Harrison said he wrote "I Want to Tell You" about "the avalanche of thoughts" that he found hard to express in words. Supporting the lyrics, his stammering guitar riff, combined with the dissonance employed in the song's melody, conveys the difficulties of achieving meaningful communication. The prominent backing vocals from Lennon and McCartney include Indian-style gamak ornamentation in McCartney's high harmony, similar to the melisma effect used in "Love You To". Reising and LeBlanc cite the song as an early example of how from 1966 onwards the Beatles' lyrics "adopted an urgent tone, intent on channeling some essential knowledge, the psychological and/or philosophical epiphanies of LSD experience" to their increasingly aware audience. According to author and academic Nick Bromell, "I Want to Tell You" and the next two tracks on "Revolver" are the first examples of pop music "giving voice to the complexities of the breakthrough experience" afforded by LSD and other psychedelic drugs.