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2022 FBG, 172 to 1 Beatles Countdown 1-25 lists... And 173 to 1 Countdown from 1-64 lists! (3 Viewers)

Zegras11

Footballguy
Welcome to the 2022 Beatles, 172 to 1 Countdown!

I want to thank each and everyone of you that participated this time as we celebrate the three-year anniversary of @krista4's 204 to 1 thread.

As you left your lists, I appreciate and thank you for all the nice comments that you left with your lists. And many, many thanks to almost all of you that numbered your lists. So much easier to process.  71 lists were submitted!

Very special thanks to @krista4 for starting all of this and creating many, many hours of joy and listening pleasure for all of us. I know for many of us, last time scratched the surface of experiencing the Beatles and now three years later, that experience is so much better from all of this.

I'd like to introduce you to the other member of our "Fab Three." Our FFA Mystery Writer is @Guido Merkins.  I've only read a few of his write ups so that I can experience them as you guys will, but the ones I read I found quite enjoyable and I hope you do also.

Krista has included her write ups from the original thread with some added thoughts to those for this go around. I hope someone reads them this time.

I'm the numbers guy and will be throwing out to you my usual obscure, number facts. The intro to each song will be linked to a youtube of that song, with a live version being the priority for that.

After we get a few songs in, I will start posting the "Chalk Update" (hope we find a better name for that).   When you have a song from your 1-25 list that is posted, I will assign a score to that song and keep a running total on who is "most" and "least" chalky.  Song ranked #172 will get one point. Song ranked #1 will get 172 points.  The funny thing about this is the early "chalk" leaders will likely have the best chance at being the "least" chalky at the end.  It will also be fun to see who the last remaining person is to have a song from their list posted. All of this is for fun and means nothing, and I really hope we can find another name for this as there were really no chalky lists sent in. The average list had 7.56 songs on it that finished up ranked lower than 50th!

There are many, many surprises and changes to the list from 2019. I'll be back shortly with the #172 song. 



171T - You Know My Name
171T - Flying
170 - Money (That's What I Want)
169 - This Boy
167T - Not A Second Time
167T - Free As A Bird
166 - I Need You
165 - Rocky Raccoon
164 - I Call Your Name
163 - Long Tall Sally
161T - Thank You Girl
161T - Love You To
160 - Lovely Rita
157T - I'll Cry Instead
157T - Dizzy Miss Lizzy
157T - Don't Bother Me
156 - Baby You're A Rich Man
155 - From Me To You
153T - Tell Me Why
153T - Anna (Go To Him)
151T - For You Blue
151T - All Together Now
150 - Roll Over Beethoven
148T - What Goes On
148T - Don't Pass Me By
147 - Old Brown Shoe
145T - The Word
145T - Another Girl
144 - I Don't Want To Spoil The Party
143 - Why Don't We Do It In The Road
142 - Boys
141 - Julia
140 - You Like Me Too Much
139 - Baby's In Black
137T - Long, Long, Long
137T - Blue Jay Way
136 - Good Day Sunshine
134T - Real Love
134T - Bad Boy
132T - Till There Was You
132T - Martha Dear
130T - Getting Better
130T - Kansas City Kansas City (Hey, Hey, Hey)
129 - Cry Baby Cry
128 - I Want To Tell You
127 - Rock and Roll Music
125T - Your Mother Should Know
125T - You Really Got A Hold of Me
123T - What You're Doing
123T - Revolution 9
122 - Run For Your Life
121 - P.S. I Love You
120 - Love Me Do
119 - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
118 - It's All Too Much
117 - Wait
116 - The Continuing Story Of Bungalo Bill
115 - Every Little Thing
114 - All I've Got To Do
113 - Good Morning Good Morning
112 - I'm Happy Just to Dance With You
111 - Tell Me What You See
110 - I WIll
109 - Maxwell Silver Hammer
107T - She's A Woman
107T - Because
106 - Think For Yourself
105 - Birthday
104 - Mother Nature's Son
103 - Within You Without You
102 - Mr. Moonlight
101 - Being of the Benefit of Mr Kite
100 - Do You Want To Know A Secret
99 - It Won't Be Long
98 - Fixing A Hole
97 - I'm Down
96 - Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
95 - I'm a Loser
94 - Magical Mystery Tour
93 - I Should Have Known Better
92 - I Me Mine
91 - Please Please Me
90 - Anytime At All
89 - I'll Follow The Sun
88 - Dig A Pony
87 - I'll Be Back
86 - Glass Onion
85 - Yellow Submarine
84 - You Can't Do That
82T - Yer Blues
82T - Michelle
81 - The Night Before
80 - Savoy Truffle
79 - Octopus's Garden
78 - The Fool On The Hill
77 - Lady Madonna
76 - If I Needed Someone
75- She Said She Said
74 - You're Going To Lose That Girl
73 - When I'm Sixty-Four
72- I'm So Tired
71 - You Won't See Me
70 - No Reply
69 - Girl
68 - Here, There and Everywhere
67 - If I Fell
66 - I'm Looking Through You
65 - I'm Only Sleeping
64 - Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
63 - She's Leaving Home
62 - Drive My Car
61 - The Ballad Of John and Yoko
60 - I Want You (She's So Heavy)
59 - Oh! Darling
58 - Eight Days A Week
57 - Twist and Shout
56 - Hello, Goodbye
55 - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
54 - All You Need Is Love
53 - For No One
52 - Blackbird
51 - I Feel Fine
50 - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Dot
49 - Can't Buy Me Love
48 - All My Loving
47 - Paperback Writer
46 - I've Got a Feeling
45 - And I Lover Her
44 - With A Little Help from My Friends
43 - I Saw Her Standing There
42 - Rain
41 - Two Of Us
40 - Back In The USSR
39 - Happiness Is A Warm Gun
38 - She Loves You
37 - Things We Said Today
36- Revolution
35 - Helter Skelter
34 - Dear Prudence
33 - I Am The Walrus
32 - Day Tripper
31- And Your Bird Can Sing
30 - Hey Bulldog
29 - We Can Work It Out
28 - Nowhere Man
27 - Got To Get You Into My Life
26 - Get Back
25 - Don't Let Me Down
24 - Penny Lane
23 - The Long And Winding Road
22 - Taxman
21 - I Want To Hold Your Hand
20 - Come Together
19 - You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
18 - Across The Universe
17 - Tomorrow Never Knows
16 - Ticket To Ride
15 - A Hard Day's Night
14 - I've Just Seen A Face
13 - Strawberry Fields Forever
12 - Eleanor Rigby
11 - Help!
10 - Yesterday
9 - Norwegian Wood
8 - Let It Be
7 - Something
6 - Here Comes The Sun
5 - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
4 - Hey Jude
3 - Abbey Road Medley
2 - In My Life
1 - A Day In The Life

 
Last edited by a moderator:
The first post goes to the "UnFab 4" that were on the 2019 list that didn't get a vote in 2022.

2019 ranked #85 - Misery
2019 ranked #87 - There's a Place
2019 ranked #119T - Hold Me Tight
2019 ranked #138T - Piggies

 
So, only 32 songs were not included on anyone's list of 25.  That is the first of many truly incredible nuggets we will glean from this.  

 
The first post goes to the "UnFab 4" that were on the 2019 list that didn't get a vote in 2022.

2019 ranked #85 - Misery
2019 ranked #87 - There's a Place
2019 ranked #119T - Hold Me Tight
2019 ranked #138T - Piggies
I had "Hold Me Tight" on my list on 2019.  Still love that song, but just couldn't do it this time.  

 
Very surprised at this one.

Happy I don't have to do a new write-up on "Piggies."
If this whole thing were more lenient, and we were allowed to put 41 songs on our top 25 like we should be able to do, "There's a Place" would have probably made it for me.  

 
You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
2022 Ranking: 171T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 1
Ranked Highest by: @wikkidpissah
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 138T/1/1

Getz: How drunk were they when they wrote this one?


Krista4

My 2019 ranking:  176


2019 write-up:

You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) (Single, 1970)

I understand a lot of people hate this song, and in terms of "noise" songs a lot would put Mr. Kite above it, but...this song cracks me up. It always makes me laugh with its madness, and I'm fascinated every time I hear it.  One of the most bizarre facts about this to me is that it was the b-side to "Let It Be."  I can just imagine some sweet human buying that single and then freaking out over WTF was on the other side.

(Quick aside:  I've noticed that @DaVinci always mentions this song as his favorite, which I've always assumed was sarcasm, but I'd love to hear his thoughts on it either way.)

One of the main appeals to me of this song is that they sound like they're having such a damn great time.  And in 1967 (recorded three years before its release, btw), that's notable.  I'm also a fan of the Beatles and post-Beatles songs that sound like different songs mushed together - see, e.g., Band on the Run, You Never Give Me Your Money, etc.  Obviously I'm not saying this is on par with those, but I do love the songs that move from one segment to another, one tempo and feel to another, but somehow work, and the four-or-is-it-five separate parts of this keep me interested along the way.  I dunno; a lot of people think this one is nonsense, which I couldn't argue with, but hey, at one point Paul said that this was his favorite song of theirs, so I can't be completely off, right?  Paul's pretty weird, though.  Regardless, it's my favorite song that features a burp at the end.

Fun facts:  one of the many crazy sound effects on this song is Mal Evans either, depending upon what you believe, running a spade through some gravel or shaking a bag of some gravel.  In any case, gravel was a supporting vocal here.    Also, listen for Brian Jones of the Stones on sax.

Mr. krista:  "This is better if you imagine Muppets doing it."

Suggested cover:  After typing four earnest paragraphs about this, and thereafter checking the notes to find Mr. krista's comments (which are copied in full), I'm laughing too hard to look for a cover.  Maybe later.  (And when I just reminded him of his comment from months ago, I can't get him to stop singing this to me in an Animals-from-the-Muppets voice.)

2022 Supplement:  I still love this song, and it still makes me laugh, especially the lounge-lizard “Slaggers” part.  To my point above regarding the fact they sounded like they were having fun, John has described it as “a piece of unfinished music that I turned into a comedy record with Paul.  Believe it or not, this song was actually a John idea:  "I was waiting for him in his house and I saw the phone book was on the piano with 'You know the name, look up the number.' That was like a logo and I just changed it. It was going to be a Four Tops kind of song – the chord changes are like that – but it never developed and we made a joke of it."

Fun fact:  Frank Black of the Pixies has named this his favorite Beatles tune, citing the very British sense of humo(u)r and the “soulful, Ray Charles-like walk.”

Guido Merkins

I read an interview with Paul once where he listed You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) as one his favorite Beatles tracks.  When the interviewer said something to the effect of “Dear God, Why?”, Paul commented about the memories.  A guy like John Lennon coming into the studio saying “I’ve got a new song called You Know My Name (Look Up the Number), and Paul saying “well, what are the words?”  And John saying “those ARE the words.” 

In reality, the Beatles always like off the wall B sides and used them in their stage act.  Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones showed up in the studio with a sax instead of a guitar, so they let him play sax on the record.  I love Paul’s lounge lizard voice.  “Dennis O’Bell”, actually Dennis O’Dell was a producer on A Hard Day’s Night and had worked with John on “How I Won the War” was the name of Paul’s lounge lizard character in the song.  John’s zany overly British accent near the end.  I also love how Ringo goes effortlessly into that jazzy music closer to the end.  


Released as the B Side to Let It Be, You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) is strictly for novelty purposes, but it is quite funny and when you think that this is the same band that gave us Tomorrow Never Knows, yeah it’s quite astonishing.  

 
and we're off!!!   And I have to read all of Krista's write ups to make sure I get all the @'s and links she put in.  :kicksrock:

 
and we're off!!!   And I have to read all of Krista's write ups to make sure I get all the @'s and links she put in.  :kicksrock:


Thank you for taking care of the links!  My formatting is gone, but I'm still going to submit to you with all the formatting.  :(  

 
You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
2022 Ranking: 171T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 1
Ranked Highest by: @wikkidpissah
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 138T/1/1

Getz: How drunk were they when they wrote this one?


Krista4

My 2019 ranking:  176


2019 write-up:

You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) (Single, 1970)

I understand a lot of people hate this song, and in terms of "noise" songs a lot would put Mr. Kite above it, but...this song cracks me up. It always makes me laugh with its madness, and I'm fascinated every time I hear it.  One of the most bizarre facts about this to me is that it was the b-side to "Let It Be."  I can just imagine some sweet human buying that single and then freaking out over WTF was on the other side.

(Quick aside:  I've noticed that @DaVinci always mentions this song as his favorite, which I've always assumed was sarcasm, but I'd love to hear his thoughts on it either way.)

One of the main appeals to me of this song is that they sound like they're having such a damn great time.  And in 1967 (recorded three years before its release, btw), that's notable.  I'm also a fan of the Beatles and post-Beatles songs that sound like different songs mushed together - see, e.g., Band on the Run, You Never Give Me Your Money, etc.  Obviously I'm not saying this is on par with those, but I do love the songs that move from one segment to another, one tempo and feel to another, but somehow work, and the four-or-is-it-five separate parts of this keep me interested along the way.  I dunno; a lot of people think this one is nonsense, which I couldn't argue with, but hey, at one point Paul said that this was his favorite song of theirs, so I can't be completely off, right?  Paul's pretty weird, though.  Regardless, it's my favorite song that features a burp at the end.

Fun facts:  one of the many crazy sound effects on this song is Mal Evans either, depending upon what you believe, running a spade through some gravel or shaking a bag of some gravel.  In any case, gravel was a supporting vocal here.    Also, listen for Brian Jones of the Stones on sax.

Mr. krista:  "This is better if you imagine Muppets doing it."

Suggested cover:  After typing four earnest paragraphs about this, and thereafter checking the notes to find Mr. krista's comments (which are copied in full), I'm laughing too hard to look for a cover.  Maybe later.  (And when I just reminded him of his comment from months ago, I can't get him to stop singing this to me in an Animals-from-the-Muppets voice.)

2022 Supplement:  I still love this song, and it still makes me laugh, especially the lounge-lizard “Slaggers” part.  To my point above regarding the fact they sounded like they were having fun, John has described it as “a piece of unfinished music that I turned into a comedy record with Paul.  Believe it or not, this song was actually a John idea:  "I was waiting for him in his house and I saw the phone book was on the piano with 'You know the name, look up the number.' That was like a logo and I just changed it. It was going to be a Four Tops kind of song – the chord changes are like that – but it never developed and we made a joke of it."

Fun fact:  Frank Black of the Pixies has named this his favorite Beatles tune, citing the very British sense of humo(u)r and the “soulful, Ray Charles-like walk.”

Guido Merkins

I read an interview with Paul once where he listed You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) as one his favorite Beatles tracks.  When the interviewer said something to the effect of “Dear God, Why?”, Paul commented about the memories.  A guy like John Lennon coming into the studio saying “I’ve got a new song called You Know My Name (Look Up the Number), and Paul saying “well, what are the words?”  And John saying “those ARE the words.” 

In reality, the Beatles always like off the wall B sides and used them in their stage act.  Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones showed up in the studio with a sax instead of a guitar, so they let him play sax on the record.  I love Paul’s lounge lizard voice.  “Dennis O’Bell”, actually Dennis O’Dell was a producer on A Hard Day’s Night and had worked with John on “How I Won the War” was the name of Paul’s lounge lizard character in the song.  John’s zany overly British accent near the end.  I also love how Ringo goes effortlessly into that jazzy music closer to the end.  


Released as the B Side to Let It Be, You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) is strictly for novelty purposes, but it is quite funny and when you think that this is the same band that gave us Tomorrow Never Knows, yeah it’s quite astonishing.  
One of the most ridiculous things I've seen in the last 24 hours (and I watched that Flamin' Hot Doritos commerical) is that, upon a cursory Google search, there does not seem to be an actual club called "Slagger's" anywhere, which is a ridiculous missed opportunity.  

 
One of the most ridiculous things I've seen in the last 24 hours (and I watched that Flamin' Hot Doritos commerical) is that, upon a cursory Google search, there does not seem to be an actual club called "Slagger's" anywhere, which is a ridiculous missed opportunity.  


Laugh emoji.

 
You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
2022 Ranking: 171T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 1
Ranked Highest by:
@wikkidpissah
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 138T/1/1
i'm a lilbit proud o this'n. for some reason it was on the jukebox of a jernt i used to go to for darts/pool. it got played a lot cuz it's fun to act out when youre loaded. one time, with a snootful & a tootful, i acted the whole thing out in a showoff attempt to close on some company. it worked, and soon, you'd see yobbos & yahoos attempting the same when all their other moves didnt work. it became kinda the Hail Mary pass of hookin' up in that establishment. ya KNOW moy naime!!

 
The first post goes to the "UnFab 4" that were on the 2019 list that didn't get a vote in 2022.

2019 ranked #85 - Misery
2019 ranked #87 - There's a Place
2019 ranked #119T - Hold Me Tight
2019 ranked #138T - Piggies
There’s a Place is a shocker. But the Piggies omission, I totally agree with. It may be my least favorite Beatles song that doesn’t have “Honey” or “9” in the title.

 
And before this comes across like any kind of slight to our esteemed krista - it’s not.  Just excited to have the other commentator revealed and to see its Guido.


Guido made a fantastic post about "Strawberry Fields Forever" in the other thread, and knowing his expertise from his own Beatles thread many years ago, I asked him if he'd like to join in this time.  Was very happy when he said yes!  I consider him and Godsbrother to be the true Beatles experts here (though I'm seeing now that otb_lifer might also give them a run for their money).

 
i'm a lilbit proud o this'n. for some reason it was on the jukebox of a jernt i used to go to for darts/pool. it got played a lot cuz it's fun to act out when youre loaded. one time, with a snootful & a tootful, i acted the whole thing out in a showoff attempt to close on some company. it worked, and soon, you'd see yobbos & yahoos attempting the same when all their other moves didnt work. it became kinda the Hail Mary pass of hookin' up in that establishment. ya KNOW moy naime!!
So these types of stories that many posted in 2019 were my favorite posts in that thread.  Glad to see the pissah start us off with hookers and blow and major league yobbos.

 
Oh, and just to let you guys know, thread favorite Mr. krista considered doing some more talking about these.  I sent him some of the bottom songs and his prior musings, but he decided that they had been perfect as is and he doesn't have more to say.  :lmao:  

 
Oh, and just to let you guys know, thread favorite Mr. krista considered doing some more talking about these.  I sent him some of the bottom songs and his prior musings, but he decided that they had been perfect as is and he doesn't have more to say.  :lmao:  
It’s hard to improve on snark when one is as good at it as Mr. K.

 
You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
2022 Ranking: 171T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 1
Ranked Highest by: @wikkidpissah
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 138T/1/1

Getz: How drunk were they when they wrote this one?


Krista4

My 2019 ranking:  176


2019 write-up:

You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) (Single, 1970)

I understand a lot of people hate this song, and in terms of "noise" songs a lot would put Mr. Kite above it, but...this song cracks me up. It always makes me laugh with its madness, and I'm fascinated every time I hear it.  One of the most bizarre facts about this to me is that it was the b-side to "Let It Be."  I can just imagine some sweet human buying that single and then freaking out over WTF was on the other side.

(Quick aside:  I've noticed that @DaVinci always mentions this song as his favorite, which I've always assumed was sarcasm, but I'd love to hear his thoughts on it either way.)

One of the main appeals to me of this song is that they sound like they're having such a damn great time.  And in 1967 (recorded three years before its release, btw), that's notable.  I'm also a fan of the Beatles and post-Beatles songs that sound like different songs mushed together - see, e.g., Band on the Run, You Never Give Me Your Money, etc.  Obviously I'm not saying this is on par with those, but I do love the songs that move from one segment to another, one tempo and feel to another, but somehow work, and the four-or-is-it-five separate parts of this keep me interested along the way.  I dunno; a lot of people think this one is nonsense, which I couldn't argue with, but hey, at one point Paul said that this was his favorite song of theirs, so I can't be completely off, right?  Paul's pretty weird, though.  Regardless, it's my favorite song that features a burp at the end.

Fun facts:  one of the many crazy sound effects on this song is Mal Evans either, depending upon what you believe, running a spade through some gravel or shaking a bag of some gravel.  In any case, gravel was a supporting vocal here.    Also, listen for Brian Jones of the Stones on sax.

Mr. krista:  "This is better if you imagine Muppets doing it."

Suggested cover:  After typing four earnest paragraphs about this, and thereafter checking the notes to find Mr. krista's comments (which are copied in full), I'm laughing too hard to look for a cover.  Maybe later.  (And when I just reminded him of his comment from months ago, I can't get him to stop singing this to me in an Animals-from-the-Muppets voice.)

2022 Supplement:  I still love this song, and it still makes me laugh, especially the lounge-lizard “Slaggers” part.  To my point above regarding the fact they sounded like they were having fun, John has described it as “a piece of unfinished music that I turned into a comedy record with Paul.  Believe it or not, this song was actually a John idea:  "I was waiting for him in his house and I saw the phone book was on the piano with 'You know the name, look up the number.' That was like a logo and I just changed it. It was going to be a Four Tops kind of song – the chord changes are like that – but it never developed and we made a joke of it."

Fun fact:  Frank Black of the Pixies has named this his favorite Beatles tune, citing the very British sense of humo(u)r and the “soulful, Ray Charles-like walk.”

Guido Merkins

I read an interview with Paul once where he listed You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) as one his favorite Beatles tracks.  When the interviewer said something to the effect of “Dear God, Why?”, Paul commented about the memories.  A guy like John Lennon coming into the studio saying “I’ve got a new song called You Know My Name (Look Up the Number), and Paul saying “well, what are the words?”  And John saying “those ARE the words.” 

In reality, the Beatles always like off the wall B sides and used them in their stage act.  Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones showed up in the studio with a sax instead of a guitar, so they let him play sax on the record.  I love Paul’s lounge lizard voice.  “Dennis O’Bell”, actually Dennis O’Dell was a producer on A Hard Day’s Night and had worked with John on “How I Won the War” was the name of Paul’s lounge lizard character in the song.  John’s zany overly British accent near the end.  I also love how Ringo goes effortlessly into that jazzy music closer to the end.  


Released as the B Side to Let It Be, You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) is strictly for novelty purposes, but it is quite funny and when you think that this is the same band that gave us Tomorrow Never Knows, yeah it’s quite astonishing.  
When I was in college, I got very drunk one night, had Past Masters v2 on, and came up with an elaborate theory about this song. I don’t remember much of it, but I think the gist of it was that it was about a guy losing his mind, as each section got progressively more bonkers. 

 
172 to 1 Chalk Rankings

1 --wikkidpissah---1.5

#winning

Note: Ties in points are broken by the song that was listed the most times. If still tied, songs will split the points up for the tied spots.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Need to :sehorn: this thread but don't have much to say about #172 other than I still think of OHs review every time I hear it.

 
And before this comes across like any kind of slight to our esteemed krista - it’s not.  Just excited to have the other commentator revealed and to see its Guido.
I appreciate the kind words.  I hope that I meet your expectations and everyone here.

Krista did an outstanding job with the one a few years ago and I honestly thought I didn't have much to add, but she must think differently because she asked me to contribute and I gladly accepted.  

It's been fun digging in and I am looking to see how this unfolds!!!

 
Flying
2022 Ranking: 171T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 1
Ranked Highest by: @Man of Constant Sorrow
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 138T/1/1


Getz: Miss you GB!

Krista4

My 2019 ranking:  166

2019 write-up:

Flying (Magical Mystery Tour, 1967)

Since this is my third attempt at a write-up, I'll keep it short.

I know a lot of people don't appreciate this one, but I find it soothing and could listen to it for hours.  So suck it.

Fun fact:  first song to be credited to all four of the lads.

Mr. krista:  "“[10 seconds in] I like this a million times better [than Fool on the Hill].  I like this one.  I like that song.  I wish it were 20 minutes long.  I like it’s all spacey and surfy in the beginning, like Shadowy Men, like a really extended theme song to a great comedy sketch show.  I like the lalalalalas.  It’s clear it’s transitional music to get from one part of the thing to the other part, but for what it is, it’s great.  It’s excellent sorbet after the ##### sandwich that is Fool on the Hill.”"

Suggested covers:  OMG here it is with Chet Baker on flugelhorn!  But I actually enjoy this one more, though it might be the cover pic of Mr. Rourke(?) and the "zee plane, zee plane" guy that gets me over the finish.

2022 Supplement:  Instead of doing a new write-up myself, I want to post what was written by the person with whom I mostly closely associate this song.  RIP to our lovely Man of Constant Sorrow.  Here’s what he said in 2019, which I think encapsulates him beautifully.

Flying

This song has me from the very first note. I mean that literally.

As soon as I feel the first, I'm flying...

... 

Ellipses. What a wonderfully versatile punctuation. I love em...and often abuse em. 

Flying is the perfect ellipsis. 

As Mr. K excellently notes:

"It's clear it’s transitional music to get from one part of the thing to the other part, but for what it is, it’s great."

However, I submit that it is not merely great, but rather sublimely supreme in what it does. 

1)Walking 

I'm guessing that most here have seen Saturday Night Fever, or at least the part when Travolta walks along the street to Staying Alive. 

Well, scratch that Staying Alive and start Flying instead. It has the perfect gait inducing beat, that will transform your 20-something strut into a laid back shuffle worthy of the Dude. Do the ladies now flail themselves at me?

No...but one will occasionally trip in my wake now...big step up! 👍

2) Dealing with a persistent pest

Ever experience the frustration of debating something...like maybe Beatles tunes... and coming head-to-head with the loudest jackhammer in the place? 

That don't happen here, obviously... 

But, if it did, Flying is the perfect solution. 

Post it. 

LA LA LA lala... 

BAM! There's your easy win button, mi amigo. 

CYA jackhammer - you can't reach me! 👋

3) Bathrooming

Anyone who has reached a certain age has come to know the true importance of this room. Flying provides a multifaceted envelope that caters to most all aspects of this special experience. 

As outlined in the Walking section, you begin your procession with the perfect laid back gait...something that says - I'm in no rush. 

Control. It's all bout control. 

And once your throned, the la la la lala's take you on their magical mystery tour to toliet nirvana. 

Highly recommended. 🙂

4) Karaoke

Let's face it...we all ain't a bunch a @Nipsey 's and @fatguyinalittlecoat 's. Some of us less blessed in the vocalin' need to stop butchering  tunes that make us look worse than the fool on the hill. 🥴

Time for Flying! 

Not only are the lyrics easy to remember - it only took me a few hours - but it can encourage a sing-a-long that strategically masks my own wailings. Brilliant. 😌

Plus, if there is a jackhammer in the joint, you can flip him the bird as everyone sings la la la lala to him. 

5) Playlist transition 

As I compiled my 25, I did all the work on Spotify. As all here know, cutting down to 25 is not easy. 

My first cut had 83 songs. Over the next few days, I gradually moved some over to my 25 list. When I had 24 locked in, I scanned what was left of my original 83. Not a single one could seemingly make an argument that it was better than the others. 

Hmmm. 

Then I looked deeper into Flying. It was on my list. And I remembered my good friend ellipsis... 

Wikipedia:

"An ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, 'omission' or 'falling short') is a series of dots (typically three, such as "…") that usually indicates an intentional omission of a word, sentence, or whole section from a text without altering its original meaning.[1]"

Flying 

That was it! 

It was the perfect 3 dots to place at #25, because it encapsulated all the rest that nearly made my list...only to fall short...omitted. 

Flying, as Mr. K describes, transitions to my other equally loved tunes that couldn't make my 25. 

So, that's it. Nothing profound, but I do loves Flying. 

(Oh, I gotta give bonus points for the fact that it played to outtakes from Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove. One of my favs movies of all time. But that's another thread.)

Finally, to all you jackhammers out there that don't agree... 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?

LA LA LA lala... 🙂

Guido Merkins

The only song credited to Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Starkey, Flying is the only instrumental recorded by the Beatles that EMIO released.  Their pre-fame days had Cry for a Shadow and they attempted 12 Bar Original during the sessions for Rubber Soul, but that was never released.

Flying is meant to be kind of incidental music for the film Magical Mystery Tour and it had it’s own sequence with clouds and such which came across very badly in BBC black and white.  The main instrument is John on mellotron with everyone else on their main instruments.  The only other part that is different is the ending with tape loops and such, done by John and Ringo, apparently.  All of them contributed the wordless vocal.

The song is short, which makes it tolerable, but it’s a novelty.


 
There’s a Place is a shocker
We're generally not supposed to contribute our own lists to the overall discussion (Hey! That was mine at #so-and-so) without at least a discussion of why, but that made my list last time and would have this time if I'd taken advantage of the mulligan and bothered Getz again. But I didn't trust myself to not muck up the entire list, so there sits "There's A Place," lonely but with beautiful harmonies and a really strong melody, too. I especially like the strain in John and Paul's voice when they hit the high note "And that it's my mi-iii-nd/And there's no time/When I'm alone." 

Lovely song. Quite the mid-tempo rocker. 

 
We're generally not supposed to contribute our own lists to the overall discussion (Hey! That was mine at #so-and-so) without at least a discussion of why, but that made my list last time and would have this time if I'd taken advantage of the mulligan and bothered Getz again. But I didn't trust myself to not muck up the entire list, so there sits "There's A Place," lonely but with beautiful harmonies and a really strong melody, too. I especially like the strain in John and Paul's voice when they hit the high note "And that it's my mi-iii-nd/And there's no time/When I'm alone." 

Lovely song. Quite the mid-tempo rocker. 


I had it at #69 in 2019 (hey-o!) but would probably move it somewhere around 50 this year.

 

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