Across Abbey Road · Scene 09 of 21 · Album 6 of 13

09 1:23–1:30 Era 6Rubber Soul 1965

“It sounds as good now as it did then”

A sitar goes past the lens, and he sings the line straight.

All 21 scenes

The Scene

Scene 09 · Rubber Soul · 7 seconds · four shotsSomething long-necked and unfamiliar is carried right past the camera: a sitar. Then Mike’s face, singing the line. Then the look up close, suede and roll neck against the green, and he walks on toward a glare of sun that is getting stronger by the step.

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The Story

Rubber Soul is the album where a sitar turned up on a Beatles record for the first time, on “Norwegian Wood”, and nothing sounded quite the same afterwards. The scene lets it pass through the street like any other piece of luggage. The light at the end is the next album arriving early: Revolver is shot straight into the sun.

Shot by Shot

  1. 1 · The sitar · 1:23–1:25A man carries a sitar across the foreground while Mike plays on behind him.
  2. 2 · His face, singing · 1:25–1:27Close on Mike, the roll neck and the suede collar, singing the line.
  3. 3 · The Rubber Soul look · 1:27–1:29The look, close: brown suede, a black roll neck, the red guitar, green leaves behind.
  4. 4 · Into the sun · 1:29–1:30He walks out past the leaves and the frame begins to fill with light.

What to Look For

You can’t miss itThe sitar, carried across the frame as casually as a shopping bag.

Look closerThe clock on the wall above the street. The next chorus is about time standing still. And watch the light in the last shot: it is already turning into 1966.

All 21 scenes