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In this thread I rank my favorite Beatles songs: 204-1. (11 Viewers)

the song always makes me happy because, after so many years of tension, John and Paul sound like they're just enjoying recording together.  It might be that rekindled enthusiasm that led to the Abbey Road sessions being so much more successful than the Let It Be ones. 
Apparently, the full 55 hours of footage that Peter Jackson got his grubby, restorative little hands on suggests the tension during Let It Be has been overblown.  Or at least that it's only a part of the story.

Which is interesting, because in the video interview Paul McCartney did where he talks about the genesis of a lot of his songs and what they mean to him, he talks about one (can't remember which) that was about him and John and how it was good for him to remember what he always knew as the truth -- that he and John were great mates and the press coverage about them had made the story worse than it was.  Roughly.

 
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I don't think I've mentioned that I also give bonus points for being a good driving song.  There's one coming up in the top 25-ish that scores really high on that scale, but "The Ballad Of John And Yoko" also gets point for this.
Might it be Ticket to Ride?

 
55.  The Ballad of John and Yoko (single, 1969)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Written by John on his honeymoon as a snapshot of his wedding to Yoko, this song features only Paul and John, handling all the vocals and instruments.  I not only love the groove, but the song always makes me happy because, after so many years of tension, John and Paul sound like they're just enjoying recording together.  It might be that rekindled enthusiasm that led to the Abbey Road sessions being so much more successful than the Let It Be ones. 

I find the lyrics to this song to be, while self-absorbed, hilarious at times, such as the lines, "The newspapers said, she's gone to his head; they look just like two gurus in drag."  John couldn't resist inserting some controversy into the lyrics, though, including the references to "Christ" and being crucified, harkening back to his "more popular than Jesus" comment and leading to this song being banned in some locales.  He even managed to offend Spain as well, by saying the got "married in Gibraltar near Spain," when Spaniards considered Gibraltar part of their country.  

This song might not have amazing technical merit compared to others, but it just makes me happy.  I love the build of instruments, especially Paul suddenly coming in with maracas following that big pause after the bridge.  Love John's guitar part that goes into a Spanish-sounding vibe at the end.  Most of all, I adore Paul's jabby harmonies in the last verses.  I love to think of the two of them turning out this song after the years of misery.  Geoff Emerick described the session as being a magic time of "two old school chums...with the sheer joy of making music together," and that session convinced Emerick to return and engineer the Abbey Road reccord.

Mr. krista:  "I think it’s a good song.  I’ve always liked that song.  Remember it was only a few years before that that they went to play Shea Stadium again and didn’t sell out after being 'more popular than Jesus. 'They’re going to crucify me' – hey things go to your head a little bit.  It might be forgivable though when you’re like 20 and sell out Shea Stadium and everyone’s telling you you’re Jesus.  I like the guitar, the kind of Spanish-y stuff."

Suggested covers:  A little something for everyone, or for no one:  Dave Edmunds  Widespread Panic  Teenage Fanclub
The only contemporary personal anecdote i have involving the Beatles (other than drawing zits on my baby sis's Beatle posters).

My great-aunt Mary ran a grand house on Beacon Hill Boston and, through the maid and gardener slots in the household, sponsored most of the Doyle family over to America. She died when i was ten, but loved her little altar boy (i really was a saintly devil as a child) and she left a trust that provided for me to spend some of my summer vacation in our hometown of Dun Laoghaire (Dublin's secondary port) from ages 12-18. I stayed with me Aunt Maisie, who had a son, Tom, near my age.

In those days, high school ended in Ireland after the equivalent of the sophomore year. From there a kid would go into college prep, trade school, an apprenticeship (which Tom did, as a welder) or just plain work. Twas a tradition that the summer after you got out of school, you got a grand present of some kind and your last summer 'afore the mill' was free & easy and without rules. You could literally do no wrong, or so we thought.

1969 was Cousin Tom's Summer of George. After a late & fat breakfast, we'd be on the footy pitch all day, down to the beach to cruise girls, to the pub for pints & craic before the docks let out and the adults took over, rumble the alleys (i was mortified to find that Dubliners fight with their feet and were damn good at it), back to the pitch (it remains passable light til almost 11pm in Irish summer) and either pass out there or head home. A glorious time.

Cousin Tom's gift from his Ma & Da was the equivalent of the first boombox. About the size of a laptop, you could shove a 45rpm single into a slot and it would clamp into place and play the song. I've not seen its like before nor since. It of course went with him everywhere that summer.

Beaches in Ireland were very different than America. The whole town was down there on wkends, but no one sunbathed and few swam. Twasn't that much different from a busy street - kids, old folks in ties, nuns, girls in hi-collared dresses and sweaters. I was a big hit on the beach that summer because Chappaquiddick and the moon landing happened the same week so everyone who heard my accent wanted to console or congratulate the Yank. But Tom was an even bigger hit with his disk player. We got quite a few lasses to step out with us that summer.

The Ballad of John & Yoko was the big hit of the season but the Church had banned it on radio because of the lyrics, so Tom's player was Radio Free Europe for beach kids. How the Colleens would surround him when they heard the contraband music from his new-fangled machine. Problem was the beach was as thick with nuns as it were young lasses. Tom made the mistake of playing TBOJ&Y when a couple of penguins with rows of beads as big as benwa balls hanging from the waistsash of their habits passed by. Just as they got within earshot, the chorus came from Tom's player. "Christ, you know it ain't easy.......they're gonna crucify me".

The three penguins set upon poor Tom like crows on a carcass, bashing him to within an inch of judgement with their holy chains. A genuine thrashing. If there'd been a lifeguard chair nearby, i believe they would have crucified him. A number of cuts and a good 40 welts did they leave upon him. Now, though slight, i'd seen Tom bicycle kick a coupla lugs in an alley fight but, if playing a Beatles' hit will send you to Fire Everlasting, imagine what you get for fending off a nun. I'll never forget the the condemned wonder on his gob when they were done with him.

 
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As a teenager I worked at Knott’s Berry Farm one summer (a California amusement park) and Beatlemania was playing there, and I got to see several of their shows. Their playlist had a few variations and one day they performed “If I Fell”. Though I was already quite familiar with the song, hearing it performed live completely changed my appreciation of it- I still remember that all these years later. 

 
55.  The Ballad of John and Yoko (single, 1969)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Written by John on his honeymoon as a snapshot of his wedding to Yoko, this song features only Paul and John, handling all the vocals and instruments.  I not only love the groove, but the song always makes me happy because, after so many years of tension, John and Paul sound like they're just enjoying recording together.  It might be that rekindled enthusiasm that led to the Abbey Road sessions being so much more successful than the Let It Be ones. 

I find the lyrics to this song to be, while self-absorbed, hilarious at times, such as the lines, "The newspapers said, she's gone to his head; they look just like two gurus in drag."  John couldn't resist inserting some controversy into the lyrics, though, including the references to "Christ" and being crucified, harkening back to his "more popular than Jesus" comment and leading to this song being banned in some locales.  He even managed to offend Spain as well, by saying the got "married in Gibraltar near Spain," when Spaniards considered Gibraltar part of their country.  

This song might not have amazing technical merit compared to others, but it just makes me happy.  I love the build of instruments, especially Paul suddenly coming in with maracas following that big pause after the bridge.  Love John's guitar part that goes into a Spanish-sounding vibe at the end.  Most of all, I adore Paul's jabby harmonies in the last verses.  I love to think of the two of them turning out this song after the years of misery.  Geoff Emerick described the session as being a magic time of "two old school chums...with the sheer joy of making music together," and that session convinced Emerick to return and engineer the Abbey Road reccord.

Mr. krista:  "I think it’s a good song.  I’ve always liked that song.  Remember it was only a few years before that that they went to play Shea Stadium again and didn’t sell out after being 'more popular than Jesus. 'They’re going to crucify me' – hey things go to your head a little bit.  It might be forgivable though when you’re like 20 and sell out Shea Stadium and everyone’s telling you you’re Jesus.  I like the guitar, the kind of Spanish-y stuff."

Suggested covers:  A little something for everyone, or for no one:  Dave Edmunds  Widespread Panic  Teenage Fanclub
I love the guitar work in this one. My favorite Beatles tune.

 
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54.  You Won't See Me (Rubber Soul, 1965)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Another song about the turmoil in Paul's relationship with Jane Asher; it's just one more perfect pop song from Paul.  And most importantly, another song where I can loudly sing the backing vocals.  At the time Paul wrote this at the Asher family residence where he was living, Jane was in a production of Great Expectations in Bristol, and the couple wasn't seeing each other often.  They'd started to grow apart anyway; Jane was mostly hanging with the theatre crowd and didn't do drugs, and Paul was, ummm, doing drugs.  

This song has so many highlights.  The mood - Paul makes a song about loneliness sound sunny and beautiful.  Of course he does.  The bridge - not only does it have the requisite astounding three-part harmonies, but I love how the lead vocal crescendos from the minor key up and then take a big step back down into a major key for the verse.  The vocals - not just the harmonies, but Paul's lead is perfection, and those croaky, slightly sad "la la la"s fit the song's mood.  The drums - Ringo!  Those little triplets on the high hat, the fills...perfection from Ringo, too.  The bass - critical to the song, and melodically perfect; Paul styled his bass line after one of his idols, James Jamerson of the Funk Brothers (Motown house band - see the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown if you haven't).  The lyrics - the wordplay of "you won't see me," with "see" having at least two - maybe three? - meanings.

I'm crushed that I can't fit this into my top 50.  I demand a recount!

Mr. krista:  "Yeah, that little thing on the high hat is nice. [Drums for a while.]  What a great jam.  This is a pretty Paul record, man.  Paul doing the yeoman’s work.  [Makes a lot more drum and high hat sounds.]  I guess I’m not surprised when Paul writes a great song or a great bass line, but Ringo is always surprising in some tiny way, like damn, he made that work too.  That’s kind of what he’s about, though, is not noticing what he’s doing.  He just supports the song."

Suggested covers:  A band that can do those harmonies:  Bee Gees    Nice lead vocal:  Dar Williams

 
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I know I've heard all of these songs at one point or another, but one of the treats of this whole thing has been you posting something I'd completely forgotten -- like I've never heard it before.  Not shockingly, love that one.
That's a big part of this for me.  There are plenty of songs that even non-avid fans know, but songs like "You Won't See Me" or "Things We Said Today" or a host of others have slipped through the cracks a bit and deserve to get love, too.

 
Okay fans, let's identify the most controversial ranking in advance.

All You Need is Love does not crack my top 45.
I thought your most controversial was that you said Come Together wouldn't be in your top...was it 150?  It was some high number.

On the "OMG too low" side, I have whatever I ranked Penny Lane at, and another one not yet named that'll probably be a consensus top 3-5 and won't make my top 25.

On the "OMG too high" side, certainly the monkey song and probably my #10 as well.

 
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I thought your most controversial was that you said Come Together would be in your top...was it 150?  It was some high number.

On the "OMG too low" side, I have whatever I ranked Penny Lane at, and another one not yet named that'll probably be a consensus top 3-5 and won't make my top 25.

On the "OMG too high" side, certainly the monkey song and probably my #10 as well.
I'm just living in the now.  Wait!  We're past Come Together, right?

 
I had this one written up already; I'm not this fast with the write-ups!

54.  If I Fell (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Never let it be said that John couldn't or wouldn't write a helluva ballad.  This really isn't my kind of song; it's not just that overall I prefer rockers to ballads, but this one sounds so old-fashioned.  Despite the old-timey sound, though, the lyrics are a bit precarious for the time, as they seem to suggest that the author is planning to leave his wife for another woman.  Not that John would ever do that, of course.

The sublime harmonies and unison singing sound to me as full and lush as on any Beatles song, despite being only two-part harmonies (in some cases double-tracked).  Some of this sound might have come from the fact that John and Paul insisted on singing close in on the same microphone during the recording.  The Beatles frequently performed this one in concert, which is a marvel to me given the fact they could barely hear themselves over the screams.  One of the intriguing parts of this song is that it's difficult or impossible to identify what is the melody v. the harmony.  While Paul stays on the higher "harmony," and John does begin the song on melody, the two voices rise and fall, winding over and crossing each other repeatedly, sometimes stopping to sing in unison, weaving in and out of upper and lower harmonies.  When I try to sing along, I realize that I've jumped from the John part to the Paul part and vice versa, and I'm not sure if I'm ever actually following the melody or the harmony.

Another of the most fascinating aspects of this song that elevates it to such a high level for me is the structure.  The song starts with a preamble that's not repeated again, in a minor key that then goes through a few key changes before getting to the song's primary key.  The first verse then proceeds normally, but the second verse is suddenly truncated in the middle of a line to lead into a bridge.  Within that bridge, the key again slips into a minor key on the words "and I."  That pattern is then repeated for a truncated third verse/bridge, but then the fourth verse is a repeat of the third verse, but extended instead of truncated, leading to a conclusion with a new guitar fill.  Notice one thing that's missing?  No chorus!

One more little tidbit to notice is the lyric, “And I found that love was more than just holding hands."  Is that John indicating he's grown from (or making fun of) their prior effort, "I Want To Hold Your Hand"?

This song shows up in a scene that might be my favorite in the whole movie, when the guys are setting up their equipment and John starts singing the song to Ringo.  So cute!  That probably elevates it another several spots for me.

Mr. krista:  "It’s really interesting.  I have nothing to say you haven’t.  You schooled me pretty good on that song there.  It’s dreamlike in that it doesn’t go anywhere but you feel like you’ve traveled somewhere, but it never repeats, and the beat stays the same."

Suggested cover:  Sananda Maitreya (fka Terence Trent D'Arby)  DAY-UM.
nfw.  

No. 56 on Binky's Beatles Hit List!!!

 
The harmonies by Paul on "Ballad of John and Yoko" are easily in my top 14 Beatles harmony moments of their post-1968 period.  

 
I'm typing up my last two of the non-top-50 and am going to try to post them right together - BAM BAM!  They are both great rock songs that suffer from one major flaw.  One will be a "what took you so long" and one will be an "oh noes!"

 
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53.  Drive My Car (Rubber Soul, 1965)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

It's the beep beeps, y’all.  It's just the damn beep beeps.

This clearly must be a Paul favorite since he still performs it all the time.  Or maybe it's one that's easier for a 70something man to sing.  In any case, it's a great rock song.  Or is it a great pop song?  Whatever, it's great.  But those damn beep-beeps.  Without beep-beeps, it would be top 30 at least.  I despise those beep-beeps.

What I do love:  every other damn thing.  That freaking groove, led by that bass line.  The guitar parts with all those bendy notes.  The arrangement of having the bass and guitar playing similar lines, which was a George idea based on Otis Redding’s “Respect.”  The super-clever non-beep-beep lyrics, including the double-entendres and sexual innuendos (including the title, which was a blues euphemism for sex).  The lyrics weren't originally as clever, as Paul tells it:  "The lyrics were disastrous and I knew it... The lyrics I brought in were something to do with golden rings, which is always fatal. 'Rings' is fatal anyway, 'rings' always rhymes with 'things' and I knew it was a bad idea. Well, we tried, and John couldn't think of anything…then we came back to it, and somehow it became 'drive my car' instead of 'gold-en rings', and then it was wonderful because this nice tongue-in-cheek idea came and suddenly there was a girl there, the heroine of the story, and the story developed and had a little sting, which was 'I actually haven't got a car, but when I get one you'll be a terrific chauffeur.”

Also there is cowbell.  

Beep beep, beep beep, NO!!!!!  

Mr. krista:  "That's pretty good.  The bass line is just murderous.  I like how his bass playing sounds better on each record.  I don’t if it’s better recording, or better budgets and more capable engineers, or better playing, but his bass is more and more integral in those rock songs. Ringo on tambourine, killer.  The way that groove holds together is amazing.  Deep feeling for groove, could work with Paul McCartney to make this heavy elasticity.  Same with The Word.  This is a ####### groove."

Suggested cover:  The Donnas

 
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52.  Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey (White Album, 1968)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Last-minute downgrade out of the top 50; if I downgrade "Drive My Car" for the lyrics, I have to do the same here.  The lyrics are dumb.  Really dumb.  But that's probably not what bothers some people most about this song.  There's a significant love/hate element here; yes, it's that firemen's bell.  For me, it what takes the song waaaaay up in my rankings.  I mean, remember, I'm a person who's a sucker for cowbell, so if you kick that up a few notches to an outrageously loud firemen's bell.  Heaven!

The story is that John and George were playing so incredibly loud that Paul gave up on the bass part and stood next to Ringo playing that bell as loud as he could, so much so that he had to take breaks after each take to rest his sore shoulders.  Geoff Emerick called the result "raucous and unpleasant"; I call it bliss. Poor Emerick with his delicate ears ended up with a headache after the session, while I'd give my left arm to have been there during the violent frenzy. I'm not going to deconstruct this one because I don't care about anything but that this ####### rocks.  Hard.   

C'mon, c'mon!!!

Mr. krista:  "Great song.  Mint jam. Love the 16th or 32nd notes on the ride cymbal.  Like the half-time/double-time breakdown.  Slows down and builds tension on the “take it easy” part.  [Plays it on his leg.]"

Suggested cover:  The Feelies

 
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I don't know...I'm listening to "Monkey" again.  I might have to move it back up.  ####### jam.  Come at me, bros!

 
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52.  Drive My Car (Rubber Soul, 1965)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

It's the beep beeps, y’all.  It's just the damn beep beeps.

This clearly must be a Paul favorite since he still performs it all the time.  Or maybe it's one that's easier for a 70something man to sing.  In any case, it's a great rock song.  Or is it a great pop song?  Whatever, it's great.  But those damn beep-beeps.  Without beep-beeps, it would be top 30 at least.  I despise those beep-beeps.

What I do love:  every other damn thing.  That freaking groove, led by that bass line.  The guitar parts with all those bendy notes.  The arrangement of having the bass and guitar playing similar lines, which was a George idea based on Otis Redding’s “Respect.”  The super-clever non-beep-beep lyrics, including the double-entendres and sexual innuendos (including the title, which was a blues euphemism for sex).  The lyrics weren't originally as clever, as Paul tells it:  "The lyrics were disastrous and I knew it... The lyrics I brought in were something to do with golden rings, which is always fatal. 'Rings' is fatal anyway, 'rings' always rhymes with 'things' and I knew it was a bad idea. Well, we tried, and John couldn't think of anything…then we came back to it, and somehow it became 'drive my car' instead of 'gold-en rings', and then it was wonderful because this nice tongue-in-cheek idea came and suddenly there was a girl there, the heroine of the story, and the story developed and had a little sting, which was 'I actually haven't got a car, but when I get one you'll be a terrific chauffeur.”

Also there is cowbell.  

Beep beep, beep beep, NO!!!!!  

Mr. krista:  "That's pretty good.  The bass line is just murderous.  I like how his bass playing sounds better on each record.  I don’t if it’s better recording, or better budgets and more capable engineers, or better playing, but his bass is more and more integral in those rock songs. Ringo on tambourine, killer.  The way that groove holds together is amazing.  Deep feeling for groove, could work with Paul McCartney to make this heavy elasticity.  Same with The Word.  This is a ####### groove."

Suggested cover:  The Donnas
DING! DING! DING!  

This is THE first song of my top 70 that krista has ranked higher than my list.  

#67 on the Binky Beatles Hit List.  

Still a great song, so catchy.  Typical local channel mid-day movie cut-away song.  

 
52.  Drive My Car (Rubber Soul, 1965)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

It's the beep beeps, y’all.  It's just the damn beep beeps.

This clearly must be a Paul favorite since he still performs it all the time.  Or maybe it's one that's easier for a 70something man to sing.  In any case, it's a great rock song.  Or is it a great pop song?  Whatever, it's great.  But those damn beep-beeps.  Without beep-beeps, it would be top 30 at least.  I despise those beep-beeps.

What I do love:  every other damn thing.  That freaking groove, led by that bass line.  The guitar parts with all those bendy notes.  The arrangement of having the bass and guitar playing similar lines, which was a George idea based on Otis Redding’s “Respect.”  The super-clever non-beep-beep lyrics, including the double-entendres and sexual innuendos (including the title, which was a blues euphemism for sex).  The lyrics weren't originally as clever, as Paul tells it:  "The lyrics were disastrous and I knew it... The lyrics I brought in were something to do with golden rings, which is always fatal. 'Rings' is fatal anyway, 'rings' always rhymes with 'things' and I knew it was a bad idea. Well, we tried, and John couldn't think of anything…then we came back to it, and somehow it became 'drive my car' instead of 'gold-en rings', and then it was wonderful because this nice tongue-in-cheek idea came and suddenly there was a girl there, the heroine of the story, and the story developed and had a little sting, which was 'I actually haven't got a car, but when I get one you'll be a terrific chauffeur.”

Also there is cowbell.  

Beep beep, beep beep, NO!!!!!  

Mr. krista:  "That's pretty good.  The bass line is just murderous.  I like how his bass playing sounds better on each record.  I don’t if it’s better recording, or better budgets and more capable engineers, or better playing, but his bass is more and more integral in those rock songs. Ringo on tambourine, killer.  The way that groove holds together is amazing.  Deep feeling for groove, could work with Paul McCartney to make this heavy elasticity.  Same with The Word.  This is a ####### groove."

Suggested cover:  The Donnas
Beep Beep YEAH!

 
Top 50!

Please Please Me:

I Saw Her Standing There
Please Please Me

With the Beatles:
All My Loving

A Hard Day’s Night:

A Hard Day's Night
And I Love Her

Beatles for Sale:

[Nada]

Help!:

Help!
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
Ticket To Ride
I've Just Seen A Face
Yesterday

Rubber Soul:
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
Nowhere Man
I'm Looking Through You
In My Life

Revolver:

Taxman
Eleanor Rigby
I'm Only Sleeping
Here, There And Everywhere
She Said She Said
And Your Bird Can Sing
For No One
Tomorrow Never Knows

Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band:
With A Little Help From My Friends
A Day In The Life

Magical Mystery Tour:
I Am The Walrus

The Beatles (aka White Album):
Dear Prudence
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Happiness Is A Warm Gun
I'm So Tired
Blackbird
Mother Nature's Son
Helter Skelter

Yellow Submarine:
Hey Bulldog

Abbey Road:
Something
Here Comes The Sun
You Never Give Me Your Money/Sun King/Mean Mr Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came In Through The Bathroom Window/Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End medley

Let It Be:

Two Of Us
Across The Universe
Let It Be
I've Got A Feeling

Singles, etc.:
She Loves You
I Want To Hold Your Hand
I Feel Fine

Day Tripper
Rain
Hey Jude
Revolution
Don't Let Me Down
Strawberry Fields Forever
All You Need Is Love

 
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DING! DING! DING!  

This is THE first song of my top 70 that krista has ranked higher than my list.  

#67 on the Binky Beatles Hit List.  

Still a great song, so catchy.  Typical local channel mid-day movie cut-away song.  
Do I get to whine now that you have it too low?

 
In my opinion: of the 50 songs you have left, the only one that sticks out as ranked too high is “I’m Looking Through You.” 

Its a fine pop song but you’ve already selected several tunes that are much better. 
Interesting.  I like this idea for others to weigh in:  what is the one (1) song that stands out to you as not belonging?

 

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