The lines 'If you don't really can't go on, holding back these tears in my eyes' speak to his own vulnerability and raw emotion. He is willing to apologize for anything he may have done to contribute to the end of their relationship, and he begs for a chance to make things right. The phrase 'All I do is hang my head and moan' is particularly poignant, as it suggests a deep sadness and sense of defeat.Īs the song progresses, the narrator becomes increasingly desperate to understand what went wrong. He feels like he has given her everything he had, but she still left him 'sitting on his own'.

The narrator is asking his lover to explain why she has been unfaithful or dishonest, and to own up to her actions. The opening lines already set the mood of the song, with a sense of betrayal and confusion. The narrator wants to know why his lover cried and lied to him, and he is desperate for answers that can help him make sense of his pain. The lyrics are straightforward and simple, yet powerful in their emotional impact. It took the group eight takes to perfect.ĭuring the same session they also completed And I Love Her and If I Fell.The Beatles' song 'Tell Me Why' is a heart-wrenching plea from a man who has been left heartbroken by his lover. The Beatles recorded Tell Me Why on 27 February 1964 in Abbey Road’s Studio Two. There are four I really go for : Can’t Buy Me Love, If I Fell, I Should Have Known Better – a song with harmonica we feature during the opening train sequence – and Tell Me Why, a shuffle number that comes at the end of the film.įor reasons unknown, John Lennon’s vocals in the film are different from either the mono or stereo studio versions. The Beatles mimed to it in front of 350 screaming fans at the Scala Theatre, London, on 31 March 1964. Tell Me Why was featured in the ‘studio performance’ sequence of the A Hard Day’s Night film. I think a lot of these songs like Tell Me Why may have been based in real experiences or affairs John was having or arguments with Cynthia or whatever, but it never occurred to us until later to put that slant on it all.

It was like a black-New-York-girl-group songĪlthough Lennon dismissed Tell Me Why as a throwaway, Paul McCartney later suggested the song, along with others written for A Hard Day’s Night, was partly autobiographical.

They needed another upbeat song and I just knocked it off. One of the more uptempo rockers on the A Hard Day’s Night album, Tell Me Why was written by John Lennon for the concert sequence in the film.

George Harrison: harmony vocals, lead guitar

Tell me why live youtube beatles