Most Beatles fans know all about each and every Fab Four album. But what about the non-album singles that often slip through the cracks? Enter “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)”, one of the most underrated Beatles deep cut tunes out there.
Originally released as the B-side to “Let It Be”, the song itself didn’t make it to the band’s final album in 1970. Rather, it was released as a non-album single. And despite being a bit of an underrated gem, Paul McCartney himself praised John Lennon for writing it. He even said it was his favorite Beatles song.
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This comedic music hall song is a unique one for the Fab Four, considering it has some Latin-inspired mambo elements. And the song itself is composed mainly of one line of lyrics; the rest of the song focuses solely on instrumentation. Allegedly, the song title is a reference to one Denis O’Dell, a producer who worked on A Hard Day’s Night with the band back in the day. Apparently, a fan (or several) kept calling him and saying things like, “We know your name and now we’ve got your number.” Fans can be crazy, after all. Especially during the Beatlemania days.
Paul McCartney Said It Was “So Insane” That John Lennon Came Up With Such a Lyrically Sparse Banger
However, according to John Lennon, the song’s writer, he came up with the title and the sole lyric of the whole song after taking a glance at a phone book.
“That was a piece of unfinished music that I turned into a comedy record with Paul,” said Lennon. “I was waiting for him in his house, and I saw the phone book was on the piano with ‘You know the name, look up the number.’ That was like a logo, and I just changed it.”
Later, Paul McCartney said that “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” was “probably” his “favourite Beatles’ track!”
“It’s so insane,” McCartney explained. “I mean, what would you do if a guy like John Lennon turned up at the studio and said, ‘I’ve got a new song’. I said, ‘What’s the words?’ and he replied ‘You know my name look up the number’. I asked, ‘What’s the rest of it?’ ‘No, no other words, those are the words. And I want to do it like a mantra!’”
Even The Beatles’ novelty tunes, though few and far between, became incredible pieces of work. That takes some real talent.
Photo by Hans J. Hoffmann/ullstein bild via Getty Images
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