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In this thread I rank my favorite Beatles songs: 204-1. (2 Viewers)

Man of Constant Sorrow said:
Thanks much Wikkid. I'm only about 1 year affected and 6 months diagnosed. I've still got so much to learn, but my Dr. has been impressed with my progress. 

However, I'm walking a fine line between sleeping patterns, eating patterns and massive weight loss. I was in the middle of a normal bmi range one year ago. 

After losing 40 lbs I did not need to lose I am at the edge of malnutrition. 

Eh... I really didn't mean to bring this up here... Sorry. 

So, now you all know why Savoy Truffle is so high on my list. 

Sweets are a forbidden pleasure to me now. Thus, listening to Savoy Truffle is more sensuous to me than any Donna Summers Song! 

Mmmmmm... Truffles! 
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oy...

 
krista4 said:
With that one posted, the only song left on my list that we know is not in my top 10 is "All My Loving."  It appears on With The Beatles, which I didn't list as a source of my top 10.
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Don't tell me what I know! I know nothing! 

.... Where is all this stuff we're suppose to know? Is your top 10 common notebook fodder? Is it in here somewhere? No I don't read ALL the posts. 

 
krista4 said:
Oh.  No, I misread it as helping you sleep.  I have severe issues with both sides of sleep - the getting to it and the sticking to it.

Btw, regarding an earlier comment, I've never been involved once with the writing of a brief.  Maybe that would help me sleep.
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Honestly, writing briefs (eh.. assisting our lawyer while he wrote briefs) was one of the most adrenaline producing desk endeavors I've ever engaged in! 

We would work till midnight, I would drink to 4 am while bouncing off the walls.

Pass out. 

Get up at 6.

Go work on briefs. 

We were the client, and the whole shebang was still going strong 17 years later when I left rather than totally lose my sanity. A partial loss has worked ok, but meh... F briefs! 🤬

So... was that sort of a very bad day in the life? 😅

 
This sounds like a Herculean task, but can we have a link to each write up on the main list post? So hard to wade through the goo goo much to try and find Krita's write ups. 

 
Sebowski said:
This sounds like a Herculean task, but can we have a link to each write up on the main list post? So hard to wade through the goo goo much to try and find Krita's write ups. 
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It's not going to be something I'll have time to go back and do for a while, but I'll try to link them in the first post starting with the next write-up.  

As to the other question, I've mentioned here maybe a dozen times that my top 10 comprised one from Help!, two from Rubber Soul, two from Revolver, one from Sgt. Pepper's, one from the White Album, one from Let It Be, one from Abbey Road, and one single.

 
krista4 said:
It's not going to be something I'll have time to go back and do for a while, but I'll try to link them in the first post starting with the next write-up.  

As to the other question, I've mentioned here maybe a dozen times that my top 10 comprised one from Help!, two from Rubber Soul, two from Revolver, one from Sgt. Pepper's, one from the White Album, one from Let It Be, one from Abbey Road, and one single.
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I remember that now. Just never did the "math". Plus I hate SPOILERZ so might be subconsciously avoiding the thought process. 

 
krista4 said:
22.  She Loves You (single, 1963)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

BAM!  BAM BAM!  I love the way this song absolutely explodes out of the gate, as if we'd been launched somehow magically into the middle of it.  Speaking of exploding, if "I Want To Hold Your Hand" changed everything for the Beatles in the US, this one had the same effect in the UK, becoming the band's first million-seller.  No less than the Prince of Darkness himself credits it with igniting his love of music and establishing what he would do with his life.  I recall hearing an interview in which Ozzy describes the first time he heard as having gone to bed in one world, and waking up in an entirely different world.  When we talk about the influence the Beatles had over other musicians, we can't forget the impacts that those musicians then had on others to come.  If the Beatles changed Ozzy's whole world and gave him the impetus to enter music, then they're also responsible for everyone that Black Sabbath then in turn drove to do the same.

Influenced by the Bobby Rydell song, "Forget Him," Paul came to John with the idea of having a third-person song, but once the idea took hold, this was a true collaboration between the two of them.  The "yeah yeah yeah"s were a source of controversy within the control room and within Paul's own household!  Norman Smith said that he saw the lyric sheets and all those "yeah yeah"s and thought, "I am not going to like this one."  Paul's dad was also upset at the use of too many "Americanisms" -  why not say a proper English “Yes, yes, yes” instead?  I guess we shouldn't even get into the "wooo"s.

So many aspects of this song deserve mention - not just that blast start, but the weaving in and out of those harmonies above the frequent chord changes, and the beautiful melody underlying all that exuberance.  Ringo's tom-tom work, the syncopation at the end of certain measures of the verses, and that triplet on the snare just after the "yeah."  George's little guitar fills punctuated under the vocal.  The drop-down to the emphatic "love like that" that precedes the (very first?) "Beatles break," and then those glorious final harmonies and euphoric repeat of the "yeah yeah yeah"s.  That chord...wait, another chord discussion?  Yes!  I'm talking of the final chord, which was an odd major sixth chord with George playing the sixth and John and Paul playing a third and fifth, of a type used in old-fashioned songs like those of Glenn Miller.  George came up with the idea, but surprisingly George Martin argued against it as being too jazzy and corny.  The band won out, though, and that chord stands out now as one of the most interesting and innovative parts of the song.  

The manic, powerhouse sound might have been inspired in part by the energy and excitement surrounding the recording of the song, which sounded like a riot.  I don't just mean "fun," but like nearly an actual riot.  Although the Beatles booked their studio time under the name, "The Dakotas," somehow the fans always knew when the band was going to be there and would start showing up hours in advance.  On this day, the band had a photo session in the alleyway a few hours before the session, so the fans started gathering in even larger numbers.  As the group started to tune up, though, Neil and Mal (the roadies) left the studio, only to return minutes later shouting, "FANS!!!"  John asked what they were bloody well talking about, but before they could answer, the door flew open and a particularly determined teenage girl flew in and headed for Ringo.  While Neil managed to tackle her, at the same time the rest of the swarm of fans broke through security and raced around the EMI studios madly searching for the Fab Four.  In the chaos, Geoff Emerick poked his head out the studio door:  "It was an unbelievable sight, straight out of the Keystone Kops:  scores of hysterical, screaming girls racing down the corridors, being chased by a handful of out-of-breath, beleaguered London bobbies.  Every time one would catch up with a fan, another two or three girls would appear, racing past, screeching at the top of their lungs. ... Doors were opening and slamming shut with alarming regularity, terrified staffers were having their hair pulled (just in case they happened to be a Beatle in disguise), and everyone in sight was running at top speed. ... Ringo, still on his drum stool, seemed a bit shaken, but John, Paul, and George soon began taking the piss, racing around the room, giggling and screeching in imitation of the poor fan who had launched herself at him."   :lmao:    

Mr. krista:  "It rocks really hard.  They were such a tight band.  [Narrator:  That’s all you got?]  I think a lot has been said about that song. Ringo’s drumming is great; he makes really great choices.  Like it almost goes into half-time but it doesn’t; creates just enough space to make it interesting.  They were all really good musicians, but it’s kind of amazing how much better they got, too."

Suggested cover:  Despite being convinced there was no way anyone could cover the energy and excitement of this song, I screened several dozen covers.  I was right to begin with.  However, I did find these comedic readings by Peter Sellers, which I'm assured by the title of the YouTube listing are "very funny."
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Will be ranking K4s write ups after this is over. This looks like a top 5.

Have you guys been READING THE WRITE UPS?? Because you should, they’re really good.

I *think* this was #6 on the BL canon, and now only my top two songs remain. But every remaining song is great, hard to quibble.

This is supposedly the all time top selling single in the UK. In the US, this release locked up the entire Top 5 of the Billboard 100 the week of April 4, 1964. (“Can’t Buy Me Love” started a five week run at #1; “She Loves You” came in at #3) No one else has ever filled more than three of the top five spots.

 
krista4 said:
After two days of John, today is Paul day in the thread!

23.  And I Love Her (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

Another deceptively simple but stunningly gorgeous composition by Paul, but let's give George an assist for coming up with that four-note intro and playing all of the guitar parts so beautifully.  It's those four notes that draw me in and make me give a little gasp and swoon as soon as this song comes on.  With all the Beatles much more famous riffs in mind, I still count this as possibly my favorite.  Incredibly, this song was originally recorded with an electric guitar; I simply can't imagine not having those amazing acoustic strums.

When I think of George's guitar work, the word "tasteful" always comes to mind.  I feel a little Andrés Segovia vibe from this song (it also wouldn't feel out of place in an Ennio Morricone-composed soundtrack), but George never goes further with that than he should.  His solo is where I most strongly get that feel, and I love it; that chord change in the solo s devastating in a good way.   

Even though I find George the star of this particular Paul show, I don't want to understate Paul's contributions to...errrr, his own song.  Paul sings with warmth but without syrup.  The repetition of the lyrics might seem a negative to some, but to me it works to emphasize the plaintive melancholy of the song.  I find these lyrics every bit as evocative as those of "Yesterday"; while they seem cheerful read separately, they also seem to be expressing a loss through the mournful melody.  If these lyrics were sung to a different composition, I'd likely dismiss them (and the song) as silly; it's this tension between those lyrics and the sorrowful presentation of them that makes the song intriguing.  What happened to her?  Paul, by the way, pointed out a different subtle aspect of the song that he thought was quite clever and important to the lyrical structure:  "The 'And' in the title was an important thing, 'And I Love Her.'  It came right out of left field; you were right up to speed the minute you heard it.  You would often go to town on the title, but this was almost an aside, 'Oh...and I love you.'"

Also there are bongos and claves.

Simple, but magical and majestic.

Mr. krista:  "It’s a great song.  Harmonies are beautiful.  Lyrics are simple and perfect and don’t #### themselves up trying to be more complicated.  Everything does its job well.  Finished lines and started lines – if you have something good, just play it again. It’s a rock song, not a novel. You don’t need to jam it full of ideas. You have one great musical idea so just use it.  It’s evocative, but also substantive.  It’s satisfying on its own.  Nope, that’s delicious.  And everything served that phrase really well."

Suggested cover:  Paul's favorite cover of this song is from Esther Phillips.  I'd also like to make a public plea here that we will one day soon be able to add the @wikkidpissah cover here.
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i f'ing love this song

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
Public Device Announcement:

I have been experiencing bad, bad insomnia for 2 months now because of leg, foot and hand pain from neuropathy. 

My Dr. prescribed me a few Ambien to try. 

I just tried one. 

An hour ago. 

If I make less sense than my usual nonsense, then ya'll know why. 

Coocoo Choo chop Pooh! 
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if you end up naked.  playing online poker.   with all of your daughters stuffed animals, and i mean all, plus your dead cat's ashes, arranged around you, like an audience, all watching you play.  don't say i didn't warn you.  protip, keep the volume down on all these groovy beatles tunes, so your wife doesn't come find you and your 'audience'.

good times

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
I'm AWAKE! 😀

Seriously, only feeling mild dissociation at present, but fingers are really clumsy now:

1) neuropathy makes me clumsy in hands

2) ambien seems to make it worse everywhere 

3) minor fractal dimension vision adds some flavor as well. 

Very relaxed, but still could not sleep. 

I only got enough for 3 uses. Doesn't seem like something I want. Takes too long to do things. 

And since it did not put me to sleep, I'm guessing I'm gonna have to do things. 

Ok. Go. 😎
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disclaimer:  that #### is the devil.  it's awful.  i'm pretty sure my neighbor cheated on her husband, while out of town, on business.  she woke up, naked, with an odd room service bill.  there were two of everything ordered.  she remembers nothing.

seriously awful drug.

 
wikkidpissah said:
i've had neuropathy for almost 30 yrs. my left hand has been asleep for a decade. gabapentin messed with my dreams - and my whole creative plane descends from my dreamscape - but cymbalta & a simple tranq (ativan) have me in a pretty good place sleepwise. everyone metabolizes differently but cymbalta's had better results for neuropathy than for depression. GL -
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I take half of a 1 mg xanax (.5) now and then to help me sleep.  My grandmother has always taken ativan. They are similar in that both are short acting unlike vailum and klonopin that stay in your system longer as far as benzodiazepines go.

 
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krista4 said:
:hifive:  I was going to feel bad about having @rockaction's #2 song at 20something on my list, but then he omitted it entirely!  Whew!

ETA:  Seems like our lists aren't so far apart after all, though I still have both "I'm So Tired" and "Across The Universe" coming up, both of which I know you don't like.
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Insomnia talk. I'm up at 5:20 here after a nice night of sleep, actually. My doctor prescribed me Baclofen and 🎶 I've been sleeping like a log (!)

List omissions. I guess all I can say is that "She Loves You" was on an old vinyl record of mine that my uncle gave me, but I forget which one. My list, too, is ever-evolving.  

No matter. My number three was your number one hundred and eighty two or three.  :lmao:

I'm going back to find that write-up. I missed it the first time. 

Oh dear/what can I do/baby's in black/and I'm feeling blue...

But waltz time!

eta* https://forums.footballguys.com/forum/topic/773768-in-this-thread-i-rank-my-favorite-beatles-songs-204-1-its-like-10000-monkees-when-all-you-need-is-a-spoon/?do=findComment&comment=21651607 

prutnate  :lmao:

Mr. krista is spot-on about the least sympathetic view ever towards a song's protagonist. He's worried that she won't love him and her lover has just died. That's...callous.   

 
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krista4 said:
153.  Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Abbey Road, 1969)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

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

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

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

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

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

Suggested cover:  Though it's from The Film That Shall Not Be Named, I'm such a fan of his that I can't resist:  Steve Martin
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Caught this on the SiriusXM channel this morning. I have to say I'm surprised you glossed over the appallingly lax security of the British court system here.

 
Just listened to She Loves You.   It didn't make my top 25.  It should have.   

What a great song.  I mean, really great Beatles song.   

 
I’ve realized that just as I have a bright line after #12, I have one after #14 and after #21.  

As a result, I’m having a helluva time making a firm decision on which one to post next.  It could be any of the ones I currently have at 15-21.  Could I just have them all tied as #18?

 
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krista4 said:
I’ve realized that just as I have a bright line after #12, I have one after #15 and after #21.  

As a result, I’m having a helluva time making a firm decision on which one to post next.  It could be any of the ones I currently have at 15-21.  Could I just have them all tied as #18.5?
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quit stalling. 😁

 
Yankee23Fan said:
I don't know why this is such an amazing thread, but I think part of it is the personality that you have conveyed here over the years which shines through in both humor and serious when necessary.  The topic is one that invites debate because whatever you call their top 50 songs won't match other people and no one is wrong because of the massive amount of greatness they had.  It's fun, the world sucks generally speaking right now, and there are probably other reasons.

Overall, this is without question a top FFA thread.  All time.  And it's not even done yet.  Sure, I don't agree with what you've done to some songs, but that is the point.  This isn't you claiming to be the definitive ranker of Beatles' lore, but just sharing your opinion, mixed with some musical fact and backbone that makes it hard to disagree with you.  Had you just said, Let It Be isn't a top song because the first time I heard it I had bad gas and it always reminds me of that - then you deserve mockery.

No one else is as interesting within this thread.  I wasn't kidding at the beginning that it made me think I really should do a Billy Joel one mainly because I can probably name every song in album order from start to finish off the top of my head so the knowledge base is there.  But Billy isn't a 10th as important as the Beatles, you've set a bar so high here that any similar thread is likely going to suffer as a result, and the amount of work you have put into this (which shows, and if you are faking it, even better) just might be a slight too much for me to want to undertake.  The President thread thing I did was enough work to last a lifetime on internet message board discussion of no real consequence in the real world bucket of things you measure a life by.

Your top 25 isn't going to match mine so much.  That has made this more entertaining.  Carry on.  Take your time.  The ride has been a blast. 
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I've had as much enjoyment here as I did in your Presidents ranking thread a few years ago, which was also an all-timer for me.

This place can be really really special when it wants to be.

 
krista4 said:
22.  She Loves You (single, 1963)

BAM!  BAM BAM!  I love the way this song absolutely explodes out of the gate, as if we'd been launched somehow magically into the middle of it.

Mr. krista:  Ringo’s drumming is great; he makes really great choices.
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These things.  These things right here.

 
I've definitively chosen; next one is going to be from Help!.  I said earlier that, despite having only one song in the top 10, Help! had four in the top 20.  Now it will only be three in the top 20.  So sue me.

Still a massive showing from Help! with three in the top 20, plus #21 and #24.  

Be back in a bit.

 
There's this kid in my class, and she lives on her own without any parents or guardians, and she's eight. And she took the number off her house so the cops can't find her to take her to jail, and also, she took off the mailbox, so they can't send her a letter and say she's in trouble and has to go to jail. And she's eight like I say.

 
wikkidpissah said:
To be honest, this is my favorite Beatle song. For all you headbangers who know how glorious it is when music hits that spot where rage turns into triumph, imagine the first time that spot was ever hit by music and you have Helter Skelter. The fact that every scintilla of noise in this thing is as musical and and tactile and sensible to me as Chopin makes it indeed a triumph. I also actually knew the Helter Skelter "ride" in Blackpool from my Irish summers and the first stanza...

When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again

....of the song actually meant something to me, because i know the buzz of cheap joy, as well as the smells of rancid chip grease and holiday coach buttsweat, that came with a hazy, July day on a Lancashire boardwalk. nufced.
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Mine too.  Hugely important in the history of heavy jams.  They unlocked something big.

I love the Paul quote about this, to paraphrase.. "I'd read that Townsend and the Who made a song where they just let everything rip, and I was like #### I wish we'd done that first, then I heard the song and it was f'n lame so I made this."

(song was "I Can See For Miles")

Thrice do a decent, pretty straight up cover

ETA - my mother NEVER played this song for me when I was little, the first version I ever heard of it was on Shout At The Devil when I was in like eighth grade, so I just thought it was a pretty cool Crüe song for a while.  So hey rock, I'm with ya buddy 

 
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21.  You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (Help!, 1965)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

C'mon.  I realize some Beatles songs are love/hate, but this has to be one that nobody hates, right?  Every person in the world sings along starting with that "Hey!", don't they?  C'mon.

Everybody knows this was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan, but did you also know that it was banned in Lilliput because the line "feeling two-foot small" was deemed offensive to the island's inhabitants?  Well of course not, because that's just dumb.  C'mon.

Back to Dylan, though.  The musical influence of Dylan is obvious, from the (nearly all) acoustic nature to the folky feel; perhaps even John's sometimes off-key vocal are an homage?  In addition to the music, though, we can hear Dylan's influence on John's lyrics.  While John had started to explore more personal themes on a few songs in this same time period (such as "I'm a Loser," also influenced by Dylan), this song seemed like the most significant break from the lighter lyrics on earlier works, becoming more introspective and delving much deeper into John's personal pain.  Some of the themes seen in many of John's later works - isolation, bitterness, vulnerability - seem to have first been explored here.  I guess I should mention that some have speculated that this was about Brian Epstein, or about John's alleged tryst with Epstein, but none of that has ever been confirmed.

As @Nigel Tufnel pointed out, this song is simpler than many that I have rated lower than it.  As a result, I don't have a ton to say about the musical style or structure.  What I love about it is more the overall feel; it hits some unidentifiable magic for me.  I love the folk ballad style in 3/4 time.  I love that the lyrics are evocative rather than obvious.  I love John's slightly off-key and subdued vocal performance that then gains strength in the later verses, and I love that in this case there aren't harmonies or double-tracked vocals that would detract from the gravelly lead.  I love the gradual addition of more percussion and other instrumentation, from the tambourine to the maracas to, of course, those flutes.  To me the most musically interesting part of the song is that final verse, which is all instrumental and acts as the finale to the song instead of going into another chorus; that was a bold and unexpected step at the time.

Fun fact:  This was the first Beatles song to feature a session musician, flautist Johnnie White.  (I pretend the Andy White session on "Love Me Do" did not happen.)  "Flautist" is a fun word to say.  Fla-u-tist.  Flau-tist.

Mr. krista:  "Obviously I really like it and especially what Lennon does with his voice, in that lower register like Alex Chilton in the Box Tops. Cool anthemic quality.  Singing in that register means everybody can sing that song.  All folk songs should be in that key."

Suggested cover:  Since @JZilla just rejoined the thread, this is a good time for Eddie Vedder.  So many covers by him of this song, but I guess this is "official"?  I like this live version quite a bit.  

 
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Getzlaf15 said:
@Big Blue Wrecking Crew also had it at #22.
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Seeing as I matched with krista4 on this one (as well as heeding her calls for participation in lieu of lurking) hopefully my sharing will help push her to the finish.

Being born in the mid-Beatles period, I did not experience Beatlemania first hand. I believe I have recollections of seeing them do "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" on TV  (thought it was Ed Sullivan, but, from research, looks like it was the Smothers Brothers; for "Hey Jude" and not clear for "Revolution"). But, with older cousins who were teens during Beatlemania, their music was a constant presence during our frequent family gatherings (my Aunt/Godmother even gave me her Beatle card collection, which I still have somewhere).

As a kid, I had a playroom in the basement where my constant companion was an all in one record player. We had a limited selection of albums ranging from Olivia Newton John to KTel compilations and the Three Stooges. But, we also had Meet The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper. Man, I must have worn the grooves off of those two albums while down there. And I think this is  one of the reasons why I have always had a great love of music and The Beatles in particular.

The Beatles just remind me of simpler times and this thread (and the writeups) have taken me back there multiple times. And for that, I am grateful. Kudos on a job well done!

 
Big Blue Wrecking Crew said:
Seeing as I matched with krista4 on this one (as well as heeding her calls for participation in lieu of lurking) hopefully my sharing will help push her to the finish.

Being born in the mid-Beatles period, I did not experience Beatlemania first hand. I believe I have recollections of seeing them do "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" on TV  (thought it was Ed Sullivan, but, from research, looks like it was the Smothers Brothers; for "Hey Jude" and not clear for "Revolution"). But, with older cousins who were teens during Beatlemania, their music was a constant presence during our frequent family gatherings (my Aunt/Godmother even gave me her Beatle card collection, which I still have somewhere).

As a kid, I had a playroom in the basement where my constant companion was an all in one record player. We had a limited selection of albums ranging from Olivia Newton John to KTel compilations and the Three Stooges. But, we also had Meet The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper. Man, I must have worn the grooves off of those two albums while down there. And I think this is  one of the reasons why I have always had a great love of music and The Beatles in particular.

The Beatles just remind me of simpler times and this thread (and the writeups) have taken me back there multiple times. And for that, I am grateful. Kudos on a job well done!
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K-Tel!  I had all those, too.  Wish I'd had some Beatles mixed in.   :kicksrock:  

Great post.  By the way, I don't mind anyone lurking.  It was only those who lurked 99% of the time and then popped in just to be an ####### that I wasn't too fond of.  I haven't seen any of that for a week, though.   :)  

 
krista4 said:
45.  Tomorrow Never Knows (Revolver, 1966)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

There's so much to say about this song, about its production, the various innovations, that I'm sure I'll leave a lot of important stuff out.  I love this song.  It’s could be such a ####### mess, but it's not.  I love the drums, and the wah-wah-wah-wah bird-type sounds (more on that below). The spooky vocals, the tambour, tambourines, the dissonance.  The fact that it's all (almost) entirely one damn chord.  It's aural collage unlike anything produced before it.

John's lyrics were inspired by Timothy Leary's The Psychedelic Experience, his interpretation of the philosophy of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.  While he initially wanted to call the song "The Void," he was afraid that would not be understood by the fans at this time, so he adopted a Ringoism for the title instead.  To be honest, I don't pay attention to these lyrics, but maybe others connect with them on a much deeper level than I'm capable of.  

For me, this is all about the music, including how Ringo and Paul keep it all together with the chaos that's going on about them.   There are so many innovations in this song that I won't discuss in detail, such as the backward reverb guitar parts, but I'll mention a few.  John instructed that he wanted his voice to sound "like the Dalai chanting from a mountaintop," which led to Geoff Emerick's idea to channel John's vocal through a Leslie speaker after the first verse.  The effect was that haunting, distant sound that matches perfectly with the lyrics.  

The drum sounds were also new to recording based on a couple of ideas.  Blatantly contravening EMI rules to keep microphones at least two feet from the drums, the microphones were put only a few inches away.  In addition, to dampen the ringing from the bass drum, a large sweater was stuffed in against the rear beater skin.  The results were these full, energetic drums heard on the record.  

As for the tape loops, these were originally from Paul, who was experimenting more with avant garde music at the time than the others, and who'd removed the erase-head from his home tape recorder, allowing additional sounds to be recorded each time the tape spooled through.  All the band members were given an assignment to make some tape loops and bring them back the studio, after which the group listened to the loops backward, forward, slowed down, sped up, any which way, until five were chosen, including the one that sounds like seagulls but is actually Paul laughing.  Then the loops were added to the track:  "Every tape machine in every studio was commandeered and every available EMI employee was given the task of holding a pencil or drinking glass to give the loops the proper tensioning.  In many instances, this meant they had to be standing out in the hallway, looking quite sheepish."  At the same time, in the control room Emerick and Martin "huddled over the console, raising and lowering faders to shouted instructions from John, Paul, George and Ringo.  (‘Let’s have that seagull sound now!’...)  With each fader carrying a different loop, the mixing desk acted like a synthesizer, and we played it like a musical instrument, too, carefully overdubbing textures to the prerecorded backing track."  As a result, the recorded version of this song could not possibly be re-produced.       

Mr. krista:  "The vocal thing that happens there is Lennon singing through a Leslie speaker, usually used with a Hammond organ, but Lennon sang vocals through it instead.  This happens all the time now.  But maybe never before this.  But still sounds so modern.  Sounds like it could have happened any time.  In terms of sound capture, this is an incredible record, and this is particularly an incredible track.  I doubt anyone had used multi-track recording quite like this.  There’s 24 tracks of wildly different sonic information with nothing to do with each other, but then assembled into a song that fits on the record…and it’s one chord!  There’s so much weirdness going on on that.  It’s so psychedelic."

Suggested cover:  Nah, that doesn't seem right for this one.  The genius is in the innovation and the one-time nature of the sound.
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Damn, I forgot about this one, should have been in my top 25. Great, great song.

 
  1. simey – Abbey Road medley
  2. Mister CIA – She Said She Said
  3. timschochet – Paperback Writer
  4. pecorino – Hey Jude
  5. Binky the Doormat – In My Life
  6. wikkidpissah – Taxman
  7. Dr. Octopus – Got To Get You Into My Life
  8. Nigel Tufnel – You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away
  9. Uruk-Hai – Ticket to Ride
  10. Dinsy Ejotuz – Let It Be
  11. Tom Hagen – Eleanor Rigby
  12. Spock – Rain
  13. Leroy Hoard – A Day in the Life
  14. rockaction  - I Want to Hold Your Hand
  15. Ted Lange as Your Bartender – In My Life
  16. shuke – Abbey Road medley
  17. Alex P Keaton – Something
  18. Getzlaf15 – With A Little Help From My Friends
  19. zamboni – While My Guitar Gently Weeps
  20. neal cassady – While My Guitar Gently Weeps
  21. Shaft41 – Hey Bulldog
  22. Ilov80s – Norwegian Wood
  23. Officer Pete Malloy – I Want to Hold Your Hand
  24. Godsbrother – Dear Prudence
  25. ManofSteelhead – Eleanor Rigby
  26. mike9289 – I’m Looking Through You
  27. heckmanm: Eleanor Rigby
  28. Atomic Punk – A Day in the Life
  29. [Mrs. Punk – In My Life]
  30. bananafish – Abbey Road medley
  31. bonzai – Abbey Road medley
  32. fatguy – Here Comes the Sun
  33. ScottNorwood- Yesterday
  34. Sebowski – I’m So Tired
 
@Sebowski (and everyone else), the song titles in post #1 are now links to the write-ups, starting with this last one.  I'll go back and link up the others little by little as I have time on boring conference calls or am too drunk to do write-ups or whatever.

 
krista4 said:
21.  You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (Help!, 1965)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

C'mon.  I realize some Beatles songs are love/hate, but this has to be one that nobody hates, right?  Every person in the world sings along starting with that "Hey!", don't they?  C'mon.

Everybody knows this was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan, but did you also know that it was banned in Lilliput because the line "feeling two-foot small" was deemed offensive to the island's inhabitants?  Well of course not, because that's just dumb.  C'mon.

Back to Dylan, though.  The musical influence of Dylan is obvious, from the (nearly all) acoustic nature to the folky feel; perhaps even John's sometimes off-key vocal are an homage?  In addition to the music, though, we can hear Dylan's influence on John's lyrics.  While John had started to explore more personal themes on a few songs in this same time period (such as "I'm a Loser," also influenced by Dylan), this song seemed like the most significant break from the lighter lyrics on earlier works, becoming more introspective and delving much deeper into John's personal pain.  Some of the themes seen in many of John's later works - isolation, bitterness, vulnerability - seem to have first been explored here.  I guess I should mention that some have speculated that this was about Brian Epstein, or about John's alleged tryst with Epstein, but none of that has ever been confirmed.

As @Nigel Tufnel pointed out, this song is simpler than many that I have rated lower than it.  As a result, I don't have a ton to say about the musical style or structure.  What I love about it is more the overall feel; it hits some unidentifiable magic for me.  I love the folk ballad style in 3/4 time.  I love that the lyrics are evocative rather than obvious.  I love John's slightly off-key and subdued vocal performance that then gains strength in the later verses, and I love that in this case there aren't harmonies or double-tracked vocals that would detract from the gritty lead.  I love the gradual addition of more percussion and other instrumentation, from the tambourine to the maracas to, of course, those flutes.  To me the most musically interesting part of the song is that final verse, which is all instrumental and acts as the finale to the song instead of going into another chorus; that was a bold and unexpected step at the time.

Fun fact:  This was the first Beatles song to feature a session musician, flautist Johnnie White.  (I pretend the Andy White session on "Love Me Do" did not happen.)  "Flautist" is a fun word to say.  Fla-u-tist.  Flau-tist.

Mr. krista:  "Obviously I really like it and especially what Lennon does with his voice, in that lower register like Alex Chilton in the Box Tops. Cool anthemic quality.  Singing in that register means everybody can sing that song.  All folk songs should be in that key."

Suggested cover:  Since @JZilla just rejoined the thread, this is a good time for Eddie Vedder.  So many covers by him of this song, but I guess this is "official"?  I like this live version quite a bit.  
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I usually don't like folk. I love this. Great tune for acoustic guitar, and I like the gravelly, raw quality of Lennon's vocals.

 
Gr00vus said:
I usually don't like folk. I love this. Great tune for acoustic guitar, and I like the gravelly, raw quality of Lennon's vocals.
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Ohhh, "gravelly" was the word I was searching for when I typed "gritty" instead.  I'm changing it without attribution to you.   :lol:

I'm wondering if this might be the second one that @fatguyinalittlecoat is going to rock our faces off with?

 
krista4 said:
21.  You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (Help!, 1965)

Beatles version:  Spotify  YouTube

C'mon.  I realize some Beatles songs are love/hate, but this has to be one that nobody hates, right?  Every person in the world sings along starting with that "Hey!", don't they?  C'mon.

Everybody knows this was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan, but did you also know that it was banned in Lilliput because the line "feeling two-foot small" was deemed offensive to the island's inhabitants?  Well of course not, because that's just dumb.  C'mon.

Back to Dylan, though.  The musical influence of Dylan is obvious, from the (nearly all) acoustic nature to the folky feel; perhaps even John's sometimes off-key vocal are an homage?  In addition to the music, though, we can hear Dylan's influence on John's lyrics.  While John had started to explore more personal themes on a few songs in this same time period (such as "I'm a Loser," also influenced by Dylan), this song seemed like the most significant break from the lighter lyrics on earlier works, becoming more introspective and delving much deeper into John's personal pain.  Some of the themes seen in many of John's later works - isolation, bitterness, vulnerability - seem to have first been explored here.  I guess I should mention that some have speculated that this was about Brian Epstein, or about John's alleged tryst with Epstein, but none of that has ever been confirmed.

As @Nigel Tufnel pointed out, this song is simpler than many that I have rated lower than it.  As a result, I don't have a ton to say about the musical style or structure.  What I love about it is more the overall feel; it hits some unidentifiable magic for me.  I love the folk ballad style in 3/4 time.  I love that the lyrics are evocative rather than obvious.  I love John's slightly off-key and subdued vocal performance that then gains strength in the later verses, and I love that in this case there aren't harmonies or double-tracked vocals that would detract from the gritty lead.  I love the gradual addition of more percussion and other instrumentation, from the tambourine to the maracas to, of course, those flutes.  To me the most musically interesting part of the song is that final verse, which is all instrumental and acts as the finale to the song instead of going into another chorus; that was a bold and unexpected step at the time.

Fun fact:  This was the first Beatles song to feature a session musician, flautist Johnnie White.  (I pretend the Andy White session on "Love Me Do" did not happen.)  "Flautist" is a fun word to say.  Fla-u-tist.  Flau-tist.

Mr. krista:  "Obviously I really like it and especially what Lennon does with his voice, in that lower register like Alex Chilton in the Box Tops. Cool anthemic quality.  Singing in that register means everybody can sing that song.  All folk songs should be in that key."

Suggested cover:  Since @JZilla just rejoined the thread, this is a good time for Eddie Vedder.  So many covers by him of this song, but I guess this is "official"?  I like this live version quite a bit.  
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This song manages to do what I never thought could be done.  To wit:  when I was a freshman in college, I lived in a quad dorm room with three other dudes.  I hated it, mainly because a couple of the dudes were ######s on a Magic Alex level.  Regardless, in the room next door were two sophomores who would often come home very drunk very late, and they invariably blasted Jethro Tull music as loudly as they could at all hours of the night.  I wasn't really familiar with the Jethro Tull catalog prior to that year, but, through many sleep-interrupted nights, I learned to hate them and those ####### flutes in their songs.  I remember making a vow one night that I would never like a song with a flute in it.  

This song is the exception.  Not in my top-25, but a great, great song, and, believe it or not, I think it would be a lesser song without the presence of a flautist.  

 
OrtonToOlsen said:
There's this kid in my class, and she lives on her own without any parents or guardians, and she's eight. And she took the number off her house so the cops can't find her to take her to jail, and also, she took off the mailbox, so they can't send her a letter and say she's in trouble and has to go to jail. And she's eight like I say.
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Well now they can just go to the house with no numbers on it then. She didn't think this through, in my imo. 

 
Sebowski said:
Well now they can just go to the house with no numbers on it then. She didn't think this through, in my imo. 
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And in the garage is a skeleton of a coyote. And it's one of those real valuable ones, and that guy from the news already tried to buy it three times.

 
Thought for sure YGTHYLA was a top tenner for you.  I think this is right around where I had it.  

 
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