Music
The song is in the key of B flat Mixolydian, based on three chords: B flat (I), A flat (flat-VII), and E flat (IV). The key centre shifts to E flat major during the bridge sections by means of an F minor (v minor) chord, a pivot chord The Beatles had used to modulate to the subdominant before on 'From Me To You' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'. Since the guitars are audibly played in A, the song must have been sped up one semitone (by this time The Beatles routinely played with varying tape speeds) unless the guitarists retuned or used capos. The coda features a canonic imitation in the voice parts, a development of the idea originally presented by the lead guitar in the verse. Lennon's Hammond organ part consists entirely of one note, a tonic B-flat held throughout and faded in and out.
The song uses both 3/4 and 4/4 time, shifting to 3/4 on the line "No, no, no, you're wrong" and back again on "I said...".
In the middle part, another song comes in which John Lennon penned, but was too short for an album release. After George's suggestion, John put the song in the middle. The middle part has the key element of Lennon's lyrics is the reminiscence of childhood; "When I was a boy everything was right/ Everything was right", a foil to the chaotic feelings of knowing "What it's like to be dead".
The song is often noted for Ringo Starr's "circular" patterns and other contributions: Starr himself has expressed particular pride in his performances during this era. Some drum enthusiasts have referred to Starr's performance on this track as one of the best drum tracks ever recorded in pop music, comparing the approach to that of Mitch Mitchell, drummer for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, who was himself a follower of Elvin Jones. Ian MacDonald rates the drumming as "technically finer than his other tour-de-force 'Rain'".
Denver memorabilia collector Chris Lopez discovered a tape made by Lennon while composing the song. The source was Anthony Cox, ex-husband of Lennon's second wife, Yoko Ono. He sold it along with other recordings made by John at Christie's Auction House in London for a six-figure sum.
Read more about this topic: She Said She Said
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