The Beatles » Tracks » Tomorrow Never Knows

The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows (2:56)

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About This Track

“Tomorrow Never Knows” is the final track of The Beatles’ 1966 studio album Revolver. It is credited as a Lennon/McCartney song, but was written primarily by John Lennon. Although it was the first song that was recorded, it was the last track on the album.

The song is significant because it contains the first example of a vocal being put through a Leslie speaker cabinet to obtain a vibrato effect (which was normally used as a loudspeaker for a Hammond organ) and the use of an ADT system (Automatic double-tracking) to double the vocal image.

“Tomorrow Never Knows” ends the Revolver album in a more experimental fashion than earlier records, which contributed to Revolver’s reputation as one of the group’s most influential and expressive albums

John Lennon wrote the song in January 1966, closely adapted from the book The Psychedelic Experience by Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, and Ralph Metzner, which they based on, and quotes from, the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The understanding from the book was that the “ego death” experienced under the influence of LSD and other psychedelic drugs is essentially similar to the dying process and requires similar guidance.

Peter Brown claimed that Lennon’s only source of inspiration for the song came from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which he says Lennon read whilst consuming LSD. George Harrison later stated that the idea for the lyrics came from Leary, Alpert, and Metzner’s book.
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Albums featuring this track

  • Revolver
    The Beatles Play
    Buy
  • Anthology 2
    The Beatles Play
    Buy
  • Anthology 2 (disc 1)
    The Beatles Play
    Buy
  • Ultra Rare Trax, Volume 3
    The Beatles Play
    Buy
See all 6 albums

Shouts

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  • lfc_1990

    I can't express how this song is fucking awsome.

    Tuesday evening

  • poppunknerd182

    Such an insane/awesome choice to follow "Got To Get You Into My Life."

    Saturday morning

  • Lajon_

    avant-garde

    last week

  • sunheadbowed

    One of the best songs ever written, and quite possibly the best Beatles song!

    last week

  • jamesusillxd

    Oh, Don... Your loss

    10 days ago

  • EuSouNeguinha

    One of the best Beatles' songs. Masterpiece.

    15 days ago

  • maesstria

    Mad Men, reminding me how much I love "Revolver" [1]

    20 days ago

  • WarriorJones

    Tomorrow never knows what it doesn't know too soon! Great song.

    22 days ago

  • jd35

    Don just doesn't understand these crazy kids...

    23 days ago

  • HallucinogeNick

    $250,000. Worth every penny

    23 days ago

  • magnetiq

    Start with this one..

    23 days ago

  • Bamfi

    Megan Draper brought me here.

    23 days ago

  • volcomguy32686

    Mad Men, reminding me how much I love "Revolver"

    23 days ago

  • BufoMarinuz

    Don Draper does not approve those modern music shenanigans...

    24 days ago

  • CCSandman

    So shorrrrrrrrrrt!

    27 days ago

  • secret_nick

    Aciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid.

    last month

  • zepp69

    this song never fails to give me the creeps. love it

    last month

  • hoseanna

    lennon - the most talented frankenstein of whole time. he opened his mind and was living without closing it! isn't it beautiful?

    last month

  • Playpet

    Psychedelic masterpiece.

    last month

  • crawlpalmetto

    First time I heard it I sat there going "eh?" and I still do the same today. Ringo's drums are a million years in the future.

    last month
See all 480 shouts

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