Because

John Lennon sits cross-legged on a beach in Almeria, Spain, his acoustic guitar in hand. He picks at chords and experiments with different lyrics. Lennon is working on a new song, and he is taking his time. It is the autumn of 1966, and the acknowledged leader of the Beatles is not under any undue pressure. The band had stopped touring in August, and they were not scheduled to return to the studio until late November. So Lennon was toying with ideas. He is in Spain filming How I Won the War, a satiric film by Richard Lester, who had directed A Hard Days' Night, the Beatles first and critically acclaimed film. In How I Won the War, Lennon had a small part as Private Gripweed. Lennon biographer Albert Goldman called How I Won the War "a dreadful film that proved that Lennon didn't have a scrap of acting ability.”