“Yes It Is" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John… Read Full Bio ↴“Yes It Is" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney), it was first released in 9 April 1965 as the B-side to "Ticket To Ride ". It features some of the Beatles' most complex and dissonant three-part vocal harmonies and showcases George Harrison’s early use of volume pedal guitar. Ian MacDonald describes the song as having "rich and unusual harmonic motion."

Stats
Single by the Beatles
A-side:"Ticket to Ride"
Released: 9 April 1965
Recorded: 16 February 1965
Studio: EMI, London
Genre: Pop
Length: 2:41
Label: Parlophone
Songwriter(s): Lennon–McCartney
Producer: George Martin

First Additional Releases
The song was also included in the "Beatles VI " album, released on 14 June 1965 as the seventh Capitol Records studio album by The Beatles in the United States and Canada. Beatles VI reached number one on the Billboard for six weeks, beginning on 10 July 1965. This LP was also released in New Zealand in stereo in time for Christmas 1966.

Composition

In his 1980 interview with Playboy, John Lennon described "Yes It Is" as an attempt to rewrite "This Boy" (the style of the song) that "didn't quite work". Paul McCartney on the other hand described it as "a very fine song of John's" that he and Lennon had finished writing together.

Musical Structure

The song is in the 12/8 time signature, in the key of E and begins (on "If you wear red tonight ...") with a I–IV–ii7–V7 chord progression (E–A–F#m7–B7) in which the word "tonight" (B melody note) appears as a "delicately haunting" 4th above the F#m7, creating a suspension. The melodic pitches of this first two bar phrase are repeated (with initial repetition of the G# melody note) on "remember what I said tonight," except that the B melody note on the second "tonight" is now backed by a ♭VII (D) chord that shapes the B melody note into a more "luscious" 6th. The chorus ("Yes it is, it's true. Yes it is, it's true") involves a I (E chord) – III (G# chord) – IV (A chord) – I (E chord) progression in which the major III (G#) chord appears for the first time in the song to propel the Plagal drop from IV (A) to the tonic I (E) chord.

Recording

Over the course of a five-hour recording session, the Beatles attempted 14 takes of the basic track before perfecting it. “Yes It Is" was recorded on 16 February 1965, the same day that they completed Harrison's "I Need You". After completing the rhythm track, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison recorded their vocal harmonies in three hours, singing live together using the suggestion of George Martin that they sing their three part harmony in the style of a barber shop quartet.

Release and reception

"Yes It Is" was released as the B-side of the "Ticket to Ride" single in both the US and the UK. American pressings of the single erroneously show "Yes It Is" as being from the film Eight Arms to Hold You (the original title for the film, Help!), in which it did not appear. It reached number 46 in the Billboard Hot 100.

The song was included on Beatles VI in the US (utilizing the "duophonic" stereo remix from the original mono track, with additional echo and reverb added), and on subsequent compilation albums including Love Songs, the British version of the Rarities album; Only the Beatles, an unauthorized British promotional cassette for Heineken Beer in 1986 (on which it made its first true stereo appearance); Past Masters, Volume One, and also on Anthology 2 in an alternate version that combines the second and fourteenth takes. The original mono single mix appears on the Mono Masters CD as part of The Beatles in Mono box set.

Author Ian MacDonald praised "Yes It Is" along with its accompanying a-side "Ticket to Ride". He described both songs as "psychologically deeper than The Beatles had ever recorded before" and declared that they marked a huge step forward in the Beatles development as songwriters.

Personnel
According to Ian MacDonald:
John Lennon – double-tracked lead vocal, classical guitar
Paul McCartney – harmony vocal, bass guitar
George Harrison – harmony vocal, lead guitar
Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_It_Is

Yes It Is
The Beatles Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you wear red tonight
Remember what I said tonight
For red is the color that my baby wore
And what is more, it's true
Yes it is

Scarlet were the clothes she wore
Everybody knows I'm sure

I would remember all the things we planned
Understand, it's true
Yes it is, it's true
Yes it is

I could be happy with you by my side
If I could forget her, but it's my pride
Yes it is, yes it is
Oh, yes it is, yeah

Please don't wear red tonight
This is what I said tonight
For red is the color that will make me blue
In spite of you, it's true
Yes it is, it's true
Yes it is

I could be happy with you by my side
If I could forget her, but it's my pride
Yes it is, yes it is
Oh, yes it is, yeah

Please don't wear red tonight
This is what I said tonight
For red is the color that will make me blue
In spite of you, it's true

Yes it is, it's true
Yes it is, it's true

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Yes It Is" by The Beatles revolve around a love triangle. The singer is asking the person they are currently with not to wear red tonight, as it reminds them of the clothes their previous lover wore. The song lyrics suggest that the singer is still in love with their ex and struggling to move on. Although they could potentially be happy with their current partner, their pride is holding them back from fully committing.

The use of the color red throughout the song is significant, representing the passion and love shared between the singer and their ex-lover. The lyrics also highlight the emotional pain that comes with heartbreak, as the color red now only serves to bring back memories and induce sadness. The song ends with the repeated affirmation that the singer is still in love with their ex-lover, despite trying to move on.

Overall, "Yes It Is" accurately captures the complexities and difficulties of navigating relationships, particularly when trying to move on from a past love.

Line by Line Meaning

If you wear red tonight
If you decide to wear red tonight

Remember what I said tonight
Keep in mind what I told you earlier tonight

For red is the color that my baby wore
My former lover used to wear red

And what is more, it's true
This is not a lie, it's accurate

Yes it is
That's correct

Scarlet were the clothes she wore
She used to dress in red clothes

Everybody knows I'm sure
I assume everyone is aware of this

I would remember all the things we planned
I still recall all the plans we made together

Understand, it's true
It may be hard to accept, but it's the truth

Yes it is, it's true
That's a fact

I could be happy with you by my side
I could potentially be content in your company