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This is my first ever blog, so I'm not really sure what I'm doing  . I guess I'll learn as I go along.
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| I’m So Tired Album: The White Album, 1968 Lead vocalist: John Lyrics ▼ John wrote this song three weeks into his stay in Rishikesh, India. His mind was free from drugs and alcohol, and it left him free to think about and focus on himself a lot. It also led to terrible insomnia. John said that this song was written at an all-time-low. He thought he was obese, and he was unhappy and “drowning in fame.” It’s a really sad, but ultimately relatable song. I chose this one purely because I love those lyrics: “And curse Sir Walter Raleigh, He was such a stupid get.” It’s so John, so Liverpudlian. It makes me smile every time. A quick note about the words John mumbles at the end of the song … I read somewhere that this sparked the whole ‘Paul is dead’ conspiracy. Eager fans thought that, when the song was played backwards, he was saying, “Paul is dead, man. Miss him. Miss him. Miss him.” But I don’t know about that. I don’t have a record player to test the theory. |
| Eleanor Rigby Album: Revolver, 1966 Lead vocalist: Paul Lyrics ▼ This song … Ahh, this song. When I was young, this was my favourite Beatles song. And that was because of my Dad. He had a Beatles compilation cassette that he often played in the car whenever we went places. This song was his favourite, and the two of us would sing at the tops of our voices, then rewind and do it all over again. But, you know? Even then, when I was probably eight or nine, I understood just how sad the song is. I felt bad for the lonely people, and I understood their loneliness in some ways. But I’ve gone off on a tangent. The simple string arrangement works well as an accompaniment to the darker lyrics. When The Beatles wrote this song, how common was it for a band of four young lads to release a song about loneliness and old age? I think it was a pretty brave thing to do. But it worked. And it gave me some wonderful memories that I hold dear. Just a quick note about the name. According to Paul, he took the name Eleanor from the actress Eleanor Bron, who was in The Beatles’ film Help!. It took him a little longer to decide on her surname, but he claims it came to him when he was in Bristol and saw a shop with the name ‘Rigby & Evens’ above the door, and he thought how Rigby would fit perfectly. However, I have also read that there is a gravestone in a churchyard in Woolton in Liverpool (Woolton being where John & Paul first met) that is for an Eleanor Rigby, who died in 1939, aged 44. There is also a gravestone nearby of a ‘MacKenzie.’ Paul later said they could have sub-consciously influenced his name choices. |
| Blackbird Album: The White Album, 1968 Lead vocalist: Paul Lyrics ▼ Ahh, a beautiful acoustic song from Paul. I love his guitar picking in this song. It is every bit as important as the lyrics. And his voice is so pure. If that makes sense. I read that the song was initially inspired by hearing a blackbird singing in Rishikesh, India. But it morphed into a social commentary on the Civil Rights movement in the southern United States at the time. That image of a black bird singing because it is free and healing its broken wings is so poignant. Even more so in today’s political climate. This is a very positive song, and I love it. |
| A Hard Day’s Night Album: A Hard Day’s Night Lead vocalist: John Lyrics ▼ This song begins with John strumming his guitar to a single chord. (Forgive me, but I don’t understand guitar chords, but I believe this may be a G.) I love that one note. You know instantly what song you are about to hear. John wrote this song with, I think, minimal input from Paul. It gave its name to the Beatles’ first film and to the album on which it features. The name itself came from Ringo. I heard an interview with Paul saying that Ringo had this wonderful knack of saying malapropisms, but whenever he said them, they were always lyrical and beautiful. Apparently, this one came after Ringo was asked how he was and he replied that he was tired, it had been a “hard day’s night.” |
| Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967 Lead vocalist: Paul Lyrics ▼ This song holds a special place in my heart for a couple of reasons. Yes; I know it’s not the most musically imaginative or complex, but it always — always — makes me smile. The first reason is that one year, when I was in the school choir, we held our annual Christmas concert, and we chose to sing a few songs from this album. (Our music teacher, Mr Hughes, always had a non-Christmassey section in the concert. He was amazing.) So, we sang along to this, and I got to play the drums on a couple of songs (this one included). It was a magical time. Probably where I was at my happiest. But, anyway. That is by the by. This song also means a lot to me because it is the only Beatles song I’ve ever seen performed by a Beatle live. It was in 2005, at the Live8 Concert in Hyde Park, London. Paul McCartney opened the gig with this song. And it was glorious. I know that both John and George were not happy with the Pepper album. John later claimed that Sgt Pepper was, “not on the same level as ‘The White Album.’” And, probably, that’s true. Musically, at least. But it was original. I can’t think of any concept album released before this one. And it’s breaking out from the old Beatles image of smart suits and mop tops. I think this album is more grown up. Or, at least, it explores the process of growing up and maturing as people. Just my thoughts. |
| And I Love Her Album: A Hard Day’s Night, 1964 Lead vocalist: Paul Lyrics ▼ I love the stripped back feel of this song. Also the sweet, uncomplicated lyrics and simplicity of Paul’s vocals. It’s just a lovely love song. It was written by Paul about Jane Asher, his girlfriend at the time, although it is credited (as all of their songs) to Lennon-McCartney. While Paul wrote the main melody, George Martin said the song needed a middle eight, and so John wrote, “A love like ours / Could never die / As long as I / Have you near me.” And much like Paul’s “Get up, get out of bed, etc.” in ‘A Day In The Life,’ it makes the song much stronger. |
| Strawberry Fields Forever Album: Magical Mystery Tour, 1967 Lead vocalist: John Lyrics ▼ John Lennon once said this was his favourite Beatles song. It sounds kind of dream-like and a little psychedelic. And it is like a dream because it is John singing about his childhood and his past struggles and trying to come to terms with everything. The ‘Strawberry Fields’ that gave the song its title was actually a Salvation Army House near to where John grew up. I read that he used to mess around near there and that the women who ran it were always kind and gave him refreshments. And so this song is, partly, John’s yearning for those carefree, comforted times from his childhood, and, partly, his trying to come to terms with all of the pain of his mother’s abandonment and death and his father’s abandonment. It sounds simple and dream-like, but it’s actually very complex. I think it is interesting how different this song is to ‘Penny Lane,’ which is considered Paul’s song about his childhood (although, that is slightly off because Penny Lane was much nearer to John’s home than Paul’s). ‘Penny Lane’ is a much more upbeat, sweet song. Maybe not as heartfelt, though. |
| Let It Be Album: Let It Be, 1970 Lead vocalist: Paul Lyrics ▼ This is Paul’s song. It’s another one that came to him in his sleep (kind of). It would seem I’ve spent my whole life misunderstanding this song. I always thought the ‘Mother May’ he refers to is the Virgin Mary. I thought this was a spiritual, religious song. But Paul’s mother’s name was Mary. She died when he was fourteen which, obviously, had a massive impact on him. This song, apparently, was written after he dreamed of his mother. He had been stressed at the time, but then he dreamt of Mary, and she told him to just ‘Let it be.’ She told him to stop stressing, that everything would work out fine if he could just ‘let it be.’ I think that is lovely. It shows how inspiration is everywhere. Whatever the true meaning of this song, it is one of the band’s classics, one of their most well-known. For that reason, I include it on my prompt list. |
| All My Loving Album: With The Beatles, 1963 Lead vocalist: Paul Lyrics ▼ I read once that in the early days of The Beatles, they didn’t have earpieces or anything to cancel out the outside noise when they performed. Consequently, they played to thousands of screaming girls who were screaming louder than their music was playing. Which meant they literally couldn’t hear themselves playing and singing. Which made staying in tune and in key a difficult task. Watching this video, I can see how that would be the case. It has to be said, it looks like they’re enjoying it, though. |
| Don’t Let Me Down Album: Let It Be … Naked, 2003 (Song Recorded 1969) Lead vocalist: John Lyrics ▼ This song was never on any of the original studio albums. Rather, it was released as the B-Side to ‘Get Back’ in April 1969. There have been a few recordings of it by the band, but the one I have linked in this post is my favourite and, perhaps, the most famous. I love this performance. I think it’s cool how, even though the band were having their problems at the time, and even though they probably knew it would be their last performance in public, they still seem to be enjoying themselves. The little looks that John and Paul, and sometimes George, share show that the love is still there. They just needed a break from each other. Paul has said this song was written by John as a declaration to Yoko of his love and how he is laying everything on the line for her. I read an interview with John where he said it was the most vulnerable song he ever wrote. I think he was probably right. |
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