Recording: You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)

Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick

This was the second session for one of The Beatles’ most bizarre recordings: ‘You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)’, following initial work on 17 May 1967.

Although take 10 had been labelled best at the end of the previous session, on this occasion overdubs including piano were firstly added onto take nine. The Beatles then began a remake and recorded five takes, numbered 20-24.

These new recordings featured drums, electric guitar, organ, tambourine and flute. The results strayed so far from the melody of ‘You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)’ that the tape box was labelled “Instrumental – Unidentified”.

The session began at 7pm, and ended at 2am on the morning of 8 June.

This was also the day that an article was published in the Daily Mirror about John Mustard, a 65-year-old Scotsman whose wife was granted a divorce due to his meanness. John Lennon read the article and was inspired to write the Abbey Road song ‘Mean Mr Mustard’.