simey
Footballguy
It does suck. At least he is finding out now that this love interest likes to spread the love, even when it is with the roommate. That is a double disappointment for him.
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2022 FBG, 172 to 1 Beatles Countdown 1-25 lists... And 173 to 1 Countdown from 1-64 lists! (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Zegras11
- Start date
falguy
Inconceivable!
This song is so soothing. It's rare that I love a song the first time I hear it but this is one of them. Actually not sure why I dropped it out of my top 25 but I did so fairly quickly after my initial 60ish cut. Not sure it would make my top 25 if I were granted a redo but it would be close. I could probably put this song on loop and just play it for hours while I work and not get tired of it.
The write up for "If I Fell" is one of my favorites. Between Krista and Guido, no much to add. Just an awesome song. This is the type of song that makes me so sad that I can't sing at all because it would be so much fun to play strumming an acoustic guitar. Unfortunately my vocal talent is even worse than my guitar playing. Apparently this was Kurt Cobain's favorite Beatles song (can't remember if that was mention in the 2019 thread or not). I've always wanted to hear him sing it just out of curiosity.
I'm a little surprised "Act Naturally" didn't get any votes. Even though it is a cover, to me it is the first song I think of when I think of Ringo and I would have thought someone who is a big fan of his would rank it. It certainly is better than some of the songs that did receive votes. "Sexy Sadie" and "One After 909" are the other two that stood out on the no-vote list for me. I'm a little surprised the latter didn't get any votes due to both Get Back and being pretty prominent on Anthology.
I'm a little surprised "Act Naturally" didn't get any votes. Even though it is a cover, to me it is the first song I think of when I think of Ringo and I would have thought someone who is a big fan of his would rank it. It certainly is better than some of the songs that did receive votes. "Sexy Sadie" and "One After 909" are the other two that stood out on the no-vote list for me. I'm a little surprised the latter didn't get any votes due to both Get Back and being pretty prominent on Anthology.
Shaft41
Footballguy
I just looked at my rankings, which went up to 38, to see if "There's A Place" was in it, because I assumed it was, because I love this song like Ringo loves boogaloo, but it's not on the list, and now I'm wondering what the hell I was doing, because I'm not sure I want to live in a world with myself where I don't put that song in at least my top 35.
zamboni
Footballguy
Same - some people need a damn good whacking.This is my favorite out of that batch.
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Tom Hagen
Footballguy
I never considered Act Naturally for my top 25 but I do enjoy it. There is something about it that just fits Ringo so well since he never seemed to take himself as seriously as the other three.
Shaft41
Footballguy
krista4
Footballguy
I had this one on my post-Beatles countdown, but for anyone who wasn’t around for that: Buck Owens and Ringo did a duet of it in 1989
Nominated for a Grammy! Ringo is obviously so excited to perform this with Buck.
zamboni
Footballguy
Wow - those ladies are great. Thanks for posting.
Not Beatles related, but I was checking out a few of their other YT videos and discovered this amazing cover of Africa with Mike Masse, who most probably know became an Internet sensation with his own amazing cover of it 12 years ago at a Utah pizza joint.
simey
Footballguy
Under the lights, the hair of the twin on the right is neon orange like a safety vest.
zamboni
Footballguy
krista4
Footballguy
On today's date in 2016, Fifth Beatle and lovely gentleman George Martin died at the age of 90.
On today's date in 1920, dad to @Wrighteous Ray and lovely gentleman William Fulkerson was born, making this whole countdown possible.
On today's date in 1920, dad to @Wrighteous Ray and lovely gentleman William Fulkerson was born, making this whole countdown possible.
Zegras11
Footballguy
I’m Only Sleeping
2022 Ranking: 65
2022 Lists: 9
2022 Points: 99
Ranked Highest by: @landrys hat(2) @Guido Merkins (9) Krista(Craig)(9) @Westerberg(9) @Binky The Doormat (16) @rockaction (20) @zamboni (21) @Pip's Invitation (24) Krista(TJ/Michael)(24)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 75/2/30
Getz comments: These guys sure seem tired all the time.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 29
2019 write-up:
I'm Only Sleeping (Revolver, 1966)
Sleepy lead vocal. Sleepy guitar. Sleepy backing vocals. Even a sleepy bass fill. Anyone who's read part of the GMTAN might know that I've had chronic insomnia my whole life, and it colors a lot of my days. I think that's part of the reason that two "sleep" songs (the other being "I’m So Tired") reach my top 30. Of course, this one was inspired by John's having exactly the opposite experience than I do, which is that he was an A-1, top-of-the-charts, champion sleeper. Paul often had to wake him up for their afternoon writing sessions, and in the same article that caused the "more famous than Jesus" uproar, John also reacted to the statement that could sleep indefinitely and was "probably the laziest person in England": "Physically lazy," John said. 'I don't mind writing or reading or watching or speaking, but sex is the only physical thing I can be bothered with any more."
I love that this song perfectly sets this dreamy, soporific mood. I get pulled into the intimacy of the song by the vocal but then lulled into its lethargy from everything surrounding it. Setting aside the obviously languorous vocals, every aspect of the song also seems perfectly calculated to achieve this mood. The guitar solo offers a hazy, distorted vibe from the effects described in the next paragraph. The ethereal harmonies seem to emphasize the dreamiest lyrics - "float upstre-eam," "sleeeee-ping." Ringo plays as if he's simultaneously finishing a chess game with Mal Evans. The drowsy bass part sounds like Paul was just awakened from a nap. He and John seemingly drift in and out of consciousness with the rises and falls of the melody, sudden urgency followed by deep pauses, which is also punctuated by little guitar riffs I love from George (an example is at 0:45-0:47). Even the vocal parts that seem like they're going to crescendo and crash into the line, "I'm only sleeping" instead pull the chords back down into a comfortable yawn. In all, the song makes sleep sound full and luxurious, which it would be to me.
Speaking of a hard day's night, Geoff Emerick describes the recording of this song as being particularly tedious, since George was dead set on having a backwards guitar solo on it. This groundbreaking idea came from a mistake, when someone accidentally threaded a practice tape backwards, and Paul excitedly asked, "My God, that is fantastic! Can we do that for real?" But George didn't just want to play it and have it run backwards; he had a specific notation of how he wanted it to sound when reversed, which involved George Martin then taking the forward notation and reversing it so that George could get the sound he wanted. Actually they recorded not just one backwards part, but two: one with fuzz guitar and one in normal sound, to be superimposed upon each other. For six hours, George played the same eight-bar solo, so many times that the assistant engineer's arms were sore for days from turned the heavy tapes over and over.
In addition to setting to tape the first backward recorded guitar solo ever to be released, the lads continued to experiment with other devices on this track, including varispeed. In this case, the rhythm tracks were slowed down in the final mix, while the vocal tracks were sped up, leading not just to a deeper, more somnolent sound on the backing, but actually changing the key of the song, resulting in that strange E-flat-minor.
Fun fact: you can hear Paul yawn ~2:01.
Mr. krista: "Song kills it. I think part of the dreamy quality is that they played it at twice the tempo and then slowed it down, and then that’s what the vocals are recorded over. Then the slightly noodly solos played backwards… All these disparate-seeming elements fit together seamlessly. Even listening intently like we are now, nothing seems jarring. Everything has a purpose."
Suggested cover: Haven't found one I consider great, so I'll offer this live version from Jeff Tweedy simply because it was recorded at one of the best small concert venues in the US, Lounge Ax in Chicago (RIP).
2022 Supplement: This one just missed my top 25 again this year, and now as I write this up I wish I’d made space for it. So many cool things going on here, which I see I already described in tedious detail a few years ago. Even without the special effects on the guitar and otherwise, you can hear how solid the core of the song was based on the Take 1 acoustic version that was released in the Anthology series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjeMxLm0vCA
Similar to “If I Fell,” which we might or might not have seen yet, John grabbed whatever he had handy when writing this song. In this case, he wrote the lyrics on the back of a demand letter for payment of a “radiophone” bill: https://imgur.com/cIElrg4 https://imgur.com/QRB7eFG The letter/lyrics were put up for auction in 2005 but failed to meet their reserve, then were re-auctioned in 2010 for an expected price of £350,000.
Guido Merkins
One of my absolute favorite Beatles songs is I’m Only Sleeping. I think it’s because it’s a really good song, mostly, but also, there is an emotional attachment to that song. I’ll never forget sometime in the mid 80s, I discovered that the Revolver released in the UK had 3 extra songs. I had only ever heard the US version. I was very excited when I found the UK version at my local record store. For some reason, I’m Only Sleeping struck a chord with me. I’ve loved it ever since.
It’s a song about Lennon sleeping his life away featuring a drowsy vocal, backwards guitars, great bass and great harmonies. George was meticulous when recording the backwards solo. Instead of just playing something and reversing the tape, he would play a small section, listen to it backwards to see what it sounded like, make changes if he wanted, play if backwards. Once he was satisfied with his note selection, he played it on two parts. One fuzzed guitar and one not fuzzed guitar. It took hours, but is a testament to how hard George worked and his work paid off, because it’s brilliant. Perfectly capturing this feeling of dozing and waking up and maybe being a little fuzzy.
To aid in making John sound drowsy, they slowed the tape down. If you want to hear what it would have sounded like without that, there is a demo on Anthology 2 with John on an acoustic that is one of my favorite demos of his. It’s just lovely. Like I said, one of my favorites.
2022 Ranking: 65
2022 Lists: 9
2022 Points: 99
Ranked Highest by: @landrys hat(2) @Guido Merkins (9) Krista(Craig)(9) @Westerberg(9) @Binky The Doormat (16) @rockaction (20) @zamboni (21) @Pip's Invitation (24) Krista(TJ/Michael)(24)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 75/2/30
Getz comments: These guys sure seem tired all the time.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 29
2019 write-up:
I'm Only Sleeping (Revolver, 1966)
Sleepy lead vocal. Sleepy guitar. Sleepy backing vocals. Even a sleepy bass fill. Anyone who's read part of the GMTAN might know that I've had chronic insomnia my whole life, and it colors a lot of my days. I think that's part of the reason that two "sleep" songs (the other being "I’m So Tired") reach my top 30. Of course, this one was inspired by John's having exactly the opposite experience than I do, which is that he was an A-1, top-of-the-charts, champion sleeper. Paul often had to wake him up for their afternoon writing sessions, and in the same article that caused the "more famous than Jesus" uproar, John also reacted to the statement that could sleep indefinitely and was "probably the laziest person in England": "Physically lazy," John said. 'I don't mind writing or reading or watching or speaking, but sex is the only physical thing I can be bothered with any more."
I love that this song perfectly sets this dreamy, soporific mood. I get pulled into the intimacy of the song by the vocal but then lulled into its lethargy from everything surrounding it. Setting aside the obviously languorous vocals, every aspect of the song also seems perfectly calculated to achieve this mood. The guitar solo offers a hazy, distorted vibe from the effects described in the next paragraph. The ethereal harmonies seem to emphasize the dreamiest lyrics - "float upstre-eam," "sleeeee-ping." Ringo plays as if he's simultaneously finishing a chess game with Mal Evans. The drowsy bass part sounds like Paul was just awakened from a nap. He and John seemingly drift in and out of consciousness with the rises and falls of the melody, sudden urgency followed by deep pauses, which is also punctuated by little guitar riffs I love from George (an example is at 0:45-0:47). Even the vocal parts that seem like they're going to crescendo and crash into the line, "I'm only sleeping" instead pull the chords back down into a comfortable yawn. In all, the song makes sleep sound full and luxurious, which it would be to me.
Speaking of a hard day's night, Geoff Emerick describes the recording of this song as being particularly tedious, since George was dead set on having a backwards guitar solo on it. This groundbreaking idea came from a mistake, when someone accidentally threaded a practice tape backwards, and Paul excitedly asked, "My God, that is fantastic! Can we do that for real?" But George didn't just want to play it and have it run backwards; he had a specific notation of how he wanted it to sound when reversed, which involved George Martin then taking the forward notation and reversing it so that George could get the sound he wanted. Actually they recorded not just one backwards part, but two: one with fuzz guitar and one in normal sound, to be superimposed upon each other. For six hours, George played the same eight-bar solo, so many times that the assistant engineer's arms were sore for days from turned the heavy tapes over and over.
In addition to setting to tape the first backward recorded guitar solo ever to be released, the lads continued to experiment with other devices on this track, including varispeed. In this case, the rhythm tracks were slowed down in the final mix, while the vocal tracks were sped up, leading not just to a deeper, more somnolent sound on the backing, but actually changing the key of the song, resulting in that strange E-flat-minor.
Fun fact: you can hear Paul yawn ~2:01.
Mr. krista: "Song kills it. I think part of the dreamy quality is that they played it at twice the tempo and then slowed it down, and then that’s what the vocals are recorded over. Then the slightly noodly solos played backwards… All these disparate-seeming elements fit together seamlessly. Even listening intently like we are now, nothing seems jarring. Everything has a purpose."
Suggested cover: Haven't found one I consider great, so I'll offer this live version from Jeff Tweedy simply because it was recorded at one of the best small concert venues in the US, Lounge Ax in Chicago (RIP).
2022 Supplement: This one just missed my top 25 again this year, and now as I write this up I wish I’d made space for it. So many cool things going on here, which I see I already described in tedious detail a few years ago. Even without the special effects on the guitar and otherwise, you can hear how solid the core of the song was based on the Take 1 acoustic version that was released in the Anthology series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjeMxLm0vCA
Similar to “If I Fell,” which we might or might not have seen yet, John grabbed whatever he had handy when writing this song. In this case, he wrote the lyrics on the back of a demand letter for payment of a “radiophone” bill: https://imgur.com/cIElrg4 https://imgur.com/QRB7eFG The letter/lyrics were put up for auction in 2005 but failed to meet their reserve, then were re-auctioned in 2010 for an expected price of £350,000.
Guido Merkins
One of my absolute favorite Beatles songs is I’m Only Sleeping. I think it’s because it’s a really good song, mostly, but also, there is an emotional attachment to that song. I’ll never forget sometime in the mid 80s, I discovered that the Revolver released in the UK had 3 extra songs. I had only ever heard the US version. I was very excited when I found the UK version at my local record store. For some reason, I’m Only Sleeping struck a chord with me. I’ve loved it ever since.
It’s a song about Lennon sleeping his life away featuring a drowsy vocal, backwards guitars, great bass and great harmonies. George was meticulous when recording the backwards solo. Instead of just playing something and reversing the tape, he would play a small section, listen to it backwards to see what it sounded like, make changes if he wanted, play if backwards. Once he was satisfied with his note selection, he played it on two parts. One fuzzed guitar and one not fuzzed guitar. It took hours, but is a testament to how hard George worked and his work paid off, because it’s brilliant. Perfectly capturing this feeling of dozing and waking up and maybe being a little fuzzy.
To aid in making John sound drowsy, they slowed the tape down. If you want to hear what it would have sounded like without that, there is a demo on Anthology 2 with John on an acoustic that is one of my favorite demos of his. It’s just lovely. Like I said, one of my favorites.
heckmanm
Footballguy
Am I the only one who started watching the video and wondering why there were 3 of them?
Zegras11
Footballguy
I watched many of their YT's last night and the third gal only appeared in one other one. Maybe older sister?Am I the only one who started watching the video and wondering why there were 3 of them?
simey
Footballguy
I think it is the same girl. I think it is edited with the camera to make it look like three. Maybe because they layered the vocals. The twins are Mona and Lisa, which is the blonde and redhead, and they are not identical twins.
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Zegras11
Footballguy
heckmanm
Footballguy
Agree, and I think they did the same with the blonde in the other song I linked.
(OR, there are actually TWO sets of identical twins, but they usually never go out in public together
)
simey
Footballguy
zamboni
Footballguy
Mona, Lisa and Mad Hatter maybe.Am I the only one who started watching the video and wondering why there were 3 of them?
Tom Hagen
Footballguy
I couldn't figure out why there were 3 of them or why they were called the Mona Lisa Twins.
Zegras11
Footballguy
Sgt Peppers Lonely Heart’s Club Band
2022 Ranking: 64
2022 Lists: 9
2022 Points: 109
Ranked Highest by: Krista(TJ/Alex)(7) Krista(Sharon)(8) @whoknew(10) @jamny(11) @ConstruxBoy (13) @DocHolliday (16) @Dwayne Hoover (19) @turnjose7(20) Shaft41(son2) (21)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 54/5/61
Getz: Finally a song where many that voted for it have had few songs appear so far. WhoKnew, jamny, ConstruxBoy, DocHolliday, DwayneHoover, S41(son2). Sharon has her 17th song posted to take that lead. And we cross the 20% mark of all votes appearing.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 70
2019 write-up:
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
Gah, so many iconic aspects of this song. Raise your hand if you don't get a little chill when you hear that guitar intro. [No hands are raised.] Guitar riff - brilliant. Ringo's drum fills - brilliant. John, Paul, and George's vocals - brilliant. Handing off between the vocals and the instrumental French-horn-led #### - brilliant. (The cheesy laughing and gasping from the audience - not at all brilliant.) I'm excited every time I hear this, but I can't rank it more highly because it's not a fully formed song; it's more of an intro.
To be a "concept" album, Sgt. Pepper's doesn't really revolve so much around the concept, and John has said he contributed nothing to the concept idea, but before it veers off into other ideas, this song combines with "With a Little Help From My Friends" to start concept off strong. While I assume people in this thread know all of the background on the concept, I'll summarize a little of it in case of drive-bys. After their Candlestick Park concert in August 1966, the Beatles had had enough of the madness and decided to stop touring. It wasn't just the insanity at the shows themselves, but all the surrounding chaos - the threats coming in the US due to John's "more popular than Jesus" comment, the craziness surrounding their escape from the Philippines, the controversy surrounding their show at the Budokan in Japan, etc. Touring was a total ####### drag. After going their separate ways for vacation, on the way back from a safari Paul came up with the idea of a fictitious band that the Beatles could take the place of, perhaps to create some distance between them and the fans. According to John (WARNING: unreliable narrator): "As I read the other day, he said in one of his 'fanzine' interviews that he was trying to put some distance between The Beatles and the public – and so there was this identity of Sgt. Pepper. Intellectually, that's the same thing he did by writing 'He loves you' instead of 'I love you.' That's just his way of working."
I already did a partial write-up of this when talking about the Reprise, so the only other thing I'll mention here is that album cover, one of the most well-known of all time. It's a fascinating mish-mosh of 58 individuals, known and not-so-well-known, from actors and singers to writers and artists to philosophers and a guru or two. John had lobbied to include Jesus and Hitler, but was overruled. Gandhi was nixed as being possibly sacrilegious, while Elvis didn't make it because they thought he was too big and would object. Of the people whose permission they sought to put on the cover, only one declined as not willing to do it without payment: Leo Gorcey of the Bowery Boys. Shark move, dude. Nice interactive analysis of the people on the cover here.
Mr. krista: "I really like the guitar that’s super-fuzzy and weird. I know Bob Pollard of Guided by Voices always talked about it, that the whole concept was taken directly from this ####, alter egos to allow them to do total nonsense, everything’s a tape experiment and can’t be reproduced live by four people. It’s hard to say because I feel like I’ve heard that song more than any song in the world."
Suggested cover: I know it's bad sound quality, but who TF cares: Jimi
2022 Supplement: Along with everything I described in my 2019 write-up, the band had nearly being electrocuted in their final San Francisco show and then “chucked in the back of a stainless steel minitruck” after leaving the stage, and said, “####, that’s enough.” Then - another Mal Evans alert - Paul says that the name “Sergeant Pepper” came from his misunderstanding Mal when he asked for “salt and pepper” while on a flight from Denver shortly thereafter. He came up with the idea of the alter egos and even sketched out what they’d look like, in front of a floral clock symbolizing that time stood still because the clock was made of flowers. He also envisioned that they would be seen receiving a trophy from the “Lord Mayor of London.”
Why yes, Paul also says he had been dropping acid in Denver. Here’s the sketch: https://imgur.com/NX90UGN
Guido Merkins
It’s now been more that 50 years ago today that one of the most iconic opening tracks in rock history took place. The legendary Sgt Pepper album couldn’t exist until Paul wrote the song Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The story goes that Paul was influenced by these long band names that people were coming up with then and then he sees salt and pepper on an airplane and this idea of Sgt Pepper came from that. Eventually, Paul envisioned recording an album as this fictitious band to free them up from having to be the Beatles. The song Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the reprise opened and closed the show. So lyrically, the songs are just kind of “hello, we are Sgt Pepper’s band and we hope you will enjoy this show” and “Sgt Pepper’s band again, goodnight and we hope you enjoyed the show.
What you hear when you put it on is interesting. First, you hear the crowd milling about and the band tuning up. Then a blast of guitar opens the song. Then into the verse and the crowd applauds, some horns, laughter from the crowd. Then applause at the end as they introduce Billy Shears who is really Ringo to sing With A Little Help from My Friends. Really, I find it hard to listen to one without the other. They don’t make sense apart.
The best part of the song is, of course, that searing guitar. The rest of it is OK, but it’s not a song, per se, it’s just an intro to the album. The sound effects are really cool and if you are listening to the mono vs the stereo, different. The 2017 mix tried to bring the mono sound effects into the stereo and it does a real good job. I would recommend it.
Another interesting thing about the song is that only three days after it was released, Jimi Hendrix played it with Paul and George in the audience at the Saville Theater.
2022 Ranking: 64
2022 Lists: 9
2022 Points: 109
Ranked Highest by: Krista(TJ/Alex)(7) Krista(Sharon)(8) @whoknew(10) @jamny(11) @ConstruxBoy (13) @DocHolliday (16) @Dwayne Hoover (19) @turnjose7(20) Shaft41(son2) (21)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 54/5/61
Getz: Finally a song where many that voted for it have had few songs appear so far. WhoKnew, jamny, ConstruxBoy, DocHolliday, DwayneHoover, S41(son2). Sharon has her 17th song posted to take that lead. And we cross the 20% mark of all votes appearing.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 70
2019 write-up:
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
Gah, so many iconic aspects of this song. Raise your hand if you don't get a little chill when you hear that guitar intro. [No hands are raised.] Guitar riff - brilliant. Ringo's drum fills - brilliant. John, Paul, and George's vocals - brilliant. Handing off between the vocals and the instrumental French-horn-led #### - brilliant. (The cheesy laughing and gasping from the audience - not at all brilliant.) I'm excited every time I hear this, but I can't rank it more highly because it's not a fully formed song; it's more of an intro.
To be a "concept" album, Sgt. Pepper's doesn't really revolve so much around the concept, and John has said he contributed nothing to the concept idea, but before it veers off into other ideas, this song combines with "With a Little Help From My Friends" to start concept off strong. While I assume people in this thread know all of the background on the concept, I'll summarize a little of it in case of drive-bys. After their Candlestick Park concert in August 1966, the Beatles had had enough of the madness and decided to stop touring. It wasn't just the insanity at the shows themselves, but all the surrounding chaos - the threats coming in the US due to John's "more popular than Jesus" comment, the craziness surrounding their escape from the Philippines, the controversy surrounding their show at the Budokan in Japan, etc. Touring was a total ####### drag. After going their separate ways for vacation, on the way back from a safari Paul came up with the idea of a fictitious band that the Beatles could take the place of, perhaps to create some distance between them and the fans. According to John (WARNING: unreliable narrator): "As I read the other day, he said in one of his 'fanzine' interviews that he was trying to put some distance between The Beatles and the public – and so there was this identity of Sgt. Pepper. Intellectually, that's the same thing he did by writing 'He loves you' instead of 'I love you.' That's just his way of working."
I already did a partial write-up of this when talking about the Reprise, so the only other thing I'll mention here is that album cover, one of the most well-known of all time. It's a fascinating mish-mosh of 58 individuals, known and not-so-well-known, from actors and singers to writers and artists to philosophers and a guru or two. John had lobbied to include Jesus and Hitler, but was overruled. Gandhi was nixed as being possibly sacrilegious, while Elvis didn't make it because they thought he was too big and would object. Of the people whose permission they sought to put on the cover, only one declined as not willing to do it without payment: Leo Gorcey of the Bowery Boys. Shark move, dude. Nice interactive analysis of the people on the cover here.
Mr. krista: "I really like the guitar that’s super-fuzzy and weird. I know Bob Pollard of Guided by Voices always talked about it, that the whole concept was taken directly from this ####, alter egos to allow them to do total nonsense, everything’s a tape experiment and can’t be reproduced live by four people. It’s hard to say because I feel like I’ve heard that song more than any song in the world."
Suggested cover: I know it's bad sound quality, but who TF cares: Jimi
2022 Supplement: Along with everything I described in my 2019 write-up, the band had nearly being electrocuted in their final San Francisco show and then “chucked in the back of a stainless steel minitruck” after leaving the stage, and said, “####, that’s enough.” Then - another Mal Evans alert - Paul says that the name “Sergeant Pepper” came from his misunderstanding Mal when he asked for “salt and pepper” while on a flight from Denver shortly thereafter. He came up with the idea of the alter egos and even sketched out what they’d look like, in front of a floral clock symbolizing that time stood still because the clock was made of flowers. He also envisioned that they would be seen receiving a trophy from the “Lord Mayor of London.”
Why yes, Paul also says he had been dropping acid in Denver. Here’s the sketch: https://imgur.com/NX90UGN
Guido Merkins
It’s now been more that 50 years ago today that one of the most iconic opening tracks in rock history took place. The legendary Sgt Pepper album couldn’t exist until Paul wrote the song Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The story goes that Paul was influenced by these long band names that people were coming up with then and then he sees salt and pepper on an airplane and this idea of Sgt Pepper came from that. Eventually, Paul envisioned recording an album as this fictitious band to free them up from having to be the Beatles. The song Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the reprise opened and closed the show. So lyrically, the songs are just kind of “hello, we are Sgt Pepper’s band and we hope you will enjoy this show” and “Sgt Pepper’s band again, goodnight and we hope you enjoyed the show.
What you hear when you put it on is interesting. First, you hear the crowd milling about and the band tuning up. Then a blast of guitar opens the song. Then into the verse and the crowd applauds, some horns, laughter from the crowd. Then applause at the end as they introduce Billy Shears who is really Ringo to sing With A Little Help from My Friends. Really, I find it hard to listen to one without the other. They don’t make sense apart.
The best part of the song is, of course, that searing guitar. The rest of it is OK, but it’s not a song, per se, it’s just an intro to the album. The sound effects are really cool and if you are listening to the mono vs the stereo, different. The 2017 mix tried to bring the mono sound effects into the stereo and it does a real good job. I would recommend it.
Another interesting thing about the song is that only three days after it was released, Jimi Hendrix played it with Paul and George in the audience at the Saville Theater.
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Zegras11
Footballguy
what are the four?Only 4 songs remain from the Pepper album. I'll go out on a limb and say at least 1 more will make the list.
falguy
Inconceivable!
With A Little Help From My Friends
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
She's Leaving Home
A Day In The Life
zamboni
Footballguy
heckmanm
Footballguy
I'm guessing at least 2 moreOnly 4 songs remain from the Pepper album. I'll go out on a limb and say at least 1 more will make the list.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Makes up for it with the doubly correct fadeout from Back in the U.S.S.R. and first chord of Dear Prudence
Worthy opponent
zamboni
Footballguy
Yeah, he knows his stuff for sure.
I could be wrong, but I think he also may have missed the one at the 0:31 mark. He said "I'm Looking Through You" - isn't that "Run For Your Life"?
ETA: just checked the YouTube comments - someone else flagged "Run For Your Life"
Last edited by a moderator:
krista4
Footballguy
I haven’t watched any of this yet but would be glad to take him on in friendly competition. Mr krista used to marvel at this, and that was before I spent three years of my life on Beatles-related countdowns.
zamboni
Footballguy
Zegras11
Footballguy
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Zegras11
Footballguy
She’s Leaving Home
2022 Ranking: 63
2022 Lists: 12
2022 Points: 109
Ranked Highest by: @Uruk-Hai (8) @Oliver Humanzee(dad)(12) @ManOfSteelhead (15) @Binky The Doormat (15) @Shaft41 (15) @pecorino (17) @Encyclopedia Brown (19) @John Maddens Lunchbox (22) @Dr. Octopus (23)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 103/2/15
Getz comments: One of the 2019 songs that moved up the most in 2022, 40 spots. Ten more votes and 94 more points. Only one Top 10 vote though. First song with over 10 votes.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 133
2019 write-up:
She's Leaving Home (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
I dunno...a lot of you guys seem to love this song, including tim who raved about what a beautiful ballad John wrote. But the version I've heard, by Paul, doesn't do a lot for me and seems painfully earnest, except...I absolutely adore the string arrangement and one particular lyric. So much so that this ranks at #133 almost solely on the basis of these two things. When I hear this song, I'm entranced by the strings and tune everything else out, which is good since I don't enjoy much else of it, especially especially the "Greek chorus" over what I find a weak Paul vocal. The "parents" singing as the Greek chorus and the "byyyye byyyye" make me cringe every time.
This is a song where Paul is a bit John-esque in that he based it, loosely, on something he'd read in the paper, rather than coming up with a fictitious world all his own as he often did. In this case, Paul read a story about a girl named Melanie Coe who had run away from her posh home, to the befuddlement of her parents. Interestingly, Ms. Coe enjoyed the song for some time without imagining it was about her; it was only years later that her mother put it together for her after seeing an interview with Paul. In part she had never imagined it was her because she didn't leave with "a man from the motor trade."
The string arrangement is perhaps my favorite in a Beatles song, which is interesting since it's one of the only arrangements not by George Martin, who was too busy at the time and (unwillingly) ceded to Mike Leander. I find the arrangement tight and not extraneous in any way as Martin's sometimes were. The second thing I love about the song is one lyric in particular: "She's leaving home after living alone for so many years." Obviously the girl in question was not living literally alone, so the implication is devastating but possibly familiar to anyone who has felt that distance with those to whom we're physically closest. It's one of my favorite single lines in a Beatles song.
Fun fact: Coincidentally, Ms. Coe won a lip-synch contest at which the Beatles performed and Paul presented the award a few years before the song was written.
If you think I have it too low, at least I like it more than Mr. krista does: "So ####### boring. She leaves a comfortable life for more comfort. Oh, she’s bored, so she gets to go have fun. That’s the whitest #### ever. And her parents are bummed. Who gives a ####. The stakes are so pitifully low. 'Oh, I’ve like to have more fun, so I guess I’ll leave.'"
Suggested cover: One of my favorite covers of any Beatles song, Billy freaking Bragg
2022 Supplement: Paul has later said that, in addition to the news story, he was influenced in writing this by the broadcast by the weekly television series The Wednesday Play, of a play called “Cathy Come Home,” directed by Ken Loach, which was a play about homelessness and was viewed by a quarter of the UK population on its initial broadcast. He viewed the recording as almost a script for this play, with a narrator describing the protagonist’s actions along with a mini Greek chorus. Paul isn’t sure a song like this could be written now, except in musical theater, which was a genre he says John hated with one exception: West Side Story. John and Paul had seen that one together, including the film, and thought it “ballsy enough” for them both.
Guido Merkins
George Martin had been involved in everything the Beatles had done. But in 1967 during the sessions for Sgt Pepper, Paul was inspired and ready to work on a new song called She’s Leaving Home, but Martin was unavailable. So Paul called another arranger to help him with the strings and, for the first time, going around George Martin. Martin was hurt, but got over it and produced the session.
She’s Leaving Home is the brother of Eleanor Rigby in that it is strictly using strings and none of the traditional Beatles instruments. There was also a harp on the recording, Sheila Bromberg, the first female to play on a Beatles record. Alse interesting is the difference between the stereo and mono mix of the song. The mono is much faster, and therefore at a higher pitch than the stereo version.
Paul wrote the song inspired by a news story of a girl running away from home. I like the line about “meeting a man from the motor trade.” I also like Paul singing and John singing as the voice of the parents (we gave her most of our life….)
I like the song, but it feels a bit forced when compared to Rigby. Of course, Rigby is one of the Beatles best songs, so that might not be a fair comparison.
2022 Ranking: 63
2022 Lists: 12
2022 Points: 109
Ranked Highest by: @Uruk-Hai (8) @Oliver Humanzee(dad)(12) @ManOfSteelhead (15) @Binky The Doormat (15) @Shaft41 (15) @pecorino (17) @Encyclopedia Brown (19) @John Maddens Lunchbox (22) @Dr. Octopus (23)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 103/2/15
Getz comments: One of the 2019 songs that moved up the most in 2022, 40 spots. Ten more votes and 94 more points. Only one Top 10 vote though. First song with over 10 votes.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 133
2019 write-up:
She's Leaving Home (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
I dunno...a lot of you guys seem to love this song, including tim who raved about what a beautiful ballad John wrote. But the version I've heard, by Paul, doesn't do a lot for me and seems painfully earnest, except...I absolutely adore the string arrangement and one particular lyric. So much so that this ranks at #133 almost solely on the basis of these two things. When I hear this song, I'm entranced by the strings and tune everything else out, which is good since I don't enjoy much else of it, especially especially the "Greek chorus" over what I find a weak Paul vocal. The "parents" singing as the Greek chorus and the "byyyye byyyye" make me cringe every time.
This is a song where Paul is a bit John-esque in that he based it, loosely, on something he'd read in the paper, rather than coming up with a fictitious world all his own as he often did. In this case, Paul read a story about a girl named Melanie Coe who had run away from her posh home, to the befuddlement of her parents. Interestingly, Ms. Coe enjoyed the song for some time without imagining it was about her; it was only years later that her mother put it together for her after seeing an interview with Paul. In part she had never imagined it was her because she didn't leave with "a man from the motor trade."
The string arrangement is perhaps my favorite in a Beatles song, which is interesting since it's one of the only arrangements not by George Martin, who was too busy at the time and (unwillingly) ceded to Mike Leander. I find the arrangement tight and not extraneous in any way as Martin's sometimes were. The second thing I love about the song is one lyric in particular: "She's leaving home after living alone for so many years." Obviously the girl in question was not living literally alone, so the implication is devastating but possibly familiar to anyone who has felt that distance with those to whom we're physically closest. It's one of my favorite single lines in a Beatles song.
Fun fact: Coincidentally, Ms. Coe won a lip-synch contest at which the Beatles performed and Paul presented the award a few years before the song was written.
If you think I have it too low, at least I like it more than Mr. krista does: "So ####### boring. She leaves a comfortable life for more comfort. Oh, she’s bored, so she gets to go have fun. That’s the whitest #### ever. And her parents are bummed. Who gives a ####. The stakes are so pitifully low. 'Oh, I’ve like to have more fun, so I guess I’ll leave.'"
Suggested cover: One of my favorite covers of any Beatles song, Billy freaking Bragg
2022 Supplement: Paul has later said that, in addition to the news story, he was influenced in writing this by the broadcast by the weekly television series The Wednesday Play, of a play called “Cathy Come Home,” directed by Ken Loach, which was a play about homelessness and was viewed by a quarter of the UK population on its initial broadcast. He viewed the recording as almost a script for this play, with a narrator describing the protagonist’s actions along with a mini Greek chorus. Paul isn’t sure a song like this could be written now, except in musical theater, which was a genre he says John hated with one exception: West Side Story. John and Paul had seen that one together, including the film, and thought it “ballsy enough” for them both.
Guido Merkins
George Martin had been involved in everything the Beatles had done. But in 1967 during the sessions for Sgt Pepper, Paul was inspired and ready to work on a new song called She’s Leaving Home, but Martin was unavailable. So Paul called another arranger to help him with the strings and, for the first time, going around George Martin. Martin was hurt, but got over it and produced the session.
She’s Leaving Home is the brother of Eleanor Rigby in that it is strictly using strings and none of the traditional Beatles instruments. There was also a harp on the recording, Sheila Bromberg, the first female to play on a Beatles record. Alse interesting is the difference between the stereo and mono mix of the song. The mono is much faster, and therefore at a higher pitch than the stereo version.
Paul wrote the song inspired by a news story of a girl running away from home. I like the line about “meeting a man from the motor trade.” I also like Paul singing and John singing as the voice of the parents (we gave her most of our life….)
I like the song, but it feels a bit forced when compared to Rigby. Of course, Rigby is one of the Beatles best songs, so that might not be a fair comparison.
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
Last edited by a moderator:
ProstheticRGK
Footballguy
Oh! I was thisclose finally to having one of mine posted. I originally had this slotted at #24, then sent Getz a last-minute switch to put another song in its place. @ProstheticRGK, I think you might have had this as one you predicted I would have in my top 25, and you were right at the time. BUT, the one I inserted in its place was also on your list of predictions.
Woohoo! I still think I was off on a bunch, though.
Wrighteous Ray
Footballguy
My other two songs that have been listed, but I have not yet talked about are I'm a Loser and You Really Got a Hold on Me. I love everything about You Really Got a Hold on Me - the music, the harmony, well, John's voice, well, everything. I know it is a cover and I like it much better than the original. The think the Beatles version shows a lot more emotion and heart. It actually reminds me, unfortunately, of people I have known, mostly women, who were in relationships in which they did love their partner, but were actually basically unhappy and couldn't bring themselves to quit the relationship.
I'm a Loser reminds me of country songs from the past, but much more introspective. I like John's voice and the low notes and all the music, but especially the harmonica. I have a special affinity for harmonica playing. My dad taught himself to play the harmonica when he was five and he played until his death at age 98. Nothing made him happier than to play for others and when he was in an assisted living, he was thrilled to be asked to play with other musicians who visited there. About 5 years ago, he told me he was looking to buy a special Hohner Echo Harp, but couldn't find one. I researched it and found what he wanted, then Krista and I went together to get it for him for Christmas. He told me many times that it was the best Christmas present he had ever received. As Krista has mentioned, today would have been his 102nd birthday and I wish he were here to celebrate by playing the harmonica for me.
I'm a Loser reminds me of country songs from the past, but much more introspective. I like John's voice and the low notes and all the music, but especially the harmonica. I have a special affinity for harmonica playing. My dad taught himself to play the harmonica when he was five and he played until his death at age 98. Nothing made him happier than to play for others and when he was in an assisted living, he was thrilled to be asked to play with other musicians who visited there. About 5 years ago, he told me he was looking to buy a special Hohner Echo Harp, but couldn't find one. I researched it and found what he wanted, then Krista and I went together to get it for him for Christmas. He told me many times that it was the best Christmas present he had ever received. As Krista has mentioned, today would have been his 102nd birthday and I wish he were here to celebrate by playing the harmonica for me.
Zegras11
Footballguy
There she is!!
It's been 32 songs since you've had one posted. Love your write ups!!
36 --Wrighteous Ray---351.5
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
I love the string arrangements- but this was always my favorite part of the song - I like a few of the “call and response” songs. This one is haunting - especially Johns vocals.
Tom Hagen
Footballguy
I thought about including this in my top 25 but ultimately couldn't. It's not really one of my 25 favorites but I am always amazed that a 25 year old male rock star had enough empathy to write a song about not only a young girl who feels the need to escape her parents but also from the point of view of her parents distraught over their daughter leaving without telling them and bewildered by why she would do that. Paul's ability to not only put himself in their situation but care enough to do it in the first place is commendable.Getzlaf15 said:She’s Leaving Home
2022 Ranking: 63
2022 Lists: 12
2022 Points: 109
Ranked Highest by: @Uruk-Hai (8) @Oliver Humanzee(dad)(12) @ManOfSteelhead (15) @Binky The Doormat (15) @Shaft41 (15) @pecorino (17) @Encyclopedia Brown (19) @John Maddens Lunchbox (22) @Dr. Octopus (23)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 103/2/15
Getz comments: One of the 2019 songs that moved up the most in 2022, 40 spots. Ten more votes and 94 more points. Only one Top 10 vote though. First song with over 10 votes.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 133
2019 write-up:
She's Leaving Home (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
I dunno...a lot of you guys seem to love this song, including tim who raved about what a beautiful ballad John wrote. But the version I've heard, by Paul, doesn't do a lot for me and seems painfully earnest, except...I absolutely adore the string arrangement and one particular lyric. So much so that this ranks at #133 almost solely on the basis of these two things. When I hear this song, I'm entranced by the strings and tune everything else out, which is good since I don't enjoy much else of it, especially especially the "Greek chorus" over what I find a weak Paul vocal. The "parents" singing as the Greek chorus and the "byyyye byyyye" make me cringe every time.
This is a song where Paul is a bit John-esque in that he based it, loosely, on something he'd read in the paper, rather than coming up with a fictitious world all his own as he often did. In this case, Paul read a story about a girl named Melanie Coe who had run away from her posh home, to the befuddlement of her parents. Interestingly, Ms. Coe enjoyed the song for some time without imagining it was about her; it was only years later that her mother put it together for her after seeing an interview with Paul. In part she had never imagined it was her because she didn't leave with "a man from the motor trade."
The string arrangement is perhaps my favorite in a Beatles song, which is interesting since it's one of the only arrangements not by George Martin, who was too busy at the time and (unwillingly) ceded to Mike Leander. I find the arrangement tight and not extraneous in any way as Martin's sometimes were. The second thing I love about the song is one lyric in particular: "She's leaving home after living alone for so many years." Obviously the girl in question was not living literally alone, so the implication is devastating but possibly familiar to anyone who has felt that distance with those to whom we're physically closest. It's one of my favorite single lines in a Beatles song.
Fun fact: Coincidentally, Ms. Coe won a lip-synch contest at which the Beatles performed and Paul presented the award a few years before the song was written.
If you think I have it too low, at least I like it more than Mr. krista does: "So ####### boring. She leaves a comfortable life for more comfort. Oh, she’s bored, so she gets to go have fun. That’s the whitest #### ever. And her parents are bummed. Who gives a ####. The stakes are so pitifully low. 'Oh, I’ve like to have more fun, so I guess I’ll leave.'"
Suggested cover: One of my favorite covers of any Beatles song, Billy freaking Bragg
2022 Supplement: Paul has later said that, in addition to the news story, he was influenced in writing this by the broadcast by the weekly television series The Wednesday Play, of a play called “Cathy Come Home,” directed by Ken Loach, which was a play about homelessness and was viewed by a quarter of the UK population on its initial broadcast. He viewed the recording as almost a script for this play, with a narrator describing the protagonist’s actions along with a mini Greek chorus. Paul isn’t sure a song like this could be written now, except in musical theater, which was a genre he says John hated with one exception: West Side Story. John and Paul had seen that one together, including the film, and thought it “ballsy enough” for them both.
Guido Merkins
George Martin had been involved in everything the Beatles had done. But in 1967 during the sessions for Sgt Pepper, Paul was inspired and ready to work on a new song called She’s Leaving Home, but Martin was unavailable. So Paul called another arranger to help him with the strings and, for the first time, going around George Martin. Martin was hurt, but got over it and produced the session.
She’s Leaving Home is the brother of Eleanor Rigby in that it is strictly using strings and none of the traditional Beatles instruments. There was also a harp on the recording, Sheila Bromberg, the first female to play on a Beatles record. Alse interesting is the difference between the stereo and mono mix of the song. The mono is much faster, and therefore at a higher pitch than the stereo version.
Paul wrote the song inspired by a news story of a girl running away from home. I like the line about “meeting a man from the motor trade.” I also like Paul singing and John singing as the voice of the parents (we gave her most of our life….)
I like the song, but it feels a bit forced when compared to Rigby. Of course, Rigby is one of the Beatles best songs, so that might not be a fair comparison.
I couldn't disagree with Mr. Krista more about the stakes being low The thought of my daughter leaving without explanation and not knowing what happened to her is about the worst thing I could possible imagine happening to me.
krista4
Footballguy
He was referring to the daughter when he said the stakes were low. But your point about the empathy is a fantastic one.
krista4
Footballguy
Wrighteous Ray said:
Grandpa playing "Jesus Loves Me" on harmonica when he was 97 years old. I chose this one to post because of his sweet smile at the end. (Apologies for portrait mode.)
He played several songs for us this day. He also had a question for us about his new fancier cell phone: "Why do people keep sending me pictures of envelopes?" Turned out he had over 100 unheard voicemails.
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