Personnel:
Judy Wilson: Lead Vocal
Cliff Wilson: Guitars, Bass, Piano, Organ, Vocals
Dana Saporta: Violas
Cliff Hochberg: Drums, shaker
Why this song is on the album:
My sister Judy had a portable record player; she got it as a present for her birthday in November of 1967, or perhaps that Christmas. The Beatles single Hello Goodbye (with I am the Walrus on the B side) – released on November 24, 1967 – was among the first records she got (maybe the first). If memory serves, the 45 was a Christmas present from me. So I was tickled when Judy chose this song to sing on our family album. I love this song, and it’s great for her.
Performance notes:
There are four viola parts! The viola is what gives this song its distinctive feel. Dana was a real trouper getting through all of this in one session.
This is just a fun song to perform. The background vocals are nifty, the guitar and bass parts are easy and fun. You can see why John Lennon disdained it as frothy nonsense, but what’s wrong with a fun hook once in a while? I wish I’d written it!
Aside from the violas, the coda was the hardest part to get sounding OK. What the heck is going on there, anyway?
How it’s different from the Beatles’ version:
As with most songs in this collection, I played what the Beatles played, more or less, but didn’t try to sound exactly like them. I think this song has a nice Judy vibe, while the Beatles version has a nice Sir Paul vibe.
Fun facts:
The working title of the song was “Hello Hello.”
Two viola players — Ken Essex and Leo Birnbaum — were hired to play the four viola parts, but no one prepared a score for them before the day of the session. The session, scheduled to end at 11:00 pm, extended beyond 2:30 am. This was normal working hours for the Beatles, but certainly not for the classical musicians.