Rain

“Rain”
Single by The Beatles
A-side	"Paperback Writer"
Released	30 May 1966 (US); 10 June 1966 (UK)
Format	7"
Recorded	Abbey Road Studios: 14 April 1966
Genre	Rock
Length	2:59
Label	Parlophone R5452 (UK); Capitol 5651 (US)
Writer(s)	Lennon/McCartney
Producer	George Martin
The Beatles singles chronology

“	After we'd done the session on that particular song — it ended at about four or five in the morning — I went home with a tape to see what else you could do with it. And I was sort of very tired, you know, not knowing what I was doing, and I just happened to put it on my own tape recorder and it came out backwards. And I liked it better. So that's how it happened.	„
—John Lennon, 1966

“	That's me again — with the first backwards tape on record anywhere... I got home from the studio and I was stoned out of my mind on marijuana... and, as I usually do, I listened to what I'd recorded that day. Somehow it got on backwards and I sat there, transfixed, with the earphones on, with a big hash joint. I ran in the next day and said, 'I know what to do with it, I know... listen to this!' So I made them all play it backwards. The fade is me actually singing backwards with the guitars going backwards. (sings) 'Sharethsmnowthsmeanss!' That one was the gift of God... of Ja actually — the god of marijuana, right? So Ja gave me that one.	„
—John Lennon, 1980

“	My favorite piece of me is what I did on 'Rain.' I think I just played amazing. I was into the snare and hi-hat. I think it was the first time I used the trick of starting a break by hitting the hi-hat first instead of going directly to a drum off the hi-hat. I think it's the best out of all the records I've ever made. 'Rain' blows me away. It's out in left field. I know me and I know my playing... and then there's 'Rain.'.	„
—Ringo Starr, 1984

“	'Rain' also had an unusual sonic texture, deep and murky. This was accomplished by having the band play the backing track at a really fast tempo while I recorded them on a sped-up tape machine. When we slowed the tape back down to normal speed, the music played back at the desired tempo, but with a radically different tonal quality.	„
—Geoff Emerick, EMI Recording Engineer, Here, There and Everywhere with John Massey, 2006

“	It was nice. I really enjoyed that one.	„
—Paul McCartney, 1994