"We Can Work it Out"

Song: “We Can Work it Out”

Album: (Not released on LP)

Although not released on the album, “We Can Work it Out” was recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions and was half of a “doube A-sided” single along with “Day Tripper” (which was also recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions but left off the album).  It was the first time a single classified both sides of the record as a primary release (i.e. there was no "B-side").

One of the few truly collaborative songs of the post-1963 Lennon-McCartney duo, Paul wrote the music, verses, and chorus (perhaps referencing his relationship with Jane Asher). He and John then wrote the middle “Life is very short” harmony bit, underscoring what often came from their later collaborations—John bringing a little darkness into the over-the-top optimism he  saw in McCartney’s work. (“A Day in the Life” comes to mind as another prime example of this—think of the juxtaposition of McCartney’s “Woke up, got out of bed” with John’s “I read the news today.") It’s the type of collaboration that points to why the band was so much greater than the sum of its parts and why none of the members' solo careers ever reached the commercial or critical heights they enjoyed as Beatles.

P.S. Love John’s silliness in this video.