…" According to Lennon in a 1972 interview, the Beatles' music publisher, Dick James, was quite pleased with "No Reply": "I remember Dick James coming up to me after we did this one and saying, 'You're getting better now – that was a complete story.' Apparently, before that, he thought my songs wandered off." Music The song is in the key of C major. The song form is standard AABA (verse-verse-bridge-verse), without a chorus as such, but including the refrain "No reply". The main instrumentation on the Beatles recording comprises acoustic guitars (played by Lennon and Harrison on their Gibson J-160Es), bass guitar and drums. In addition to handclaps by all four members of the group, the overdubs included a piano part by their producer, George Martin, and electric guitar played by Harrison. The rhythm over the song's verses is partly bossa nova. The bridge, or middle sixteen, reverts to a standard rock rhythm. Lennon had intended to sing the higher harmony part, as this was the original melody. However, his voice had deteriorated due to excessive use, forcing McCartney to sing the part, and relegating Lennon to the lower harmony line. Reception In his book, Revolution in the Head, Ian MacDonald comments that the "double-tracked vocals generate a stunning power" in the song's "climactic middle sixteen", which is among the most exciting 30 seconds in the Beatles' catalogue. He describes the track as "an enticingly downbeat opener" for Beatles for Sale. McDonald adds that the group considered repeating the section, but "wisely" decided that "less-is-more". In 2006, Mojo placed "No Reply" at number 63 on its list of "The 101 Greatest Beatles Songs". In his commentary on the track, Chris Hillman, a founding member of the American folk-rock band the Byrds, admired the imagery of the lyrics and the "funky, out of left-field" rhythms played by Lennon and Harrison. He added: "There is no rock blueprint for this … This is the stuff which got us all over here to put down the mandolins and banjos and plug in and pay attention to rock again." Cover versions Parody band Beatallica recorded a mashup of "No Reply" and Metallica's "No Remorse" entitled "No Remorseful Reply", on their 2001 EP A Garage Dayz Nite. Personnel According to Ian MacDonald: The Beatles John Lennon – double-tracked lead vocal, acoustic guitar, handclaps Paul McCartney – harmony vocal, bass guitar, handclaps George Harrison –