Question about You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)

In the closing minute or so of this song (the 45 version, I'm speaking of), there's someone talking gibberish - is this John or Paul or someone else? Anyone know? I know it's a pretty uninteresting question but I was just wondering. Always did like the jazzy/big band-style little rhythm in this track.

 

John

 

What I figured. Thanks.

 

I've always wondered about something in this track.

John introduces Paul as "Dennis Obell" or something, then Paul goes into his cabaret/lounge singer schtick.

Thing is, there actually was a Dennis Odell who was the lead singer of The Honeycombs, who by 1967 (when You Know My Name was recorded) had decended into a lounge act.

I wonder if that's who The Beatles were making fun of?

Dale

 

There was a Denis O'Dell who worked for The Beatles and I always thought that was a reference to him. However, your theory makes more sense, assuming one can make any sense out of "You Know My Name"....

 

The Honeycombs' singer was named Dennis O'Dell, whereas I'm pretty sure the lyrics in YKMN say Dennis (or Denis) O'Bell...guess it's possible though.

 

It's been a decade or so since I've heard it, but at the risk of sounding totally stupid, I always thought he said "daddy's old bell!"

 

..... and never aware of anyone with the moniker - I always thought he said Dennis O'Dell.

 

Sounds like Dennis O'Bell to me too.

"You could have called me Dennis"

 

The single version of this track ends, after the gibberish, with Lennon saying "hey!" This version made it to CD correctly in the Past Masters Volume Two disc...

The version on Anthology 2 reinstates about two minutes of previously edited-out material, thus presenting the song, for the first time, in all its full six-minute glory...

Why then does this so-called full-length version fade about two seconds early, before we hear Lennon's final "hey"? I've never heard a reason for this. (When asked about this, George Martin responded, simply, "I have no idea!") Would the task of fading the track fall to someone who didn't know the original? Is there some way this might have been done automatically? I can see people not listening closely enough to notice it, I suppose, but why would someone do it in the first place?

 

I believe the orginal un-edited take ran over 7 minutes. The Antholgy version is just ANOTHER incomplete edit. There are other sections that are longer on the single than they are on Anthology.

 

I think he says something Like "The Mayor, The Mayor has spoken!!!"

Speaking about who's doing the John/Paul "ad libs" so to speak. My brother and I have a bet on Yellow Submarine.
Who repeats the phrases " Sky of blue and sea of green, Everyone of us, is all we need...in our yellow Submarine!!! yea Ha!!" in the last verse of "Yellow Submarine"

For years (Since I was like 5 when it came out - I just generally assumed it was obviously John being crazy (As he makes the crazy U Boat engine noises, "fire, fire, Captain, Captain" etc. earlier in the tune) but lately I have really been leaning toward it being Paul (almost just like he sings "She Loves you Yeah, Yeah, Yeah at the end of "All you Need is Love"

 

I've always that of this number as an unreleased song for good reason. To me its like "Dig a Pony". John writes a song, puts in some giberish lyrics -- I guess thinking that some day he'll finish it proper with meaningful words -- and during downtime in the studio he brings it out to play with.

Paul has some of these too, but most sound like he worked on them a bit more before they are committed to tape. "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" seems to be one of those too me.

It is my personal opinion and not worth anything more than that, that one of the reasons Lennon and McCartney were so good together was because they both seemed to need a bit of help with words or tunes to get them finished. They are the Yin and Yang of Pop music.

John without Paul had some tough times making it all work and Paul without John still has that problem. Only George and Ringo have had to make it work on their own so to speak.

Again, my opinion, but formed over 42 years of Beatle obsession.
Paul Green
PS. I've always been convinced that its John talking the gibberish over the end.

 

It mostly sounds like John. But from the moment it came out, I always thought it was Paul saying "sea of green." Something about the way he says the word and the lilt in the voice is very Paul-like.

 

I always heard it as Dennis O'bell too, I just thought it was a play on the name Denis O'Dell. Didn't George have a song called Miss O'Dell?

 

54 seconds in:"Dennis O'Bell". Also at 2:17 as an outro into the song's second variation, a prescient explication of the Monty Python shrieking old ladies beating themselves with handbags mode. In the jazz styled third variation (sounds like Count Basie clearing his voice in time to the vamp) a second voice (probably Paul) enters at 3:41. I believe that's Brian Jones on sax. Clearly the motivation for this little exercise was the plethora of psycho cover versions Easy Listening artists rendered during the Fab Four's commercial peak. Or a desire to make a Bonzo Dog Band record. Your call.

 

Yep....those constipated ....oooooooooh yeah....sounds. Funny as hell!

 

And my German Copy of the "Rarities" LP, on Emi Electrola. Used to own the "Let It Be"/"You Know My Name" 45, back when it first came out. Hey!

John, all the way. As I recall (from reading altogether too many Beatles Bios---I'm at pg 457 of Bob Spitz' upcoming "The Beatles: The Biography [did he think we were going to confuse his doorstop for a corned beef on rye?] and we're just getting on Pan Am Flight 101, the Beatle's first U.S. visit) the Beatles wanted to make comedy records in 1966/67. In addition to "You Know My Name" and the wonderful children's storybook presentation of "Yellow Submarine", there are the two truly inspired Christmas Fan Club records of 1966 and 1967. Anyone for "Plenty Of Jam Jars" by the Ravelers?

 

That has to be John doing the refrain. Listen to the mono version, he comes in a line or two earlier.

 

IT's Dennis Odell and when the record was released he started getting phone calls in the middle of the night & fans started to camp on his doorstep & he was wondering why this was happening and when someone told him that his name was in a Beatles song he could not believe it !

 

Both voices sounded to me like an old (Max Fleischer) Popeye cartoon fight scene between Popeye and Bluto.

 

That is John. Paul could do some funny voices, but John was king.

 

King of stupid voices!

 

An early---and particularly cruel---example can be found on the "Beatles at the Beeb" rendition of the Coaster's "Young Blood", with John doing his best to out-spaz Jerry Lewis.

 

Just a minor correction, the fellow's name was Dennis D'ell.