Paul McCartney Refused to Play 1 ‘Revolver’ Song After Getting in a Fight With the Other Beatles

Revolver recently received a deluxe edition featuring remixes and remasters that make this Beatles album sound better than ever. While The Beatles can be heard on almost every song, one Revolver song does not feature Paul McCartney. McCartney refused to play “She Said, She Said “after getting into an argument with the other Beatles. 

‘She Said, She Said’ is based on an acid trip that a few of The Beatles experienced

While staying in Los Angeles during their 1965 tour, The Beatles invited several famous names to attend some parties. These names include David Crosby, Joan Baez, and Peter Fonda. Fonda recalled going on an acid trip with The Beatles in a Rolling Stone article shared via Far Out. 

“I finally made my way past the kids and the guards. Paul and George were on the back patio, and the helicopters were patrolling overhead,” Fonda shared. “They were sitting at a table under an umbrella in a rather comical attempt at privacy. Soon afterward, we dropped acid and began tripping for what would be all night and most of the next day; all of us, including the original Byrds, eventually ended up inside a huge, empty, sunken tub in the bathroom, babbling our minds away.”

George Harrison remembered these events less fondly, saying Fonda explaining his gunshot wounds was killing the vibe. The events of this acid trip would eventually become the basis for the song “She Said, She Said” from Revolver. 

Paul McCartney refused to perform the song after fighting with The Beatles

“She Said, She Said” from Revolver is the only Beatles song not featuring Paul McCartney. In Barry Miles’ biography Many Years From Now, McCartney recalled getting into an argument with the other Beatles. Furious, the British artist refused to play on the track, leading to Harrison taking over on bass. 

“I think we had a barney or something, and I said, ‘Oh, f*** you!,’” McCartney exclaimed. “And they said, ‘Well, we’ll do it.’ I think George played bass.”

There is no confirmation of what the argument was about. However, Independent suggests that John Lennon had teased Paul about not doing acid with Fonda, which inspired the song. 

“We just decided to take it again in California,” Lennon said. “We were in one of those houses like Doris Day’s house, and the three of us took it, Ringo, George and I – and maybe Neil. Paul felt very out of it because we are all slightly cruel: ‘We’re all taking it, and you’re not.’ It was a long time before Paul took it.”

‘She Said, She Said’ was met with mixed reactions

Upon release, “She Said, She Said” baffled some Revolver listeners. It is one of the band’s more psychedelic songs, and it features the band utilizing some experimental techniques. However, some came to appreciate this weird track and believed it to be a step in the right direction. 

In the 1967 television special Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution, composer Leonard Bernstein called it a “remarkable song” and said it showed how The Beatles could create excellent music with inventive techniques. McCartney may have missed out on appearing on this bizarre but innovative song.