Doctor Robert

The track touches on money, and on the motifs of real people and social commentary. The writing is sung in a persona, a thing the Beatles had done before, on 'A Hard Day's Night' 2 years earlier. It uses anaphora (bridge lines begin 'Well, well, well'). The title turns up in the chorus and also gives a person's name, and the language is tonally neutral. The writing draws on the drug culture.

'Doctor Robert' is a rock and psychedelic piece that moves at about 99 BPM, in A major. The tune carries an appoggiatura, a note taking its time to resolve, a thing the Beatles had done before, on 'This Boy' 3 years earlier. Then, the key moves from A major to B major in the bridge. Curiously, the chords run E/B → B → E/B → B → E/B → B → E/B → F♯7, the same move 'Good Morning Good Morning' makes as D → A → D → A → D → A → D → E. 'What You're Doing' plays G → D → G → D → G → D → G → A and this song plays E/B → B → E/B → B → E/B → B → E/B → F♯7: the same progression in different keys, which 'Good Morning Good Morning' also makes.

Cut at EMI Studio 2 over two sessions, with a tape reduction freeing tracks for vocal and harmonium overdubs. An extended jam outro was edited off. The Gibson SG carried Harrison's lead guitar on the 17 April 1966 overdub, newly bought and his main lead, 1966 being the year he used it most. The kit in the room included the Ludwig Super Classic, Starr's own kit since 1964. ADT (double tracked vocal) was used in making the record, one of 28 Beatles records to use it, going back to 1965. This was the 6th of the 19 songs the Beatles began recording in 1966, and the 108th of their career.

This track is Lennon's, words and voice, and McCartney is credited with the bridge section.

Out August 5, 1966 with Revolver. It was never lifted as a single, and it reached America seven weeks earlier, on the Capitol album Yesterday and Today. This is the Beatles' 115th record, and the 13th of the 16 they released in that year.