Cover Story: The Beatles’ “Act Naturally” Adds a Rock Twist to a Country Classic
Replacing country twang with key elements of rock, The Beatles pay homage to the iconic Bakersfield sound of Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally” with a genre-bending country ballad gone rock.
Cover Story highlights what makes cover songs interesting in comparison to their original versions, whether they stay true to the source material or reimagine it entirely.
Written by Jencie Tomasek
Photos courtesy of Dan Grossi and Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace
Country music gets a bad rap in today’s music sphere. To be honest, the commercialized, pop-leaning tunes sung by artists with questionable beliefs on the radio these days deserve their bad reputation. However, if you rewind the radio back to sixty years ago, you would get a clearer picture of what country music stood for, what it could be, and how it’s fallen off-the-tracks ever since.
There was heart, soul, and zest in the raw vocals of artists who had come from nothing and were chasing a dream. The instruments didn’t overpower the words being sung or the stories that were weaved, unlike today’s country artists, who like the synth a little too much. Renditions of seemingly long-forgotten, classic, country ballads popped up throughout the eras and would revive the original’s sounds and bring in a new set of listeners to the genre.
One such song, “Act Naturally,” might be tied more quickly to the acclaimed rock band, The Beatles, rather than its country roots with the legendary Buck Owens and The Buckaroos. While the British rockers might have helped give the track a second wind and a nice spot on the countdowns or greatest hits lists, they lacked the effortless twang and southern rebellion Owens embodied.
Originally released in 1963 by Buck Owens, “Act Naturally” became a chart-topping U.S. Billboard country single. The song tells the story of a person who has been jilted in love, inspiring them to act in a film without prior experience, instead based on their feelings of sadness and loneliness. The opening lyrics illustrate this sorrowful narrative well, and yet, the catchy beat makes the track’s impact resolutely bittersweet: “They’re gonna put me in the movies / They’re gonna make a big star out of me / We’ll make a film about a man that’s sad and lonely / And all I got to do is act naturally.”
A descending guitar lick at the start and conclusion paired with the steady, upbeat honky-tonk background brands “Act Naturally” as a quintessential country classic. With Don Rich’s tenor-based harmonizing prowess and fiddling skills, plus Owens’ band The Buckaroos’ usage of pedal steel guitar for an extra country flair, the listeners have an uptempo song coupled with a happy-go-lucky tone.
The Bakersfield sound, its namesake being Bakersfield, California and the area where Owens hailed in the ‘50s and ‘60s, is known for its “twangy, electrified, rock-influenced interpretation of hardcore honky tonk that emerged in the ‘60s.” Owens was a trailblazer in the Bakersfield sound, along with his musical partner, Don Rich, who paved the way for artists like outlaw country-rock musician Dwight Yoakam to come.
An edgy alternative to the beloved country genre, Owens proved that country and rock, or even country and pop, could be combined while maintaining traditional western roots. Classic country music didn’t have the intricate instrumentation or backing tracks that Owens and his band were beginning to put out into the world, but rather, placed an emphasis on vocal ability with orchestral accompaniment, allowing the artist’s raw abilities to shine.
Although he didn’t follow the cookie cutter parameters of country music, Owens’ vocals cannot be written off as inadequate. His one-of-a-kind, choppy style made his songs that much more entrancing and entertaining. He had amazing vocal control, scaling up and down in range, and he did everything music-wise with an intricate riff on his Fender Telecaster, specifically made for the new era of country music.
The Beatles are a household name with a plethora of best-selling material and chart-topping albums. They stand proudly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, among a slew of artists who gave rock and roll its distinct voice, and stand as one of the 20th century's most musically influential bands — even outside of their genre. Among their extensive discography, the quartet released over 20 covers, one of which is their 1965 rendition of Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally.” Ringo Starr, usually tasked with drumming, tried his hand at vocals for this cover. Starr has a voice suited for a carefree summer day; there’s a lackadaisical, almost naive attitude he puts on while singing the otherwise heartbreaking song, whereas Owens sings straight from the heart, as if he’s a man who’s experienced the pain firsthand of being jilted in love just like the song’s subject. Paul McCartney took harmony and the bass while George Harrison was on lead guitar. Lastly, John Lennon was on acoustic rhythm guitar, allowing him to add an upward, airy, ditzy element to the otherwise firm and rooted steadiness of Owens' version. The song was then officially released in 1966 on the band’s ninth studio album with Capitol Records, Yesterday… And Today.
The Beatles take the iconic song and transform it into a backbeat driven, electric guitar-fueled ballad. The stripped-down tone of Owens’ original dissipates with the addition of bass drum beats and Starr hitting his sticks on the outer shells of the drum kit. The Beatles turn a honky-tonk tune into an effective dance club jam. It’s a peppy jingle perfect for plenty of twisting, shimmying, and head-bopping. Owens sings the final verse alone to represent the loneliness of the song’s subject, whereas The Beatles all join in singing for the big finale. Starr’s pitch isn’t unblemished or jaunty like Owens’ singing, but it’s nevertheless charming, and he even adopts an over-exaggerated Southern accent when singing the last “act naturally.” The lack of twangy pronunciation Owens so easily achieves is where Starr falls a bit flat; however, he quickly picks up the tempo and falls back into the rhythm. The country twang fell in favor of leaning into the rapidly rising U.K. rock scene.
Owens’ original “Act Naturally” perfectly encapsulates the rebellious and rowdy trademarks of the Bakersfield sound while maintaining the nostalgic, windows-down country feel. Owens and his cohorts perform in an intentionally unkempt way, while The Beatles valiantly try their hand at a song during the peak of country, but fail to replicate the original’s easygoing delivery and slice of homegrown-ness that brings nostalgia for sepia-toned days. In the words of Owens, "[I've] presented the music in the same fashion all my life. Let me tell you what it is, it’s very simple — ’It don’t mean a thang if it ain’t got that twang.’ I live for twang."