1 Song From The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ May Be About Jackie Kennedy’s Doctor
One of the songs from The Beatles‘ Revolver is very mysterious. Paul McCartney’s official biography said it was inspired by someone connected to Jackie Kennedy. On the other hand, John Lennon said the track was about someone closer to home.
Paul McCartney said a song from The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ was a parody of what people wanted from doctors
In Paul’s official 1997 biography Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed the origin of “Doctor Robert.” “John and I thought it was a funny idea: the fantasy doctor who would fix you up by giving you drugs, it was a parody on that idea,” he said. “It’s just a piss-take. As far as I know, neither of us ever went to a doctor for those kind of things. But there was a fashion for it and there still is. Change your blood and have a vitamin shot and you’ll feel better.”
The biography identified Doctor Robert as a specific individual: Dr. Robert Freymann. Freymann worked with wealthy clients such as Jackie Kennedy. He would give his clients vitamin shots that contained large amounts of amphetamine.
John Lennon said The Beatles’ ‘Doctor Robert’ was about his drug habits
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono includes an interview from 1980. In it, John was asked about “Doctor Robert.” “Another of mine,” he recalled. “Mainly about drugs and pills. It was about myself. I was the one that carried all the pills on tour and always … “
John was asked if he “dispensed” the pills himself. “Yeah,” John replied. “Well, in the early days. Later on, the roadies did it. We just kept them in our pockets loose. In case of trouble.”
How ‘Doctor Robert’ and ‘Revolver’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Doctor Robert” was never a single, so it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The track appeared on The Beatles’ Revolver. The album was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for six weeks, staying on the chart for a total of 85 weeks.
The Official Charts Company says “Doctor Robert” never charted in the United Kingdom either. Meanwhile, Revolver became a hit in the U.K. There, the album was No. 1 for seven weeks and stayed on the chart for 34 weeks altogether.
Subsequently, “Doctor Robert” had a minor impact on cinema. Bono played a guru named Dr. Robert in the Fab Four jukebox musical Across the Universe. Interestingly, the character doesn’t sing “Doctor Robert,” which doesn’t appear in the movie. Instead, he performs an off-kilter rendition of “I Am the Walrus.”
“Doctor Robert” is a classic Beatles song even if it’s unclear who inspired it.
