What's The New Mary Jane
Encyclopedia
"What's the New Mary Jane" is a song written by John Lennon
(but credited to Lennon–McCartney) and performed by The Beatles
. It was recorded in 1968 for the album The Beatles
("The White Album"), but was not used.
home. It featured Lennon singing an octave
higher than the final cut, placing the chorus at the very beginning as well as throughout, and switching the words "cooking" and "groovy" in the second verse:
As opposed to:
Another member of The Beatles
can also be heard shouting "What's the new Mary Jane? Oh, my goodness!" near the end of the demo. This variation is notably shorter than the released version, clocking in at around 2:40.
The final version of this song was recorded on 14 August 1968 during the recording sessions for the Beatles tenth album The Beatles
(aka "The White Album"), with Lennon and George Harrison
being the only band members playing on the track. Four takes were recorded with the final being marked as the best. It was later mixed in mono on 26 September with "Glass Onion
", "Happiness Is a Warm Gun
", and "I Will" and in stereo on 14 October before being added to the shortlist for the new album. However during the album's final mixing stage, it was dropped due to time constraints, bringing the album down to 30 songs.
During an interview, Lennon commented on "What's the New Mary Jane", saying, "That was me, Yoko, and George sitting on the floor at EMI fooling around. Pretty good, huh?"
recorded further overdubs with plans for it to be issued as a single by Plastic Ono Band alongside another unreleased song at the time, "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
", which was eventually issued as the B-side of the Beatles' "Let It Be
" single in 1970. But when the other Beatles heard of John's plans to release a Beatle track under his own band's name the single was pulled. After that, the song had finally been planned to be issued on the album Sessions
in 1985, but the album's release was canceled due to objections by the Beatles. The song was not released until over 10 years later, during which time period it gained a certain aura of mystery. During this time, it could only be heard via bootlegs like Unsurpassed Demos, From Kinfauns to Chaos, Ultra Rare Trax Vol.5, and What a Shame, Mary Jane Had a Pain at the Party, a bootleg devoted to the song, as well as other outtakes from the same time period. A newly mixed version of the recording was officially released on the 1996 compilation Anthology 3
.
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
(but credited to Lennon–McCartney) and performed by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. It was recorded in 1968 for the album The Beatles
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
("The White Album"), but was not used.
Recording
An early acoustic demo of "What's the New Mary Jane" was recorded in late May 1968, at George Harrison's EsherEsher
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
home. It featured Lennon singing an octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
higher than the final cut, placing the chorus at the very beginning as well as throughout, and switching the words "cooking" and "groovy" in the second verse:
- She liked to be married to yeti, he cooking such groovy spaghetti.
As opposed to:
- She liked to be married with yeti, he grooving such cookie spaghetti.
Another member of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
can also be heard shouting "What's the new Mary Jane? Oh, my goodness!" near the end of the demo. This variation is notably shorter than the released version, clocking in at around 2:40.
The final version of this song was recorded on 14 August 1968 during the recording sessions for the Beatles tenth album The Beatles
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
(aka "The White Album"), with Lennon and George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
being the only band members playing on the track. Four takes were recorded with the final being marked as the best. It was later mixed in mono on 26 September with "Glass Onion
Glass Onion
"Glass Onion" is a song by The Beatles from their 1968 double-album The Beatles primarily written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. This is the first track on the White Album to feature Ringo Starr on drums...
", "Happiness Is a Warm Gun
Happiness Is a Warm Gun
"Happiness Is a Warm Gun" is a song by The Beatles, featured on the eponymous double-disc album The Beatles, also known as The White Album...
", and "I Will" and in stereo on 14 October before being added to the shortlist for the new album. However during the album's final mixing stage, it was dropped due to time constraints, bringing the album down to 30 songs.
During an interview, Lennon commented on "What's the New Mary Jane", saying, "That was me, Yoko, and George sitting on the floor at EMI fooling around. Pretty good, huh?"
Release
After the release of The Beatles, Lennon was still adamant to see the song released. So on November 26, 1969, he and wife Yoko OnoYoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
recorded further overdubs with plans for it to be issued as a single by Plastic Ono Band alongside another unreleased song at the time, "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
"You Know My Name " is a song by The Beatles originally released as the B-side of the single "Let It Be" on 6 March 1970. Although first issued with their final single , it was recorded in four separate sessions beginning with three in May and June 1967, and one in 1969.-Composition:The song is a...
", which was eventually issued as the B-side of the Beatles' "Let It Be
Let It Be (song)
"Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was their final single before McCartney announced his departure from the band...
" single in 1970. But when the other Beatles heard of John's plans to release a Beatle track under his own band's name the single was pulled. After that, the song had finally been planned to be issued on the album Sessions
Sessions (album)
Sessions was a compilation album by The Beatles planned for release by EMI in 1985, but never issued due to objections by the surviving Beatles. The album consisted of thirteen finished, but unreleased, Beatles songs...
in 1985, but the album's release was canceled due to objections by the Beatles. The song was not released until over 10 years later, during which time period it gained a certain aura of mystery. During this time, it could only be heard via bootlegs like Unsurpassed Demos, From Kinfauns to Chaos, Ultra Rare Trax Vol.5, and What a Shame, Mary Jane Had a Pain at the Party, a bootleg devoted to the song, as well as other outtakes from the same time period. A newly mixed version of the recording was officially released on the 1996 compilation Anthology 3
Anthology 3
Anthology 3 is a compilation album by The Beatles released in October 1996 by Apple Records as part of The Beatles Anthology series. The album includes rarities and alternative tracks from the final two years of the band's career, ranging from the initial sessions for The Beatles to the last...
.
Song structure
The song has three verses and a chorus ("What a shame, Mary Jane had a pain at the party") and then approximately 5 minutes consisting of avant garde sound effects. The track ends with a comment from Lennon: "Let's hear it, before we get taken away". (Part of the word "away" is cut off.)Personnel
- John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, effectsSound effectFor the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media... - George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
– vocals, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, effects - Yoko OnoYoko Onois a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
– vocals, effects - Mal EvansMal EvansMalcolm Frederick 'Mal' Evans was best known as the road manager, assistant, and a friend of The Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr....
– handbellHandbellA handbell is a bell designed to be rung by hand. To ring a handbell, a ringer grasps the bell by its slightly flexible handle — traditionally made of leather, but often now made of plastic — and moves the wrist to make the hinged clapper inside the bell strike...
, effects
- Personnel per The Beatles Bible