Recording: What Goes On, 12-Bar Original – 4 November 1965

Thursday 4 November 1965 | Recording sessions | Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road | By Beatles Fabdom

On 4 November 1965, The Beatles returned to Studio Two at EMI Studios to record What Goes On and the instrumental 12-Bar Original. The booking began at 11pm and continued until 3.30am on 5 November, with George Martin producing and Norman Smith engineering.

What Goes On gave Ringo Starr his lead-vocal number on Rubber Soul and his first songwriting credit on a released Beatles song. Its basic track was captured in one take before guitar and vocal overdubs completed the recording. The group then made two takes of 12-Bar Original, joined by Martin on harmonium.

The two recordings had very different release histories. What Goes On appeared on Rubber Soul the following month. 12-Bar Original remained commercially unreleased until an edited version of its second take appeared on Anthology 2 in 1996.

Another late night during the Rubber Soul sessions

The Beatles were working towards a December album release. Recording and mixing had already overlapped during October, while new material continued to be added in November. The previous day had been devoted to recording Michelle on 3 November 1965.

Michelle had developed from an older Paul McCartney melody. What Goes On similarly brought an earlier composition into the current album programme, this time a song begun by John Lennon before The Beatles’ recording career at EMI.

The 4 November booking was unusually late: it started at 11pm rather than finishing around that time. The session date follows the evening on which work began, even though the final hours belonged to 5 November.

Over four and a half hours, the group completed the song intended for Ringo’s vocal spot and then recorded the instrumental. The session produced an album master and a separate recording which stayed in the archive for three decades.

What Goes On: an older Lennon song revived

The origins of What Goes On reached back to Lennon’s Quarrymen days. It had also been considered during The Beatles’ 5 March 1963 session, when they recorded From Me To You, Thank You Girl and an early version of One After 909. What Goes On was not recorded at that session.

For Rubber Soul, the older song was developed with contributions from McCartney and Starr. Its country-influenced arrangement suited Ringo’s lead voice, and the finished track became his featured performance on the British album.

The credit was distinctive: Lennon–McCartney–Starkey. Starkey is Ringo’s surname, and this was his first songwriting credit on a released Beatles recording. It is also the group’s only song credited to that particular three-way partnership.

Asked about his contribution in 1966, Ringo joked that he had written “about five words” and had not done anything since. The remark describes his own modest account of the collaboration, not a claim that he wrote the complete song.

Recording What Goes On on four-track tape

The recording began with McCartney’s bass and Starr’s drums, captured together in a single take on the first track of the four-track tape. Ringo’s lead vocal was added on a second track.

The arrangement was then expanded with guitars and backing voices. Lennon played rhythm guitar on a Rickenbacker 325, while George Harrison played a Gretsch Tennessean. Lennon and McCartney supplied the backing vocals.

Completing the basic track in one take did not mean the finished record was a single live performance. The master combined that initial bass-and-drums foundation with subsequent overdubs.

That distinction between a basic take and the finished master is useful throughout The Beatles’ studio history. Here, take 1 remained the foundation while the group used the other tape tracks to complete the record.

Ringo’s place on the British Rubber Soul

What Goes On opened side two of the British Rubber Soul, following Michelle at the end of side one. The two songs recorded on consecutive days therefore sat on opposite sides of the same turn of the LP.

Ringo’s lead vocal and co-writing credit gave the song a particular place in the album’s credits. Lennon and McCartney’s backing voices supported his performance, while Harrison’s guitar contributed to its country character.

The album appeared in Britain on 3 December 1965. For the original sequence, see the full UK Rubber Soul tracklist in order. The complete Rubber Soul album guide places the track alongside the record’s other songs and recording work.

12-Bar Original: an instrumental after the album track

Once What Goes On was complete, the group turned to 12-Bar Original. This was an instrumental blues performance rather than another vocal number, with drums, bass, two electric guitars and harmonium.

Two formal takes were attempted. The first broke down; the second ran to a complete performance of more than six minutes. Unlike What Goes On, it was recorded without overdubs.

The arrangement placed Lennon and Harrison on electric guitars, McCartney on bass and Starr on drums. Martin joined the musicians on harmonium, making the producer an instrumental participant as well as overseeing the session.

The released composition credit names all four Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey. That four-way credit is separate from the three-way credit on What Goes On.

Guitars, tone pedal and George Martin’s harmonium

For 12-Bar Original, Lennon played an Epiphone Casino and Harrison a Fender Stratocaster with a tone pedal. McCartney’s bass and Starr’s drums supplied the rhythm section, while Martin played harmonium.

The tone pedal altered the guitar’s tonal colour during the performance. Together with the harmonium, it distinguished the instrumental’s texture from the country-influenced vocal arrangement completed earlier in the session.

The five musicians were recorded as an ensemble, without later overdubs. That makes the surviving complete take a different kind of studio document from What Goes On: the instrumental preserves a continuous performance, whereas the album song was assembled through a basic track and additions.

Martin’s broader contribution to the group’s recordings is explored in our George Martin biography. On this date his role included playing alongside the band, not simply directing work from the control room.

Why 12-Bar Original was not on Rubber Soul

12-Bar Original did not appear on Rubber Soul. The Anthology 2 liner notes leave open whether it had been intended for the album, while observing that it was not mixed until the LP was already being pressed.

A mono mix was prepared on 30 November 1965 for acetates for the group’s own collections. That later work was distinct from the recording session and did not turn the instrumental into a commercially issued album track.

It is therefore more accurate to describe 12-Bar Original as an unreleased recording made during the Rubber Soul sessions than to present it as a confirmed missing track from the final album sequence.

From take 2 to Anthology 2

An edited version of the second take was eventually released on Anthology 2 on 18 March 1996. The edit shortened the extended performance to approximately 2 minutes 54 seconds.

The Anthology notes give the complete take as 6:36, while some session chronologies time it at 6:42. Both describe the same second take; the released Anthology version is a much shorter edit, not the full performance.

The Beatles’ official 12-Bar Original history identifies the recording date and the edited take’s 1996 release. The official Anthology 2 album page places the recording within that archive release.

For listeners following the studio chronology, the pairing is revealing in a straightforward way: What Goes On was issued within a month of recording, while 12-Bar Original remained unheard on a commercial Beatles release until 1996.

The two recordings compared

Follow the surrounding Rubber Soul sessions

The album’s recording and production were spread over several dates. The early 25 October mixing work and 26 October stereo session preceded these November recordings.

The closest preceding song session is Michelle on 3 November. Reading the two entries together follows the creation of the songs which close side one and open side two of the original British LP.

For a longer view of the album, explore the Rubber Soul deep dive, then use the On This Day archive to follow the wider recording calendar.

Recording location: Studio Two at EMI Studios

The session took place in Studio Two, EMI Studios, 3 Abbey Road, St John’s Wood, London NW8 9AY, England. The complex is now known as Abbey Road Studios.

Open the studio address in Google Maps.

Explore Rubber Soul designs

The Rubber Soul ukulele uses the album’s lettering and illustrated Beatles portraits in a purple-and-yellow design. It is an album-themed instrument, not an instrument used in this recording session.

The Rubber Soul steel wall sign reproduces the album cover associated with What Goes On’s first release.

Frequently asked questions

When did The Beatles record What Goes On and 12-Bar Original?

They recorded both during the Studio Two session beginning at 11pm on 4 November 1965 and ending at 3.30am on 5 November.

Who sang What Goes On?

Ringo Starr sang the lead vocal, with backing vocals by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Why is What Goes On credited to Lennon–McCartney–Starkey?

It developed from an older Lennon song with contributions from McCartney and Starr. Starkey is Ringo’s surname, and this was his first songwriting credit on a released Beatles song.

Who played harmonium on 12-Bar Original?

George Martin played harmonium alongside the four Beatles. The instrumental was recorded without overdubs.

Was 12-Bar Original included on Rubber Soul?

No. It remained commercially unreleased until an edited version of take 2 appeared on Anthology 2 in 1996.

When was What Goes On first released?

It appeared on the British Rubber Soul album on 3 December 1965, opening side two.