    Great....<3

    June 2011

  • DinDan306

    Greatest bridge ever written.

    May 2011

  • chlorres

    me too. had this experience one time x ;( beautiful song anyway...

    April 2011

  • dundee12

    I NEARLY DIED

    April 2011

  • LovePaulMc

    "If I were you, I'd realize that I love you more than any other guy..." ♥

    March 2011

  • david_588

    I nearly died!

    March 2011

  • papua23

    i saw the lies

    February 2011

  • ceratitekken

    The Beatles Fantastic

    February 2011

  • barryvs

    The way they do "lies" and "realize" in that harmony bit is brilliant.

    November 2010

  • TheT1nk

    I know I was very pleased about "No Reply" :>

    September 2010
See all 70 shouts

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