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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)

Tell Me Why
2022 Ranking: 153T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 10
Ranked Highest by: Krista (Mom) (16)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR

Getz: 8th song not rated in 2019.  Harmonies are killer in this song.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  129

2019 write-up:

Tell Me Why (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)

I'm grouping these two together [2022 Editor’s Note:  this was grouped with “Another Girl”]  because, after I saw they had ended up side-by-side in my rankings and checked my initial notes, I saw that I had written similar write-ups for both, making reference to their being enjoyable but kind of messy.  Also both were written in a hurry as "filler" for their records - "we needed a song and so I ripped this one off" in only the way that John or Paul could do.  Maybe someone loves one of these so much they'll make a case for one as being substantially better than the other.  

"Tell My Why" stands out to me for the manic drumming, and, for those who've expressed a soft spot for three-part harmonies, these are complex and twisty in a good way. The John falsetto is a bit jarring to me, though, and something about the vocal tracking sounds off, which accounts for the "messiness" I referenced in my initial notes.  As was often the case during this time, John seemed to have his tortured feelings expressed in his lyrics juxtaposed with some cheery vocals.  Sardonic, I guess, but with a positive "resolution" in the last chord that I doubt John truly believed.  This one seems simple on its face but has so much going on beneath.

Mr. krista:  "That’s a great jam.  Ringo’s drumming is particularly good.  He’s super-fast on the fills."

Suggested cover:  It's a @rockaction special!  The Beach Boys

2022 Supplement:  Although they served as inspiration for all the Beatles and were covered many times by the band, John was likely the biggest fan of the 1950s girl groups such as the Shirelles, the Marvelettes, and the Cookies.  Even after the Beatles stopped doing their covers, their influence remained in John’s songwriting for a while.  John has described this song as “black-New-York-girl-group song,” and the three-part harmonies – beautifully performed by Paul and George while also providing stellar bass and guitar work - harken directly back to those groups.  Ringo’s fills and swing rhythm are also outstanding.  I’d move this one up on my list today.  

Guido Merkins

The end of A Hard Day’s Night with the Beatles performing for the live studio audience is one of the best parts of the film.  All the other songs had either been performed earlier in the film or were earlier songs (She Loves You), but there was one song that hadn’t been introduced yet during that sequence, Tell Me Why.

Lennon described it as a “girl group thing with a walking bass line”, which captures the song kind of perfectly.  Call and response, vocal and Paul’s walking bass line.  The song has kind of a swing to it, I’ve always found it kind of jazzy.  

Once again, John claimed that the early songs were made up with no reference to real life, but John’s early songs always have an element of hurt and mistrust and “tell me why you lied to me” fits that bill.  Like any number of Beatles songs, it’s just an album track, but a pretty strong one, even if it’s not particularly exciting compared to the other songs on the A Hard Day’s Night album.

 
Chalk Rankings Top 10. #153T = 19.5 pts. Sponsored by Duck Fat Tater Tots

1 --Krista (Mom)---34.5

2 --anarchy99---32

3 --Krista (TJ/Holly)---28

4 --Krista (Sharon)---24.5

5 --Encyclopedia Brown---20

6 --AAABatteries---18

7 --Alex P Keaton---18

8 --BinkyTheDoormat---15

9 --Krista (Mom/Hub)---14.5

10 --Lardonastick---13

 
I’m just skimming the writeups you barely even call it skimming more like just looking forward with my eyes while scrolling downward.

Anyway it seems like krista says “I would move this one up in my rankings today” for like 75% of the songs I don’t think this math is gonna work out.

 
There's a new Yoko Ono tribute album coming out tonight

Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono

1. Sharon Van Etten – Toyboat (2:57)
2. David Byrne;Yo La Tengo – Who Has Seen the Wind? (2:46)
3. Sudan Archives – Dogtown (3:17)
4. Death Cab For Cutie – Waiting For The Sunrise (3:00)
5. Thao – Yellow Girl (Stand By For Life) (3:25)
6. U.S. Girls – Born In A Prison (3:19)
7. Jay Som – Growing Pain (3:50)
8. Stephin Merritt – Listen, The Snow Is Falling (3:26)
9. Deerhoof – No, No, No (2:07)
10. We Are KING – Don’t Be Scared (3:08)
11. The Flaming Lips – Mrs. Lennon (3:21)
12. Japanese Breakfast – Nobody Sees Me Like You Do (3:32)
13. Yo La Tengo – There’s No Goodbye Between Us (3:33)
14. Amber Coffman – Run Run Run (4:05)

 
Getzlaf15 said:
Tell Me Why
2022 Ranking: 153T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 10
Ranked Highest by: Krista (Mom) (16)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR

Getz: 8th song not rated in 2019.  Harmonies are killer in this song.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  129

2019 write-up:

Tell Me Why (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)

I'm grouping these two together [2022 Editor’s Note:  this was grouped with “Another Girl”]  because, after I saw they had ended up side-by-side in my rankings and checked my initial notes, I saw that I had written similar write-ups for both, making reference to their being enjoyable but kind of messy.  Also both were written in a hurry as "filler" for their records - "we needed a song and so I ripped this one off" in only the way that John or Paul could do.  Maybe someone loves one of these so much they'll make a case for one as being substantially better than the other.  

"Tell My Why" stands out to me for the manic drumming, and, for those who've expressed a soft spot for three-part harmonies, these are complex and twisty in a good way. The John falsetto is a bit jarring to me, though, and something about the vocal tracking sounds off, which accounts for the "messiness" I referenced in my initial notes.  As was often the case during this time, John seemed to have his tortured feelings expressed in his lyrics juxtaposed with some cheery vocals.  Sardonic, I guess, but with a positive "resolution" in the last chord that I doubt John truly believed.  This one seems simple on its face but has so much going on beneath.

Mr. krista:  "That’s a great jam.  Ringo’s drumming is particularly good.  He’s super-fast on the fills."

Suggested cover:  It's a @rockaction special!  The Beach Boys

2022 Supplement:  Although they served as inspiration for all the Beatles and were covered many times by the band, John was likely the biggest fan of the 1950s girl groups such as the Shirelles, the Marvelettes, and the Cookies.  Even after the Beatles stopped doing their covers, their influence remained in John’s songwriting for a while.  John has described this song as “black-New-York-girl-group song,” and the three-part harmonies – beautifully performed by Paul and George while also providing stellar bass and guitar work - harken directly back to those groups.  Ringo’s fills and swing rhythm are also outstanding.  I’d move this one up on my list today.  

Guido Merkins

The end of A Hard Day’s Night with the Beatles performing for the live studio audience is one of the best parts of the film.  All the other songs had either been performed earlier in the film or were earlier songs (She Loves You), but there was one song that hadn’t been introduced yet during that sequence, Tell Me Why.

Lennon described it as a “girl group thing with a walking bass line”, which captures the song kind of perfectly.  Call and response, vocal and Paul’s walking bass line.  The song has kind of a swing to it, I’ve always found it kind of jazzy.  

Once again, John claimed that the early songs were made up with no reference to real life, but John’s early songs always have an element of hurt and mistrust and “tell me why you lied to me” fits that bill.  Like any number of Beatles songs, it’s just an album track, but a pretty strong one, even if it’s not particularly exciting compared to the other songs on the A Hard Day’s Night album.
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I love this song. Love it. I seriously might have put it in my top 25, if not for that one falsetto line. It’s so jarring and sounds messy. To me, this and the fact Paul ends one line in “Here, There and Everywhere” with the two-syllable “speaking” when every other line ends perfectly pleasantly with a one syllable word are the two most incongruous choices in otherwise nifty tunes in the catalog. 

 
Anna (Go To Him)
2022 Ranking: 153T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 10
Ranked Highest by:  @ManOfSteelhead (16)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 123T/1/8

Getz: K4 has this ranked right...just not a fan of this one.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  175

2019 write-up:

Anna (Go to Him) (Please Please Me, 1963)

This is one of the most purely beautiful John vocals, in my opinion.  Nothing crazy-powerful like "Twist and Shout," but full of such desperation and depth.  Word is he had a cold while recording it, so I recommend to all young singers to go outside without a coat or masturbate too much or whatever moms tell their sons will cause them colds (I might have mixed that up with "what gives you crossed eyes").  John's perceived anguish might be heightened by that cold-induced raspiness.  The seemingly flat backing vocals perfectly highlight John even more beautifully.  The other part that I absolutely adore about this song is George's guitar riff that replaces the piano on the original, to positive effect, though you'll see below that Mr. krista was less impressed.

Given how much I've raved about this, why not higher?  As I've mentioned, my rankings of covers are heavily based on how they measure up to the originals.  And if you listen to Arthur Alexander's original of this, well holy #### that vocal is so incredible I just can't move this higher.  Good god, so forceful yet delicate.

Side note:  I have an affection for the fact that, when faced with losing a girl to another guy, in this case John (via Arthur Alexander) takes it quite well, as opposed to other songs we'll cover later.

Fun fact:  a special pressing was made of this song as a single on Vee Jay records, as it was believed that the record would appeal to black audiences.  It's believed that only a handful still exist, and a copy sold for $35k in 2012.

Another fun fact:  Arthur Alexander's first hit, You Better Move On, was covered by The Rolling Stones.  Not a bad run there, Art.

Mr. krista:  "That’s ghostly weird (the backing vocals).  I like the drum part a lot, with the open high hat.  If you took out every instrument but the drums, John Lennon could still sing it and it would be 90% of the song.  That drum pattern is all the song.  That guitar lick you like doesn’t mean anything.  I’m struck by what a good band they were already.  Fitting together like a puzzle, the guitar finishing the drums’ phrases, etc."

2022 Supplement:  As in 2019, while I think this is a fabulous performance by the Beatles, it’s hard to compare to Arthur Alexander’s original.  Ringo has said that the Beatles were lucky to have grown up in a port city like Liverpool because it seemed like everyone there was in the Navy and brought back all these records from the US.  George Martin also gave credit to Liverpool’s port status for the Beatles’ knowledge of US music from black musicians:  “The Beatles certainly knew more about Motown and black music than anyone else did, and that was a tremendous influence on them.”

For some US black musicians like Arthur Alexander, it was only after a band like the Beatles noticed them and recorded their songs that they then gained fame in their native country.  Alexander, for one, had put out many records that are now seen as pioneering, but he had at best mild success, primarily on the R&B charts, until he was covered by the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan.  After working many years outside of the music business, chiefly as a bus driver, he re-entered the business in 1993, but sadly died later that year of a heart attack.

I can’t recommend highly enough to check out more of Alexander’s work.  The Beatles did; here they are doing another Alexander cover for the BBC in 1963:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VgvJj4EBpc

Guido Merkins

The Beatles really viewed themselves as an R&B combo.  Paul spoke about how much black music influenced him in an interview I read that begins The Complete Recording Sessions by Mark Lewison and the song he mentioned, specifically, was Anna.

Anna was done by Arthur Alexander.  The Beatles were big fans of Arthur Alexander, covering Soldier of Love and A Shot of Rhythm and Blues during their Hamburg days and on Live at the BBC.

The Beatles version has Lennon’s vocal drenched in echo, not in a bad way.  The best part is the middle “all of my life….”, John really lets it rip.  The Arthur Alexander version has piano, but George translates that to guitar, which is also another great part of the song.  Paul and George sing background and do their usual good job.  Ringo’s fills are really cool throughout in that style that only Ringo has.

 
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Chalk Rankings Top 10. #153T = 19.5 pts. Sponsored by Duck Fat Tater Tots

1 --Krista (Mom)---34.5

2 --anarchy99---32

3 --Krista (TJ/Holly)---28

4 --Krista (Sharon)---24.5

5 --Encyclopedia Brown---20

6 --Man Of Steel---19.5

7 --AAABatteries---18

8 --Alex P Keaton---18

9 --BinkyTheDoormat---15

10 --Krista (Mom/Hub)---14.5

 
We are 20 songs into the countdown...

50 Voters have yet to have a song appear.

 

# of Songs to Have Appeared on The Countdown to Date

1 --Krista (Sharon)---2

2 --Encyclopedia Brown---2

3 --Krista (Mom/Hub)---2

4 --Krista (TJ/Holly)---2

5 --anarchy99---2

6 --Krista (Mom)---2

7 --Lardonastick---1

8 --Mac32---1

9 --DaVinci---1

10 --Krista (TJ/Slug)---1

11 --Just Win Baby---1

12 --Krista (Rob)---1

13 --OTB_Lifer---1

14 --Krista (Worth)---1

15 --jwb---1

16 --wikkidpissah---1

17 --Man Of Constant Sorrow---1

18 --BinkyTheDoormat---1

19 --AAABatteries---1

20 --Alex P Keaton---1

21 --Man Of Steel---1

 
I Need You -- Might have made my top 50 if we'd gone that deep. Great melody and harmonies -- plus it's got cowbell and volume pedal, what's not to love?

Rocky Raccoon -- Since I don't have anything fun to say, I'll just carry over my shtick from the U2 thread. This is not better than Bullet the Blue Sky.

I Call Your Name -- It's very good at doing the early '60s thing it does, and with prominent cowbell. My favorite part is the beginning, which sounds like something you'd hear on a Bond soundtrack. 

Long Tall Sally -- Paul again channeling Little Richard to great effect. I'm pretty sure John Fogerty lifted this wholesale for Travelin' Band. 

Thank You Girl -- A little twee for my tastes. But the vocals are much rougher and more powerful than you'd expect for something that's otherwise pretty sweet.

Love You To -- I'm not as big on the sitar songs as most of their other stuff from 1966-67, not because I don't like them individually, but because I don't think they fit in well with the rest of what the boys were doing at the time. But I love George's vocal on this one -- he matches the drone of the instruments. Some of you think the outro is too short, but I think it works well as it is. 

Lovely Rita -- I agree with the sentiments that Pepper is greater than the sum of its parts. Only 2 of its songs made my top 25 but its greatness is undeniable. The "ah-ahs" in the beginning and middle are the best part of Rita for me. I also love Paul's bass on this, it's so warm and bouncy. 

I'll Cry Instead -- Twang, Beatles style. Not what I seek them out for, but it's fine at what it does. 

Dizzy Miss Lizzy -- More cowbell! Hits the expected buttons after being employed the same way as Twist and Shout and Money, but the riffage and John's vocal are great. 

Don't Bother Me -- I don't think I had heard this one before I got their entire CD catalog for my birthday when I was in college. Right away I was struck by this one, not only because it was the first George composition to appear, but because it's so dark and brooding compared with their other stuff for the time. My tastes definitely run to the middle and later stuff, but I'd surely find room for this in my top 100. 

Baby You're a Rich Man -- Another one that could have been in my top 50. A killer melody and a great example of how they merged Eastern and Western influences. My take is that the CD configurations are canon -- which means the UK versions hold sway EXCEPT for MMT. My other take is that the MMT cover must be where Donnie Darko got its aesthetic from. 

From Me to You -- I don't love it as much as the other very early A-sides, but it's still snappy as hell. 

Tell Me Why -- I don't see it as anything special musically, but it's got a great vocal melody and is one of the first appearances of "John feels put upon," which would blossom shortly thereafter with "Help!" (And be taken to an extreme with JL/POB.) 

 
Getzlaf15 said:
wut
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ekbeats said:
I’m willing to accept this as fact.

1. It sounds good

2. I’m wayyyy to drunk to figure out the math
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Song 17 is worth 9 pts. If they were the only one to have selected it then it would have already appeared in the rankings.  Song 18 is worth 8 pts, same thing…..etc.  fatguy is just pointing out that those who haven’t had a song appear yet know that they aren’t the only person to have selected their 17-25 songs.

:grad:

 
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fatguyinalittlecoat said:
Seriously we are jonesing to find out the next Zeppelin song that’s gonna make everybody mad.

ETA: sorry folks this is a pretty random response to a write up.  I love From Me to You, my first Beatles album was the “red” greatest hits compilation and this was on there.  This one didn’t make my top 25 but if I’m counting right I have seven songs on my list from that CD including some at the top.  That first influence is always strong.
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I have no problem with cross-pollination.  This is Beatles-focused but can expand easily and naturally into discussions of a lot of music generally.

 
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
I’m just skimming the writeups you barely even call it skimming more like just looking forward with my eyes while scrolling downward.

Anyway it seems like krista says “I would move this one up in my rankings today” for like 75% of the songs I don’t think this math is gonna work out.
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There will be more where I don't feel that way.

But moving Rocky Raccoon down 382 spots would help in any case.

 
By the way, my mom is going to be upset that two songs she chose are now on no one else's list.  And she is reading here.  Do better, guys.

 
Watching Anthology Ep 3 and 4 now. The concert footage is just so ####### good.

I think we all have like 80-100 songs for our Top 25's.

 
AAABatteries said:
I understand how this works but there is LITERALLY NO ####### WAY this song is their 155th best song.  It’s just impossible.
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Da da da, da da dumb dumb da
Da da da, da da dumb dumb da
If there's anything that you want
If there's anything I can do
Just call on me and I'll send it along
With love, from me to you

I've got everything that you want
Like a heart that's oh so true
Just call on me and I'll send it along
With love, from me to you

I've got arms that long to hold you
And keep you by my side
I've got lips that long to kiss you
And keep you satisfied (oh)

If there's anything that you want
If there's anything I can do
Just call on me and I'll send it along
With love, from me to you

From me
To you
Just call on me and I'll send it along
With love, from me to you

I've got arms that long to hold you
And keep you by my side
I've got lips that long to kiss you
And keep you satisfied (oh)

If there's anything that you want
If there's anything I can do
Just call on me and I'll send it along
With love, from me to you
To you
To you
To you

roughly equal to

Living is easy with eyes closed
Misunderstanding’s all you see

 
Just got an email update on ticket availability for Sir Paul’s upcoming tour dates. Not bad for someone turning 80. The local show is mid-week, which rules me out. 

 
Anarchy99 said:
Just got an email update on ticket availability for Sir Paul’s upcoming tour dates. Not bad for someone turning 80. The local show is mid-week, which rules me out. 
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Hour flight to Spokane.  I'm there.  Will likely turn into a weekend in CDL 

 
Pip's Invitation said:
It's all right, but I'd rather go to the original source when seeking out this kind of thing. Hopefully Mr. Alexander got some nice royalty checks out of this. 
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When doing a bit of research to write my piece, I came across something that says that he did receive significant royalties.  Enough to keep his career going for a time, but ultimately he died young.  Far from rich considering the impact he made on all the 60s groups whom he influenced. Sad

 
Getzlaf15 said:
Anna (Go To Him)
2022 Ranking: 153T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 10
Ranked Highest by:  @ManOfSteelhead (16)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 123T/1/8

Getz: K4 has this ranked right...just not a fan of this one.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  175

2019 write-up:

Anna (Go to Him) (Please Please Me, 1963)

This is one of the most purely beautiful John vocals, in my opinion.  Nothing crazy-powerful like "Twist and Shout," but full of such desperation and depth.  Word is he had a cold while recording it, so I recommend to all young singers to go outside without a coat or masturbate too much or whatever moms tell their sons will cause them colds (I might have mixed that up with "what gives you crossed eyes").  John's perceived anguish might be heightened by that cold-induced raspiness.  The seemingly flat backing vocals perfectly highlight John even more beautifully.  The other part that I absolutely adore about this song is George's guitar riff that replaces the piano on the original, to positive effect, though you'll see below that Mr. krista was less impressed.

Given how much I've raved about this, why not higher?  As I've mentioned, my rankings of covers are heavily based on how they measure up to the originals.  And if you listen to Arthur Alexander's original of this, well holy #### that vocal is so incredible I just can't move this higher.  Good god, so forceful yet delicate.

Side note:  I have an affection for the fact that, when faced with losing a girl to another guy, in this case John (via Arthur Alexander) takes it quite well, as opposed to other songs we'll cover later.

Fun fact:  a special pressing was made of this song as a single on Vee Jay records, as it was believed that the record would appeal to black audiences.  It's believed that only a handful still exist, and a copy sold for $35k in 2012.

Another fun fact:  Arthur Alexander's first hit, You Better Move On, was covered by The Rolling Stones.  Not a bad run there, Art.

Mr. krista:  "That’s ghostly weird (the backing vocals).  I like the drum part a lot, with the open high hat.  If you took out every instrument but the drums, John Lennon could still sing it and it would be 90% of the song.  That drum pattern is all the song.  That guitar lick you like doesn’t mean anything.  I’m struck by what a good band they were already.  Fitting together like a puzzle, the guitar finishing the drums’ phrases, etc."

2022 Supplement:  As in 2019, while I think this is a fabulous performance by the Beatles, it’s hard to compare to Arthur Alexander’s original.  Ringo has said that the Beatles were lucky to have grown up in a port city like Liverpool because it seemed like everyone there was in the Navy and brought back all these records from the US.  George Martin also gave credit to Liverpool’s port status for the Beatles’ knowledge of US music from black musicians:  “The Beatles certainly knew more about Motown and black music than anyone else did, and that was a tremendous influence on them.”

For some US black musicians like Arthur Alexander, it was only after a band like the Beatles noticed them and recorded their songs that they then gained fame in their native country.  Alexander, for one, had put out many records that are now seen as pioneering, but he had at best mild success, primarily on the R&B charts, until he was covered by the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan.  After working many years outside of the music business, chiefly as a bus driver, he re-entered the business in 1993, but sadly died later that year of a heart attack.

I can’t recommend highly enough to check out more of Alexander’s work.  The Beatles did; here they are doing another Alexander cover for the BBC in 1963:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VgvJj4EBpc

Guido Merkins

The Beatles really viewed themselves as an R&B combo.  Paul spoke about how much black music influenced him in an interview I read that begins The Complete Recording Sessions by Mark Lewison and the song he mentioned, specifically, was Anna.

Anna was done by Arthur Alexander.  The Beatles were big fans of Arthur Alexander, covering Soldier of Love and A Shot of Rhythm and Blues during their Hamburg days and on Live at the BBC.

The Beatles version has Lennon’s vocal drenched in echo, not in a bad way.  The best part is the middle “all of my life….”, John really lets it rip.  The Arthur Alexander version has piano, but George translates that to guitar, which is also another great part of the song.  Paul and George sing background and do their usual good job.  Ringo’s fills are really cool throughout in that style that only Ringo has.
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My oldest son started detasseling for a summer job when he was 14, and found it quite to his liking, which is just insane.  When we would ask him about his time in the fields, very little was shared about the corn, and it was mainly about the social aspect of the experience.  After a few weeks, we heard about a young lady named Anna who we was obviously rather fond of.  It was the very definition of a whirlwind romance; they met, my son was in love by day 2, he brought her to the house to meet us on about day 4, he was planning a wedding on day 6, and she dumped him for another dude on day 8.  

This coincided with him beginning to love The Beatles, and this particular song was the one he was trying to get her to listen to constantly during their week-long love affair.  He loved this song.  But I wasn't surprised it didn't make his list, as now, it undoubtedly brings up unwelcome memories of the one that got away.  

 
Shaft41 said:
My oldest son started detasseling for a summer job when he was 14, and found it quite to his liking, which is just insane.  When we would ask him about his time in the fields, very little was shared about the corn, and it was mainly about the social aspect of the experience.  After a few weeks, we heard about a young lady named Anna who we was obviously rather fond of.  It was the very definition of a whirlwind romance; they met, my son was in love by day 2, he brought her to the house to meet us on about day 4, he was planning a wedding on day 6, and she dumped him for another dude on day 8.  

This coincided with him beginning to love The Beatles, and this particular song was the one he was trying to get her to listen to constantly during their week-long love affair.  He loved this song.  But I wasn't surprised it didn't make his list, as now, it undoubtedly brings up unwelcome memories of the one that got away.  
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Now, his song is "Anna, go to hell". I was gonna make a joke about hoping he got to do some detasseling, but then I saw he was 14.

 
For You Blue
2022 Ranking: 151T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 11
Ranked Highest by: @Man of Constant Sorrow (15)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 111T/1/11

Getz: This song received some "Get Back" time. See video link below. I can see MoCS when I hear this.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  146

2019 write-up:

For You Blue (Let It Be, 1970)

I LOVE THE LAP STEEL GUITAR ON THIS SONG.  I love the sound of that guitar and the slide; I've read variously that John used a lighter, a shotgun shell, and a lipstick tube as the slide.  George called this a "happy-go-lucky" song, and his vocal has a nice sweet quality to it.  Paul did some interesting work on the piano, putting paper between the strings to give it a fuzzy sound.  The problem I have with this song is George's silly talking during the middle.  Maybe that's just them having fun, but it detracts for me.  Though I enjoy George's vocal on this, I think I'd enjoy it more as just an instrumental.  Still a great groove, though.

Mr. krista:  "Seems fun.  Well, compared to The Long and Winding Road, surgery seems fun.  I like the self-deprecating bits of dialogue. I like the DoBro steel guitar. It was like a really concise Allman Brothers song."

Suggested cover:  Well, I can't resist this:  Dhani Harrison and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N6aW4Gh2LU

2022 Supplement:  I felt like this should have been higher (Binky, you know what to do) at the time and still do today.  Not sure why it got so lost in my rankings.  Oh…holy ####.  I just read my write-up and see I docked it for George’s talking, which is now one of my favorite parts.  I love the “Go, Johnny, go!” and the rest of it.  Must have been in a bad mood when I wrote that one.

In the studio on this one:   and from the Get Back documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abPLPAm5q9o

Guido Merkins

The Beatles were not a blues band.  Obviously all rock and roll and R&B, and pretty much any other form of American music is based on the blues, but the Beatles very rarely did something that could be considered a straight up 12 bar blues.  One of the only examples was given to us by George on the Let It Be album called For You Blue.

For You Blue was written about Pattie Boyd, George’s wife and her blue eyes.  There is a lap steel guitar played by John, ironic in that it was Harrison who would spend the rest of his career playing slide, but for this John did it.  There is no bass guitar on the track because Paul is playing a piano.  They wanted a certain sound out of the piano, so they put newspaper on the strings to give it kind of a buzz sound.  I guess make it sound old-timey.  

I love George encouraging John with stuff like “go Johnny go” and “Elmore James got nothing on this” as he chuckles.  George’s vocal on this is very good as well.  George calls the song “a 12 bar blues that follows all the principles of a 12 bar blues, except it’s happy go lucky.”  I think that’s a better description than I could ever do, so I’ll leave it at that.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Getzlaf15 said:
For You Blue
2022 Ranking: 151T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 11
Ranked Highest by: @Man of Constant Sorrow (15)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 111T/1/11

Getz: This song received some "Get Back" time. See video link below. I can see MoCS when I hear this.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  146

2019 write-up:

For You Blue (Let It Be, 1970)

I LOVE THE LAP STEEL GUITAR ON THIS SONG.  I love the sound of that guitar and the slide; I've read variously that John used a lighter, a shotgun shell, and a lipstick tube as the slide.  George called this a "happy-go-lucky" song, and his vocal has a nice sweet quality to it.  Paul did some interesting work on the piano, putting paper between the strings to give it a fuzzy sound.  The problem I have with this song is George's silly talking during the middle.  Maybe that's just them having fun, but it detracts for me.  Though I enjoy George's vocal on this, I think I'd enjoy it more as just an instrumental.  Still a great groove, though.

Mr. krista:  "Seems fun.  Well, compared to The Long and Winding Road, surgery seems fun.  I like the self-deprecating bits of dialogue. I like the DoBro steel guitar. It was like a really concise Allman Brothers song."

Suggested cover:  Well, I can't resist this:  Dhani Harrison

2022 Supplement:  I felt like this should have been higher (Binky, you know what to do) at the time and still do today.  Not sure why it got so lost in my rankings.  Oh…holy ####.  I just read my write-up and see I docked it for George’s talking, which is now one of my favorite parts.  I love the “Go, Johnny, go!” and the rest of it.  Must have been in a bad mood when I wrote that one.

In the studio on this one:   and from the Get Back documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abPLPAm5q9o

Guido Merkins

The Beatles were not a blues band.  Obviously all rock and roll and R&B, and pretty much any other form of American music is based on the blues, but the Beatles very rarely did something that could be considered a straight up 12 bar blues.  One of the only examples was given to us by George on the Let It Be album called For You Blue.

For You Blue was written about Pattie Boyd, George’s wife and her blue eyes.  There is a lap steel guitar played by John, ironic in that it was Harrison who would spend the rest of his career playing slide, but for this John did it.  There is no bass guitar on the track because Paul is playing a piano.  They wanted a certain sound out of the piano, so they put newspaper on the strings to give it kind of a buzz sound.  I guess make it sound old-timey.  

I love George encouraging John with stuff like “go Johnny go” and “Elmore James got nothing on this” as he chuckles.  George’s vocal on this is very good as well.  George calls the song “a 12 bar blues that follows all the principles of a 12 bar blues, except it’s happy go lucky.”  I think that’s a better description than I could ever do, so I’ll leave it at that.
Click to expand...
An underappreciated gem.  I think watching them working on this in "Get Back" were some of my favorite parts.  Had no clue John played the steel on this one.  

 
Shaft41 said:
An underappreciated gem.  I think watching them working on this in "Get Back" were some of my favorite parts.  Had no clue John played the steel on this one.  
Click to expand...
Exactly.... Never really listened to this much before.   Enjoy it every time now.

 
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