Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
People always mention one hit wonders but there are also a lot of one album wonders. Not here obviously.
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2022 FBG, 172 to 1 Beatles Countdown 1-25 lists... And 173 to 1 Countdown from 1-64 lists! (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Zegras11
- Start date
krista4
Footballguy
You tell him!By the way, my Mom and I have not discussed her picks (although I saw them when I submitted them), so I love reading these write-ups along with you guys.
Zegras11
Footballguy
Best shtick ever would be if she posted she doesn't read your write ups.
By the way, my Mom and I have not discussed her picks (although I saw them when I submitted them), so I love reading these write-ups along with you guys.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
Zegras11
Footballguy
I Me Mine
2022 Ranking: 92
2022 Lists: 5
2022 Points: 49
Ranked Highest by: @Binky The Doormat (9) @wikkidpissah(12) Shaft(Son1) (16) @PIK95 (22) @jamny (22)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 83T/2/24
Getz comments: Jamboise on board! 12 left....
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 105
2019 write-up:
I Me Mine (Let It Be, 1970)
Though most of Let It Be was recorded before Abbey Road, the version of this song recorded during the Let It Be sessions was not included on the album. Instead, this version was later recorded (after Abbey Road), making this the last song the Beatles ever recorded together. Or, sorta together, since John didn't participate. In fact, it appeared that neither Paul nor John ever much liked this song. What do those dummies know about music.
George composed this "heavy waltz" after an LSD trip caused him to look at everything around him and see ego, so the song is a criticism of egotism. I'd quote some of his actual words here if I understood them at all; George was on a different plane than I am (I intend that admiringly). Well, here's part of it anyway: "'I Me Mine' is the ego problem. There are two 'I's: the little 'i' when people say 'I am this'; and the big 'I' – i.e. Om, the complete, whole universal consciousness that is devoid of duality and ego. There is nothing that isn't part of the complete whole. When the little 'i' merges into the big 'I' then you are really smiling!"
This is one of the only songs on the record where I strongly prefer the Spector-ized version. The Spector version - adding 27 strings and six brass! - captures an eerie feel that I associated with the underlying basis of the song and also seems to have better flowiness. Which is not a word, I guess. Anyway, great jam. Beautiful vocal. Love the guitar intro. Particularly nice work by Ringo. Funky AF. That middle that doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the song is way cool (apparently a Paul contribution - WTGPM).
Mr. krista: "I like that song, too. Solid four to start this record. I like that heavy chorus after the first part’s a waltz and then that is hard 4/4. Great Harrison jam."
Suggested covers: Beth Orton Spoon
2022 Supplement: As I suggested earlier, I have a hard time understanding why George “sided” with John in the John/Paul spats, given how little John seemed to care about George’s songs and how dismissive he often could be. This bit from the “Get Back” documentary is painful for me to watch, as Paul seems to be encouraging George and John is simply nasty about the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQv487gYgOA It’s hard to feel sorry for “a Beatle,” but I certainly do. I can’t imagine being in George’s position, still the “kid brother” trying to woo the others with something he’d just written, but obviously nervous and unsure about it. I’m happy that George got his due by creating what I consider to be the Beatles’ post-breakup masterpiece, All Things Must Pass.
Guido Merkins
George was the most religious and philosophical of the Beatles. When he had an acid trip he started thinking about his own ego and from that came the song I Me Mine. Many people view it as a lightweight contribution, but George must have liked the song because he named his autobiography after it. I Me Mine is notable in that it is the last new song recorded by the Beatles, well, 3 of the Beatles as John had already left, leaving Paul, George and Ringo to complete the song that was shown in the Let It Be film, but they had not recorded.
As far as the song itself, it is cool because it switches from waltz time to 4/4 in the chorus (I me me mine), suggested by Paul. The song as originally recorded was only about a minute and a half long, so when Phil Spector went to mix it, he just repeated “all through the day” and the chorus and verse to get the finished song. He also added brass and strings.
I love the switch between the 3 / 4 and 4 / 4 of the verses to chorus. I also like the lyrics and George’s vocal along with Paul’s harmony on the chorus. Kind of an obscure one, but one that I like on Let It Be.
2022 Ranking: 92
2022 Lists: 5
2022 Points: 49
Ranked Highest by: @Binky The Doormat (9) @wikkidpissah(12) Shaft(Son1) (16) @PIK95 (22) @jamny (22)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 83T/2/24
Getz comments: Jamboise on board! 12 left....
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 105
2019 write-up:
I Me Mine (Let It Be, 1970)
Though most of Let It Be was recorded before Abbey Road, the version of this song recorded during the Let It Be sessions was not included on the album. Instead, this version was later recorded (after Abbey Road), making this the last song the Beatles ever recorded together. Or, sorta together, since John didn't participate. In fact, it appeared that neither Paul nor John ever much liked this song. What do those dummies know about music.
George composed this "heavy waltz" after an LSD trip caused him to look at everything around him and see ego, so the song is a criticism of egotism. I'd quote some of his actual words here if I understood them at all; George was on a different plane than I am (I intend that admiringly). Well, here's part of it anyway: "'I Me Mine' is the ego problem. There are two 'I's: the little 'i' when people say 'I am this'; and the big 'I' – i.e. Om, the complete, whole universal consciousness that is devoid of duality and ego. There is nothing that isn't part of the complete whole. When the little 'i' merges into the big 'I' then you are really smiling!"
This is one of the only songs on the record where I strongly prefer the Spector-ized version. The Spector version - adding 27 strings and six brass! - captures an eerie feel that I associated with the underlying basis of the song and also seems to have better flowiness. Which is not a word, I guess. Anyway, great jam. Beautiful vocal. Love the guitar intro. Particularly nice work by Ringo. Funky AF. That middle that doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the song is way cool (apparently a Paul contribution - WTGPM).
Mr. krista: "I like that song, too. Solid four to start this record. I like that heavy chorus after the first part’s a waltz and then that is hard 4/4. Great Harrison jam."
Suggested covers: Beth Orton Spoon
2022 Supplement: As I suggested earlier, I have a hard time understanding why George “sided” with John in the John/Paul spats, given how little John seemed to care about George’s songs and how dismissive he often could be. This bit from the “Get Back” documentary is painful for me to watch, as Paul seems to be encouraging George and John is simply nasty about the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQv487gYgOA It’s hard to feel sorry for “a Beatle,” but I certainly do. I can’t imagine being in George’s position, still the “kid brother” trying to woo the others with something he’d just written, but obviously nervous and unsure about it. I’m happy that George got his due by creating what I consider to be the Beatles’ post-breakup masterpiece, All Things Must Pass.
Guido Merkins
George was the most religious and philosophical of the Beatles. When he had an acid trip he started thinking about his own ego and from that came the song I Me Mine. Many people view it as a lightweight contribution, but George must have liked the song because he named his autobiography after it. I Me Mine is notable in that it is the last new song recorded by the Beatles, well, 3 of the Beatles as John had already left, leaving Paul, George and Ringo to complete the song that was shown in the Let It Be film, but they had not recorded.
As far as the song itself, it is cool because it switches from waltz time to 4/4 in the chorus (I me me mine), suggested by Paul. The song as originally recorded was only about a minute and a half long, so when Phil Spector went to mix it, he just repeated “all through the day” and the chorus and verse to get the finished song. He also added brass and strings.
I love the switch between the 3 / 4 and 4 / 4 of the verses to chorus. I also like the lyrics and George’s vocal along with Paul’s harmony on the chorus. Kind of an obscure one, but one that I like on Let It Be.
Zegras11
Footballguy
I moved this up from #24 to #15. Love the harmonica and the harmonies.
Tell Me Why/ If I Fell/ I Should Have Known Better LIVE
Wrighteous Ray
Footballguy
Oh, but I do. I actually read almost all the posts. Very educational and, sometimes, so funny!
Zegras11
Footballguy
Please Please Me
2022 Ranking: 91
2022 Lists: 5
2022 Points: 50
Ranked Highest by: @Guido Merkins (8) @ManOfSteelhead (13) @DaVinci (17) @Shaft41 (21) @Ilov80s (21)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 110/2/11
Getz comments: YT live 1964 from DC. 80's on board! 11 to go... Loved the Blondie link below...
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 35
2019 write-up:
Please Please Me (Please Please Me, 1963)
The only song on the countdown that was written as a combination of a Roy Orbison and a Bing Crosby song! John wrote this upon listening to Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely," but also incorporating thoughts from Bing Crosby's "Please." As you might imagine from those two influences, the song was originally written and rehearsed at a much slower tempo, but Fifth Beatle George Martin suggested that the dreary, monotonous song be sped up. At the end of the recording sessions for the now-uptempo song, Martin, who called the recording session "a joy," declared, "'Gentlemen, you've just made your first number one record.'" And he was mostly right: though the song only reached #2 on one of the charts, it reached #1 on the rest of the British charts and became their first (almost) #1 hit. (I discussed "Love Me Do" earlier as the first "true" #1, even though tim didn't read the write-up.) Even usually surly John acknowledged how happy the band was with the song.
This became the first song that the Beatles ever performed live on television, on the show Thank Your Lucky Stars. One could reasonably state that this was the beginning of Beatlemania in Britain, somewhat in the way that the Ed Sullivan appearance fueled the frenzy in the US (though that frenzy had already begun before the TV show). This show was hugely popular in Britain, and due to some terrible weather in January 1963, the Brits were stuck inside that night hooked to the telly. Seeing these guys with the unusual haircuts and insane energy and talent helped launch the madness.
I love every part of this song: John's sexy lead vocal (yes I went there); Paul's as-always amazing bass lines; the call-and-response between John on the "call" and Paul/George harmonizing the "response"; the harmonica playing in parallel with the guitar; the urgency of the eighth notes on the bridge as compared to the quarter notes in the verses; the unexpected pauses throughout. One aspect that particularly stands out to me is the harmonic structure of the verse, with Paul maintaining the high note while John descends; gives it a slightly jabby but pleasing sound. The title with the double "please" was so clever. The song drowns in hooks, from that intro riff to the little drum fills to the nifty guitar intro to "c'mon c'mon."
Mr. krista: [Narrator: it would be nice if I'd noted which part of the song he was talking about, but from context it appears to be the little drum fill just before the five-note guitar intro to "c'mon c'mon" part.] "That sets the song. It sounds like it speeds up, but it doesn’t. It’s a very unlikely part, but it sets up that great lick that leads to the chorus. It sounds like a mistake. That’s what that has such huge payoff, like it moves you into the next part. It seems intuitive. None of those chords are difficult and I guarantee that everybody has trouble playing it when they first try. That’s really good songwriting and is why rock is so good. That’s part of the rock vocabulary now, and I guarantee it wasn’t before. It’s just genius. I don’t mean like Nabokov is a genius, but an inspired moment where you have to be really young or really brave to put in your song."
Suggested cover: Blondie, why not. I met Deborah Harry once in New York. By "met," I mean that she and I came to the same street crossing at the same time that the light turned to "Don't Walk." She said, "####." I nodded at her knowingly.
2022 Supplement: Who wrote the following? I have it saved in my notes but without attribution!
“Krista touched on this in the write up, and I didn’t get to post this when it came up but I always enjoyed George Martin’s interview about the origin of this song’s recording and how he had to be convinced to record it as the follow up single to Love Me Do. He tried to push “How Do You Do It” as the 2nd single, which ultimately went to Gerry & the Pacemakers. Good thing Martin didn’t get his way this time or Beatlemania could’ve been severely detoured.” Whoever you are, thank you for writing a supplement for me. I don’t believe that a copy of the “dreary” version George Martin objected to is available, but Anthology 1 contained this somewhat earlier version, with no harmonica and what sounds like Andy White rather than Ringo on drums: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aREpyGhjo1E
2022 Mr. krista Supplement: How do you write lyrics that are that good when you’re like 16 or something? And I like how it seems to speed up and slow down at times. How do they play like that and sing, in like three-part harmonies?
Guido Merkins
“The Beatles want to hold your hand and the Stones want to burn down your town”
Here’s the problem with generalizations. What’s more badass? Saying you can’t get no “satisfaction” and because of your image people take you seriously and wring their hands OR you write a song asking your girl to “please” you and because you wear nice clean suits and you seem respectable, it goes right over everybody’s head? Yes, Satisfaction is a bad ### song, love it. But John Lennon writes a song about fellatio and they are the “cute lovable moptops.” Image is all well and good, but it’s very surface.
In any event, over and above the fact that the song is about fellatio, Please Please Me is my favorite of the early Beatles singles. It doesn’t come across as explosive as She Loves You or Hand, but that great guitar/harmonica lick, Ringo’s great drumming, and John screaming “Come on” and Paul answering him is really cool. The outro is my favorite part. Throwing in a C chord in a song in E Major is cool. It’s the third chord in the closing sequence. The one that sounds like it doesn’t belong, but once you hear it, you can’t imagine the song without it. Please Please Me is, IMO, a perfect little pop song.
2022 Ranking: 91
2022 Lists: 5
2022 Points: 50
Ranked Highest by: @Guido Merkins (8) @ManOfSteelhead (13) @DaVinci (17) @Shaft41 (21) @Ilov80s (21)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 110/2/11
Getz comments: YT live 1964 from DC. 80's on board! 11 to go... Loved the Blondie link below...
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 35
2019 write-up:
Please Please Me (Please Please Me, 1963)
The only song on the countdown that was written as a combination of a Roy Orbison and a Bing Crosby song! John wrote this upon listening to Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely," but also incorporating thoughts from Bing Crosby's "Please." As you might imagine from those two influences, the song was originally written and rehearsed at a much slower tempo, but Fifth Beatle George Martin suggested that the dreary, monotonous song be sped up. At the end of the recording sessions for the now-uptempo song, Martin, who called the recording session "a joy," declared, "'Gentlemen, you've just made your first number one record.'" And he was mostly right: though the song only reached #2 on one of the charts, it reached #1 on the rest of the British charts and became their first (almost) #1 hit. (I discussed "Love Me Do" earlier as the first "true" #1, even though tim didn't read the write-up.) Even usually surly John acknowledged how happy the band was with the song.
This became the first song that the Beatles ever performed live on television, on the show Thank Your Lucky Stars. One could reasonably state that this was the beginning of Beatlemania in Britain, somewhat in the way that the Ed Sullivan appearance fueled the frenzy in the US (though that frenzy had already begun before the TV show). This show was hugely popular in Britain, and due to some terrible weather in January 1963, the Brits were stuck inside that night hooked to the telly. Seeing these guys with the unusual haircuts and insane energy and talent helped launch the madness.
I love every part of this song: John's sexy lead vocal (yes I went there); Paul's as-always amazing bass lines; the call-and-response between John on the "call" and Paul/George harmonizing the "response"; the harmonica playing in parallel with the guitar; the urgency of the eighth notes on the bridge as compared to the quarter notes in the verses; the unexpected pauses throughout. One aspect that particularly stands out to me is the harmonic structure of the verse, with Paul maintaining the high note while John descends; gives it a slightly jabby but pleasing sound. The title with the double "please" was so clever. The song drowns in hooks, from that intro riff to the little drum fills to the nifty guitar intro to "c'mon c'mon."
Mr. krista: [Narrator: it would be nice if I'd noted which part of the song he was talking about, but from context it appears to be the little drum fill just before the five-note guitar intro to "c'mon c'mon" part.] "That sets the song. It sounds like it speeds up, but it doesn’t. It’s a very unlikely part, but it sets up that great lick that leads to the chorus. It sounds like a mistake. That’s what that has such huge payoff, like it moves you into the next part. It seems intuitive. None of those chords are difficult and I guarantee that everybody has trouble playing it when they first try. That’s really good songwriting and is why rock is so good. That’s part of the rock vocabulary now, and I guarantee it wasn’t before. It’s just genius. I don’t mean like Nabokov is a genius, but an inspired moment where you have to be really young or really brave to put in your song."
Suggested cover: Blondie, why not. I met Deborah Harry once in New York. By "met," I mean that she and I came to the same street crossing at the same time that the light turned to "Don't Walk." She said, "####." I nodded at her knowingly.
2022 Supplement: Who wrote the following? I have it saved in my notes but without attribution!
“Krista touched on this in the write up, and I didn’t get to post this when it came up but I always enjoyed George Martin’s interview about the origin of this song’s recording and how he had to be convinced to record it as the follow up single to Love Me Do. He tried to push “How Do You Do It” as the 2nd single, which ultimately went to Gerry & the Pacemakers. Good thing Martin didn’t get his way this time or Beatlemania could’ve been severely detoured.” Whoever you are, thank you for writing a supplement for me. I don’t believe that a copy of the “dreary” version George Martin objected to is available, but Anthology 1 contained this somewhat earlier version, with no harmonica and what sounds like Andy White rather than Ringo on drums: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aREpyGhjo1E2022 Mr. krista Supplement: How do you write lyrics that are that good when you’re like 16 or something? And I like how it seems to speed up and slow down at times. How do they play like that and sing, in like three-part harmonies?
Guido Merkins
“The Beatles want to hold your hand and the Stones want to burn down your town”
Here’s the problem with generalizations. What’s more badass? Saying you can’t get no “satisfaction” and because of your image people take you seriously and wring their hands OR you write a song asking your girl to “please” you and because you wear nice clean suits and you seem respectable, it goes right over everybody’s head? Yes, Satisfaction is a bad ### song, love it. But John Lennon writes a song about fellatio and they are the “cute lovable moptops.” Image is all well and good, but it’s very surface.
In any event, over and above the fact that the song is about fellatio, Please Please Me is my favorite of the early Beatles singles. It doesn’t come across as explosive as She Loves You or Hand, but that great guitar/harmonica lick, Ringo’s great drumming, and John screaming “Come on” and Paul answering him is really cool. The outro is my favorite part. Throwing in a C chord in a song in E Major is cool. It’s the third chord in the closing sequence. The one that sounds like it doesn’t belong, but once you hear it, you can’t imagine the song without it. Please Please Me is, IMO, a perfect little pop song.
Zegras11
Footballguy
Chalk Rankings Top 10. #91 = 82 pts. each Sponsored by: Blondie
Today's five songs saw many at the bottom accumulate a lot more points. At some point, those at the top now will start sliding down to the bottom 20.
1 --anarchy99---602
2 --Krista (Sharon)---505.5
3 --OTB_Lifer---498
4 --Wrighteous Ray---351.5
5 --DaVinci---296
6 --Krista (TJ/Michael)---292.5
7 --Krista (Craig)---288
8 --ManOfSteelhead---285.5
9 --fatguyinalttlecoat---285
10 --Krista (Worth)---282.5
11 --PIK 95---280
12 --Krista (Rob)---266.5
13 --Encyclopedia Brown---266.5
14 --Mac32---258
15 --Man Of Constant Sorrow---245
16 --Wrighteous Ray(Hub)---236
17 --rockaction---223
18 --Shaft41---220
19 --murph---219
20 --Dwayne Hoover---212.5
21 --Pip's Invitation---197.5
22 --FairWarning---185
23 --Uruk-Hai---179
24 --BinkyTheDoormat---175.5
25 --ProsteticRKG---170
26 --Shaft41(Daughter)---164.5
27 --zamboni---161.5
28 --Guido Merkins---160
29 --wikkidpissah---158.5
30 --Eephus---150
31 --Neal Cassady---149.5
32 --Getzlaf15---149
33 --Shaft41(Son1)---144
34 --prosopis---127
35 --John Maddens Lunchbox---103
36 --Krista (TJ/Alex)---101
37 --jwb---83
38 --Iluv80s---82
39 --jamny---81
40 --WhoKnew---80
41 --shuke---79
42 --DocHoliday---79
43 --Oliver Humanzee---77
44 --yankee23fan---70
45 --Gr00vus---64
46 --landryshat---62
47 --falguy---62
48 --Krista (TJ/Holly)---60
49 --Heckmann---56
50 --Simey---54
51 --Shaft41(Son2)---53
52 --ConstruxBoy---46
53 --Dinsy Ejotuz---42.5
54 --Ted Lange as your Bartender---32
55 --Dennis Castro---24.5
56 --Alex P Keaton---18
57 --AAABatteries---18
58 --Lardonastick---13
59 --Krista (TJ/Slug)---8
60 --Just Win Baby---8
61 --WorrieKing---0
62 --Westerberg---0
63 --turnjose7---0
64 --Tom Hagen---0
65 --pecorino---0
66 --Krista4---0
67 --Krista (Doug)---0
68 --ekbeats---0
69 --Dr Octupus---0
70 --Oliver Humanzee(Dad)---0
71 --Bobby Layne---0
Top 10 Least Chalk
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. All of this is for fun and means nothing
Today's five songs saw many at the bottom accumulate a lot more points. At some point, those at the top now will start sliding down to the bottom 20.
1 --anarchy99---602
2 --Krista (Sharon)---505.5
3 --OTB_Lifer---498
4 --Wrighteous Ray---351.5
5 --DaVinci---296
6 --Krista (TJ/Michael)---292.5
7 --Krista (Craig)---288
8 --ManOfSteelhead---285.5
9 --fatguyinalttlecoat---285
10 --Krista (Worth)---282.5
11 --PIK 95---280
12 --Krista (Rob)---266.5
13 --Encyclopedia Brown---266.5
14 --Mac32---258
15 --Man Of Constant Sorrow---245
16 --Wrighteous Ray(Hub)---236
17 --rockaction---223
18 --Shaft41---220
19 --murph---219
20 --Dwayne Hoover---212.5
21 --Pip's Invitation---197.5
22 --FairWarning---185
23 --Uruk-Hai---179
24 --BinkyTheDoormat---175.5
25 --ProsteticRKG---170
26 --Shaft41(Daughter)---164.5
27 --zamboni---161.5
28 --Guido Merkins---160
29 --wikkidpissah---158.5
30 --Eephus---150
31 --Neal Cassady---149.5
32 --Getzlaf15---149
33 --Shaft41(Son1)---144
34 --prosopis---127
35 --John Maddens Lunchbox---103
36 --Krista (TJ/Alex)---101
37 --jwb---83
38 --Iluv80s---82
39 --jamny---81
40 --WhoKnew---80
41 --shuke---79
42 --DocHoliday---79
43 --Oliver Humanzee---77
44 --yankee23fan---70
45 --Gr00vus---64
46 --landryshat---62
47 --falguy---62
48 --Krista (TJ/Holly)---60
49 --Heckmann---56
50 --Simey---54
51 --Shaft41(Son2)---53
52 --ConstruxBoy---46
53 --Dinsy Ejotuz---42.5
54 --Ted Lange as your Bartender---32
55 --Dennis Castro---24.5
56 --Alex P Keaton---18
57 --AAABatteries---18
58 --Lardonastick---13
59 --Krista (TJ/Slug)---8
60 --Just Win Baby---8
61 --WorrieKing---0
62 --Westerberg---0
63 --turnjose7---0
64 --Tom Hagen---0
65 --pecorino---0
66 --Krista4---0
67 --Krista (Doug)---0
68 --ekbeats---0
69 --Dr Octupus---0
70 --Oliver Humanzee(Dad)---0
71 --Bobby Layne---0
Top 10 Least Chalk
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. All of this is for fun and means nothing
Zegras11
Footballguy
# of Songs to Have Appeared on The Countdown to Date
1 --anarchy99---12
2 --Krista (Sharon)---10
3 --OTB_Lifer---9
4 --Wrighteous Ray---9
5 --Krista (Worth)---7
6 --Wrighteous Ray(Hub)---7
7 --Krista (Rob)---6
8 --Encyclopedia Brown---6
9 --Man Of Constant Sorrow---6
10 --DaVinci---6
11 --Mac32---5
12 --Krista (Craig)---5
13 --Krista (TJ/Michael)---5
14 --ManOfSteelhead---5
15 --rockaction---4
16 --murph---4
17 --BinkyTheDoormat---4
18 --Shaft41---4
19 --fatguyinalttlecoat---4
20 --PIK 95---4
21 --Krista (TJ/Holly)---3
22 --ProsteticRKG---3
23 --Eephus---3
24 --zamboni---3
25 --Shaft41(Daughter)---3
26 --FairWarning---3
27 --Uruk-Hai---3
28 --Neal Cassady---3
29 --Pip's Invitation---3
30 --Dwayne Hoover---3
31 --wikkidpissah---3
32 --Krista (TJ/Alex)---2
33 --prosopis---2
34 --jwb---2
35 --John Maddens Lunchbox---2
36 --Shaft41(Son1)---2
37 --Getzlaf15---2
38 --Guido Merkins---2
39 --Ted Lange as your Bartender---1
40 --Lardonastick---1
41 --Krista (TJ/Slug)---1
42 --Just Win Baby---1
43 --Dinsy Ejotuz---1
44 --Dennis Castro---1
45 --ConstruxBoy---1
46 --Alex P Keaton---1
47 --AAABatteries---1
48 --Simey---1
49 --Shaft41(Son2)---1
50 --Heckmann---1
51 --landryshat---1
52 --falguy---1
53 --Gr00vus---1
54 --yankee23fan---1
55 --Oliver Humanzee---1
56 --WhoKnew---1
57 --shuke---1
58 --jamny---1
59 --Iluv80s---1
60 --DocHoliday---1
61 --WorrieKing---0
62 --Westerberg---0
63 --turnjose7---0
64 --Tom Hagen---0
65 --pecorino---0
66 --Krista4---0
67 --Krista (Doug)---0
68 --ekbeats---0
69 --Dr Octupus---0
70 --Oliver Humanzee(Dad)---0
71 --Bobby Layne---0
1 --anarchy99---12
2 --Krista (Sharon)---10
3 --OTB_Lifer---9
4 --Wrighteous Ray---9
5 --Krista (Worth)---7
6 --Wrighteous Ray(Hub)---7
7 --Krista (Rob)---6
8 --Encyclopedia Brown---6
9 --Man Of Constant Sorrow---6
10 --DaVinci---6
11 --Mac32---5
12 --Krista (Craig)---5
13 --Krista (TJ/Michael)---5
14 --ManOfSteelhead---5
15 --rockaction---4
16 --murph---4
17 --BinkyTheDoormat---4
18 --Shaft41---4
19 --fatguyinalttlecoat---4
20 --PIK 95---4
21 --Krista (TJ/Holly)---3
22 --ProsteticRKG---3
23 --Eephus---3
24 --zamboni---3
25 --Shaft41(Daughter)---3
26 --FairWarning---3
27 --Uruk-Hai---3
28 --Neal Cassady---3
29 --Pip's Invitation---3
30 --Dwayne Hoover---3
31 --wikkidpissah---3
32 --Krista (TJ/Alex)---2
33 --prosopis---2
34 --jwb---2
35 --John Maddens Lunchbox---2
36 --Shaft41(Son1)---2
37 --Getzlaf15---2
38 --Guido Merkins---2
39 --Ted Lange as your Bartender---1
40 --Lardonastick---1
41 --Krista (TJ/Slug)---1
42 --Just Win Baby---1
43 --Dinsy Ejotuz---1
44 --Dennis Castro---1
45 --ConstruxBoy---1
46 --Alex P Keaton---1
47 --AAABatteries---1
48 --Simey---1
49 --Shaft41(Son2)---1
50 --Heckmann---1
51 --landryshat---1
52 --falguy---1
53 --Gr00vus---1
54 --yankee23fan---1
55 --Oliver Humanzee---1
56 --WhoKnew---1
57 --shuke---1
58 --jamny---1
59 --Iluv80s---1
60 --DocHoliday---1
61 --WorrieKing---0
62 --Westerberg---0
63 --turnjose7---0
64 --Tom Hagen---0
65 --pecorino---0
66 --Krista4---0
67 --Krista (Doug)---0
68 --ekbeats---0
69 --Dr Octupus---0
70 --Oliver Humanzee(Dad)---0
71 --Bobby Layne---0
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I'm a Loser -- You didn't see this sentiment in rock at the time -- it was reserved for country. The wandering basslines Paul puts down were also imported from country. George again does the Carl Perkins jawn. This is as good an example as any of how they were utterly different from anything else out there.
Magical Mystery Tour -- I always thought Ringo drove this one. Does that make it A RINGO SHOWCASE? Not just due to the tempo changes, but to how propulsive his playing is, and how high in the mix he appears. I've always enjoyed the piano coda as well. I saw Ambrosia, of all bands, perform this live in 2017. It was one of five (!) Beatles songs they played that night*; there were so many because they had played a Beatles festival the week before. I wouldn't have been shocked to see it in their set regardless, because they recorded a cover in 1976 for the soundtrack of the film All This and World War II.
I Should Have Known Better -- Like Do You Want to Know a Secret, it's one I first came across when I heard the Stars on 45 medley, and it doesn't rise much above cromulent for me.
I Me Mine -- As with For You Blue, I don't find it as compelling as what George did for Abbey Road and most of All Things Must Pass. I do like the Ringo fills and the guitar break leading into the "I me me mine" parts. Unlike For You Blue, watching Get Back didn't change my opinion of this song much. It still seems like a beefed-up fragment to me as opposed to a fully realized song.
Please Please Me -- At some point in high school I realized that this was about oral sex. Puts everyone losing their minds over it in 1963 in a different context. Their playing and singing, especially the "come on" calls and responses, convey genuine excitement and give you a sense of why this rock and roll thing was so exciting back then.
* - The others were Eleanor Rigby, Come Together, Why Don't We Do It in the Road and I Want You (She's So Heavy).
Magical Mystery Tour -- I always thought Ringo drove this one. Does that make it A RINGO SHOWCASE? Not just due to the tempo changes, but to how propulsive his playing is, and how high in the mix he appears. I've always enjoyed the piano coda as well. I saw Ambrosia, of all bands, perform this live in 2017. It was one of five (!) Beatles songs they played that night*; there were so many because they had played a Beatles festival the week before. I wouldn't have been shocked to see it in their set regardless, because they recorded a cover in 1976 for the soundtrack of the film All This and World War II.
I Should Have Known Better -- Like Do You Want to Know a Secret, it's one I first came across when I heard the Stars on 45 medley, and it doesn't rise much above cromulent for me.
I Me Mine -- As with For You Blue, I don't find it as compelling as what George did for Abbey Road and most of All Things Must Pass. I do like the Ringo fills and the guitar break leading into the "I me me mine" parts. Unlike For You Blue, watching Get Back didn't change my opinion of this song much. It still seems like a beefed-up fragment to me as opposed to a fully realized song.
Please Please Me -- At some point in high school I realized that this was about oral sex. Puts everyone losing their minds over it in 1963 in a different context. Their playing and singing, especially the "come on" calls and responses, convey genuine excitement and give you a sense of why this rock and roll thing was so exciting back then.
* - The others were Eleanor Rigby, Come Together, Why Don't We Do It in the Road and I Want You (She's So Heavy).
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rockaction
Footballguy
I'd like to hear the slowed-down version of "Please Please Me" that they originally intended to write. That would be an interesting listen.
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
we don't disagree much ...but I don't think about this as an "unfinished song" as much I see as a plea
we think about these songs now in restrospect and know a lot more of what was going on
such a great plea from George about what was going on at the time
I was a little kid and left the Beatles when they weren't the guys I saw in "Hard Day's Nights"
I heard a lot of the songs in the meantime - and really liked them but took several years off without understanding or realizing that they had grown up
love the George.
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Just the second song from Let It Be. The first being song 22 - For You Blue. Both of the George songs.
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
The boys were prepping for a hard day's night.
https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.b98e83dc3319a4b45cb2499e48529ef0?
Shaft41
Footballguy
The juxtaposition of "Love Me Do" being their first single, followed by "Please Please Me" never ceases to amaze me. As I've said, "Love Me Do" is fine for what it is, but it is such a simple song, nice and pleasant, nothing too much. And then "Please Please Me" just rips the roof off the dump next and you're left in a puddle of your own urine.Please Please Me
2022 Ranking: 91
2022 Lists: 5
2022 Points: 50
Ranked Highest by: @Guido Merkins (8) @ManOfSteelhead (13) @DaVinci (17) @Shaft41 (21) @Ilov80s (21)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 110/2/11
Getz comments: YT live 1964 from DC. 80's on board! 11 to go... Loved the Blondie link below...
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 35
2019 write-up:
Please Please Me (Please Please Me, 1963)
The only song on the countdown that was written as a combination of a Roy Orbison and a Bing Crosby song! John wrote this upon listening to Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely," but also incorporating thoughts from Bing Crosby's "Please." As you might imagine from those two influences, the song was originally written and rehearsed at a much slower tempo, but Fifth Beatle George Martin suggested that the dreary, monotonous song be sped up. At the end of the recording sessions for the now-uptempo song, Martin, who called the recording session "a joy," declared, "'Gentlemen, you've just made your first number one record.'" And he was mostly right: though the song only reached #2 on one of the charts, it reached #1 on the rest of the British charts and became their first (almost) #1 hit. (I discussed "Love Me Do" earlier as the first "true" #1, even though tim didn't read the write-up.) Even usually surly John acknowledged how happy the band was with the song.
This became the first song that the Beatles ever performed live on television, on the show Thank Your Lucky Stars. One could reasonably state that this was the beginning of Beatlemania in Britain, somewhat in the way that the Ed Sullivan appearance fueled the frenzy in the US (though that frenzy had already begun before the TV show). This show was hugely popular in Britain, and due to some terrible weather in January 1963, the Brits were stuck inside that night hooked to the telly. Seeing these guys with the unusual haircuts and insane energy and talent helped launch the madness.
I love every part of this song: John's sexy lead vocal (yes I went there); Paul's as-always amazing bass lines; the call-and-response between John on the "call" and Paul/George harmonizing the "response"; the harmonica playing in parallel with the guitar; the urgency of the eighth notes on the bridge as compared to the quarter notes in the verses; the unexpected pauses throughout. One aspect that particularly stands out to me is the harmonic structure of the verse, with Paul maintaining the high note while John descends; gives it a slightly jabby but pleasing sound. The title with the double "please" was so clever. The song drowns in hooks, from that intro riff to the little drum fills to the nifty guitar intro to "c'mon c'mon."
Mr. krista: [Narrator: it would be nice if I'd noted which part of the song he was talking about, but from context it appears to be the little drum fill just before the five-note guitar intro to "c'mon c'mon" part.] "That sets the song. It sounds like it speeds up, but it doesn’t. It’s a very unlikely part, but it sets up that great lick that leads to the chorus. It sounds like a mistake. That’s what that has such huge payoff, like it moves you into the next part. It seems intuitive. None of those chords are difficult and I guarantee that everybody has trouble playing it when they first try. That’s really good songwriting and is why rock is so good. That’s part of the rock vocabulary now, and I guarantee it wasn’t before. It’s just genius. I don’t mean like Nabokov is a genius, but an inspired moment where you have to be really young or really brave to put in your song."
Suggested cover: Blondie, why not. I met Deborah Harry once in New York. By "met," I mean that she and I came to the same street crossing at the same time that the light turned to "Don't Walk." She said, "####." I nodded at her knowingly.
2022 Supplement: Who wrote the following? I have it saved in my notes but without attribution!
2022 Mr. krista Supplement: How do you write lyrics that are that good when you’re like 16 or something? And I like how it seems to speed up and slow down at times. How do they play like that and sing, in like three-part harmonies?
Guido Merkins
“The Beatles want to hold your hand and the Stones want to burn down your town”
Here’s the problem with generalizations. What’s more badass? Saying you can’t get no “satisfaction” and because of your image people take you seriously and wring their hands OR you write a song asking your girl to “please” you and because you wear nice clean suits and you seem respectable, it goes right over everybody’s head? Yes, Satisfaction is a bad ### song, love it. But John Lennon writes a song about fellatio and they are the “cute lovable moptops.” Image is all well and good, but it’s very surface.
In any event, over and above the fact that the song is about fellatio, Please Please Me is my favorite of the early Beatles singles. It doesn’t come across as explosive as She Loves You or Hand, but that great guitar/harmonica lick, Ringo’s great drumming, and John screaming “Come on” and Paul answering him is really cool. The outro is my favorite part. Throwing in a C chord in a song in E Major is cool. It’s the third chord in the closing sequence. The one that sounds like it doesn’t belong, but once you hear it, you can’t imagine the song without it. Please Please Me is, IMO, a perfect little pop song.
It's a terrible analogy, but, from an energy-level standpoint, it would be like going to a comedy club in the 80's and starting with Steven Wright, followed immediately by Bobcat Goldthwait.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
#74 overall on my list
Magical Mystery Tour.
Magical Mystery Tour double EP
1967 (2nd of 6 songs on the UK release)
composer - McCartney
vocalist - McCartney
Always a favorite of mine.
Formal structure of Magical Mystery Tour:
Intro (chorus) 0:00-0:09 E major
Verse 1 0:09-0:32 E major
backing only 0:09-0:21
with lead 0:21-0:32
Chorus 0:33-0:41 D major
Verse 2 0:41-1:04 E major
backing only 0:41-0:53
with lead 0:53-1:04
Chorus 1:04-1:13 D major
Break 1:13-1:27 ambiguous (B major? E major?)
Verse 3 1:27-1:57 E major
backing only 1:27-1:42
with lead 1:42-1:57
Chorus 1:57-2:20 D major
Coda 2:20-2:50 D major, D minor
Or as I learned in humanities class, it’s the same AABA pattern found in the vast majority pop music.
This is yet another McCartney song that features a macro-scale formal layout of three iterations of a particular combination of sections - in this case a verse (each consisting of two subsections) followed by a chorus. In between the second and third such iterations is a break, with the total product bookended by an intro and coda.
Verse 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Chorus
Break
Verse 3
Chorus
Of course, all songs need variety. In fact, you might say that the fundamental challenge of musical composition is how to (a) continue in a way that is complementary to what preceded it (meaning it contributes to what was heard earlier rather than being completely unrelated), while simultaneously (b) varying the material enough to avoid monotony.
In "Magical Mystery Tour", Paul achieves this balance between same and different in three ways:
1. By making each macro-scale section consist of a verse (in two parts) in E major and chorus in D major. This builds a certain degree of tonal contrast into each macro section.
2. By adding an instrumental break in between the verse 2/chorus and verse 3/chorus. As the section name implies, this offers a break to the vocalists - both background and lead. Moreover, the chords used in this break are chords not found anywhere else in the song. In that sense, the break functions rather like a middle 8 in that it provides harmonic contrast to the verses and choruses. Had this break included a melody and/or lyrics, I probably would have labeled it a middle 8. But without a melody or lyrics, it is quite clearly a break.
3. By changing musical parameters for the final verse/chorus. Where the tempo from the beginning until the final verse/chorus is q=168, the tempo abruptly slows by about 20% to q=136. A listener will clearly hear this sudden tempo shift as something new (not heard previously in this song), while simultaneously hearing that the chord progression and backing vocals are identical (just slower) to those heard previously. In short, it's both the same and different.
Additionally, when McCartney's lead vocals are heard again, he's singing the same pitches, but has jumped one octave higher. This helps give the final verse/chorus energy. In general, fast temposhave more energy (think of your heartbeat - faster heart beats almost always mean more energy or exertion). In this case, however, the opposite is true: The slower tempo actually has more energy, and McCartney's higher vocals help give it that boost in energy despite the decrease in tempo.
Furthermore, the final chorus takes the additional step of changing time signature in addition to the tempo. Where the first two iterations of the chorus were in duple meter (beats divisible by two), the third and final chorus is in triple meter (beats divisible by three). This contributes to the increase in energy and ultimately leads to the climax of the song at the point where the chorus concludes and the coda begins. The function of the coda, then, is to provide a respite from the continually increasing energy of the verse/chorus immediately prior. The coda maintains the triple meter of the final chorus, but without the vocals or any significant melody, the energy steadily decreases. A fade out aids in this decrease in energy.
Quintessential harmonies + harmonica. John is really carrying the band at this point, penning 10 of the 13 original compositions on A Hard Day’s Night.
#110 overall on my list
I Should Have Known Better
A Hard Day's Night soundtrack
1964 (9th of 13)
composer - Lennon
vocalist - Lennon
Stereo Panning
Left:
rhythm guitar
bass
drums
Center:
vocals
Right:
harmonica
lead guitar
Formal structure of I Should Have Known Better
Intro (verse) 0:00-0:07
Verse 1 0:07-0:25
Verse 2 0:25-0:40
Middle 8 0:40-1:09
Verse 3 1:09-1:28
Solo 1:28-1:46
Verse 4 1:46-2:01
Middle 8 2:01-2:26
Coda (verse) 2:26-2:41
Very straight-forward structurally (rather unusual for a Lennon song!).
No chorus.
The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 16 measures and about 29 seconds both times, totaling 36.0% (58/161) of the song's duration.
Of the Beatles first 36 original songs, 30 employ at least one middle 8. Clearly, the Beatles as composers value the structural benefits of a section that contrasts harmonically with the verses. That being said, at this early stage in their career, the middle 8 comprises only about 20% of the song (give or take 10%).
Every song, of course, needs something to contrast the verses, otherwise the song would be quite monotonous. The six tunes that do not employ a middle 8 feature a chorus that serves this contrasting function. Of these six, two ([15] "All My Loving" and [19] "Not a Second Time") blur the line between middle 8 and chorus - they could be interpreted either way.
I’m probably very much in the minority, but this one just doesn’t do much for me. The changing time signatures are interesting.
#132 overall on my list
I Me Mine
Let It Be 1970
(9th of 12 tracks on their final release)
composer - Harrison
vocalist - Harrison
Formal structure of I Me Mine:
Intro (v) 0:00-0:06 186 bpm
Verse 1 0:06-0:39 186 bpm
Middle 8 0:39-0:57 124 bpm
Verse 2 0:57-1:29 186 bpm
Middle 8 1:29-1:47 124 bpm
Verse 3 1:47-2:26 186 bpm
I Me Mine is very much the product of Phil Spector's producing. Originally the tune was significantly shorter, concluding after the second verse. Spector edited the song, essentially copy/pasting the middle 8 and verse 2 from 0:39-1:29 to create the middle 8 and verse 3 (which is why the two middle 8s and verses 2 and 3 are 100% completely identical). Structurally speaking, what Spector's addition does is extend the song from a ternary A-B-A' structure into a 5-part rondo: A-B-A'-B-A'. I Me Mine is just the second Beatles song to employ a rondo structure (which is more associated with classical styles than popular styles), behind I'll Be Back.
#36 overall on my listPlease Please Me
2022 Ranking: 91
2022 Lists: 5
2022 Points: 50
Ranked Highest by: @Guido Merkins (8) @ManOfSteelhead (13) @DaVinci (17) @Shaft41 (21) @Ilov80s (21)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 110/2/11
Getz comments: YT live 1964 from DC. 80's on board! 11 to go... Loved the Blondie link below...
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 35
2019 write-up:
Please Please Me (Please Please Me, 1963)
The only song on the countdown that was written as a combination of a Roy Orbison and a Bing Crosby song! John wrote this upon listening to Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely," but also incorporating thoughts from Bing Crosby's "Please." As you might imagine from those two influences, the song was originally written and rehearsed at a much slower tempo, but Fifth Beatle George Martin suggested that the dreary, monotonous song be sped up. At the end of the recording sessions for the now-uptempo song, Martin, who called the recording session "a joy," declared, "'Gentlemen, you've just made your first number one record.'" And he was mostly right: though the song only reached #2 on one of the charts, it reached #1 on the rest of the British charts and became their first (almost) #1 hit. (I discussed "Love Me Do" earlier as the first "true" #1, even though tim didn't read the write-up.) Even usually surly John acknowledged how happy the band was with the song.
This became the first song that the Beatles ever performed live on television, on the show Thank Your Lucky Stars. One could reasonably state that this was the beginning of Beatlemania in Britain, somewhat in the way that the Ed Sullivan appearance fueled the frenzy in the US (though that frenzy had already begun before the TV show). This show was hugely popular in Britain, and due to some terrible weather in January 1963, the Brits were stuck inside that night hooked to the telly. Seeing these guys with the unusual haircuts and insane energy and talent helped launch the madness.
I love every part of this song: John's sexy lead vocal (yes I went there); Paul's as-always amazing bass lines; the call-and-response between John on the "call" and Paul/George harmonizing the "response"; the harmonica playing in parallel with the guitar; the urgency of the eighth notes on the bridge as compared to the quarter notes in the verses; the unexpected pauses throughout. One aspect that particularly stands out to me is the harmonic structure of the verse, with Paul maintaining the high note while John descends; gives it a slightly jabby but pleasing sound. The title with the double "please" was so clever. The song drowns in hooks, from that intro riff to the little drum fills to the nifty guitar intro to "c'mon c'mon."
Mr. krista: [Narrator: it would be nice if I'd noted which part of the song he was talking about, but from context it appears to be the little drum fill just before the five-note guitar intro to "c'mon c'mon" part.] "That sets the song. It sounds like it speeds up, but it doesn’t. It’s a very unlikely part, but it sets up that great lick that leads to the chorus. It sounds like a mistake. That’s what that has such huge payoff, like it moves you into the next part. It seems intuitive. None of those chords are difficult and I guarantee that everybody has trouble playing it when they first try. That’s really good songwriting and is why rock is so good. That’s part of the rock vocabulary now, and I guarantee it wasn’t before. It’s just genius. I don’t mean like Nabokov is a genius, but an inspired moment where you have to be really young or really brave to put in your song."
Suggested cover: Blondie, why not. I met Deborah Harry once in New York. By "met," I mean that she and I came to the same street crossing at the same time that the light turned to "Don't Walk." She said, "####." I nodded at her knowingly.
2022 Supplement: Who wrote the following? I have it saved in my notes but without attribution!
2022 Mr. krista Supplement: How do you write lyrics that are that good when you’re like 16 or something? And I like how it seems to speed up and slow down at times. How do they play like that and sing, in like three-part harmonies?
Guido Merkins
“The Beatles want to hold your hand and the Stones want to burn down your town”
Here’s the problem with generalizations. What’s more badass? Saying you can’t get no “satisfaction” and because of your image people take you seriously and wring their hands OR you write a song asking your girl to “please” you and because you wear nice clean suits and you seem respectable, it goes right over everybody’s head? Yes, Satisfaction is a bad ### song, love it. But John Lennon writes a song about fellatio and they are the “cute lovable moptops.” Image is all well and good, but it’s very surface.
In any event, over and above the fact that the song is about fellatio, Please Please Me is my favorite of the early Beatles singles. It doesn’t come across as explosive as She Loves You or Hand, but that great guitar/harmonica lick, Ringo’s great drumming, and John screaming “Come on” and Paul answering him is really cool. The outro is my favorite part. Throwing in a C chord in a song in E Major is cool. It’s the third chord in the closing sequence. The one that sounds like it doesn’t belong, but once you hear it, you can’t imagine the song without it. Please Please Me is, IMO, a perfect little pop song.
Please Please Me (2nd of 14 tracks)
Please Please Me
1963
composer - Lennon
vocalist - Lennon
Stereo Panning
Left:
lead guitar
rhythm guitar
bass
drums
Center:
[none]
Right:
vocals
harmonica
Please Please Me": AABA
Introduction 0:00-0:07 based on verse (4 m)
tag (2 m)
tag (2 m)
(A) Verse 1 + Refrain 0:07-0:35
statement (4 m)
restatement (4 m)
departure (4 m)
conclusion (4 m)
(A) Verse 2 + Refrain 0:35-1:02
(B) Middle 8 1:02-1:19
statement (4 m)
restatement (4 m)
tag (2 m)
(A) Verse 3 + Refrain 1:19-1:50
statement (4 m)
restatement (4 m)
departure (4 m)
conclusion (2 m)
conclusion + tag (2 m)
conclusion + tag (2 m)
Coda (independent) 1:50-1:57
Polite Rockers: "Please" (and "Thank You")
Despite being rock 'n' rollers, The Beatles were very polite in their lyrics. Of the 213 songs recorded by the Beatles and released on their albums, 25 (12%) use the word "please":
Love Me Do (1962):
"Love, love me do. You know I love you. I'll always be true, so please love me do."
Chains (1963):
"Please believe me when I tell you your lips are sweet"
Please Please Me (1963):
"Please please me like I please you"
I Want to Hold Your Hand (1963):
"Oh please say to me you'll let me be your man, and please say to me you'll let me hold your hand."
Don't Bother Me (1963):
"But till she's here please don't come near, just stay away"
Please Mr. Postman (1963):
"Please Mr. Postman look and see if there's a letter, a letter for me"
You Really Got a Hold on Me (1963):
"I love you and all that I want you to do is just hold me please, hold me squeeze, hold me"
Mr. Moonlight (1963):
"Mr. Moonlight, come again please. Here I am on my knees begging if you please."
If I Fell (1964):
"If I trust in you, oh please, don't run and hide. If I love you too, oh please, don't hurt my pride like her."
When I Get Home (1964):
"Come on, if you please, I got no time for trivialities."
You Can't Do That (1964):
"So please listen to me if you wanna stay mine"
I Don't Want to Spoil the Party (1964):
"If she turns up while I'm gone please let me know."
What You're Doing (1964):
"Please stop your lying, you got me crying girl"
Yes it Is (1965):
"Please don't wear red tonight"
Day Tripper (1965):
"Tried to please her, but she only played one night stand."
Help! (1965):
"Won't you please, please help me?"
I Need You (1965):
"Please come on back to me. I'm lonely as can be. I need you."
"Please remember how I feel about you. I could never really live without you."
Nowhere Man (1965):
"Nowhere man please listen, you don't know what you're missing."
I'm Only Sleeping (1966):
"Please don't wake me, no don't shake me, leave me where I am I'm only sleeping."
"Please don't spoil my day, I'm miles away, and after all I'm only sleeping."
Blue Jay Way (1967):
"Please don't be long, please don't you be very long, please don't be long or I may be asleep."
Martha My Dear (1968):
"Martha my dear, though I spend my days in conversation, please be good to me."
Honey Pie (1968):
"Honey Pie, you are making me crazy, I'm in love but I'm lazy, so won't you please come home."
Come Together (1969):
"He got hair down below his knee, Got to be a joker he just do what he please."
Oh! Darling (1969):
"Oh, darling, please believe me. I'll never do you no harm."
I've Got a Feeling (1969):
"Oh please believe me, I'd hate to miss the train."
For those who are wondering, only 2 Beatles songs use "thank you":
Thank You Girl (1963):
"And all I gotta do is thank you girl, thank you girl."
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967):
"We'd like to thank you once again."
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
George Martin, Paul & John talking about PPM
Think that’s from Anthology? John intended to write a Roy Orbison song in the same vein as Only the Lonely with a melisma in the chorus. Around this time they rejected How Do You Do It (released on Anthology 1), which then became a #1 for another Liverpudlian band in ‘63. The lads thought didn’t think fit they’re sound. “We can’t to Liverpool and sing that!”
Zegras11
Footballguy
Any Time at All
2022 Ranking: 90
2022 Lists: 4
2022 Points: 52
Ranked Highest by: @Murph (9) @Eephus(13) @Encyclopedia Brown (14) @Shaft41 (16)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 111T/1/11
Getz comments: Murph, EBrown and Shaft all jump into Chalk Top 10.
5 --Encyclopedia Brown---349.5
6 --Shaft41---303
7 --murph---302
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 79
2019 write-up:
Any Time At All (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)
On its face it might sound like a great rock song belted out beautifully by John, and it is, but there's also a lot of other interesting stuff going on here. There's the way John starts each chorus with a solo (other than the first chorus where Ringo lead with a whopping snare). There's Paul's descending bass line. There's the interesting structure, particularly notable for that time, with the bridge coming late in a chorus-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus lineup. And then when you get to that bridge, it's all instrumental, with Paul contributing a smashing piano solo that dialogues with the George guitar part beautifully by Paul playing up the scale and George down, until George "hands off" to Paul to finish with a flourish that mimics what George had previously been playing on the guitar. That's kinda brilliant. (It's possible that the instrumental was intended to have voices added later, but the song had to be rushed out as it was only started on the last day of recording for A Hard Day's Night.) Finally, there's the double-tracking of John's vocal, which allows lines to be finished that otherwise would have run into each other in a way that would have been awkward to sing. As a result, John is coming in to accompany himself smoothly - for instance, listen to the overdub start at ~0:27 in the first verse.
Mr. krista: "I like that the guitar and the piano play the same notes. Great rocker. I like the guitar. Really neat little trick."
Suggested covers: Rave on, Dweezil Zappa. Dunno about this breathy vocal: OK Go
2022 Supplement: In a similar vein to John’s reworking of “This Boy” to become “Yes It Is,” John said that this song is a reworking of “It Won’t Be Long.” I find this re-imagining much more successful than that of “This Boy.” Sadly the band abandoned this one after recording and never sang it at a show; I bet it would have been a fantastic live rave-up.
Guido Merkins
I remember when I was first getting into the Beatles, after I had heard the more well-known songs, I asked my Mom for some other songs to listen to. She gave me some and one of them as Any Time At All, so I have a soft spot for it.
I love the drum shot that starts the song. I also live George Martin’s sped up piano trick on the solo. Something interesting is that the solo wasn’t supposed to be a solo. It was supposed to be a bridge, but they never came up with words for it, so it turned into a solo. I also love the Lennon vocal. And they lyrics (when the sun has faded away, I’ll try to make it shine) is quite a beautiful image.
The song was written primarily by John who claimed that it was him trying to re-write It Won’t Be Long. McCartney sings the second “any time at all” because it was a bit out of Lennon’s vocal range. Really good song that kicks off side 2 of A Hard Day’s Night.
2022 Ranking: 90
2022 Lists: 4
2022 Points: 52
Ranked Highest by: @Murph (9) @Eephus(13) @Encyclopedia Brown (14) @Shaft41 (16)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 111T/1/11
Getz comments: Murph, EBrown and Shaft all jump into Chalk Top 10.
5 --Encyclopedia Brown---349.5
6 --Shaft41---303
7 --murph---302
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 79
2019 write-up:
Any Time At All (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)
On its face it might sound like a great rock song belted out beautifully by John, and it is, but there's also a lot of other interesting stuff going on here. There's the way John starts each chorus with a solo (other than the first chorus where Ringo lead with a whopping snare). There's Paul's descending bass line. There's the interesting structure, particularly notable for that time, with the bridge coming late in a chorus-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus lineup. And then when you get to that bridge, it's all instrumental, with Paul contributing a smashing piano solo that dialogues with the George guitar part beautifully by Paul playing up the scale and George down, until George "hands off" to Paul to finish with a flourish that mimics what George had previously been playing on the guitar. That's kinda brilliant. (It's possible that the instrumental was intended to have voices added later, but the song had to be rushed out as it was only started on the last day of recording for A Hard Day's Night.) Finally, there's the double-tracking of John's vocal, which allows lines to be finished that otherwise would have run into each other in a way that would have been awkward to sing. As a result, John is coming in to accompany himself smoothly - for instance, listen to the overdub start at ~0:27 in the first verse.
Mr. krista: "I like that the guitar and the piano play the same notes. Great rocker. I like the guitar. Really neat little trick."
Suggested covers: Rave on, Dweezil Zappa. Dunno about this breathy vocal: OK Go
2022 Supplement: In a similar vein to John’s reworking of “This Boy” to become “Yes It Is,” John said that this song is a reworking of “It Won’t Be Long.” I find this re-imagining much more successful than that of “This Boy.” Sadly the band abandoned this one after recording and never sang it at a show; I bet it would have been a fantastic live rave-up.
Guido Merkins
I remember when I was first getting into the Beatles, after I had heard the more well-known songs, I asked my Mom for some other songs to listen to. She gave me some and one of them as Any Time At All, so I have a soft spot for it.
I love the drum shot that starts the song. I also live George Martin’s sped up piano trick on the solo. Something interesting is that the solo wasn’t supposed to be a solo. It was supposed to be a bridge, but they never came up with words for it, so it turned into a solo. I also love the Lennon vocal. And they lyrics (when the sun has faded away, I’ll try to make it shine) is quite a beautiful image.
The song was written primarily by John who claimed that it was him trying to re-write It Won’t Be Long. McCartney sings the second “any time at all” because it was a bit out of Lennon’s vocal range. Really good song that kicks off side 2 of A Hard Day’s Night.
Shaft41
Footballguy
wikkidpissah
Footballguy
my favorite movie scene i ever wrote, from my sequel to Breakfast @ Tiffany:
It is 1982. Young stockbroker goes to a piano bar with a coupla friends. Out walks a very pretty girl, Tiffany Varjak (daughter of Holly Golightly) in almost formal attire and sits down at the piano. as she begins Moonlight Sonata, it dawns on the young patron that this gal is the daughter-of-the-owner who interviewed him wearing naught but a very loose shirt and rented him his apt in the E70s brownstone a coupla wks before.
Without changing tune, Tiffany begins to faintly eject "Alllllll thru the daaay, i me mine i me mine i me mine" Changing the chords to fit the Harrison tune she sings the rest str8 until it switches to 4/4, when she performs it like Jerry Lee Lewis on acid (i'd say crack, but...). Second time thru, the 3/4 part is a punk rant and the chorus is little more than blood-curdling screams of" IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII........... MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...... MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!" as she tries to tip the piano over before storming off.
Are you in love yet?
It is 1982. Young stockbroker goes to a piano bar with a coupla friends. Out walks a very pretty girl, Tiffany Varjak (daughter of Holly Golightly) in almost formal attire and sits down at the piano. as she begins Moonlight Sonata, it dawns on the young patron that this gal is the daughter-of-the-owner who interviewed him wearing naught but a very loose shirt and rented him his apt in the E70s brownstone a coupla wks before.
Without changing tune, Tiffany begins to faintly eject "Alllllll thru the daaay, i me mine i me mine i me mine" Changing the chords to fit the Harrison tune she sings the rest str8 until it switches to 4/4, when she performs it like Jerry Lee Lewis on acid (i'd say crack, but...). Second time thru, the 3/4 part is a punk rant and the chorus is little more than blood-curdling screams of" IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII........... MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...... MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!" as she tries to tip the piano over before storming off.
Are you in love yet?
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Zegras11
Footballguy
simey
Footballguy
When I was little, I loved The Monkees from watching them on TV. My crush, though, was on David Cassidy.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
I def fell hard for AHDN this time around. Only 1 in my Top 25, but 4 of my Top 50 (4th most of any album) and 7 of my Top 75 (again 4th most.) Leaders of list for the latter is Revolver with 9, and Revolver + TBtWA with 8 each.
#78 overall on my list
Any Time At All
A Hard Day's Night 1964 (8th of 13)
composer - Lennon
vocalist - Lennon
John Lennon commented during an interview with David Sheff of Playboy in 1980:
Any Time At All "is an effort at writing It Won't Be Long - same ilk: C to A minor, C to A minor - with me shouting"
This quote is puzzling in that while "It Won't Be Long" uses six C chords (twice per verse over a total of three verses), "Any Time At All" uses no C chords, and neither song uses a single a minor chord.
Welp, he’s the genius, I don’t even resemble a musician, just not sure what he meant. Maybe bc it starts with the chorus?
Stereo Panning
Left:
lead guitar
rhythm guitar
bass
drums
Center:
vocals
Right:
piano
Formal structure of Any Time At All:
Chorus 0:00-0:14
Verse 1 0:14-0:38
Chorus 0:38-0:52
Verse 2 0:52-1:15
Chorus 1:15-1:29
Solo 1:29-1:46
Chorus 1:46-2:00
Coda/Chorus 2:00-2:09
No intro, it just launches into the chorus, as does She Loves You, It Won't Be Long, Can't Buy Me Love. No middle 8, which up to this point has been relatively unusual for original songs (occurring in just 5 of 34: She Loves You, All My Loving (this one's a tough call - it blurs the lines between chorus and middle 8), I Wanna Be Your Man, Not a Second Time, Can't Buy Me Love), but much more common in covers (occurring in 8 of 15: Boys, Baby It's You, Twist and Shout, Money (That's What I Want), Please Mr. Postman, Long Tall Sally, Matchbox, Slow Down.
Any Time At All is the sixth Beatles original (of their first 36 compositions) not to use a middle 8 - the previous being She Loves You, All My Loving, I Wanna Be Your Man, Not a Second Time, and Can't Buy Me Love.
Zegras11
Footballguy
ProstheticRGK
Footballguy
"I, Me, Mine" was one of the hard cuts I had to make to get down to 25.
I really want to go on a completely self-indulgent, autobiographical reason for why I love George so much. Suffice to say, after my experimentation/practice with hallucinogens, meditation and Eastern philosophy- I just grokk him completely. A cynical kid, raised Roman Catholic, who has his consciousness raised thru psychedelics and starts questioning everything finds a mental framework that scratches the existential itch. Hard not to love it.
And, @krista4, for not being "on a plane" with George, you pretty much nailed the crux of it. According to most Eastern philosophies and "new-agey" self-help, the ego is a construct of your brain, it's like a warning alarm system that was developed over millennia to warn us we were about to be tiger food, or that some other hairless ape had hostile intentions. The problem starts when people identify as that. When identity becomes attached to the ego, people view themselves as separate (analogous to the fall in the Garden of Eden, when people ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) and actions become selfish and self-aggrandizing. "I, Me, Mine". Associating with ego ends up like putting a monkey in charge of the Space Shuttle.
This song is awesome outside of the lyrical content, to me. Love the chaos of going from the waltzy beat to the hard-rocking bridge. The guitar just sounds crunchy and funky. And Ringo's drums are perfect. But the lyrics sing to me in a way that most popular music doesn't. I appreciate George's brave and vulnerable, open-hearted dives into some really heavy subject matter. I guess I didn't really resist too strongly from making a completely self-indulgent, autobiographical rant: I, ME, ME, MINE!!!
Also, John could be a real ****, and sometimes I hate him. That clip from Get Back is one of those times.
I really want to go on a completely self-indulgent, autobiographical reason for why I love George so much. Suffice to say, after my experimentation/practice with hallucinogens, meditation and Eastern philosophy- I just grokk him completely. A cynical kid, raised Roman Catholic, who has his consciousness raised thru psychedelics and starts questioning everything finds a mental framework that scratches the existential itch. Hard not to love it.
And, @krista4, for not being "on a plane" with George, you pretty much nailed the crux of it. According to most Eastern philosophies and "new-agey" self-help, the ego is a construct of your brain, it's like a warning alarm system that was developed over millennia to warn us we were about to be tiger food, or that some other hairless ape had hostile intentions. The problem starts when people identify as that. When identity becomes attached to the ego, people view themselves as separate (analogous to the fall in the Garden of Eden, when people ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) and actions become selfish and self-aggrandizing. "I, Me, Mine". Associating with ego ends up like putting a monkey in charge of the Space Shuttle.
This song is awesome outside of the lyrical content, to me. Love the chaos of going from the waltzy beat to the hard-rocking bridge. The guitar just sounds crunchy and funky. And Ringo's drums are perfect. But the lyrics sing to me in a way that most popular music doesn't. I appreciate George's brave and vulnerable, open-hearted dives into some really heavy subject matter. I guess I didn't really resist too strongly from making a completely self-indulgent, autobiographical rant: I, ME, ME, MINE!!!
Also, John could be a real ****, and sometimes I hate him. That clip from Get Back is one of those times.
ProstheticRGK
Footballguy
this, but had to ManOfSteelhead
Footballguy
heckmanm
Footballguy
Zegras11
Footballguy
I’ll Follow The Sun
2022 Ranking: 89
2022 Lists: 3
2022 Points: 53
Ranked Highest by: @ManOfSteelhead (2) @ekbeats (3) @Gr00vus (20)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 64/5/46
Getz: Ekbeats on board. 10 left… First song to have two Top 5 votes. Takes a hit from 2019 from five votes down to three and 25 slots. Only one more song left with three voters.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 57
2019 write-up:
I'll Follow The Sun (Beatles for Sale, 1964)
If you'd had me quickly jot down my favorite Beatles songs before I started this project, this one would have been on the list. It's so sweet and simple, with a gorgeous lead vocal by Paul. Paul recalls writing it when he was 16, and there's a bootleg version of it that Paul dates to April 1960. When the Beatles needed more material for the Beatles for Sale album, they dusted this off and recorded a beautifully delicate version. A lot of songs have skipped over it in my final rankings given this one's simplicity, but I still love to sing along (poorly) with John's harmonies. A song doesn't have to be complex to be appreciated, and I love this one for its gentle, charming nature.
Mr. krista: "Great song; they wisely left a lot of percussion out of it. They sell this soft and somber. A contemplative type thing, not rock."
Suggested cover: I don't love the way she hangs onto the notes, or the lack of harmonies, but damn does she have a great voice: Judy Collins
2022 Supplement: Paul wrote this one standing in the living room of his last boyhood home. This home had lace curtains that the McCartneys considered very fancy at the time, and Paul still has lace curtains in his homes as a result. He’s described it as a “leaving Liverpool” song of a child who knows he’s going to leave this rainy town for a place with more happening.
Though this was one of the Beatles’ earliest compositions, it took a few albums to make the cut due to its gentle sound. According to Paul, “We had this hard R&B image in Liverpool, so I think songs like 'I'll Follow The Sun,' ballads like that, got pushed back to later.”
Enjoy this early, countrified version of the song from 1960 by the Quarrymen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKZtEXfB3zU
Guido Merkins
I’ll Follow the Sun is a song that was written by Paul when he was about 16 years old. He said he remembers writing it after being sick and having that first cigarette after and it tasting terrible. What resulted was one of the so-called Original 100 that actually saw the light of day.
The song is on Beatles For Sale and fits the album’s more acoustic, introspective vibe. It’s a little bit of a sad song, especially the bridge (and now the time has come and so my love I must go.) The song has no bass guitar and Paul picking an acoustic guitar. Ringo is banging on a packing case and his knees for percussion. George plays a very minimalist solo.
I’ll Follow the Sun is a really good song, so the question is, why did it take so long to record? Well, first, there is a home recording from around 1960 of it with Stuart Sutcliffe with different lyrics and a different arrangement. Apparently, Paul would play it in Hamburg in between sets on piano. The Beatles saw themselves as an R&B combo and wouldn’t have recorded something this delicate early in their careers. As their palette expanded, a gorgeous song like this would be considered.
2022 Ranking: 89
2022 Lists: 3
2022 Points: 53
Ranked Highest by: @ManOfSteelhead (2) @ekbeats (3) @Gr00vus (20)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 64/5/46
Getz: Ekbeats on board. 10 left… First song to have two Top 5 votes. Takes a hit from 2019 from five votes down to three and 25 slots. Only one more song left with three voters.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 57
2019 write-up:
I'll Follow The Sun (Beatles for Sale, 1964)
If you'd had me quickly jot down my favorite Beatles songs before I started this project, this one would have been on the list. It's so sweet and simple, with a gorgeous lead vocal by Paul. Paul recalls writing it when he was 16, and there's a bootleg version of it that Paul dates to April 1960. When the Beatles needed more material for the Beatles for Sale album, they dusted this off and recorded a beautifully delicate version. A lot of songs have skipped over it in my final rankings given this one's simplicity, but I still love to sing along (poorly) with John's harmonies. A song doesn't have to be complex to be appreciated, and I love this one for its gentle, charming nature.
Mr. krista: "Great song; they wisely left a lot of percussion out of it. They sell this soft and somber. A contemplative type thing, not rock."
Suggested cover: I don't love the way she hangs onto the notes, or the lack of harmonies, but damn does she have a great voice: Judy Collins
2022 Supplement: Paul wrote this one standing in the living room of his last boyhood home. This home had lace curtains that the McCartneys considered very fancy at the time, and Paul still has lace curtains in his homes as a result. He’s described it as a “leaving Liverpool” song of a child who knows he’s going to leave this rainy town for a place with more happening.
Though this was one of the Beatles’ earliest compositions, it took a few albums to make the cut due to its gentle sound. According to Paul, “We had this hard R&B image in Liverpool, so I think songs like 'I'll Follow The Sun,' ballads like that, got pushed back to later.”
Enjoy this early, countrified version of the song from 1960 by the Quarrymen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKZtEXfB3zU
Guido Merkins
I’ll Follow the Sun is a song that was written by Paul when he was about 16 years old. He said he remembers writing it after being sick and having that first cigarette after and it tasting terrible. What resulted was one of the so-called Original 100 that actually saw the light of day.
The song is on Beatles For Sale and fits the album’s more acoustic, introspective vibe. It’s a little bit of a sad song, especially the bridge (and now the time has come and so my love I must go.) The song has no bass guitar and Paul picking an acoustic guitar. Ringo is banging on a packing case and his knees for percussion. George plays a very minimalist solo.
I’ll Follow the Sun is a really good song, so the question is, why did it take so long to record? Well, first, there is a home recording from around 1960 of it with Stuart Sutcliffe with different lyrics and a different arrangement. Apparently, Paul would play it in Hamburg in between sets on piano. The Beatles saw themselves as an R&B combo and wouldn’t have recorded something this delicate early in their careers. As their palette expanded, a gorgeous song like this would be considered.
This one was pretty close to making my list. In the end I liked Tell Me What You See a bit more.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
I’ll Follow the Sun - 1960 Silver Beatles at home
By the time of its commercial relase, the song - while still recognizable - sounded nothing like what it did in 1960. The 1960 version exudes bouncy, youthful enthusiasm, while the 1964 version features a more delicate, mature, and slightly weary sound. Structurally, the two featured completely different Middle 8s, with the former lyrics
“Well, don't leave me alone, my dear, have courage and follow me my dear[?]"
and the latter lyrics
"And now the time has come, and so my love I must go. And thought I lose a friend, in the end you will know."
By the time of its commercial relase, the song - while still recognizable - sounded nothing like what it did in 1960. The 1960 version exudes bouncy, youthful enthusiasm, while the 1964 version features a more delicate, mature, and slightly weary sound. Structurally, the two featured completely different Middle 8s, with the former lyrics
“Well, don't leave me alone, my dear, have courage and follow me my dear[?]"
and the latter lyrics
"And now the time has come, and so my love I must go. And thought I lose a friend, in the end you will know."
krista4
Footballguy
That's the same performance I linked in my write-up. Though I didn't paste the Krerowicz write-up to mine, so I guess there's that.
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krista4
Footballguy
I'm 100% in favor of posts like these; reading how/why a song is meaningful to someone is the most interesting part of the thread to me. Not self-indulgent at all IMO.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
#88 overall for me
I'll Follow The Sun
Beatles For Sale
1964 LP
3rd favorite (of 14) from BFS
composer - McCartney
vocalist - McCartney
Before doing these rankings I don’t think I realized I was biased towards John.
Top 25: L/M-5, L-13, M-5, H-2
Top 50: L/M-5, L-25, M-13, H-5, cover-2
Top 75: L/M-7, L-34, M-26, H-6, C-2
Top 100: L/M-11, L-44, M-34, H-8, C-3
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
fatguyinalittlecoat
Footballguy
I’ll Follow the Sun is great, would have made my Top 42.
simey
Footballguy
It is amazing how many great songs they have, and it is cool hearing how their music changed over a decade, and the music was great (most of it) through all of it.
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Zegras11
Footballguy
Dig A Pony
2022 Ranking: 88
2022 Lists: 4
2022 Points: 54
Ranked Highest by: @Oliver Humanzee (8) Krista(TJ/Michael) (10) @Murph (12) @ProstheticRGK (20)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR
Getz comments: 37th of 39 songs to be NR in 2019. Song grew a lot on me watching Get Back twice. Do not miss all the write ups below. Excellent!
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 118
2019 write-up:
Dig a Pony (Let It Be, 1970)
Speaking of the rooftop concert (well, we were yesterday)...the take used on Let It Be was the live version from that concert. The "false start" at the beginning was because Ringo wasn't ready - he had only one drumstick, with a cigarette in the other hand - but then the song kicks in ferociously with that fantastic hook. It's another where my ranking is likely higher than where most people would put it, and that's A-OK since this is my damn list. This song suffers from some non-sensical lyrics, but I've never understood why that's all right for "Come Together" or "I Am the Walrus" but criticized in this one. Taking out the nonsense lyrics, I love pretty much everything else about this song, including George's guitar work, Ringo's fills, and especially Billy Preston on electric piano. Any track with Billy Preston on it is automatically bumped up ten slots. It's another terrific John vocal with a stunning amount of emotion, and the transitions are marvelous, reaching their peak IMO with the "beeeecause" near the end.
Mr. krista: "I dig Dig a Pony. I like the lyrics a lot. That being nonsense that almost means something. The music’s great. I love how all of it sounds really good. Like a plain Jane recording showing off what a great band they are. Not a bunch of studio ####ery. Just a great rock band."
Suggested cover: St. Vincent. (Getz: I'd really like to hear Meg Myers sing this after hearing this)
2022 Supplement: One of two songs I’ll identify as being those that would jump the most if I did a full re-ranking. The other one is “All I’ve Got To Do,” which we might or might not have covered yet. This one, though, was one I absolutely adored at the time, but was just embarrassed to admit it. And now I’m embarrassed to admit that. Truly, I just knew that this song was not well-regarded, and along with putting songs I didn’t like as much higher than I should have (*cough*Penny Lane*cough*), I demoted this one unfairly as a result. THIS WAS #27 ON MY RE-RANKING THIS YEAR.
Now that we have that out of the way, I’m turning this supplement over to Mr. krista, who has always loved this one too and even put it in his #8 spot.
2022 Mr. krista Supplement: Every time I listen to this, I think “why is that not my favorite Beatles song?” I love the main riff… the main riff and the verses are in waltz time or 6/8, the riff is in waltz time but just fast. There could be another eight-hour Get Back movie of just Ringo throwing in an extra beat to make it 4/4, and it’s one of the things that makes it so propulsive and engaging is that beat, maybe like 6/8 in half time - it’s off time and moves like a really fast waltz. In rock music, it swings. Musically it’s really complicated. The lyrics are those funny tonal nonsense that John loved at that time, substituting one word for another, the interior rhyme like “penetrate” “radiate” all the various “ates” in every verse. It’s designed to twist people in knots trying to find “meaning” behind it, which is the Western and dumb way of explicating art, like what does xyz symbolize or what is this metaphor for, and that’s not how one gleans meaning from music, or any other kind of art. What does Beethoven’s 9th mean? It’s unique among the Beatles songs. It sounds like it would be a really great 70s hard-rock tune. Could have been a hit for a lot of different bands, maybe five years later. Is that the one where Mal Evans had to sit there with the lyrics taped to his back because John couldn’t remember his own lyrics?
Guido Merkins
Some of my opinions on the songs that were on Let It Be might have changed upon viewing the Get Back documentary. One of which is Dig A Pony, which I never liked all that much. And, for sure, it’s not a great Lennon song. Just a bunch of words strung together which don’t mean much of anything, which he had done more effectively earlier (I Am the Walrus, Happiness is a Warm Gun.)
But I like the song more after watching Get Back. I didn’t realize that the main riff was played in unison by John and George, and I like that because it’s more powerful. I also like the drumming as I think the song has a swing that I didn’t realize before. Also the guitar solo is very well-done. Parts of the song that I always liked were the harmonies and the shot at the Rolling Stones (I roll a stoney. Well you can imitate everyone you know.) Typical Lennon. Mick must have said something about the Beatles that he didn’t like or it was totally unprovoked, with John you never know.
Anyway, like I said, it’s not brilliant, but it’s a decent album song and they play it really well live on the roof.
2022 Ranking: 88
2022 Lists: 4
2022 Points: 54
Ranked Highest by: @Oliver Humanzee (8) Krista(TJ/Michael) (10) @Murph (12) @ProstheticRGK (20)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR
Getz comments: 37th of 39 songs to be NR in 2019. Song grew a lot on me watching Get Back twice. Do not miss all the write ups below. Excellent!
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 118
2019 write-up:
Dig a Pony (Let It Be, 1970)
Speaking of the rooftop concert (well, we were yesterday)...the take used on Let It Be was the live version from that concert. The "false start" at the beginning was because Ringo wasn't ready - he had only one drumstick, with a cigarette in the other hand - but then the song kicks in ferociously with that fantastic hook. It's another where my ranking is likely higher than where most people would put it, and that's A-OK since this is my damn list. This song suffers from some non-sensical lyrics, but I've never understood why that's all right for "Come Together" or "I Am the Walrus" but criticized in this one. Taking out the nonsense lyrics, I love pretty much everything else about this song, including George's guitar work, Ringo's fills, and especially Billy Preston on electric piano. Any track with Billy Preston on it is automatically bumped up ten slots. It's another terrific John vocal with a stunning amount of emotion, and the transitions are marvelous, reaching their peak IMO with the "beeeecause" near the end.
Mr. krista: "I dig Dig a Pony. I like the lyrics a lot. That being nonsense that almost means something. The music’s great. I love how all of it sounds really good. Like a plain Jane recording showing off what a great band they are. Not a bunch of studio ####ery. Just a great rock band."
Suggested cover: St. Vincent. (Getz: I'd really like to hear Meg Myers sing this after hearing this)
2022 Supplement: One of two songs I’ll identify as being those that would jump the most if I did a full re-ranking. The other one is “All I’ve Got To Do,” which we might or might not have covered yet. This one, though, was one I absolutely adored at the time, but was just embarrassed to admit it. And now I’m embarrassed to admit that.
Truly, I just knew that this song was not well-regarded, and along with putting songs I didn’t like as much higher than I should have (*cough*Penny Lane*cough*), I demoted this one unfairly as a result. THIS WAS #27 ON MY RE-RANKING THIS YEAR.Now that we have that out of the way, I’m turning this supplement over to Mr. krista, who has always loved this one too and even put it in his #8 spot.
2022 Mr. krista Supplement: Every time I listen to this, I think “why is that not my favorite Beatles song?” I love the main riff… the main riff and the verses are in waltz time or 6/8, the riff is in waltz time but just fast. There could be another eight-hour Get Back movie of just Ringo throwing in an extra beat to make it 4/4, and it’s one of the things that makes it so propulsive and engaging is that beat, maybe like 6/8 in half time - it’s off time and moves like a really fast waltz. In rock music, it swings. Musically it’s really complicated. The lyrics are those funny tonal nonsense that John loved at that time, substituting one word for another, the interior rhyme like “penetrate” “radiate” all the various “ates” in every verse. It’s designed to twist people in knots trying to find “meaning” behind it, which is the Western and dumb way of explicating art, like what does xyz symbolize or what is this metaphor for, and that’s not how one gleans meaning from music, or any other kind of art. What does Beethoven’s 9th mean? It’s unique among the Beatles songs. It sounds like it would be a really great 70s hard-rock tune. Could have been a hit for a lot of different bands, maybe five years later. Is that the one where Mal Evans had to sit there with the lyrics taped to his back because John couldn’t remember his own lyrics?
Guido Merkins
Some of my opinions on the songs that were on Let It Be might have changed upon viewing the Get Back documentary. One of which is Dig A Pony, which I never liked all that much. And, for sure, it’s not a great Lennon song. Just a bunch of words strung together which don’t mean much of anything, which he had done more effectively earlier (I Am the Walrus, Happiness is a Warm Gun.)
But I like the song more after watching Get Back. I didn’t realize that the main riff was played in unison by John and George, and I like that because it’s more powerful. I also like the drumming as I think the song has a swing that I didn’t realize before. Also the guitar solo is very well-done. Parts of the song that I always liked were the harmonies and the shot at the Rolling Stones (I roll a stoney. Well you can imitate everyone you know.) Typical Lennon. Mick must have said something about the Beatles that he didn’t like or it was totally unprovoked, with John you never know.
Anyway, like I said, it’s not brilliant, but it’s a decent album song and they play it really well live on the roof.
krista4
Footballguy
Zegras11
Footballguy
I, for one, am thrilled that something got past you for once.I had never put this together.
krista4
Footballguy
I, for one, am thrilled that something got past you for once.
I'll have you know there was an error two days ago that I decided not to point out.
simey
Footballguy
Last October Paul took a little shot at the Stones, and Mick responded back. Here is a bit of it:
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