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

[Zegras11]

#krippling

#191

**sigh**

#165

suck it plebs

Cut Piece (feat. a young Matt Getz & 6:53)

#34

not really The Beatles thing but I’m a big fan of feminists singing murder ballads

#139

#107

It’s fine, I like it, like the concept, just doesn’t blow me away. Though SPLHCB was lauded for years as being a revolutionary “concept album”, there is little that holds the collection together beyond the opener and the Reprise. But it’s a great jam regardless.

#92

The quiet one was the one pushing his mates into a new paradigm. The first topical song (Taxman), sonic experiments like backward tracking, leading them into the discovery of TM and spirituality. Here (preceding the latter), denouncing drug culture once he realized it’s not really about higher consciousness or enlightenment but merely escapism. Harrison was an artist unafraid of honestly confronting himself.

#159

Throughout Help! we see continued  maturation. I have this 13th out 14 on the album but that just as reflects the depth and quality. 

#120 and 17/30 on the album. That’s gotta be peak, probably outside the Top 150 this morning lol.

#152

You have really crappy bingo cards

 

[Zegras11]

I Will
2022 Ranking: 110
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 31
Ranked Highest by:@fatguyinalittlecoat (4) Shaft41(son1) (17)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 97/2/17

Getz comments:  We are in the middle of a 16-song run of songs that received either two or three votes. After that, it’s almost all five or more. Two more first timers! 21 left to go...

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  117

2019 write-up:

I Will (White Album, 1968)

Beautiful and hummable, stuck-in-your-head song with a fabulous guitar line from Paul that sounds more George-like than George does.  Readers of my first post in this thread, which is none of you, will note my statement that I'm not sentimental or sappy.  As a result, this lovely song from the Paul McCartney automatic-song-generator gets high points for all of that plus its absolutely gorgeous harmonies but is docked compared to other songs due to its hokey lyrics:

Love you forever and forever

Love you with all my heart

Love you whenever we're together

Love you when we're apart.

  Mr. krista:  "THAT sounds like a song that was written in 1964.  It’s a lovely little Beatles tune.  They were in India when he wrote it so they were probably feeling particularly decent.  McCartney is best when he seems vulnerable."

Suggested cover:  Allison Krauss holy hell

2022 Supplement:  Paul has indicated that the melody for this song had been hanging around for a while before he finally set it down in February 1968 while in India; he still counts it as one of his favorite melodies he’s ever written.  The [Editors’ note:  dreadful] lyrics took him a while longer, kicking them around with Donovan after an evening of meditation but never becoming quite satisfied before deciding to go for “very simple words, straight love-song.”  He describes this as his being “in my troubadour mode,” not addressing the lyrics to Jane Asher or any particular person, but instead setting the words and music to a film he’s watching in his head.  This seems to tie to my earlier discussion of how John wrote more autobiographically, while Paul was more about imaginary worlds.

Paul must have been reading the 2019 thread.    In the Lyrics, he writes:  “This is a song about the joy of love.  Those are sometimes thought of as being soppy or sweet or saccharine.  Yes, I understand that.  But love can be the mightiest, strongest force on the planet.  Right now in Vietnam, or in Brazil, there are people falling in love.  They often want to have children.  It’s a strong, universal force.  It’s not soppy at all.”

Has Sir Paul convinced me?  Nah, I still hate the lyrics to this otherwise gorgeous song.

Guido Merkins

The Beatles wrote lots of songs in India.  One of them that Paul had a melody for, but had problems with the words was a song called I Will.  He finally just attached some very simple words to it and recorded it.

I Will features just Paul, John and Ringo.  Not sure what George was doing.  Paul on acoustic guitar, John and Ringo on percussion and Paul singing a bass line.  Paul has a gift for these types of songs with just himself on acoustic guitar.  Yesterday, Blackbird, even demos like Goodbye and into his solo career with Calico Skies from Flaming Pie.  I Will is one of those.  Paul would be a good guy to have around a campfire with just an acoustic guitar.

I Will is one of those songs I heard the first time I heard the White Album and I instantly loved it. Paul thought it was one of his best melodies and it came to him effortlessly. It sounds like it.

 

[Murph]

My wife and I used all Beatles songs for the music in our wedding ceremony. If I Will had been just a little bit longer I wanted to use it for the processional. Love that song.

 

[ProstheticRGK]

I Will is a song I love. Yeah, it's Paul at his saccharine worst/best. But it's a catchy earworm that is just beautiful. The lyrics are fluff, but they are sung beautifully.

I wouldn't ever put it in the pantheon of all time greats. I wouldn't recommend it to friends. But, I wouldn't change the channel, either.

 

[BobbyLayne]

I Will
2022 Ranking: 110
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 31
Ranked Highest by:@fatguyinalittlecoat (4) Shaft41(son1) (17)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 97/2/17

Getz comments:  We are in the middle of a 16-song run of songs that received either two or three votes. After that, it’s almost all five or more. Two more first timers! 21 left to go...

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  117

Perfectly serviceable Macca melody, at #104 (11th out of 30 on the White Album), I seem to like marginally better than some. Mr K4 is correct it has a 1964 feel to it but it’d fit right in with mid-80s Ebony & Ivory Paul. 

It’s pleasant. There’s a lot to like about Eggs Benedict: English muffin, Canadian bacon, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce - all good things. Unremarkable but still a great brunch. Same same here.

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

I Will
2022 Ranking: 110
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 31
Ranked Highest by:@fatguyinalittlecoat (4) Shaft41(son1) (17)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 97/2/17

Shaft41 son1 -

Seriously all of you other people are dead inside.  This song is just beautiful, I've loved it since the first time I heard it.  Yes, the lyrics are simple, that's part of the appeal.  It doesn't need a bunch of metaphors any more than it needs a bunch of other instruments.  From my perspective it gets the highest honor I can bestow upon any song -- I would not change even a single note or word, I think it's absolutely perfect as is.*  It feels personal and sincere and life affirming at the same time.  

*For what it's worth, this is sort of how I sorted through my list near the top.  I've always been a huge fan of the Abbey Road Medley but I found it hard to place a long multi-song medley among my other songs.  I decided that what I would do was place any song that I deemed "perfect" ahead of the medley, and any song that I had even a minor quibble with after the medley.  The medley was #6 on my list, "I Will" is the first revealed of my five perfect Beatles songs.  The other four probably won't show up until the top 50 I'd guess.

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

Yeah my parents are both in their 80s.  Dad listens to classical music mostly.  Mom is weirdly non-musical.*. My brother and I had to learn everything on our own.

*Like, I have literally never heard her choose to play music or say she liked a certain type of music.  She claims she is tone deaf.  One time she was at my high school and they were playing the National Anthem over the loudspeaker and everyone was supposed to be still but she was just walking around in the halls because she “didn’t recognize the song.”

I can't think of any person I know who doesn't play music.  It's so far out of my understanding that I'm oddly fascinated by it.  What goes on in their cars?

[ringo]What goes on in their minds?[/ringo]

I talked to my mom this morning, and inspired by this exchange, I asked her some questions.  It's all so weird to me, here's are the highlights:

• Do you have a favorite musical artist? No.
  
• Do you ever listen to music when you're alone? No.
  
• You and Dad go to the symphony and the opera and other musical performances pretty regularly, do you enjoy them? I like the atmosphere and the socializing but I don't really get anything out of the music, I guess it's OK.
  

She did indicate that when she was a young teacher many years ago, she believes her "disability" with respect to music made her a more understanding teacher for kids who struggled with things like reading or math.  She would sympathize with their struggles and wouldn't assume it was due to lack of effort because she was aware of her own challenges trying to identify and enjoy music.  She says she feels lucky that she's highly capable in other areas, and that not "getting" music hasn't really been a hardship for her because she gets lots of enjoyment from other aspects of life. 

 

[Zegras11]

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
2022 Ranking: 109
2022 Lists: 3
2022 Points: 31
Ranked Highest by: @Gr00vus (12) Krista(Mom/Hub) (17) Krista(TJ/Alex) (17)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 106T/1/14

Getz:  Fond memories of this played on the Dr. D show.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  153

2019 write-up:

Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Abbey Road, 1969)

A favorite of noted FFA nice-guy @Gr00vus, this song might be the only one with Ringo listed on "anvil."  I've probably rated this higher than many others would, including the rest of the Beatles who all hated it.  John didn't even play on it but claimed that the numerous takes led it to cost more money to make than anything else on the record.  

It's another bit of Paul's "granny music" with a made-up cast of characters, so different in style to the more personal songwriting of John and George.  I loved this description from Paul of the differences in their writing styles:  "Some of my songs are based on personal experiences, but my style is to veil it.  A lot of them are made up, like 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer,' which is the kind of song I like to write.  It's just a silly story about all these people I'd never met.  It's just like writing a play:  you don't have to know the people; you just make them up.  I remember George once saying to me, 'I couldn't write songs like that.'  He writes more from personal experience.  John's style was to show the naked truth.  If I was a painter, I'd probably mask things a little bit more than some people."

Though in a similar style, it gets a slight nod from me over "When I'm Sixty-Four" by virtue of the fact that it cracks me the hell up. You can just find yourself humming along with this jaunty ditty and then realize it's about murder.  Paul McCartney is one weird dude.  He has said that the song is supposed to be symbolic of when something suddenly goes wrong in your life (all is going well and then "bang bang!"), but I prefer just to enjoy it as a homicidal rampage.

The song's placement on Abbey Road seems a little jarring to me, so I wasn't surprised to learn that Paul originally wrote it for the White Album but it wasn't recorded in time to make the cut.  My favorite aspects of this song are those anvil hits on the "Bang bang," the synth, the slurring of the bass to make it sound like a tuba, and of course the humor.  Paul sings it in a fashion almost like he's telling a children's story - a violent, gruesome children's story.

Mr. krista:  "I think the lyrics are good.  I like songs about guys who kill people with hammers. But I don’t much like this song."

Suggested cover:  Though it's from The Film That Shall Not Be Named, I'm such a fan of his that I can't resist:  Steve Martin

2022 Supplement:  I wonder if this will get a “Get Back” bump, as I’d think seeing Mal Evans on the anvil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifPOpFY5LyE) or John’s version of the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a281gs_OQq4) might have charmed people.  Paul has ascribed some of the time spent on this song, which he pegs at three days, to the fact that Robert Moog showed up to Abbey Road with his Moog synthesizer, and they were having fun playing around with that.  He does acknowledge that the other Beatles were getting pissed at how much time they spent on this, though he also has said that, no matter what troubles they were having, they was always great joy among them in the studio right until the end, which I think we’ve seen in the Get Back documentary.  But a bit sadly, he has analogized the feel of this song to the end of the Beatles, too:  “…there we were, recording a song like ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ and knowing we would never have the opportunity to perform it.  That possibility was over.  It had been knocked on the head like one of Maxwell’s victims.  Bang bang.”

Fun fact:  Paul took the word “pataphysical,” which he rhymed with “quizzical,” from a radio broadcast he heard of a work by French dramatist Alfred Jarry, which was subtitled “a pataphysial extravaganza.”  The “word” is just a bit of nonsense with no meaning, that was meant to poke fun at intellectuals, and Paul loved the idea of using it in this rhyme scheme.

2022 Mr. krista Supplement:  I like this a lot more than I did.  I really enjoyed seeing Mal Evans with the anvil.  This doughy, pudgy dude forging a knife off-time…he never got the bang-bang part right, could never get his hammer up in time.  The lyrics are fun and they seemed to be having a good time and not taking it seriously.  In the documentary it looked like John had a lot of fun with it, too.

Guido Merkins

John, George, and Ringo all hated this song.  Paul liked to write these kind of old fashioned jazzy numbers.  I can deal with When I’m 64 because it fits the Sgt Pepper album in theme and musically.  But Paul had, at least, one of these songs, seemingly, for every album he released, even into the 1970s.  Some are better than others.  This one I’m not a huge fan of.

Paul was trying to contrast the kind of corny music with the telling of the story of a serial killer who killed people with a “bang bang Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon his/her head.”  Mal Evans sat and banged an anvil with a hammer as a sound effect.  This song, like some of the others on Abbey Road features a Moog synthesizer. 

The other Beatles claimed that they spent weeks on the song.  Paul claimed that they spent 3 hours.  The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but this is, IMO, the weakest song on Abbey Road, by far.  Hard to believe that almost any of the songs that we know George had for All Things Must Pass wouldn’t have been better than this.

 

[krista4]

She did indicate that when she was a young teacher many years ago, she believes her "disability" with respect to music made her a more understanding teacher for kids who struggled with things like reading or math.  She would sympathize with their struggles and wouldn't assume it was due to lack of effort because she was aware of her own challenges trying to identify and enjoy music.  She says she feels lucky that she's highly capable in other areas, and that not "getting" music hasn't really been a hardship for her because she gets lots of enjoyment from other aspects of life. 

This part is sweet and lovely.

I wonder if there’s a name for this condition.  Seems like something Oliver Sacks would have studied.  I wonder if he addressed it in Musicophilia, which I bought but never got around to reading.

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

This part is sweet and lovely.

I wonder if there’s a name for this condition.  Seems like something Oliver Sacks would have studied.  I wonder if he addressed it in Musicophilia, which I bought but never got around to reading.

Musical anhedonia

Somebody posted this earlier but now I can’t find it in the thread.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

The best thing about the no music crowd is that they are never the ones that borrow your favorite album and "forget" to return it.

 

[krista4]

Musical anhedonia

Somebody posted this earlier but now I can’t find it in the thread.

3-5% of the world's population?   

 

[ProstheticRGK]

When I hear Maxwell's Silver Hammer, I have musical anhedonia. Even worse, I have "I hate this ####### songadonia".

I can't put my finger on what it is, but it is like nails on a chalkboard for me. I would rank it 312 out of 206. And the b.s. recording sessions during Get Back, with Mal banging on the anvil made me hate it even more. I love Steve Martin, but I want to throat punch him when I see that video.

Seriously, I cannot state this plainly enough: everything about this song is annoying and horrible.

 

[krista4]

When I hear Maxwell's Silver Hammer, I have musical anhedonia. Even worse, I have "I hate this ####### songadonia".

I can't put my finger on what it is, but it is like nails on a chalkboard for me. I would rank it 312 out of 206. And the b.s. recording sessions during Get Back, with Mal banging on the anvil made me hate it even more. I love Steve Martin, but I want to throat punch him when I see that video.

Seriously, I cannot state this plainly enough: everything about this song is annoying and horrible.

     

 

[simey]

I Will

This is a sweet song. The cover by Alison Krauss is great. She has a tenderness in her voice sorta like Dolly does.

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

This is a sweet song. The cover by Alison Krauss is great. She has a tenderness in her voice sorta like Dolly does.

Yeah that version kills.

It also reminds me that the lyric haters are totally missing one of my favorite rhymes, the:

Sing it loud so I can hear you
Make it easy to be near you
For the things you do endear you to me
You know I will
 

I love the way the “endear you” hits it on the nose right in the middle of the sentence.  That’s good songwriting to me.

 

[simey]

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer

This song sounds like it would be in a musical. I watched the Steve Martin clip   The movie it is from is what got me into Beatles music. The movie was fun and groovy at the time, but if I were to watch it back now, I have this feeling that it probably didn't age well, and maybe it wasn't as good as I thought.   Anyway, I enjoyed it at the time, and it got me into the Beatles, and I got to watch the Bee Gees, and the popcorn was good.    I would love to watch it again after all these years.

 

[krista4]

Yeah that version kills.

It also reminds me that the lyric haters are totally missing one of my favorite rhymes, the:

Sing it loud so I can hear you
Make it easy to be near you
For the things you do endear you to me
You know I will
 

I love the way the “endear you” hits it on the nose right in the middle of the sentence.  That’s good songwriting to me.

I agree with you on that and am glad you pointed it out!

 

[krista4]

I didn't post a "today in Beatles history" yesterday not because it was an uneventful day, but because I forgot.  However, I now see that February 26 was indeed an uneventful day.  Regular slate of shows in the early 60s, studio time for A Hard Day's Night in 1964, filming of Help! in 1965, etc.  So instead I'll report that on February 26, 1932, Johnny Cash was born!  To tie to the Beatles, here's the song that Paul wrote while visiting the Johnny in Jamaica in the mid-80s:  New Moon Over Jamaica  Johnny and Paul recorded and released in in 1988; that's June, Linda, and Tom T. Hall on backing vocals.

February 27 is more of the same touring, filming, recording.  On this date in 1965, however, the Beatles for Sale album returned to the #1 position on the UK charts, having been displaced after seven weeks at #1 by The Rolling Stones #2.  The Beatles returned the favor by retaking the spot after the Stones' album had spent only that one week there.  Take that, Mick! 

 

[BobbyLayne]

Actually actually had Eggs Benedict for brunch just now. ‘twas amazing.

 

[BobbyLayne]

February 27 is more of the same touring, filming, recording.  On this date in 1965, however, the Beatles for Sale album returned to the #1 position on the UK charts, having been displaced after seven weeks at #1 by The Rolling Stones #2.  The Beatles returned the favor by retaking the spot after the Stones' album had spent only that one week there.  Take that, Mick! 

It’s really cool to know they were all good friends in the swinging London 60s.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
2022 Ranking: 109
2022 Lists: 3
2022 Points: 31
Ranked Highest by: @Gr00vus (12) Krista(Mom/Hub) (17) Krista(TJ/Alex) (17)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 106T/1/14

Getz:  Fond memories of this played on the Dr. D show.
 

straight trolling

#172 and 9th out of 10 on Abbey Road

this is a :Honda: but worth it:

MAXWELL'S SILVER HAMMER

JOHN LENNON: "That's Paul's. I hate it. 'Cause all I remember is the track - he made us do it a hundred million times. He did everything to make it into a single and it never was and it never could've been, but he put guitar licks on it and he had somebody hitting iron pieces and we spent more money on that song than any of them in the whole album. I think.

GEORGE HARRISON: "Sometimes Paul would make us do these really fruity songs. I mean, my god, 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' was so fruity. After a while we did a good job on it, but when Paul got an idea or an arrangement in his head... But Paul's really writing for a 14-year-old audience now anvhow.

RINGO STAR: "The worst session ever was 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer.' It was the worst track we ever had to record. It went on for ####### weeks. I thought it was mad."

PAUL McCARTNEY: "They got annoyed because 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' took three days to record. Big deal."

 

[Zegras11]

I love that song, so I'm going to wait three days to post the next one so you guys get all annoyed.

Now sing with me, "Bang!, Bang! Maxwell's Silver Hammer...."

 

[Wrighteous Ray]

Today I will talk a little about some of the songs I chose and why.  I assume that I, like most everyone else, has reviewed their picks and wished that maybe they had chosen differently.  Choosing just 25 was really difficult and at the end, I was just scrambling.  Anyway, all of my comments will be simplistic reasons as I don't know what particular interesting instruments or devices were used on a particular song.  I have been really amazed to find that they all played multiple instruments, so I usually don't know who is playing what.  Well, I can guess that Ringo is playing drums the majority of the time, although I do know that the others stepped in once in a while.  So, again, these are songs I enjoy:

#24 on my list - I Don't Want to Spoil the Party.  I think this reflects my country song upbringing as it is a typical "lost my woman and I'm sad" song.  However, this one is still more upbeat than most of the older ones and the voices are really good.  I actually hear Roseanne Cash do her cover of this on the Beatles channel before I heard their original and I liked hers, too.

#22 on my list - Roll Over Beethoven.  Again, this take me back to the rock and roll in the "50's, which I loved and I think the lyrics are fun.  I also really enjoy guitar music.  I had both this and Rock and Roll Music on my list at one time and I'm not sure why I chose this.  Probably the guitar!

#21 in my list - Old Brown Shoe.  I have to admit that I'm not sure why I chose this.  And after reading the comments about sounding like he was singing in a bathtub, that is all I can think about.  I just think it's a funny kind of love song with pretty weird lyrics relating to how he feels about the girl.  And, of course, there is the guitar.   Maybe I just felt George needed a little love that day I chose it.

 

[Zegras11]

She’s A Woman
2022 Ranking: 107T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 32
Ranked Highest by: @Anarchy99 (2) @Pip's Invitation(18)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR

Getz comments:  A99 becomes the first with 8 songs off the board.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  112

2019 write-up:

She's a Woman (single, 1964)

Guitar work is the star of this bluesy number, from John's jarring, stabby off-beat rhythm guitar (though listen for him to miss a chord ~1:24) to George's excellent double-tracked solo in his usual Chet-Atkins style.  Notable as possibly the first drug reference in a Beatles song, which surprisingly escaped the censors:  "Turn me on when I get lonely" came from John in reference to pot, which they'd recently tried for the first time while hanging with Bob Dylan.  Love the driving guitars and the overall vibe, but I dock it a bit for silly lyrics, especially the opening line:  "My love don't give me presents; I know that she's no peasant."  Just kinda dumb.

Mr. krista:  "I think it’s a fine song.  Probably not a great song.  But what do those lyrics mean?  [Discussion of “peasant” and “presents” v “presence.”]  Favorite part of the song is the guitar jabs."

Unsuggested covers WTF:  Scritti Politti feat. Shabba Ranks  Jeff Beck feat. ####### talkbox

2022 Supplement:  Paul has cited Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman” and Little Richard’s “Good Golly, Miss Molly” as influences on this song, with the former being pretty obvious to me musically.  But Paul takes it further to cite these based on their lyrics, specifically calling someone a “woman” instead of a “girl” as the Beatles had been doing:  “…she’s not a girl, she’s a woman.  Because this was the interesting thing:  when does a girl become a woman?”  He goes on to say that until they were about 21, they’d considered them “girls” but “now we could dare to think of ourselves as men, and could think of girls as women.”

Paul also credited John for his excellent guitar work on this, terming it “instead…of putting like a watercolour wash over it all with his guitar he just stabbed on the off-beats.”  This song has always been a favorite of Paul’s.  Here he is doing a great acoustic version in 1991 on MTV Unplugged:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8twL2gqJyY

Guido Merkins

The Beatles were no stranger to substances.  In Hamburg, the drank heavily and took uppers to stay awake.  One day, while meeting Bob Dylan, he turned them on to marijuana.  From that point on, pot became one of their go to substances.  So when Paul came in with an song called She’s A Woman, they were both excited to include the line “turn me on when I get lonely” which became the first drug reference in any Beatles song.

She’s A Woman ended up being the B side of the I Feel Fine single.  It featured a very bluesy vocal from Paul and very biting, on the off beat rhythm guitar by John.  Paul had experimented with this kind of vocal before, on Can’t Buy Me Love (on Anthology 1), but this time he decided to keep it.  It’s near the top of his vocal range which adds to the excitement.  I also love Ringo riding the cymbals during the break “she’s a woman who understands…”  Otherwise the song would be too much of the same thing.

Really good song.  A side material for most bands, but for the Beatles, just a B side.

 

[ProstheticRGK]

I love that song, so I'm going to wait three days to post the next one so you guys get all annoyed.

Now sing with me, "Bang!, Bang! Maxwell's Silver Hammer...."

If you love it so much, why isn't it in your top 25?

GEORGE HARRISON: "Sometimes Paul would make us do these really fruity songs. I mean, my god, 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' was so fruity. After a while we did a good job on it, but when Paul got an idea or an arrangement in his head... But Paul's really writing for a 14-year-old audience now anyhow.

 

[Zegras11]

GEORGE HARRISON: "Sometimes Paul would make us do these really fruity songs. I mean, my god, 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' was so fruity. After a while we did a good job on it, but when Paul got an idea or an arrangement in his head... But Paul's really writing for a 14-year-old audience now anvhow.

If you love it so much, why isn't it in your top 25?

GEORGE HARRISON: "Sometimes Paul would make us do these really fruity songs. I mean, my god, 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' was so fruity. After a while we did a good job on it, but when Paul got an idea or an arrangement in his head... But Paul's really writing for a 14-year-old audience now anyhow.

Baby, you can drive my Honda. 

 

[Zegras11]

Chalk Rankings Top 10. #107T = 65.5 pts. each Sponsored by: Elon Musk
 

1 --anarchy99---300

2 --Krista (Sharon)---289.5

3 --OTB_Lifer---272

4 --Krista (Worth)---213.5

5 --Krista (Rob)---198.5

6 --Wrighteous Ray---197.5

7 --Man Of Constant Sorrow---166

8 --Krista (Mom/Hub)---165

9 --rockaction---149

10 --murph---142

 

[BobbyLayne]

Baby, you can drive my Honda. 

Beep beep'm beep beep yeah

”alright lads this is take 9413 we’re almost there now”

the lads response

 

[ProstheticRGK]

Baby, you can drive my Honda. 

I copied it from @BobbyLayne's post. 

It was so perfect, it had to be repeated.

 

[BobbyLayne]

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
Let's all get up and dance to a song
That was a hit before your mother was born
Though she was born a long, long time ago
Your mother should know (Your mother should)
Your mother should know (Know)
Sing it again
Let's all get up and dance to a song
That was a hit before your mother was born
Though she was born a long, long time ago
Your mother should know (Your mother should)
Your mother should know (Know)

[Bridge]

[Verse 2]
Lift up your hearts and sing me a song
That was a hit before your mother was born
Though she was born a long, long time ago
Your mother should know (Your mother should)
Your mother should know (Know)
Your mother should know (Your mother should)
Your mother should know (Know)

- a lyrical genius, probably 

Per the lyricist –

I’ve always hated generation gaps. I always feel sorry for a parent or a child that doesn’t understand each other. A mother not being understood by her child is particularly sad because the mother went through pain to have that child, and so there is this incredible bond of motherly love, like an animal bond between them, but because we mess things up so readily they have one argument and hate each other for the rest of their lives. So I was advocating peace between the generations. In ‘Your Mother Should Know,’ I was basically trying to say your mother might know more than you think she does. Give her credit.

 

[simey]

She’s A Woman

I like this song. I think it is cool how Paul can change his singing voice to fit certain songs, and it usually works out well.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

The best thing about the no music crowd is that they are never the ones that borrow your favorite album and "forget" to return it.

This reminds me, some guy from down the street named Max borrowed a hammer from me.  Never did get it back.

 

[Zegras11]

Because
2022 Ranking: 107T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 32
Ranked Highest by: @Dwayne Hoover (6) @Shaft41 (14)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 109/1/13

Getz comments:  DH now on the board.  Down to 20...

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  139

2019 write-up:

Because (Abbey Road, 1969)

Listen, this is unquestionably a great song.  It's placement at #139 isn't a reflection of how masterful it is, but instead a function of (1) its being a song I admire more than love, and (2) the Beatles, man.  There are so many of their songs I find myself wanting to hear more often.

The construction of the song is one of the intriguing aspects; the story goes that John was listening to Yoko play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on the piano and used those chords, played backwards, to frame the song.  The lyrics are straightforward, or as John termed them "no bull####."  The real star for me is the three-part harmony that is triple-tracked to make it seem like a choir.  The ending of the song is great.  Haunting, gorgeous...this is a song that when the mood strikes you, there's nothing better.  The mood just doesn't strike me all that often.

Mr. krista:  "I kinda like that song.  Interesting structure.  Seems more like choral music.  When is the last time they did three-part harmonies throughout?  Harpsichord doing a guitar line.  It must have been a ####### ##### to record."

Suggested covers:  Elliott Smith  George Clinton   I do not suggest the following terrifying cover:  Devo

2022 Supplement:  John gives credit for the harmonies to George Martin (who agreed that he had to tell the three exactly which notes to sing:  “As for the harmonies, I just asked George Martin, or whoever was 'round, 'What's the alternative to thirds and fifths?' as they're the only ones I know, and he would play them on a piano, and we'd say, 'Oh, we'll have that one.' So, I couldn't tell you what they are, I just know it's harmony.”

George has said these were difficult harmonies to sing, as they were out of practice on them, and Geoff Emerick reported that the three practiced each pass 20-30 times before moving on, the problem not being in the pitch but in the phrasing.  The recording of this portion was particularly intimate, with all four of the Beatles (including Ringo for moral support) in a semi-circle, the lights turned down low.  It took over five hours to get the vocals right, an amount of time they would have taken for practically an entire album in the early years, but unlike the marathon sessions for some of Paul’s “granny music,” all four Beatles seemed to want to put in that effort in a quest for perfection on this song.  Emerick has said he never heard complaints, and unlike most of their sessions this one was deeply serious, without their usual clowning around.  He paints a beautiful picture of a team at its peak:  “That day I saw the four Beatles at their finest: there was one hundred percent concentration from all of them – even Ringo, sitting quietly with his eyes closed, silently urging his bandmates on to their best performance – all working in tandem to get that vocal nailed, spot on. It was a stark example of the kind of teamwork that had been so sorely lacking for years.”

The vocals in isolation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmZw8BuqU10

Guido Merkins

Believe it or not, Yoko Ono is actually a classically trained musician.  One day she was with John playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and John asked her if she could reverse the chords.  Around that experiment, John wrote Because for the Abbey Road album.  Now whether or not it’s EXACTLY Moonlight Sonata backwards is disputed elsewhere, but regardless, that’s where John got the inspiration.

Because is known mostly for the gorgeous 3 part harmonies by John, Paul, and George which, according to George were really hard to learn and perfect.  It is also notable in that there is an electric harpsichord and a Moog synthesizer.  John plays electric guitar with George Martin on the harpsichord.  There are no drums on the track, but apparently, George Martin was worried about his ability to keep time with John since the guitar and harpsichord had to echo each other, so Martin had Ringo hitting the high hat and had that fed into the cans to keep time.  Ringo the metronome!!!!!

The lyrics for the song are very straightforward or as John said “no bull####, no imagery.”  And they are quite beautiful “because the world is round it turns me on”, “because the sky is blue it makes me cry”, etc. 

If you want to hear those harmonies naked, so to speak, head on over to Anthology 3.  Apparently they dubbed the harmonies a few times because it sounds like more than 3 voices.  I think I remember Mark Lewison saying they dubbed it 3 times, so it would be like 9 voices.

 

[BobbyLayne]

She’s a Woman

Paul wrote the 1964 B side to I Feel Fine the same day it was recorded. #145 on my list and 24th of 32 singles (e.g., smack dab in the middle of the B side releases if we were to presume all the Side As all ranked higher.)

Those observations don’t mean much. Sometimes a great song tumbles out in five minutes, other times it takes months to finish. Plenty of B side single trump the A side. But just being completely honest, I’d have to play a few bars to remember why I liked it. And I wouldn’t have rabies if this high if I didn’t.

Weird I find it unmemorable.

[takes 2 minute break]

OMG yes!! Such a great jam. btw, isn’t it hilarious how they play so fast / hyped up & then between songs Paul sounds like a 3 pack a day smoker who just climbed six flights?

Because

140th overall and 7th out of 10 from Abbey Road in my lousy bingo rankings.

isolated vocal track

isolated guitars

isolated bass

 

[simey]

Because

Dig those harmonies. I find this song soothing. I love side 2 of Abbey Road. 

 

[DocHolliday]

Dig those harmonies. I find this song soothing. I love side 2 of Abbey Road. 

Soothing is a great description.   Lovely song.   

 

[Zegras11]

Think For Yourself
2022 Ranking: 106
2022 Lists: 3
2022 Points: 32
Ranked Highest by: @Encyclopedia Brown (11) @FairWarning (12) Krista(Sharon) (23)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR

Getz comments:  Just four more NR songs after this one. Sharon takes the Chalk lead back.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  149

2019 write-up:

Think for Yourself (Rubber Soul, 1965)

I shouldn't love a song just based on maracas and fuzzbox bass, but those are what do it for me in this song.  I'd listen to that #### all day.  Add in some soaring harmonies contrasted with gloomy George lyrics and performance, with an edge of the cynicism he'll be more blatant about in "Taxman" and "Piggies," and you got yourself a krista-approved keeper.  

Mr. krista and I obviously think for ourselves, as his opinion is polar opposite:  "Digging that fuzzy organ.  I like that it rocks pretty hard.  I could have done without most everything but the organ and the drums. Seems like a good mid-tempo rock where I could listen to it more and have it grow on me."

Suggested cover:  Pete Shelley (RIP)  In honor of the lyrics to "I'll Get You," I'll mention that I really really really really like this cover.

2022 Supplement:  2022 me likes more than just the fuzzy bass and has a greater appreciation for the lyrics and feel of this song.  It was George’s first song about something other than girls/love that the Beatles recorded, though years later George couldn’t recall later toward whom his vitriol was targeted, saying it was “probably the government.”  Seems a good guess, especially given the later works such as “Taxman” and “Piggies.”  Regardless, this song represented a large leap in George’s songwriting abilities.

As much as I hate what he did to Let It Be, I must begrudgingly give credit to Phil Spector for the fuzzbox bass that I love so much in this song.  George has said that he and many other musicians were so inspired by Spector’s sound on this version of “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWOkSyR_NhU that a fuzz box was invented.  For this song, the group used a fuzzbox device called “The Tone Bender” that had been given to them in 1965.

Fun fact:  a snippet of Paul and George working on the line “you’ve got time to rectify” from this song was used in the movie “Yellow Submarine.”

Guido Merkins

George Harrison wrote his first real song in 1964 which was Don’t Bother Me on the With the Beatles album.  George often said that John and Paul “wrote all their bad songs before we became famous.”  George did struggle at first to write a lot of great songs, but by 1965 and the Rubber Soul album, George was starting to come into his own with two great songs.  Think For Yourself was one of those.

“Although your mind’s opaque, try thinking more for your own sake” plus the chorus of “think for yourself cause I won’t be there with you” kind of tells you the theme of the song.  George is railing against those that live a life without thought.  This is kind of George’s version of a Dylan song.  Several songs that George wrote, including this one, show just as much cynicism as anything John wrote. George was forming his own voice.

Musically, the best part of the song is the fuzz bass, played by Paul.  The fuzz bass acts like a lead guitar on the song with Paul also playing a normal bass line within the same song.  I think I read somewhere that the fuzz bass was played on Paul’s Rickenbacker bass and the normal bass is the Hofner bass.  Also, as is the case with most Beatles songs, the harmonies are exquisite on this song.

 

[Zegras11]

Chalk Rankings Top 10. #106 = 67 pts. each Sponsored by: https://twitter.com/WCKitchen
 

1 --Krista (Sharon)---356.5

2 --anarchy99---300

3 --OTB_Lifer---272

4 --Krista (Worth)---213.5

5 --Krista (Rob)---198.5

6 --Wrighteous Ray---197.5

7 --Encyclopedia Brown---192.5

8 --Man Of Constant Sorrow---166

9 --Krista (Mom/Hub)---165

10 --rockaction---149

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Think For Yourself
2022 Ranking: 106

#40 for me.

Georgefest!!!

 

[Dwayne Hoover]

Because
2022 Ranking: 107T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 32
Ranked Highest by: @Dwayne Hoover (6) @Shaft41 (14)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 109/1/13

Getz comments:  DH now on the board.  Down to 20...

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  139

2019 write-up:

Because (Abbey Road, 1969)

It's the harmonies that does it for me.  They are really on point here.  Great song

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I Will
2022 Ranking: 110
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 31
Ranked Highest by:@fatguyinalittlecoat (4) Shaft41(son1) (17)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 97/2/17

Getz comments:  We are in the middle of a 16-song run of songs that received either two or three votes. After that, it’s almost all five or more. Two more first timers! 21 left to go...

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  117

2019 write-up:

I Will (White Album, 1968)

Beautiful and hummable, stuck-in-your-head song with a fabulous guitar line from Paul that sounds more George-like than George does.  Readers of my first post in this thread, which is none of you, will note my statement that I'm not sentimental or sappy.  As a result, this lovely song from the Paul McCartney automatic-song-generator gets high points for all of that plus its absolutely gorgeous harmonies but is docked compared to other songs due to its hokey lyrics:

Love you forever and forever

Love you with all my heart

Love you whenever we're together

Love you when we're apart.

  Mr. krista:  "THAT sounds like a song that was written in 1964.  It’s a lovely little Beatles tune.  They were in India when he wrote it so they were probably feeling particularly decent.  McCartney is best when he seems vulnerable."

Suggested cover:  Allison Krauss holy hell

2022 Supplement:  Paul has indicated that the melody for this song had been hanging around for a while before he finally set it down in February 1968 while in India; he still counts it as one of his favorite melodies he’s ever written.  The [Editors’ note:  dreadful] lyrics took him a while longer, kicking them around with Donovan after an evening of meditation but never becoming quite satisfied before deciding to go for “very simple words, straight love-song.”  He describes this as his being “in my troubadour mode,” not addressing the lyrics to Jane Asher or any particular person, but instead setting the words and music to a film he’s watching in his head.  This seems to tie to my earlier discussion of how John wrote more autobiographically, while Paul was more about imaginary worlds.

Paul must have been reading the 2019 thread.    In the Lyrics, he writes:  “This is a song about the joy of love.  Those are sometimes thought of as being soppy or sweet or saccharine.  Yes, I understand that.  But love can be the mightiest, strongest force on the planet.  Right now in Vietnam, or in Brazil, there are people falling in love.  They often want to have children.  It’s a strong, universal force.  It’s not soppy at all.”

Has Sir Paul convinced me?  Nah, I still hate the lyrics to this otherwise gorgeous song.

Guido Merkins

The Beatles wrote lots of songs in India.  One of them that Paul had a melody for, but had problems with the words was a song called I Will.  He finally just attached some very simple words to it and recorded it.

I Will features just Paul, John and Ringo.  Not sure what George was doing.  Paul on acoustic guitar, John and Ringo on percussion and Paul singing a bass line.  Paul has a gift for these types of songs with just himself on acoustic guitar.  Yesterday, Blackbird, even demos like Goodbye and into his solo career with Calico Skies from Flaming Pie.  I Will is one of those.  Paul would be a good guy to have around a campfire with just an acoustic guitar.

I Will is one of those songs I heard the first time I heard the White Album and I instantly loved it. Paul thought it was one of his best melodies and it came to him effortlessly. It sounds like it.

A love song that is not silly. The mouth-bass and gentle percussion give it a texture that most of the acoustic singer-songwriter stuff of the time didn't have. Would probably get more attention if it wasn't on the same album as Blackbird, Martha My Dear and Mother Nature's Son (and Rocky Raccoon, I guess). 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
2022 Ranking: 109
2022 Lists: 3
2022 Points: 31
Ranked Highest by: @Gr00vus (12) Krista(Mom/Hub) (17) Krista(TJ/Alex) (17)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 106T/1/14

Getz:  Fond memories of this played on the Dr. D show.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  153

2019 write-up:

Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Abbey Road, 1969)

A favorite of noted FFA nice-guy @Gr00vus, this song might be the only one with Ringo listed on "anvil."  I've probably rated this higher than many others would, including the rest of the Beatles who all hated it.  John didn't even play on it but claimed that the numerous takes led it to cost more money to make than anything else on the record.  

It's another bit of Paul's "granny music" with a made-up cast of characters, so different in style to the more personal songwriting of John and George.  I loved this description from Paul of the differences in their writing styles:  "Some of my songs are based on personal experiences, but my style is to veil it.  A lot of them are made up, like 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer,' which is the kind of song I like to write.  It's just a silly story about all these people I'd never met.  It's just like writing a play:  you don't have to know the people; you just make them up.  I remember George once saying to me, 'I couldn't write songs like that.'  He writes more from personal experience.  John's style was to show the naked truth.  If I was a painter, I'd probably mask things a little bit more than some people."

Though in a similar style, it gets a slight nod from me over "When I'm Sixty-Four" by virtue of the fact that it cracks me the hell up. You can just find yourself humming along with this jaunty ditty and then realize it's about murder.  Paul McCartney is one weird dude.  He has said that the song is supposed to be symbolic of when something suddenly goes wrong in your life (all is going well and then "bang bang!"), but I prefer just to enjoy it as a homicidal rampage.

The song's placement on Abbey Road seems a little jarring to me, so I wasn't surprised to learn that Paul originally wrote it for the White Album but it wasn't recorded in time to make the cut.  My favorite aspects of this song are those anvil hits on the "Bang bang," the synth, the slurring of the bass to make it sound like a tuba, and of course the humor.  Paul sings it in a fashion almost like he's telling a children's story - a violent, gruesome children's story.

Mr. krista:  "I think the lyrics are good.  I like songs about guys who kill people with hammers. But I don’t much like this song."

Suggested cover:  Though it's from The Film That Shall Not Be Named, I'm such a fan of his that I can't resist:  Steve Martin

2022 Supplement:  I wonder if this will get a “Get Back” bump, as I’d think seeing Mal Evans on the anvil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifPOpFY5LyE) or John’s version of the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a281gs_OQq4) might have charmed people.  Paul has ascribed some of the time spent on this song, which he pegs at three days, to the fact that Robert Moog showed up to Abbey Road with his Moog synthesizer, and they were having fun playing around with that.  He does acknowledge that the other Beatles were getting pissed at how much time they spent on this, though he also has said that, no matter what troubles they were having, they was always great joy among them in the studio right until the end, which I think we’ve seen in the Get Back documentary.  But a bit sadly, he has analogized the feel of this song to the end of the Beatles, too:  “…there we were, recording a song like ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ and knowing we would never have the opportunity to perform it.  That possibility was over.  It had been knocked on the head like one of Maxwell’s victims.  Bang bang.”

Fun fact:  Paul took the word “pataphysical,” which he rhymed with “quizzical,” from a radio broadcast he heard of a work by French dramatist Alfred Jarry, which was subtitled “a pataphysial extravaganza.”  The “word” is just a bit of nonsense with no meaning, that was meant to poke fun at intellectuals, and Paul loved the idea of using it in this rhyme scheme.

2022 Mr. krista Supplement:  I like this a lot more than I did.  I really enjoyed seeing Mal Evans with the anvil.  This doughy, pudgy dude forging a knife off-time…he never got the bang-bang part right, could never get his hammer up in time.  The lyrics are fun and they seemed to be having a good time and not taking it seriously.  In the documentary it looked like John had a lot of fun with it, too.

Guido Merkins

John, George, and Ringo all hated this song.  Paul liked to write these kind of old fashioned jazzy numbers.  I can deal with When I’m 64 because it fits the Sgt Pepper album in theme and musically.  But Paul had, at least, one of these songs, seemingly, for every album he released, even into the 1970s.  Some are better than others.  This one I’m not a huge fan of.

Paul was trying to contrast the kind of corny music with the telling of the story of a serial killer who killed people with a “bang bang Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon his/her head.”  Mal Evans sat and banged an anvil with a hammer as a sound effect.  This song, like some of the others on Abbey Road features a Moog synthesizer. 

The other Beatles claimed that they spent weeks on the song.  Paul claimed that they spent 3 hours.  The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but this is, IMO, the weakest song on Abbey Road, by far.  Hard to believe that almost any of the songs that we know George had for All Things Must Pass wouldn’t have been better than this.

Could pass for a children's song if the lyrics weren't about murder. I have no idea what Paul was going for here. One of only two weak links on Abbey Road (the other is Octopus's Garden, and I may well rank this behind that one). I almost wish they had gotten this one down for Let It Be so they could have put something better in its place on AR. Every Night existed by then.  

 

[Pip's Invitation]

She’s A Woman
2022 Ranking: 107T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 32
Ranked Highest by: @Anarchy99 (2) @Pip's Invitation(18)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR

Getz comments:  A99 becomes the first with 8 songs off the board.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  112

2019 write-up:

She's a Woman (single, 1964)

Guitar work is the star of this bluesy number, from John's jarring, stabby off-beat rhythm guitar (though listen for him to miss a chord ~1:24) to George's excellent double-tracked solo in his usual Chet-Atkins style.  Notable as possibly the first drug reference in a Beatles song, which surprisingly escaped the censors:  "Turn me on when I get lonely" came from John in reference to pot, which they'd recently tried for the first time while hanging with Bob Dylan.  Love the driving guitars and the overall vibe, but I dock it a bit for silly lyrics, especially the opening line:  "My love don't give me presents; I know that she's no peasant."  Just kinda dumb.

Mr. krista:  "I think it’s a fine song.  Probably not a great song.  But what do those lyrics mean?  [Discussion of “peasant” and “presents” v “presence.”]  Favorite part of the song is the guitar jabs."

Unsuggested covers WTF:  Scritti Politti feat. Shabba Ranks  Jeff Beck feat. ####### talkbox

2022 Supplement:  Paul has cited Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman” and Little Richard’s “Good Golly, Miss Molly” as influences on this song, with the former being pretty obvious to me musically.  But Paul takes it further to cite these based on their lyrics, specifically calling someone a “woman” instead of a “girl” as the Beatles had been doing:  “…she’s not a girl, she’s a woman.  Because this was the interesting thing:  when does a girl become a woman?”  He goes on to say that until they were about 21, they’d considered them “girls” but “now we could dare to think of ourselves as men, and could think of girls as women.”

Paul also credited John for his excellent guitar work on this, terming it “instead…of putting like a watercolour wash over it all with his guitar he just stabbed on the off-beats.”  This song has always been a favorite of Paul’s.  Here he is doing a great acoustic version in 1991 on MTV Unplugged:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8twL2gqJyY

Guido Merkins

The Beatles were no stranger to substances.  In Hamburg, the drank heavily and took uppers to stay awake.  One day, while meeting Bob Dylan, he turned them on to marijuana.  From that point on, pot became one of their go to substances.  So when Paul came in with an song called She’s A Woman, they were both excited to include the line “turn me on when I get lonely” which became the first drug reference in any Beatles song.

She’s A Woman ended up being the B side of the I Feel Fine single.  It featured a very bluesy vocal from Paul and very biting, on the off beat rhythm guitar by John.  Paul had experimented with this kind of vocal before, on Can’t Buy Me Love (on Anthology 1), but this time he decided to keep it.  It’s near the top of his vocal range which adds to the excitement.  I also love Ringo riding the cymbals during the break “she’s a woman who understands…”  Otherwise the song would be too much of the same thing.

Really good song.  A side material for most bands, but for the Beatles, just a B side.

My rank: 18

Pot-induced Beatles is some of the best Beatles. Paul takes his Little Richard and Ray Charles impulses and grafts them onto the pop template he and John had perfected by this point. The riffage is outstanding and the momentum and cadence of Paul's vocals -- especially the "turn me on when I get lonely" part -- conveys a gravitas that had mostly been confined to their covers up to this point. Krista's comments about the lyrics underscore this point. 

I had heard both songs individually before, but in college when I first heard Past Masters Vol. 1 in its entirety, I came to believe that both sides of the I Feel Fine/She's a Woman single were a major turning point for the band. There were few remnants of the boy-band aspects of their earlier songs here. And they would continue to innovate at an incredible pace. I put these two back-to-back on my 90-minute cassette and in my rankings here. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Because
2022 Ranking: 107T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 32
Ranked Highest by: @Dwayne Hoover (6) @Shaft41 (14)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 109/1/13

Getz comments:  DH now on the board.  Down to 20...

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  139

2019 write-up:

Because (Abbey Road, 1969)

Listen, this is unquestionably a great song.  It's placement at #139 isn't a reflection of how masterful it is, but instead a function of (1) its being a song I admire more than love, and (2) the Beatles, man.  There are so many of their songs I find myself wanting to hear more often.

The construction of the song is one of the intriguing aspects; the story goes that John was listening to Yoko play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on the piano and used those chords, played backwards, to frame the song.  The lyrics are straightforward, or as John termed them "no bull####."  The real star for me is the three-part harmony that is triple-tracked to make it seem like a choir.  The ending of the song is great.  Haunting, gorgeous...this is a song that when the mood strikes you, there's nothing better.  The mood just doesn't strike me all that often.

Mr. krista:  "I kinda like that song.  Interesting structure.  Seems more like choral music.  When is the last time they did three-part harmonies throughout?  Harpsichord doing a guitar line.  It must have been a ####### ##### to record."

Suggested covers:  Elliott Smith  George Clinton   I do not suggest the following terrifying cover:  Devo

2022 Supplement:  John gives credit for the harmonies to George Martin (who agreed that he had to tell the three exactly which notes to sing:  “As for the harmonies, I just asked George Martin, or whoever was 'round, 'What's the alternative to thirds and fifths?' as they're the only ones I know, and he would play them on a piano, and we'd say, 'Oh, we'll have that one.' So, I couldn't tell you what they are, I just know it's harmony.”

George has said these were difficult harmonies to sing, as they were out of practice on them, and Geoff Emerick reported that the three practiced each pass 20-30 times before moving on, the problem not being in the pitch but in the phrasing.  The recording of this portion was particularly intimate, with all four of the Beatles (including Ringo for moral support) in a semi-circle, the lights turned down low.  It took over five hours to get the vocals right, an amount of time they would have taken for practically an entire album in the early years, but unlike the marathon sessions for some of Paul’s “granny music,” all four Beatles seemed to want to put in that effort in a quest for perfection on this song.  Emerick has said he never heard complaints, and unlike most of their sessions this one was deeply serious, without their usual clowning around.  He paints a beautiful picture of a team at its peak:  “That day I saw the four Beatles at their finest: there was one hundred percent concentration from all of them – even Ringo, sitting quietly with his eyes closed, silently urging his bandmates on to their best performance – all working in tandem to get that vocal nailed, spot on. It was a stark example of the kind of teamwork that had been so sorely lacking for years.”

The vocals in isolation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmZw8BuqU10

Guido Merkins

Believe it or not, Yoko Ono is actually a classically trained musician.  One day she was with John playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and John asked her if she could reverse the chords.  Around that experiment, John wrote Because for the Abbey Road album.  Now whether or not it’s EXACTLY Moonlight Sonata backwards is disputed elsewhere, but regardless, that’s where John got the inspiration.

Because is known mostly for the gorgeous 3 part harmonies by John, Paul, and George which, according to George were really hard to learn and perfect.  It is also notable in that there is an electric harpsichord and a Moog synthesizer.  John plays electric guitar with George Martin on the harpsichord.  There are no drums on the track, but apparently, George Martin was worried about his ability to keep time with John since the guitar and harpsichord had to echo each other, so Martin had Ringo hitting the high hat and had that fed into the cans to keep time.  Ringo the metronome!!!!!

The lyrics for the song are very straightforward or as John said “no bull####, no imagery.”  And they are quite beautiful “because the world is round it turns me on”, “because the sky is blue it makes me cry”, etc. 

If you want to hear those harmonies naked, so to speak, head on over to Anthology 3.  Apparently they dubbed the harmonies a few times because it sounds like more than 3 voices.  I think I remember Mark Lewison saying they dubbed it 3 times, so it would be like 9 voices.

Utterly stunning harmonies and cool-as-the-other-side-of-the-pillow Mooging. I included this in my 1969 countdown, as it was one of the few Beatles songs from that year that Tim and Bracie left for me. 

There, my comments were:

"This song shows how they were innovating to the very end. John Lennon wrote it after hearing Yoko play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on piano and asking her to play the chords backwards. George Martin plays harpsichord and the three non-Ringo Beatles sing in incredible harmony, each of their voices triple-tracked to create the illusion of extra singers. And George Harrison plays a few measures on a then-brand new instrument, the Moog synthesizer. This track gives no indication that these people couldn't stand each other any longer and couldn't wait to stop working together."

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I forgot to mention that the other Beatles song worthy of ranking in the 1969 countdown that Tim and Bracie left for me was It's All Too Much. What I said about that:

"This George Harrison song is about LSD and certainly sounds like it. He wrote it in 1967, at the peak of his obsession with Indian music, and employed the Hammond organ to replicate the drone-like sounds of the harmonium. "The love that's shining all around here" is both a reference to the headiness of the Summer of Love that was happening at the time, and to George's budding religious awareness. Obviously, the Beatles sat on it for a while before using it on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack, released in January '69. 

It is one of the most psychedelic and adventurous Beatles songs, yet doesn't get the props that Tomorrow Never Knows and Rain do. The chaotic coda is not for everyone, but I love it. @krista4, remember how I mentioned when I received the Beatles catalog on CD as a birthday present when I was in college, I made a 90-minute cassette of my favorites? This was on it."

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Think For Yourself
2022 Ranking: 106
2022 Lists: 3
2022 Points: 32
Ranked Highest by: @Encyclopedia Brown (11) @FairWarning (12) Krista(Sharon) (23)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR

Getz comments:  Just four more NR songs after this one. Sharon takes the Chalk lead back.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  149

2019 write-up:

Think for Yourself (Rubber Soul, 1965)

I shouldn't love a song just based on maracas and fuzzbox bass, but those are what do it for me in this song.  I'd listen to that #### all day.  Add in some soaring harmonies contrasted with gloomy George lyrics and performance, with an edge of the cynicism he'll be more blatant about in "Taxman" and "Piggies," and you got yourself a krista-approved keeper.  

Mr. krista and I obviously think for ourselves, as his opinion is polar opposite:  "Digging that fuzzy organ.  I like that it rocks pretty hard.  I could have done without most everything but the organ and the drums. Seems like a good mid-tempo rock where I could listen to it more and have it grow on me."

Suggested cover:  Pete Shelley (RIP)  In honor of the lyrics to "I'll Get You," I'll mention that I really really really really like this cover.

2022 Supplement:  2022 me likes more than just the fuzzy bass and has a greater appreciation for the lyrics and feel of this song.  It was George’s first song about something other than girls/love that the Beatles recorded, though years later George couldn’t recall later toward whom his vitriol was targeted, saying it was “probably the government.”  Seems a good guess, especially given the later works such as “Taxman” and “Piggies.”  Regardless, this song represented a large leap in George’s songwriting abilities.

As much as I hate what he did to Let It Be, I must begrudgingly give credit to Phil Spector for the fuzzbox bass that I love so much in this song.  George has said that he and many other musicians were so inspired by Spector’s sound on this version of “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWOkSyR_NhU that a fuzz box was invented.  For this song, the group used a fuzzbox device called “The Tone Bender” that had been given to them in 1965.

Fun fact:  a snippet of Paul and George working on the line “you’ve got time to rectify” from this song was used in the movie “Yellow Submarine.”

Guido Merkins

George Harrison wrote his first real song in 1964 which was Don’t Bother Me on the With the Beatles album.  George often said that John and Paul “wrote all their bad songs before we became famous.”  George did struggle at first to write a lot of great songs, but by 1965 and the Rubber Soul album, George was starting to come into his own with two great songs.  Think For Yourself was one of those.

“Although your mind’s opaque, try thinking more for your own sake” plus the chorus of “think for yourself cause I won’t be there with you” kind of tells you the theme of the song.  George is railing against those that live a life without thought.  This is kind of George’s version of a Dylan song.  Several songs that George wrote, including this one, show just as much cynicism as anything John wrote. George was forming his own voice.

Musically, the best part of the song is the fuzz bass, played by Paul.  The fuzz bass acts like a lead guitar on the song with Paul also playing a normal bass line within the same song.  I think I read somewhere that the fuzz bass was played on Paul’s Rickenbacker bass and the normal bass is the Hofner bass.  Also, as is the case with most Beatles songs, the harmonies are exquisite on this song.

Funny that Phil Spector is mentioned. The percussion and George's vocal cadences are very reminiscent of some of Spector's girl-group recordings. 

Edgy George is some of the best George, and this song certainly delivers on that front. And the fuzz bass is pretty awesome. It deserves to be higher (Binky: lower), but given the competition, I can understand why it didn't appear on many ballots. 

Between this and his other song on Rubber Soul, which I hope we don't get to until much later, George was already a formidable songwriter by late 1965. To get such limited output released over the next 4 years must have been incredibly frustrating. 

I wish the Beatles could have done both group and solo albums in the '70s -- heck, after they stopped touring in the '60s -- but it wasn't really accepted in the rock world to do that when the boys were together -- CSNY may have been the first to make the practice acceptable, and they launched their collaboration by making it expressly known that they were going to do that. 

 

[krista4]

I wish the Beatles could have done both group and solo albums in the '70s -- heck, after they stopped touring in the '60s -- but it wasn't really accepted in the rock world to do that when the boys were together -- CSNY may have been the first to make the practice acceptable, and they launched their collaboration by making it expressly known that they were going to do that. 

Love this idea.

 

[krista4]

I'm no math pro, but it seems we're going to hit the top 100 on Tuesday.   

 

[krista4]

WHY OH WHY did you guys vote for some many songs!?!? 

Only 27 re-write-ups to go, but I admit I'm struggling.  It gets harder as we go along, because the later ones are those that I had already written about a dozen paragraphs on.  I'm going to have to listen to them all backward or something to get new material.