Nowhere Man

Album

Single

Label

Capitol Records

Genre

Folk rock

Media Type

45s

Duration

2:44

Composer(s)

John Lennon;Paul McCartney

Entered Chart

Mar 5, 1966

Peak Date

Mar 26, 1966

Released

3 December 1965 (UK Rubber Soul album) 21 February 1966 (US single)

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

Capitol 5587

B-Side

What Goes On

John Lennon came up with this after struggling to write a song for the album. Said Lennon: "I thought of myself sitting there, doing nothing and getting nowhere." This was used in the animated Beatles movie Yellow Submarine. They sing it to Jeremy Hillary Boob, PhD, who describes himself as an "eminent physicist, polyglot classicist, prize-winning botanist, hard-biting satirist, talented pianist, good dentist too." The Beatles decide to take him Somewhere, and he eventually helps them to defeat the Blue Meanies. >>> This starts with a three-part harmony sung by Lennon, Harrison, and McCartney. This is probably the first Beatles song that has nothing to do with love. Typical of many John Lennon compositions are the "falling" melodies, which can be heard in "Nowhere Man." Folk music often has falling melodies, indicating melancholy. In Baroque music, a falling melody means sadness. >>> There is a very audible feedback 38 seconds into the song after the word "missin'." Natalie Merchant performed this at the 2001 special, Come Together: A Night For John Lennon's Words And Music. She did a mellow version, as the show was also a tribute to victims of the terrorist attacks on America. In a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon recalled the background to this song: "I remember I was just going through this paranoia trying to write something and nothing would come out so I just lay down and tried to not write and then this came out, the whole thing came out in one gulp." In 2003, John Lennon's original handwritten lyrics to this song were auctioned at Christie's of New York for $455,500. >>> One of the many songwriters influenced by The Beatles is Graham Gouldman of 10cc, who toured with Ringo's All-Starr Band in 2018. According to Gouldman, this song is an example of how they would create a two-part harmony, but leave out third part, which is implied. "That's screaming out for the third harmony, but they never did it," he told Songfacts. "And in your head, you sing along, if you're musical, the third harmony."

He's a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody

Doesn't have a point of view
Knows not where he's going to
Isn't he a bit like you and me?

Nowhere Man, please listen
You don't know what you're missing
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command

He's as blind as he can be
Just sees what he wants to see
Nowhere Man can you see me at all?

Nowhere Man, don't worry
Take your time, don't hurry
Leave it all till somebody else lends you a hand

Doesn't have a point of view
Knows not where he's going to
Isn't he a bit like you and me?

Nowhere Man, please listen
You don't know what you're missing
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command

He's a real Nowhere Man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody