About

"For No One" is a song written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney) that originally appeared on The Beatles seventh album, Revolver. It was inspired by McCartney's failing relationship with Jane Asher. The song ends abruptly, just like the relationship it describes. The original title of the song was "Why Did It Die?", obviously referring to the relationship with Asher.

John Lennon said of the song, "One of my favourites of his-a nice piece of work."

Writing and Recording

McCartney recalls writing "For No One" in the bathroom of a ski resort in the Swiss Alps. "I suspect it was about another argument."

The song was recorded on May 9, 16 and 19, 1966. McCartney sang, played clavichord (rented from George Martin's AIR company), piano, and bass, while Ringo Starr played drums and tambourine. Lennon and George Harrison did not contribute to the recording.

The French-horn solo was by Alan Civil, a British horn player. Prior to the session, Civil thought he was playing for a classical album, mistaking the words "For No One" on a lead sheet as "For No. One", an abbreviation for "Symphony Number One". During the session, McCartney pushed Civil to play a note that was beyond the usual range of the instrument (Pitched on an F horn, it is a Super-D sharp, that is, an octave above the standard 'high D#'). The result was the "performance of his life", high praise for someone who was known as the best French horn player in London at the time.[5]

Source: Wikipedia