Description:
“Michelle (Take 1)” is an early studio recording of one of Rubber Soul’s most beloved songs, released ahead of The Beatles – Rubber Soul (Special Editions). This intimate first take offers a fascinating glimpse into the song’s development, showcasing the band’s performance before the final master was completed.
Paul McCartney’s original inspiration for “Michelle” dates back to John Lennon’s time at Liverpool College of Art, where Paul and George Harrison would often attend student parties. Recalling the song’s origins, Paul said:
“One of John’s tutors would have parties. At one of these, sitting over in the corner, there was the troubadour in a black sweater doing Jacques Brel songs. So I used to pretend to be French and I had this song that turned out later to be ‘Michelle’. So that’s where it all started with me having memories of this faux French song.”
Recorded during a nine-hour session on 3 November 1965, Take 1 was the only complete performance to survive on the original four-track tape. Presented here without the later overdubs heard on the finished master, it reveals the song in its earliest recorded form. The tape also preserves tantalising fragments of earlier takes that had been recorded over, offering a rare glimpse into the band’s creative process.
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Views: 190,743
Published: July 29, 2026
Channels: The Beatles
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