Entering the age of Rubber Soul, The Beatles saw no sign of decline. They were still pumping out the greatest hits, particularly “Day Tripper”/”We Can Work It Out”, the very first double A-side single which gave Simon and Garfunkel’s breakthrough “The Sound of Silence” a run for their money. The iconic and unforgettable riff on “Day Tripper” needs not any introduction; for one, it was a major inspiration for Hendrix to kick-start his career as probably the greatest rock ‘n roll guitarist of all time.

“Day Tripper”, reminiscing and somewhat a tribute to blues musicians, had used, up to that time, almost full potential of the guitar riff acting as the basis for the whole song. Lyrically, “Day Tripper” was one of the earliest songs to make references to acid. Not emulating the psychedelic experience, mind you, as they were still nine months short of “Tomorrow Never Knows”.

“We Can Work It Out” is also an underrated Macca track.

The 45 was released on December 3rd of 1965, right on time for Christmas. On the same day, “Rubber Soul” came out.

Almost like “Beatles For Sale”, but different. The boys looked pretty much the same, but different. No name attached on the cover now that everybody knows who they are, just “Rubber Soul” (a word-play on “Plastic Soul”) written in the typeface that would later be crucial to the hippie movement. Everybody knew that they were onto something. And on something. It was the dawn of their years of being actual artists.The greatest pop band on the globe famously known for their good boy images had had their arrogant looks on with their leather jackets and hair that was even longer than ever before, appearing to be absolutely aware of what they were about to show to the world. The group leader John Lennon on the distorted album cover stares directly at the camera, while the other three are drifting off somewhere, probably still coming down off the marijuana joint which had been given prior to the photo shooting.

The album starts off with the riff to the killer opener “Drive My Car”. It’s a typical Macca love song, but “Drive My Car”, much like the rest of the album showcases us what McCartney and the Beatles have never done before. The song is bass-heavy, sarcastic in nature and has sexual intentions, a trait that would become common in later Beatles works.

The second track on the LP is “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” (The title of the song went on to inspire the author Haruki Murakami to write a book of the same name with a rather similar theme). Never before had a sitar been used on a Western pop song, at least not the way it is used by George Harrison on the track. Lennon’s nasal voice made even the most annoying screaming girls to shut up and listen.

“I once had a girl

Or should I say

She once had me?”

Poetic yet dreamy, mature yet playful as any pop hit in 1965 could get. “Norwegian Wood” tells an imaginary story in less than three minutes through Indiance influence of an encounter between a man, a woman in a setting that could only be found in fantasy novels. The supposed femme fatale in the song acts atypically and bizarre. She invites the male character into her place; they talk until two and by the time the male character wakes up in the morning, she’s gone (hence the alternate title, “this bird has flown”). Revengefully, he lights up a fire to burn the whole place down. It could be a love song. It could be not. “Norwegian Wood” is a song that could be interpreted in many different possible ways and it would remain still an exquisite, quaint and charmingly marijuana-induced number that adds tremendous to the overall theme of the album and to the Fabs’ catalogue.

“Nowhere Man” titled as the first non-love song by the Fab is also a gem, especially considering its omission in the US version of the album. It’s introspective, philosophical and existential, it doesn’t fear to assume the position of the listener as similar to the said nowhere man and it’s just so vocally harmonical that one could see the apparent Beach Boys influence here.

“Isn’t he a bit like you and me?”

Some praise “In My Life” as Lennon’s very best composition; it’s justified to say so as much as a bold statement it is. The lyrics are just beautiful and straight to the heart of the listener. It is about love, but not exclusively romantic love. It’s a song that perfectly captures love in its purest form, even more so than “The Word”. Which is not to say that “The Word” isn’t a bad song. It’s got a catchy hook with obvious early precursors for the hippie “All You Need Is Love” era. Once love is spread you shall be free. Neither is “Wait” or “What Goes On” which isn’t as bad as one would make it out to be (which is, none more than a filler). It’s to “Rubber Soul” what “Act Naturally” is to “Help!”. Adds to the overall theme of the album, and is just mindless fun.

“Girl” and “Michelle”, the Lennon and McCartney songs, respectively, showing us brilliantly how the two genius composers approach a love song in different ways, are in fact, alike in some manners. “Girl” is a playful heartbreak song from a guy to the most beautiful lady he’s ever laid eyes on with sexual innuendo (“tit tit tit tit tit” backing vocals) that he calls, “the kind of girl who puts you down”. Also a praise for a pretty lady, we see Paul showing his limited French skill in “Michelle”. George’s chop for writing is showcased once more with “Think For Yourself”, already philosophical as Lennon and as political as his general views on things in his solo career.

“‘Think for Yourself’ must be about ‘somebody’ from the sound of it – but all this time later, I don't quite recall who … Probably the Government”.

Alongside with “If I Needed Someone”, “Think For Yourself” has planted the seeds for what’s to come out of the showcasing of George’s writing ability.



“Run For Your Life” makes a classic that later was disregarded by the writer himself. The melody is prolific, yet the lyrics are absolutely horrendous. It is a sequel to “You Can’t Do That’, presumably, with even more morbid and bitter qualities of a “jealous guy”. The song might have been written with sarcastic intentions in mind, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s pure morbidness represented by an upbeat melody.

“You better run for your life if you can, little girl

Hide your head in the sand little girl

Catch you with another man

That's the end, little girl”

Every single song on “Rubber Soul” could be considered a classic and leagues above what their contemporaries were doing at the time. “Rubber Soul” is the perfect midpoint between the early rock ‘n roll Beatles and the late, more experimental works of the band. Dare to say, “Rubber Soul” had invented the future of pop music. The psychedelic scene was just right around the corner with the eventual release of heavy drugs influenced Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and the Fabs’ Revolver in the Summer of 1966. Just like the realization right after one has taken a tab of LSD. We are not in Kansas anymore.

Personal ranking: (Best to worst)

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

The Word

Drive My Car

Wait

Nowhere Man

In My Life

Think For Yourself

If I Needed Someone

I’m Looking Through You

You Won’t See Me

What Goes On

9.5/10