No Reply

No Reply is the lead-off song on the Beatles' fourth album, Beatles For Sale. It is a Lennon composition, written hurriedly in May of 1964 when John was on vacation in Tahiti with his wife, Cynthia and George Harrison and his girlfriend. Recorded in June, originally for A Hard Day's Night, the song was deferred for the hastily-prepared fourth album. Like the last three tracks of the previous album, this song features McCartney playing a cowbell. It is written in a style reminiscent of the Rays' 1957 hit, Silhouettes on the Chaise, but with a dark, moody tone. There is no intro; rather the song (and the album) commence with John's solo voice. This was a first for the Beatles, and the song has always struck fans as an odd choice for the lead-off song. The theme of lost love continues in the next two tracks as well, all of them Lennon compositions.