In this thread I rank my favorite post-Beatles Beatles songs: 291-1. (2 Viewers)

[krista4]

I know I've had several contracts or near-contracts on homes the past few weeks, but this is the first time I've felt giddy, which is a good sign, right?  And it is not because it is the fanciest (nope), most charming (nope), or anything really special (nope), but it just ticked all the boxes for me and the meows.  Plus, and I do *not* believe in signs, but when I checked out the garage, they had a box that said, "Beatles Rock Band" on it, and I also happened to be wearing my Beatles socks today.  Kismet!   

 

[Alex P Keaton]

  You and me, together alone.

My memory gets worse every year, but just went back and looked at my rankings from whenever that was (early 2019?).   And it was ranked #12 -- behind some great music that included 4 George songs.  

That song actually got me in trouble; certain songs capture me and combined with decent levels of OCD turn into mild obsession.   Anyway, Mrs APK googled the meaning of this song and was convinced briefly that I was making some type of statement with it.      If anything, it reminded me of my moron boss ("but you can't hear me.....") as well as a feud with a former friend ("when your prized possessions start to weigh you down").   Good times.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

I know I've had several contracts or near-contracts on homes the past few weeks, but this is the first time I've felt giddy, which is a good sign, right?  And it is not because it is the fanciest (nope), most charming (nope), or anything really special (nope), but it just ticked all the boxes for me and the meows.  Plus, and I do *not* believe in signs, but when I checked out the garage, they had a box that said, "Beatles Rock Band" on it, and I also happened to be wearing my Beatles socks today.  Kismet!   

It's like the realtor has some type of advanced analytics engine and knew how to decorate the garage.

 

[krista4]

My memory gets worse every year, but just went back and looked at my rankings from whenever that was (early 2019?).   And it was ranked #12 -- behind some great music that included 4 George songs.  

That song actually got me in trouble; certain songs capture me and combined with decent levels of OCD turn into mild obsession.   Anyway, Mrs APK googled the meaning of this song and was convinced briefly that I was making some type of statement with it.      If anything, it reminded me of my moron boss ("but you can't hear me.....") as well as a feud with a former friend ("when your prized possessions start to weigh you down").   Good times.

Yikes.  Hi, Mrs. APK!  k4 here.  Long-time fan, first-time caller.  Don't google the meaning of a John song and take that to mean anything that you would then apply to your life, FFS.  TIA.  

It's like the realtor has some type of advanced analytics engine and knew how to decorate the garage.

  It's so subtle to put the signal in the garage, where I wouldn't expect it.  That's third-level thinking.

 

[simey]

I know I've had several contracts or near-contracts on homes the past few weeks, but this is the first time I've felt giddy, which is a good sign, right?  And it is not because it is the fanciest (nope), most charming (nope), or anything really special (nope), but it just ticked all the boxes for me and the meows.  Plus, and I do *not* believe in signs, but when I checked out the garage, they had a box that said, "Beatles Rock Band" on it, and I also happened to be wearing my Beatles socks today.  Kismet!   

 

 

[krista4]

91.  Stuck Inside A Cloud (Brainwashed, 2002)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #28)

I’ve been hyping George’s posthumous album, Brainwashed, quite a bit, and I realized that I often find “man reckoning with nearing the end of his life” records powerful – e.g., I love Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker more than most, or there is a Paul song from Egypt Station that will be on the countdown that I think fits.  It’s that very personal style of writing, looking at one’s life honestly, that I find appealing, and the songs on Brainwashed rival some of All Things Must Pass in terms of introspection. 

Dhani chose this song to be track #7 on the album, because seven was George’s favorite number, and he always put his favorite track seventh on his albums.  I’ll wait here while you go to see what George’s favorite tracks were.  This was Dhani’s favorite track from Brainwashed, so it gave it the exalted #7 position.  Most of Brainwashed seems to evidence a man generally at peace with his life and his fate, but this song isn’t as hopeful.  Instead, the lyrics are the most sorrowful on the record, evoking the despair of facing death alone and still not having come to terms with life.  Juxtaposed with these melancholy lyrics is a surprisingly upbeat pop song, with beautiful slide guitar from George and an unexpectedly jaunty electric piano part by Dhani.  That tension between lyrics and music is particularly effective here for me, though my only tiny quibble with the song is that the piano is a little overwhelming.

Never slept so little, never smoked so much
Lost my concentration, I could even lose my touch

Talking to myself, crying out loud
Only I can hear me, I'm stuck inside a cloud

Well I made some exhibition, I lost my will to eat
The only thing that matters to me is to touch your lotus feet

Talking to myself, crying out loud
Only I can hear me, I'm stuck inside a cloud
Talking to myself, crying out loud
Only I can hear me, I'm stuck inside a cloud

Talking to myself, crying out loud
Only I can hear me, I'm stuck inside a cloud

Never been so crazy but I've never felt so sure
I wish I had the answer to give, don't even have the cure

Just talking to myself, crying as we part
Knowing as you leave me, I also lose my heart
I'm talking to myself and I'm crying as we part
Knowing as you leave me, I also lose my heart

&

UP NEXT:  a political song from George John

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Behind That Locked Door was George’s favorite from ATMP? Really?

 

[krista4]

Behind That Locked Door was George’s favorite from ATMP? Really?

Yeah, I felt the same way.  Maybe he implemented this after that record.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Re "Dominoes" - I'm struggling with Paul songs because, despite his more-than-any-other-Beatle spectrum of styles, I find that most of what I have left fall into the "jaunty troubadour" or "wandering wonderer" (I know I got the second one wrong) designations from wikkid.  So I'm trying to clear some of those out, but they're hard to distinguish.  That song could be exchanged for at least 10 that will come after it, without much angst on my part.

looked it up - twas "wistful wonderer". 

when i come up against a subject with which i'll need to deal for a while, i try to find some way to create new intellectual space to push away from my organic inclinations. the natural way to do this toward this thread was trying to figure how i would have felt contemporarily toward each of the Beatles' post-Beatles work if there'd never been Beatles. i'm not going to express any conclusions til we're very near the end of the countdown, but it's not going very well so far. Paul is the most difficult for me because he is possessed of serious talent but is so often not a serious songwriter. my natural A&R impulses bear down anytime i hear "good enough" from any artist and i hear that in an overbearing number of Paul songs, usually only truly finishing tracks with the most commercial potential. so many of them are like watching Peter O'Toole in a bad movie - adoring one brilliant li'l thing infuriates me even more toward the lackluster project.

my baby sister has been singing in amateur musicales a couplefew times a year for a long time and she often consults me on song choices (mostly American Songbook stuff) and arrangement notes. because she is inclined to hammer the hell out of songs, American Idol-style, I am always chiding her to trust the song more. "the songwriter has thought about it more than any singer will", i say. there are an awful lot of Paulsongs™ where i can't say that cuz it so often feels like, at a point, he called out "OK, lads?" and, receiving the usual amount of contradiction a Beatle hears, moved on to the next.

 

[krista4]

looked it up - twas "wistful wonderer". 

when i come up against a subject with which i'll need to deal for a while, i try to find some way to create new intellectual space to push away from my organic inclinations. the natural way to do this toward this thread was trying to figure how i would have felt contemporarily toward each of the Beatles' post-Beatles work if there'd never been Beatles. i'm not going to express any conclusions til we're very near the end of the countdown, but it's not going very well so far. Paul is the most difficult for me because he is possessed of serious talent but is so often not a serious songwriter. my natural A&R impulses bear down anytime i hear "good enough" from any artist and i hear that in an overbearing number of Paul songs, usually only truly finishing tracks with the most commercial potential. so many of them are like watching Peter O'Toole in a bad movie - adoring one brilliant li'l thing infuriates me even more toward the lackluster project.

my baby sister has been singing in amateur musicales a couplefew times a year for a long time and she often consults me on song choices (mostly American Songbook stuff) and arrangement notes. because she is inclined to hammer the hell out of songs, American Idol-style, I am always chiding her to trust the song more. "the songwriter has thought about it more than any singer will", i say. there are an awful lot of Paulsongs™ where i can't say that cuz it so often feels like, at a point, he called out "OK, lads?" and, receiving the usual amount of contradiction a Beatle hears, moved on to the next.

This is an interesting approach.  I like it.  I'd do it myself, if it didn't seem impossible.  The rest of your post makes a lot of sense to me.

 

[krista4]

90.  Bring On The Lucie (Freda Peeple) (Mind Games, 1973)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #20)

Something I’ve learned about myself in this countdown is that I have an unreasonable affection for John’s speaking voice and for count-ins.  Please add those to cello, unexpected tuba, and waltz time on my list of favorites.

For me this is the most enjoyable of John’s repetitive political statement songs (e.g., “Give Peace A Chance,” “Power To The People,” etc.).  Pete Kleinow’s pedal steel always gets me, and our old mysterious friend Gordon Edwards again shows up with a fantastic bouncing bassline, plus there’s the John spoken word intro.

Now I’m going to be super-lazy and refer you to this opinion piece about this song, which just came up for me when I googled the song and I found interesting whether or not I agreed.  Sorry, just ate a ton of Chinese food and am sleepy.

UP NEXT:  we reminisce about Liverpool

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Something I’ve learned about myself in this countdown is that I have an unreasonable affection for John’s speaking voice and for count-ins.  Please add those to cello, unexpected tuba, and waltz time on my list of favorites.

Is Ringo singing country songs in the same category? 

 

[krista4]

Is Ringo singing country songs in the same category? 

I think the distinction is that Ringo legitimately sounds better on country songs, so it's not a "quirk" of mine like enjoying count-ins.

 

[krista4]

89.  Early Days (NEW, 2013)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #40)

Paul as wistful wonderer.  Don’t worry, I’ll stop identifying the songs this way.  It begins as a simple, folk-style reminiscence about Paul’s days with John in Liverpool.  If it remained in that style, I would probably have it lower, but starting at 2:05 extra instrumentation kicks in that elevates the song a great deal for me.  I particularly enjoy the sound of the dulcimer, double-tracked harmonies, and the “knee percussion” that was recorded by taping a mic to Paul’s pants. 

I must admit I didn’t immediately take to this song, but it has grown on me the past couple of years.  My small issue with it is that Paul seems to be awfully bitter at “people” and trying too hard to prove something.  Apparently the song came about after a particular encounter Paul had with a young woman who told him about a Beatles appreciation class she had taken, and when Paul told her a story that he thought she’d find interesting, she told him that he was wrong because she’d learned about it differently in class.  Recalling the numerous similar instances he’d encountered something like this, he wrote this song that, while it’s posited as a remembrance addressed to John, is really meant as a statement to the public that he knows the truth even if we want to rewrite history.  Again…ehhhh…I wish he’d just focused on the part about visiting record shops.

Paul’s voice sounds particularly vulnerable and raspy; this was the first and only take of the vocal, and the producer Ethan Johns convinced Paul to use it.  After having two Giles Martin-produced songs from this album in my countdown, this is the first appearance from Johns as producer.  With two more songs to come from the record, will Mark Ronson and Paul Epworth continue to strike out?  <----worst teaser ever

UP NEXT:  a short break for re-ordering

 

[krista4]

I'm going to take tomorrow off to re-listen and re-order anything I don't manage to re-listen to and re-order tonight.  Also, I'm having people over tomorrow for football and cocktails, so I should be a good hostess for a while.  Back on Monday to begin the definitive and totally not ever changing again list of my top 88.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

@Super70sSports

Only McCartney could write a #1 hit that includes the phrase “inclement weather.”

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ElIrymZXEAA8Np8?format=jpg&name=small

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I'm going to take tomorrow off to re-listen and re-order anything I don't manage to re-listen to and re-order tonight.  Also, I'm having people over tomorrow for football and cocktails, so I should be a good hostess for a while.  Back on Monday to begin the definitive and totally not ever changing again list of my top 88.

YOU ARE A MACHINE GIRLFRIEND

You deserve a break, Ideally one of us knuckleheads would take over ...not to add songs but to bump the thread balloon with related comments.  

I have my MIL at the house and while she is inherently so much less demanding than her now deceased husband ...the menu demands continue. 

 

[jwb]

 I mean, when I post a song someone else has ranked high on their totally fictitious mental list (setting aside Morton's Paul list, which is a real one), we all go sobsobsob for their owie, but no one cares that "And Your Bird Can Sing" was my #5 but nowhere near that for anyone else. 

This is a very good point.

 

[krista4]

I'm doing my George re-listen, and I've discovered Squibby really does not enjoy pedal steel like I do.

 

[prosopis]

Putting it into my weekend queue now

I listened to All Things Must Pass album today. I had it on while putzing around in the backyard. It was an enjoyable listen and one I will do again while paying more attention tolyrics and song titles. I recognized more songs than I would have thought. It had a relaxing backyard vibe to it.

 

[krista4]

There's a thread on pies?  Didn't we already cover everyone's favorites in here?

By the way, I shouldn't drink whiskey!  I might choose a Ringo song as my #1 or something.

 

[krista4]

UP NEXT:  speaking of pie...

 

[Pip's Invitation]

UP NEXT:  speaking of pie...

The flaming kind?

 

[krista4]

The flaming kind?

  I’m glad I took some time to re-order.  All three of today’s picks kinda slipped through.

 

[krista4]

88.  The Song We Were Singing (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #39)

I had this teed up to be part of my “great vocal performances” themed day about a month ago, or so it seems, so congrats to this nice song for moving up the ranks above its predicted (and likely deserved) finish.  In addition to Paul’s strong vocal, these are particularly terrific lyrics from him – it almost feels like one of the songs he could have written with Elvis Costello, given the odd meter and all the extra words and syllables in every line.  I love the whisper-y Paul vocal on the verses contrasted with the powerful effect on the choruses.  It’s one of the many songs on this record where Paul uses the Bill Black stand-up bass, and it’s kinda cool in that it’s all acoustic, with nary even a drum to be found.  Paul’s inspiration was a reminiscence of the 60s, and again he was focused on thoughts of John:  “The song represents for me good memories of the Sixties, of dossing around late at night, chatting, smoking, drinking wine, hanging out, jawing through the night.”  I don’t know what “dossing” is, but I bet it’s fun.  It’s a simple song with a simple structure, but lovely in melody and spirit.

UP NEXT:  John does not return the kindness...

 

[Dr. Octopus]

88.  The Song We Were Singing (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #39)

I had this teed up to be part of my “great vocal performances” themed day about a month ago, or so it seems, so congrats to this nice song for moving up the ranks above its predicted (and likely deserved) finish.  In addition to Paul’s strong vocal, these are particularly terrific lyrics from him – it almost feels like one of the songs he could have written with Elvis Costello, given the odd meter and all the extra words and syllables in every line.  I love the whisper-y Paul vocal on the verses contrasted with the powerful effect on the choruses.  It’s one of the many songs on this record where Paul uses the Bill Black stand-up bass, and it’s kinda cool in that it’s all acoustic, with nary even a drum to be found.  Paul’s inspiration was a reminiscence of the 60s, and again he was focused on thoughts of John:  “The song represents for me good memories of the Sixties, of dossing around late at night, chatting, smoking, drinking wine, hanging out, jawing through the night.”  I don’t know what “dossing” is, but I bet it’s fun.  It’s a simple song with a simple structure, but lovely in melody and spirit.

UP NEXT:  John does not return the kindness...

So far I'm 2-2 from this album (I think I missed the first entry). I actually liked the last song better than this one, but I did enjoy this one as well - the verses much more so than the choruses.

 

[krista4]

So far I'm 2-2 from this album (I think I missed the first entry). I actually liked the last song better than this one, but I did enjoy this one as well - the verses much more so than the choruses.

The first entry from the record was "Great Day."  Three down, still five to come!

 

[Dr. Octopus]

The first entry from the record was "Great Day."  Three down, still five to come!

Interesting - so far I would have ranked them in reverse order as you. I hope this doesn't meant they'll be getting progressively worse 

This was a really cool song - Paul returns to his skiffle roots.

 

[krista4]

Interesting - so far I would have ranked them in reverse order as you. I hope this doesn't meant they'll be getting progressively worse 

This was a really cool song - Paul returns to his skiffle roots.

  I might rank them in reverse order as well.  Sometimes things get a little mixed up.  They are definitely going to go in the right direction from here on, though!  (I think.)

 

[DaVinci]

UP NEXT:  John does not return the kindness...

To be fair, John had been dead for almost 20 years at that point.

 

[krista4]

To be fair, John had been dead for almost 20 years at that point.

I was waiting for this.   

 

[krista4]

Posting my second one a little earlier than usual as I'll be mostly unavailable this afternoon.

87.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band - Crippled Inside (Imagine, 1971)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #19)

A bit of unusual country-rock from John, which was inspired by the folk song “Black Dog.”  John has called the song “corny,” and he’s probably right.  Might or might not be a veiled criticism of Paul.  I do like the contrast of the jaunty music with the downbeat lyrics, though I find the song a bit too mean, whatever it’s about.  Should probably have posted this one earlier, but I might have been overly excited about Nicky Hopkins’s sparkly piano part as well as George on dobro. 

UP NEXT:  the ol’switcheroo

 

[jwb]

88.  The Song We Were Singing (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #39)

I had this teed up to be part of my “great vocal performances” themed day about a month ago, or so it seems, so congrats to this nice song for moving up the ranks above its predicted (and likely deserved) finish.  In addition to Paul’s strong vocal, these are particularly terrific lyrics from him – it almost feels like one of the songs he could have written with Elvis Costello, given the odd meter and all the extra words and syllables in every line.  I love the whisper-y Paul vocal on the verses contrasted with the powerful effect on the choruses.  It’s one of the many songs on this record where Paul uses the Bill Black stand-up bass, and it’s kinda cool in that it’s all acoustic, with nary even a drum to be found.  Paul’s inspiration was a reminiscence of the 60s, and again he was focused on thoughts of John:  “The song represents for me good memories of the Sixties, of dossing around late at night, chatting, smoking, drinking wine, hanging out, jawing through the night.”  I don’t know what “dossing” is, but I bet it’s fun.  It’s a simple song with a simple structure, but lovely in melody and spirit.

UP NEXT:  John does not return the kindness...

I like it. I get a bit of a Rocky Racoon vibe (in a good way)

 

[krista4]

I just heard “Weight of the World” (Ringo #4) on the Beatles channel!  Never heard it there before.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I don’t know what “dossing” is, but I bet it’s fun. 

I'm told this guy is big into it.  

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Mean John song from 1971? Probably about Paul, wouldn’t you think?

 

[Leroy Hoard]

@Super70sSports

Only McCartney could write a #1 hit that includes the phrase “inclement weather.”

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ElIrymZXEAA8Np8?format=jpg&name=small

Seriously, he couldn't just tell us the weather was bad.

 

[simey]

Mean John song from 1971? Probably about Paul, wouldn’t you think?

Maybe. It seems to be about hypocrisy. If it is aimed at Paul, it isn't as obvious as "How Do You Sleep?" from the same album.

 

[krista4]

I'm told this guy is big into it.  

That doesn't look nearly as fun as I'd thought.

Mean John song from 1971? Probably about Paul, wouldn’t you think?

I don't know.  It wasn't obvious, the way he usually was.  Also could have been about Allen Klein at that point.  Or no one in particular.

 

[krista4]

86.  Let It Down (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #27)

Wait, what?  OK, on my re-listening, I realized that, if I were to choose an overproduced, too-Spectorized rocker from ATMP, I prefer “Let It Down” to another, largely due to the change in tempo and feel of this song that I so enjoy.  So I officially move “Let It Down” up to this slot, and choose the following to take its place outside the top 100.

101.  Wah-Wah (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #31)

OH described this as “dope” and “a mint jam,” which is the highest honor given by him.  I agree, but the Wall of Sound loses much of the dopeness and mintitude.  Even George thought the cacophony of this one was overproduced and “too cluttered,” a perspective that was echoed by many of those who played on the track.  The song was an expression of George’s frustration with John and Paul during the Let It Be sessions – namely Paul’s bossiness and John’s disinterest (and often derision)  The drums (by Ringo) are nearly violent, but unfortunately the layers and layers of guitars and horns all overwhelm George’s (understandably) angry vocal.  It’s pretty damn sad overall, despite being a dope mint jam, and too much of a mush to be in my top 100. 

UP NEXT:  water is wet

 

[Pip's Invitation]

SHE HAS SEEN THE LIGHT!

 

[krista4]

SHE HAS SEEN THE LIGHT!

Mistakes were made.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I really like Wah Wah, though, despite its production deficiencies. 

 

[krista4]

I really like Wah Wah, though, despite its production deficiencies. 

I really like it, or it wouldn't be where it is.  But when relistening to everything I realized how much less I liked it than "Let It Down."  Still a great song; a real earwig, too.

 

[prosopis]

88.  The Song We Were Singing (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #39)

I had this teed up to be part of my “great vocal performances” themed day about a month ago, or so it seems, so congrats to this nice song for moving up the ranks above its predicted (and likely deserved) finish.  In addition to Paul’s strong vocal, these are particularly terrific lyrics from him – it almost feels like one of the songs he could have written with Elvis Costello, given the odd meter and all the extra words and syllables in every line.  I love the whisper-y Paul vocal on the verses contrasted with the powerful effect on the choruses.  It’s one of the many songs on this record where Paul uses the Bill Black stand-up bass, and it’s kinda cool in that it’s all acoustic, with nary even a drum to be found.  Paul’s inspiration was a reminiscence of the 60s, and again he was focused on thoughts of John:  “The song represents for me good memories of the Sixties, of dossing around late at night, chatting, smoking, drinking wine, hanging out, jawing through the night.”  I don’t know what “dossing” is, but I bet it’s fun.  It’s a simple song with a simple structure, but lovely in melody and spirit.

UP NEXT:  John does not return the kindness...

This album is shaping up nicely. Love this song.

 

[prosopis]

Posting my second one a little earlier than usual as I'll be mostly unavailable this afternoon.

87.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band - Crippled Inside (Imagine, 1971)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #19)

A bit of unusual country-rock from John, which was inspired by the folk song “Black Dog.”  John has called the song “corny,” and he’s probably right.  Might or might not be a veiled criticism of Paul.  I do like the contrast of the jaunty music with the downbeat lyrics, though I find the song a bit too mean, whatever it’s about.  Should probably have posted this one earlier, but I might have been overly excited about Nicky Hopkins’s sparkly piano part as well as George on dobro. 

UP NEXT:  the ol’switcheroo

I can't decide if I like this or not. I suspect it would/will grow on me. My first thought was this is cheerful music to sing about depression.

 

[prosopis]

Maybe. It seems to be about hypocrisy. If it is aimed at Paul, it isn't as obvious as "How Do You Sleep?" from the same album.

I thought it was about depression.

 

[krista4]

I can't decide if I like this or not. I suspect it would/will grow on me. My first thought was this is cheerful music to sing about depression.

This is me, actually, which is why I should have had it a bit lower.  Sometimes I think it's great, and sometimes it's irritating.

Definitely could be about depression and John himself, since so much of his work was autobiographical.

 

[krista4]

Remember how I predicted no one would select my top song from one of the Fab Four, and that was correct?

All my re-listening and re-listening convinces me that my actual favorite from a second Fab - i.e., the one I could least do without - is also a song no one would or did select.  I might switch it around in the rankings, but I'm going to give credit to the one or more people who did correctly predict the song when I started the thing. 

THE HEART WANTS WHAT IT WANTS

 

[krista4]

I've thought this for quite a while, btw.  Was just too embarrassed to mention.    It's really hard to admit your favorite is not a "known" song at all, especially when people whine about their favorites not being at the top.