3 Things to Know About the Backwards Guitar Solo in “I’m Only Sleeping”

The backwards guitar solo was an accident. Engineer Geoff Emerick accidentally played the tape of George Harrison’s solo in reverse during playback. Everyone in the room liked the sound, so they kept it.

The Beatles were not trying to be experimental here. The reversed solo was a happy mistake, not a deliberate psychedelic effect. It was one of many tape accidents the band stumbled into because they constantly messed with recording equipment.

This accident is a good example of why the Beatles sounded unique. Tape mistakes like this gave their music an unpredictable, original quality that no one else could replicate.