When Rubber Soul was released in December 1965 it marked the first occurrence of a writing credit for the group’s drummer. When asked about his contribution during a 1966 press conference, Starr joked that he had written “About five words, and I haven’t done a thing since!” It was also recorded by the Feelies on their 1988 album Only Life, Elizabeth Mitchell on her 2006 album You Are My Little Bird, The Screaming Trees on the 2009 compilation album Unpiecing the Jigsaw - A Tribute to The Velvet Underground [5] and the Dils on numerous live albums. Walters, Barry (17 November 2005). "This Bird Has Flown: A 40th Anniversary Tribute To The Beatles' Rubber Soul". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007 . Retrieved 12 February 2021. Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.

Everett, Walter (1999). The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-512941-0 . Retrieved 31 March 2014. Everett, Walter (2001). The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul. US: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-514105-9.The "What Goes On" organ riff was used in the Talking Heads song " Once in a Lifetime," featured on their 1980 album Remain in Light. [4] Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony. ISBN 978-0-517-57066-1.

This, it seems to me, is quite simply a song about loving someone who is going through turmoil, who is beset by their own inner “demons” and knows it, but is at the same time unwilling to just open up and reveal “what goes on” inside of them. The authorial persona (the “I” narrating the song) is not only distressed over this, but is in fact on an emotional roller coaster (“one minute up, one minute down…), excitedly agitated (“…fly from side to side…”), probably even vacillating between ecstasy and depression (“see the bells up in the sky / somebody’s cut the string in two…”). They passionately wish to know the beloved’s mind, to know more intimately what the trouble is. They want to offer support, consolation, solidarity in any way possible but, finding they are shut out, the best they can do is to continue to suffer all these emotions in silence, while trying to offer some kind of consolation in the vaguest of generalities–after all, that is really all they have to work with (“lady, be good, do what you should, you know it will work alright…). Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "AllMusic Review: This Bird Has Flown: 40th Anniversary Tribute to Rubber Soul". AllMusic . Retrieved 12 February 2021. As to the song’s theme, I frankly see nothing here about getting dumped, or about drugs. (Either might of course have been involved, but neither finds any clear reflection in the text itself. ) Toy performed "What Goes On" for a Radio 6 Music session in 2012 and featured it on their Make It Mine EP released later that year. knowing VU this probably is about LSD or a gal that dumped Lou but I like to imagine it's about the listener. cause everyone's gone through something that's caused them to suffer, long-term I mean. most people suffer depression at one point in their life. so I just kind of imagine it to be Lou (and the guys + Maureen) trying to make us laugh but at the same time not treating it frivolously: "what goes onnnnn in your mind?" - like, what's happening!MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (2nd reviseded.). London: Pimlico. ISBN 978-1-84413-828-9. The Doctors of Madnessused to play this song live in 1977–1978. Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry performed "What Goes On" (with elements of "Beginning to See the Light") on his 1978 solo album The Bride Stripped Bare.

Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.Mitchum, Rob (24 October 2005). "Various Artists This Bird Has Flown: A Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul [Razor & Tie; 2005]". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007 . Retrieved 12 February 2021.