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

[krista4]

Great stuff Krista.  Thanks for sharing.  Where to begin?  Well, I guess I'll start with the admission that this song isn't in my Paul 100, but I have a very good reason for that: I have a penis!  Ok, so not a great reason I admit, so let me try again.  As you know, I'm as big of an EC fan as I am a McCartney fan.  EC is arguably the greatest lyricist in rock music history and as you've noted, the lyrics to this song are likely ALL EC.  If someone theorized that Paul didn't write a single word I don't know how one would even begin to argue against that contention.  Does Paul have any songs that include direct quotations?  EC has dozens.  Does anyone think that if you asked Paul TODAY what a "soubrette" is that he'd be able to tell you?  By contrast EC's lyrics have sent me scrambling to my dictionary more times than I'd care to admit.  And the careful story structure you've noted, that's not Paul either.  But I don't dislike it because the lyrics are EC's, heck I love My Brave Face and those lyrics are similarly all/mostly EC's. Heck, I don't dislike it all.  I just don't love it.

And I think the reason why can be best expressed by a reaction I read to Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.  The reviewer went into great detail about all the things he loved about the movie: the use of color to represent different moods/themes, the exploration of marriage/infidelity with two actors who were married, the gay theme that follows Cruise throughout both his real and fictional life, the recurring Christmas lights, the symmetry of the story structure, the foreshadowing in the opening scene, sex as alternatively old-fashioned, over-commercialized, and dangerously animalistic, the power of imagination and the curse of jealousy.  The reviewer went into excruciating detail on the meaning behind every element and then concluded with an admission that he didn't really love them film and he wondered why.  The reason he explained: Kubrick had made a film that was more enjoyable to analyze than it was to watch.  And that's kinda how I feel about this song.  I have always appreciated the lyrics and I totally understand why you like it and think this is another case of art being in the eye of the beholder, impacting different people differently based on their unique situation and experience.  That's what makes art great.  Anyway, maybe I was wrong to have written the above.  I don't mean for it to come of as an argument against the song.  Quite the contrary, I want it to be an acceptance and appreciation for the impact of different perspectives and experiences on how we receive art.    Or maybe I should have just shut up and accepted that it's because I have a penis.  That seems a more likely answer than the one I gave anyway.  

I appreciate greatly such a well-thought-out post.  

However, all that matters is this:  IT'S ONE OF MY TOP 21 PAUL SONGS AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE IT ON YOUR LIST HOW COULD YOU YOU MONSTER?!?!?!!?!!?!?!?!1111

 

[Morton Muffley]

I don't know; Shaft [don't] know; everybody [don't] know...might as well go with the one that sums up my current state.

49.  I Don't Know (Egypt Station, 2018)  Spotify  YouTube  TIEEEEEEEED see later

(Paul #21)  TIEEEEEEEEEED see later

I'd mentioned in this thread or another that I rarely fall in love with a song the first time I hear it.  This was an exception.  When this and "Come On To Me" were released as a double-a-side single in advance of Paul's most recent album, I was blown away with this one immediately.  It's the piano, and the interesting (not Paul-standard) chord progressions and key changes, and the cello (of course), and the overall production, and the excellent use of his old-man voice, not straining or pushing but singing beautifully within his range.  And it's the imagery - the lines about "crows at my window, dogs at my door" speak to me in an odd way.  But more than anything, what immediately drew me in was the theme of the song.  Although Paul has said this came from a particular experience in his life, where he felt like he was messing up a lot, it seems to be written more broadly in the "old man takes stock of his life" way that I find appealing in many films, novels, and songs.  It's unusual to hear Paul doing that, being so immediately vulnerable in terms of his life rather than couching it in a made-up universe.  It's "I've done things wrong," not "some character I invented should have done better."  It's such a genuine, direct expression of emotion and failure from Paul, which we're not used to hearing. 

Unsurprisingly, what I'm trying to say Paul said much better:  "That’s a grown-up song. Sometimes in your life, you’re not a god on Olympus. You’re a real person walking 'round the streets. I’m a grandfather, a father, a husband, and in that package there’s no guarantee that every minute’s gonna go right. In fact, quite the opposite. And there was a private occasion – I’m not gonna get into it – that brought me down. 'God, what am I doing wrong?' I’m not knocking it, I have a great life. But from time to time, reality intrudes. This was one of those occasions where it was like, 'Oh, #### me…' ."

Excellent.  I, too, am a big fan of this song and it is interesting that this song represents Paul being emotionally vulnerable.  The music tells you everything, but the lyrics are classic Paul - genericized so that you can only understand the mood, but that's as close as he'll let you get.  Contrast that with John's work on POB and you might as well be attending John's therapy sessions.  Like his album cover for Two Virgins John conceals nothing.  That can be a strength and a weakness of them both obviously.  Paul withholds and as a result delivers either universality or schlock.  John goes for highly personal and ends up either at self-indulgent or deep personal connection.  As I said both have pros and cons, but when they are in balance it's a wonderful experience for the listener. 

 

[Morton Muffley]

I appreciate greatly such a well-thought-out post.  

However, all that matters is this:  IT'S ONE OF MY TOP 21 PAUL SONGS AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE IT ON YOUR LIST HOW COULD YOU YOU MONSTER?!?!?!!?!!?!?!?!1111

well, given your counting skills (you are no Paul in that regard) are we even certain of THIS?

 

[krista4]

well, given your counting skills (you are no Paul in that regard) are we even certain of THIS?

21.5

Somehow a song that I know is on your list (DNS) dropped off my official accounting list entirely, while it was still on my supplemental Paul lists, my Paul playlists, my generalized playlists, and my generalized lists.  I have about 20 Word documents and Spotify playlists going on this at any moment.

 

[Morton Muffley]

After saying I wasn't going to post any today, I'm going to do a fourth one.  It's a song that I had much, much, much lower at the beginning, and I can't figure out why.  I didn't even have it in my John top 25 or overall top 125 at one point, but I kept moving it up(down) higher(lower).  And I'm just tired of seeing it on my list, jumping over so many songs.  So I'm ripping off the John band-aid and posting it before I move it yet again.  

48.  John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - I Found Out (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #11)

I think the reason this wasn't higher in the rankings earlier on is that my least favorite part of the song is John's vocal and delivery.  Love John's fuzzy guitar licks, and Ringo is spectacular, but Klaus Voormann uncharacteristically steals the show and prevents this from being a RINGO SHOWCASE!.  Listen to Voormann go!  This is a great harder-edge but minimalistic song, and I appreciate John's raw vocal, but the delivery becomes kind of repetitive, more like reeling off a laundry list to make sure he gets all his digs in.  I don't feel as much emotional power in this song as in others on the album, especially in the barks at the end.  The song doesn't really go anywhere; it's a great riff with a rollicking bassline, but...  Anyway, love the song but it shall rise no further. 

Love, love, love this song.  The fuzzy, chugging rhythm section is awesome.  I rather like John's delivery and the lyrics are, IMO perfect.  As I was writing before, John can veer into self-indulgence while trying to personally connect, but this song strikes a wonderful balance between the universal and the personal.  When John sings "they didn't want me so they made me a star" it's heartbreaking.  But there's plenty of good advice: the falsity (and cleverness) of brother, brother, brother, brother ; the warnings about religion of all stripes (organized to new age); the dual meaning of Paul; the need to get in touch with one's own emotions/pain.  All set to a great bass.  Did I mention I LOVE this track? 

 

[krista4]

Love, love, love this song.  The fuzzy, chugging rhythm section is awesome.  I rather like John's delivery and the lyrics are, IMO perfect.  As I was writing before, John can veer into self-indulgence while trying to personally connect, but this song strikes a wonderful balance between the universal and the personal.  When John sings "they didn't want me so they made me a star" it's heartbreaking.  But there's plenty of good advice: the falsity (and cleverness) of brother, brother, brother, brother ; the warnings about religion of all stripes (organized to new age); the dual meaning of Paul; the need to get in touch with one's own emotions/pain.  All set to a great bass.  Did I mention I LOVE this track? 

You mentioned that, but you forgot to mention Ringo.  I love it, too.

 

[Morton Muffley]

21.5

Somehow a song that I know is on your list (DNS) dropped off my official accounting list entirely, while it was still on my supplemental Paul lists, my Paul playlists, my generalized playlists, and my generalized lists.  I have about 20 Word documents and Spotify playlists going on this at any moment.

I have one excel file with 6 columns and I am overwhelmed.  I honestly don't know how you are doing it.  Truly, it's a herculean task and how there haven't been dozens of things to fix is astonishing to me.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Well, it's settled.  I messed up somewhere along the way when I was substituting some Paul songs mid-countdown.  I must have added one, but then forgot to take out the one I was removing and ended up rating it, too.    Instead of crying, which is what I feel like doing, I've deemed "Mistress And Maid" in a tie with "I Don't Know" for #49, Paul #21.  And "I Found Out" will be #48.  Tomorrow I'll resume with #47, with the top 47 still including 20 more Paul songs.

####

So you're saying you don't count as well as Paul does. 

 

[Morton Muffley]

You mentioned that, but you forgot to mention Ringo.  I love it, too.

Of course Ringo.  I was referring to both Ringo and Klaus when I spoke highly of the rhythm section for this song.  The bass and drums make up the rhythm section right?  I know nothing of music, but I thought I read that recently.

 

[Morton Muffley]

Ok Krista, here's an update on my Paul 100.  Below are your most recent postings in the order YOU posted them.

Waterfalls: My #78; Hauntingly beautiful, but the lyrics drop it way down (K#33)

Hi Hi Hi: My #62; Fun and dumb (K#32)

The World Tonight: My #55; How was this not a hit?  (K#31)

You Want Her Too: My#86; I hear Tom Waits influence on Elvis in the intro and outro; I like the dueting but the role playing is both too "on the nose" and also garbled (why did Paul's character get the line "you're so predictable and nice" - doesn't make sense.  Anyway, it's fun and it's a duet from two of my musical heroes, so #86 it is! (K#30)

Sing the Changes: My #12; A little repetitive lyrically, but still freaking awesome (K#29)

Beautiful Night: My #69; Are there castles in Versailles?  There's definitely a palace, but castles? (K#28)

Too Much Rain: My #37; I don't care if it sympathizes with the devil, I like it (K#27)

New: My #26; Still not sure how this isn't in my top 25 (K#26) appendix: wow...I think this is our second direct hit

Mrs Vandebilt: My #53; Love the jauntiness, love the bass, hate the "ho, hey ho" (K#25)

Little Willow: My#10; Beautiful and heartfelt (K#24)

Helen Wheels: My#59; I could overlook at bad pun, but not as the title of the song (K#23)

Riding to Vanity Fair: My #30; One of my favorite songs from Chaos, love the atmosphere of menace (K#22)

I Don't Know: My#39; Rare introspection from Paul, however genericized (K#21)

And fwiw, only four of my top ten remain and as I peruse those four I am only confident that one will definitely be in your top 10...the other three may or may not be.  

1.  
   
2. Back Seat of My Car (K#41)
   
3.  
   
4. Take It Away (K#34)
   
5. Monkberry Moon Delight (K#54)
   
6.  
   
7. My Brave Face (K#52)
   
8. Every Night (K#35)
   
9.  
   
10. Little Willow (K#24)
    

 

[krista4]

Ok Krista, here's an update on my Paul 100.  Below are your most recent postings in the order YOU posted them.

Waterfalls: My #78; Hauntingly beautiful, but the lyrics drop it way down (K#33)

Hi Hi Hi: My #62; Fun and dumb (K#32)

The World Tonight: My #55; How was this not a hit?  (K#31)

You Want Her Too: My#86; I hear Tom Waits influence on Elvis in the intro and outro; I like the dueting but the role playing is both too "on the nose" and also garbled (why did Paul's character get the line "you're so predictable and nice" - doesn't make sense.  Anyway, it's fun and it's a duet from two of my musical heroes, so #86 it is! (K#30)

Sing the Changes: My #12; A little repetitive lyrically, but still freaking awesome (K#29)

Beautiful Night: My #69; Are there castles in Versailles?  There's definitely a palace, but castles? (K#28)

Too Much Rain: My #37; I don't care if it sympathizes with the devil, I like it (K#27)

New: My #26; Still not sure how this isn't in my top 25 (K#26) appendix: wow...I think this is our second direct hit

Mrs Vandebilt: My #53; Love the jauntiness, love the bass, hate the "ho, hey ho" (K#25)

Little Willow: My#10; Beautiful and heartfelt (K#24)

Helen Wheels: My#59; I could overlook at bad pun, but not as the title of the song (K#23)

Riding to Vanity Fair: My #30; One of my favorite songs from Chaos, love the atmosphere of menace (K#22)

I Don't Know: My#39; Rare introspection from Paul, however genericized (K#21)

And fwiw, only four of my top ten remain and as I peruse those four I am only confident that one will definitely be in your top 10...the other three may or may not be.  

1.  
   
2. Back Seat of My Car (K#41)
   
3.  
   
4. Take It Away (K#34)
   
5. Monkberry Moon Delight (K#54)
   
6.  
   
7. My Brave Face (K#52)
   
8. Every Night (K#35)
   
9.  
   
10. Little Willow (K#24)
    

Thanks for the update; I shall enter them into my chart!  (Which is yet another document...)

 

[krista4]

Oh, also  on a second direct hit!!!  Our two direct hits have been fairly obscure, too.

 

[wikkidpissah]

And I think the reason why can be best expressed by a reaction I read to Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.  The reviewer went into great detail about all the things he loved about the movie: the use of color to represent different moods/themes, the exploration of marriage/infidelity with two actors who were married, the gay theme that follows Cruise throughout both his real and fictional life, the recurring Christmas lights, the symmetry of the story structure, the foreshadowing in the opening scene, sex as alternatively old-fashioned, over-commercialized, and dangerously animalistic, the power of imagination and the curse of jealousy.  The reviewer went into excruciating detail on the meaning behind every element and then concluded with an admission that he didn't really love them film and he wondered why.  The reason he explained: Kubrick had made a film that was more enjoyable to analyze than it was to watch.  And that's kinda how I feel about this song.  I have always appreciated the lyrics and I totally understand why you like it and think this is another case of art being in the eye of the beholder, impacting different people differently based on their unique situation and experience.  That's what makes art great.  Anyway, maybe I was wrong to have written the above.  I don't mean for it to come of as an argument against the song.  Quite the contrary, I want it to be an acceptance and appreciation for the impact of different perspectives and experiences on how we receive art.    Or maybe I should have just shut up and accepted that it's because I have a penis.  That seems a more likely answer than the one I gave anyway.  

I just had a Kubrick experience stranger than Eyes Wide Shut - split-screening Lolita on TCM and Jets v Pats on ESPN for the last coupla hours. It was dizzily confusing, but i dont remember thinking about my penis the entire time. I thought about Humbert Humbert's penis and possibly even Cam Newton's penis (tho i think i steered clear of Clare Quilty's and Joe Flacco's) but not my own. I believe i'm a better person for the experience.

 

[krista4]

I just had a Kubrick experience stranger than Eyes Wide Shut - split-screening Lolita on TCM and Jets v Pats on ESPN for the last coupla hours. It was dizzily confusing, but i dont remember thinking about my penis the entire time. I thought about Humbert Humbert's penis and possibly even Cam Newton's penis (tho i think i steered clear of Clare Quilty's and Joe Flacco's) but not my own. I believe i'm a better person for the experience.

Both Joe Flacco and Cam Newton are pretty yummy, but I don't think I've thought about their penii.  Definitely not Bill Belicheck's.  Probably Humbert Humbert's since it would be difficult to read the book or see the movie without it being in the back of my mind.

I think much like everyone naming their favorite pies, we should all now...wait, no we shouldn't.

 

[Morton Muffley]

Both Joe Flacco and Cam Newton are pretty yummy, but I don't think I've thought about their penii.  Definitely not Bill Belicheck's.  Probably Humbert Humbert's since it would be difficult to read the book or see the movie without it being in the back of my mind.

I think much like everyone naming their favorite pies, we should all now...wait, no we shouldn't.

Woodrow...as long as we are sharing

 

[RickySpanish]

What's this?

It’s an underrated song by a band called The Beatles.  You should check it out.

 

[krista4]

Woodrow...as long as we are sharing

  Oh my god.

OK, back to the important stuff(!), I noticed we are light on the 20-35 rankings on your list right now.  Wonder if we'll get a lot more of those filled in.  I'm not terribly confident because several of my remaining songs aren't...hits.  Not that you seem to go in that direction either, but I'm not sure your non-hits will be the same as mine.

 

[krista4]

It’s an underrated song by a band called The Beatles.  You should check it out.

Never heard of 'em.  Link?

 

[Pip's Invitation]

the foreboding ding-dong

This was prescient, given the turn the thread took.

 

[wikkidpissah]

This was prescient, given the turn the thread took.

there is no "off" position on the genius switch....

 

[Morton Muffley]

  Oh my god.

OK, back to the important stuff(!), I noticed we are light on the 20-35 rankings on your list right now.  Wonder if we'll get a lot more of those filled in.  I'm not terribly confident because several of my remaining songs aren't...hits.  Not that you seem to go in that direction either, but I'm not sure your non-hits will be the same as mine.

There are ten unaccounted for songs in my top 20 and of those, 7 are well-known and I'd be surprised if all seven aren't in your top 20.

In the 21-35 group there are 12 unaccounted for songs and I'd classify those 12 as:

• 4 well known songs, but I'd estimate no more than 3 are in your top 20
  
• 4 from Paul's late period (Flaming Pie and after) for which I'd be surprised if we had more than 2 matches
  
• 4 from Wings deep cuts that I'd expect very little overlap and indeed one which I am wondering how it got that high.  My guess 1 or 0 matches here
  

So counting that all up.  I have 22 songs left in my top 35.  You have 20 songs remaining.  And I am guessing we'll have about a 12-14 in common.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

There are ten unaccounted for songs in my top 20 and of those, 7 are well-known and I'd be surprised if all seven aren't in your top 20.

In the 21-35 group there are 12 unaccounted for songs and I'd classify those 12 as:

• 4 well known songs, but I'd estimate no more than 3 are in your top 20
  
• 4 from Paul's late period (Flaming Pie and after) for which I'd be surprised if we had more than 2 matches
  
• 4 from Wings deep cuts that I'd expect very little overlap and indeed one which I am wondering how it got that high.  My guess 1 or 0 matches here
  

So counting that all up.  I have 22 songs left in my top 35.  You have 20 songs remaining.  And I am guessing we'll have about a 12-14 in common.

Because it was at the Wild Life sessions? 

 

[Morton Muffley]

This was prescient, given the turn the thread took.

Ok, as long as I'm feeling punchy and Pip and Wikkid aren't sharing, I am guess the name of theirs:

Pip's is called "The Needle and the Damage Done"*

Wikkid's  goes by his username  "Wikkidpissah"...good look for Krista getting THAT out her heard every time you post your genius now. Ha!

*Pip, it was gonna be "Thrasher," but then I saw that Wild Life post, so "needle" it is!

 

[krista4]

There are ten unaccounted for songs in my top 20 and of those, 7 are well-known and I'd be surprised if all seven aren't in your top 20.

In the 21-35 group there are 12 unaccounted for songs and I'd classify those 12 as:

• 4 well known songs, but I'd estimate no more than 3 are in your top 20
  
• 4 from Paul's late period (Flaming Pie and after) for which I'd be surprised if we had more than 2 matches
  
• 4 from Wings deep cuts that I'd expect very little overlap and indeed one which I am wondering how it got that high.  My guess 1 or 0 matches here
  

So counting that all up.  I have 22 songs left in my top 35.  You have 20 songs remaining.  And I am guessing we'll have about a 12-14 in common.

I like it.  Gonna do a similar analysis tomorrow for you before I post any songs.

 

[Shaft41]

I don't know; Shaft [don't] know; everybody [don't] know...might as well go with the one that sums up my current state.

49.  I Don't Know (Egypt Station, 2018)  Spotify  YouTube  TIEEEEEEEED see later

(Paul #21)  TIEEEEEEEEEED see later

I'd mentioned in this thread or another that I rarely fall in love with a song the first time I hear it.  This was an exception.  When this and "Come On To Me" were released as a double-a-side single in advance of Paul's most recent album, I was blown away with this one immediately.  It's the piano, and the interesting (not Paul-standard) chord progressions and key changes, and the cello (of course), and the overall production, and the excellent use of his old-man voice, not straining or pushing but singing beautifully within his range.  And it's the imagery - the lines about "crows at my window, dogs at my door" speak to me in an odd way.  But more than anything, what immediately drew me in was the theme of the song.  Although Paul has said this came from a particular experience in his life, where he felt like he was messing up a lot, it seems to be written more broadly in the "old man takes stock of his life" way that I find appealing in many films, novels, and songs.  It's unusual to hear Paul doing that, being so immediately vulnerable in terms of his life rather than couching it in a made-up universe.  It's "I've done things wrong," not "some character I invented should have done better."  It's such a genuine, direct expression of emotion and failure from Paul, which we're not used to hearing. 

Unsurprisingly, what I'm trying to say Paul said much better:  "That’s a grown-up song. Sometimes in your life, you’re not a god on Olympus. You’re a real person walking 'round the streets. I’m a grandfather, a father, a husband, and in that package there’s no guarantee that every minute’s gonna go right. In fact, quite the opposite. And there was a private occasion – I’m not gonna get into it – that brought me down. 'God, what am I doing wrong?' I’m not knocking it, I have a great life. But from time to time, reality intrudes. This was one of those occasions where it was like, 'Oh, #### me…' ."

I fell in love with this yesterday as well.  But, when I commented that I wasn't sure if it was top 50, I was second-guessing myself and whether it was really as good as I thought it was.  I love the unexpected directions this melody takes at times.  Paul was good at starting a tune and you think you knew where it was going because of all the other millions of songs you've heard in your life, and then he would tweak it at the last second and raise the note a half step or get a minor third harmony and you're all like "I did not see that coming, but I am slightly aroused at the coolness of that."  

If a 75 year old man who's seen and done it all doesn't know, what the hell hope do the rest of have?  

 

[krista4]

There are ten unaccounted for songs in my top 20 and of those, 7 are well-known and I'd be surprised if all seven aren't in your top 20.

In the 21-35 group there are 12 unaccounted for songs and I'd classify those 12 as:

• 4 well known songs, but I'd estimate no more than 3 are in your top 20
  
• 4 from Paul's late period (Flaming Pie and after) for which I'd be surprised if we had more than 2 matches
  
• 4 from Wings deep cuts that I'd expect very little overlap and indeed one which I am wondering how it got that high.  My guess 1 or 0 matches here
  

So counting that all up.  I have 22 songs left in my top 35.  You have 20 songs remaining.  And I am guessing we'll have about a 12-14 in common.

OK, for note-comparison purposes but without giving anything away, of my top 20 Paul, I'd say eight are definitely well-known and a few others might be.  I'm basing what is "well-known" on what I've heard on the Beatles channel, which might not be scientific.  Only six of my top 10 Paul are definitely locked in, but of those six, three are well-known.

Of the 20, four are late-period Paul, if we're defining it as Flaming Pie and beyond.

Two of mine would be Wings deep cuts, I think.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I just had a Kubrick experience stranger than Eyes Wide Shut - split-screening Lolita on TCM and Jets v Pats on ESPN for the last coupla hours. It was dizzily confusing, but i dont remember thinking about my penis the entire time. I thought about Humbert Humbert's penis and possibly even Cam Newton's penis (tho i think i steered clear of Clare Quilty's and Joe Flacco's) but not my own. I believe i'm a better person for the experience.

self-actualized.

you at the top of the pyramid GB

 

[krista4]

Speaking of the late-period Paul...

47.  Alligator (NEW, 2013)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #20)

While it was an idea that seemed silly on its face, it turns out that Paul might have been brilliant to bring in four different producers for this record, as it gave such a different feel.  Six of the songs from this album made it onto my list, with each producer represented, and this made it my "favorite" of his 21st century works, even beating out Chaos and Creation.  This is my second from producer Mark Ronson.  Yes, I realize some of the lyrics to this song are ludicrous:  "I need somebody who’s a sweet communicator I can give my alligator to"?  It feels like one of those situations, such as "scrambled eggs" becoming "yesterday," where Paul put in a placeholder to update the lyrics later.  Maybe he forgot to; he's 70+ years old at this point, after all.  In any case, I'm not sure I even mind the nonsense lyrics in the context of this song, and some of the other lyrics actually are quite good. 

Enough about the lyrics, as this song wins a top spot in my rankings based on the music.  It was taped on the four-track recorder that Paul had used way back when for McCartney.  There's a ton of interesting instrumentation going on here that gives the song a slightly eerie feel.  Apparently I like songs with glockenspiel, as this is the second in the past few songs to feature it.  It is the first, however, to feature Paul playing a children's song book, the kind where it is hardcover and comes with a little keyboard built in?  Something like this, though perhaps not the Mickey Mouse one.  In addition to the odd instrumentation, the production used a TC Helicon to give that odd effect on the vocals during the bridges, where Paul also skips up into his highest register.  Add all of this to fantastic guitar riffs and drumming, plus weird chord changes and an ultra-earworm-y melody, and you end up with a bizarre but catchy song that reaches way up to #20 on my Paul list.

Come to think of it, the song sounds boggy or swampy, which might fit with the "alligator" theme.  Paul is much smarter than I am.  

For those of you keeping score at home, the final NEW producer rankings shook out like this:

1. Mark Ronson - 2 songs - winner by virtue of tiebreaker as he has both of my top-rated songs from the album
   
2. Giles Martin - 2 songs
   
3. Ethan Johns - 1 song - third place by virtue of tiebreaker as his song is ranked higher
   
4. Paul Epworth - 1 song - Pip, I mis-posted last time when I said he had zero.  He had one song, which I inserted late and is probably responsible for my numbering getting all fouled up.  So screw him.
   

 

[krista4]

Sorry, Ringo, but I have to...

46.  Walk With You (Y Not, 2010)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #1!!!!!!!)

I've often repeated that intra-Beatle post-Beatle collaborations score extra points with me, and this one is particularly special as it's the only duet ever sung by Ringo and Paul.  Paul was not part of Ringo's original intention for the song, but while they were working on "Peace Dream" (#205 overall and Ringo #14 on my list), Ringo played for Paul a few of the other songs he was working on.  Paul took a shine to this one and suggested the idea of the trailing harmony, which is the centerpiece of the song and makes me  to hear two of my four favorite Beatles harmonizing on this song about friendship.  Especially that little bit Paul does at 3:40 in the last chorus.    In addition to those outstanding harmonies, I love the guitar riffs and Paul's bass lines, but the other highlight of the song is the violin by Ann-Marie Calhoun, who is no ####### slouch.  Even if you don't know her by name, you'd recognize many of her works with Hans Zimmer on a variety of movie scores.  I realize Ringo is Ringo on the vocal here, hitting those beats too dead on, but everything in this song works so well together that I listen to it constantly and am moved by it each time.  As I mentioned a day or two ago, I had never even heard this song before starting this project, and now it's my #1 BEST RINGO (SHOWCASE)!

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Sorry, Ringo, but I have to...

46.  Walk With You (Y Not, 2010)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #1!!!!!!!)

I've often repeated that intra-Beatle post-Beatle collaborations score extra points with me, and this one is particularly special as it's the only duet ever sung by Ringo and Paul.  Paul was not part of Ringo's original intention for the song, but while they were working on "Peace Dream" (#205 overall and Ringo #14 on my list), Ringo played for Paul a few of the other songs he was working on.  Paul took a shine to this one and suggested the idea of the trailing harmony, which is the centerpiece of the song and makes me  to hear two of my four favorite Beatles harmonizing on this song about friendship.  In addition to those outstanding harmonies, I love the guitar riffs and Paul's bass lines, but the other highlight of the song is the violin by Ann-Marie Calhoun, who is no ####### slouch.  Even if you don't know her by name, you'd recognize many of her works with Hans Zimmer on a variety of movie scores.  I realize Ringo is Ringo on the vocal here, hitting those beats too dead on, but everything in this song works so well together that I listen to it constantly and am moved by it each time.  As I mentioned a day or two ago, I had never even heard this song before starting this project, and now it's my #1 BEST RINGO (SHOWCASE)!

I don't think I've ever heard this before. I like it a lot. Sounds almost like a hymn to me.

 

[krista4]

I don't think I've ever heard this before. I like it a lot. Sounds almost like a hymn to me.

Funny you should mention that.  Ringo originally intended to write it about God and make it gospel-ly.  Though he reworked the lyrics to be about friendship instead, it does seem to have retained a bit of that gospel feel.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Funny you should mention that.  Ringo originally intended to write it about God and make it gospel-ly.  Though he reworked the lyrics to be about friendship instead, it does seem to have retained a bit of that gospel feel.

has a lot of the "Bing - Bowie Little Drummer Boy" feel to it.  

hey it's no Photograph ...

 

[krista4]

45.  Looking For My Life (Brainwashed, 2002)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #16)

I’ve been pimping George’s posthumous album, Brainwashed, throughout the thread, and this is one of three songs from the record in my overall top 50 and top 16 George.  The song is fairly straightforward and uncomplicated, but with a superb melody and bright jangly guitars by George, Dhani, and Jeff Lynne.  I appreciate Lynne’s production on this one, leaving it as simple, unadorned power pop instead of adding a bunch of garbage.  What pulls me into this song such that it is ranked so highly, though, are the lyrics and tone.  I mentioned for Paul’s “I Don’t Care” that I tend to like “old person evaluating their life” tales, and while George wasn’t old, dealing with a terminal illness puts the song into that same category of someone looking intimately at their past.  George’s lyrics and his performance give the impression of a man still looking at the world with wonder (Morton:  “childlike wonder”?), yet not having figured it all out much like Paul in “I Don’t Care,” but George’s perspective is much more brutal and reflects his continuing spiritual yearning.  These somber, difficult lyrics over such a breezy melody and springy musical feel make for a song that deeply moves me.

Oh Lord, won't you listen to me now?
Oh love, I got to get me back to you somehow

I never knew that life was loaded
I'd only hung around birds and bees
I never knew that things exploded
I only found it out when I was down upon my knees
Looking for my life, looking for my life

Oh boy, you've no idea what I've been through
Oh love, I feel so stuck that I can't get to you

Had no idea that I was heading
Toward a state of emergency
I had no fear where I was treading
I only found it out when I was down upon my knees
Looking for my life
Caught up on me with intensity
Had no idea where I was heading
I only found it out when I was down upon my knees
Looking for my life, looking for my life

Oh boys, you've no idea what I've been through
Oh love, I got to get back somehow to you

I never knew that life was loaded
I'd only hung around birds and bees
I never knew that things exploded
I only found it out when I was down upon my knees
Looking for my life
I never got any G.C.E.s
I never knew that things exploded
I only found it out when I was down upon my knees
Looking for my life, looking for my life

&

 

[krista4]

Geez, I've cried listening to and writing up two of three of today's songs.

(HINT:  I'm not overwrought about whether Paul found a sweet communicator he could give his alligator to.)

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Ringo originally intended to write it about God 

So in a way, George’s influence was there too.

 

[Shaft41]

After that last song writeup, I'm not sure if Paul doesn't know or doesn't care.  Or maybe it's both.  

 

[Shaft41]

Sorry, Ringo, but I have to...

46.  Walk With You (Y Not, 2010)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #1!!!!!!!)

I've often repeated that intra-Beatle post-Beatle collaborations score extra points with me, and this one is particularly special as it's the only duet ever sung by Ringo and Paul.  Paul was not part of Ringo's original intention for the song, but while they were working on "Peace Dream" (#205 overall and Ringo #14 on my list), Ringo played for Paul a few of the other songs he was working on.  Paul took a shine to this one and suggested the idea of the trailing harmony, which is the centerpiece of the song and makes me  to hear two of my four favorite Beatles harmonizing on this song about friendship.  Especially that little bit Paul does at 3:40 in the last chorus.    In addition to those outstanding harmonies, I love the guitar riffs and Paul's bass lines, but the other highlight of the song is the violin by Ann-Marie Calhoun, who is no ####### slouch.  Even if you don't know her by name, you'd recognize many of her works with Hans Zimmer on a variety of movie scores.  I realize Ringo is Ringo on the vocal here, hitting those beats too dead on, but everything in this song works so well together that I listen to it constantly and am moved by it each time.  As I mentioned a day or two ago, I had never even heard this song before starting this project, and now it's my #1 BEST RINGO (SHOWCASE)!

This...this is good stuff.  

 

[krista4]

This...this is good stuff.  

Isn't it lovely?

 

[Pip's Invitation]

54.  Blow Away (George Harrison, 1979)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #18)

George wrote this song in a state of uncharacteristic optimism.  After fretting too much over a leaky roof and other issues at his Friar Park estate, he was hit with the realization that he was nonetheless happy due to #1 Best Beatle Wife Olivia and his new son Dhani, and he could just "blow away" the negative, worrisome thoughts from his mind. It might be easy to dismiss this as an over-sugary pop confection, but that would be to ignore the outstanding slide guitar sequences.  Just listen to the bend in those notes!  It's also one of the songs that hits my range in a way that I can sing it at the top of my lungs.  I don't care that it's saccharine; in fact, it's nice to hear George content.  I never get tired of singing this lovely ode to happiness.   

UP NEXT:  John's final song outside the top 50...

This was his most successful song chart-wise between Give Me Love... and All Those Years Ago, but I don't remember it at all.

The slide guitar comments are on point. And there's cowbell toward the end! And is that glockenspiel? How is this not higher on the KristaList? 

This is mantra rock at its best. 

 

[krista4]

This was his most successful song chart-wise between Give Me Love... and All Those Years Ago, but I don't remember it at all.

The slide guitar comments are on point. And there's cowbell toward the end! And is that glockenspiel? How is this not higher on the KristaList? 

This is mantra rock at its best. 

No glock on this one.  Might be a synth noise?  There's also harmonium, but I don't think that's what you'd be hearing.

ETA:  Yes to cowbell, though.  Should have highlighted that!

 

[Pip's Invitation]

53.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono - I'm Losing You (Double Fantasy, 1980)  Spotify  YouTube

Bonus track:  I'm Moving On  Spotify  YouTube

(John #12A and B)

John wrote this song initially in response to not being able to reach Yoko by phone during portions of his Bermuda trip, but then expanded the lyrics to an exasperated lament over her still blaming/not forgiving him for mistakes he had made earlier in their relationship.  The track stands out from the overall "ain't marriage grand" feel of Double Fantasy, harkening more to the emotionally raw style of Plastic Ono Band or other earlier works, which is a large part of the reason it's one of my favorite tracks from the album.  The guitar parts seems to portend doom and the drum sound adds to the tension in an impressive fashion.  I'm also selecting a bonus track here, "I'm Moving On," which is Yoko's companion piece to this song and my favorite of hers on the record.  

The song had an interesting recording history, as the original version of it was recorded with Rick Neilson and Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick on guitar and drums.  By all accounts, John was pleased with their performances, even commenting that he wished he'd had Neilson for "Cold Turkey" instead of Clapton, and the three of them got along famously.  Yet the song was re-recorded with the session musicians, which became the released version, and there's never been a concrete reason given for why the earlier recording was ditched.  There have been rumors that Yoko didn't like Neilson and Carlos, or that John later suspected the Cheap Trick crew of being the source of leaks about the content of the album, but I think the more logical explanation is that this gritty first version didn't fit as well within the context of the much glossier Double Fantasy.  Whatever the reason, this song gets docked a bit by me because I strongly prefer the earlier recording; the only element I like better on the Double Fantasy release is John's growl at the beginning.

This was intended to be the second single off Double Fantasy, but was replaced by "Woman" and then "Watching The Wheels" due to the title and lyrics being a big too on-the-nose given his death.

UP NEXT:  Paul's final song outside the top 50...as soon as I figure out what it is...

That growl sounds like a burp! 

Musically this (the official version) is kind of like how I imagine John's music following his Abbey Road songs if he hadn't taken so many detours personally and professionally. Especially starting around 2:10, this has the grit of the Stones crossed with the gloss of the Beatles. Unlike the other stuff I've heard from DF, this is not firmly planted in 1980 production- and arrangement-wise. It would have made sense as a sound to choose at any time between 1970 and 1980. 

The Cheap Trick version (is that Tony Levin on bass in the video?) is more influenced by their sound -- Robin Zander could sing this version and I wouldn't bat an eye, which would not be the case for the DF version. It doesn't fascinate me as much as the DF version, because there's little trace of the Beatles sound in it. Though Neilson's solos are outstanding. 

I'm Moving On really sounds like a continuation of the sound musically and the plot lyrically. This is easily the best Yoko track I've heard (though there aren't many), though she still can't sing. I mean, neither can I, but nobody from the Beatles devoted any space on their albums to my warblings. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Aw hell with it; I don't know why I'm so worked up about this imaginary line.  This'll do.

52.  Riding To Vanity Fair (Chaos And Creation In The Backyard, 2005)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #22)

This song, along with "Too Many People," convinced me that, of all the Beatles, Paul is the one I'd least like to have pissed at me.  Ringo is Ringo, so obviously he'd be fine.  John is the most obvious with his ire, but also seems so insecure that he would laugh it off later as a joke.  George is acerbic but like John not terribly subtle with his criticism, which makes it easy to address.  But Paul...oh boy.  Paul can be brutal.   The lyrics to this song, along with its delivery, are devastatingly bitter.  Paul does not seem to be one to forgive.  Paul has denied that this song was directed to anyone in particular, but...c'mon, everyone knows it's a take-down of She Who Shall Not Be Named (rhymes with "shmeather").  

Paul originally brought this into the studio as a more up-tempo song, but was convinced by (why-didn't-Paul-keep-working-with-him) producer Nigel Godrich to re-form it into this dark and resentful dirge.  The effects and production are outstanding.  The echo on the vocal, the muffled guitar, and the use of the strings makes the song even more haunting.  In particular I love when Paul goes into his upper register ~3:17, the chilling pause before the strings come back in around 4:04, and the back-and-forth between the guitar and the harp beginning around 4:15.  But my favorite element of the song by far is that incessant glockenspiel riff, which is an element of why I think this sounds like a Portishead song, but much better.  I love this song and think it's one of Paul's best crafted, but I'm going to leave it off the top 50 only because something has to be, and this song is so brutal it kinda makes me feel nauseated when I listen.

I bit my tongue
I never talked too much
I tried to be so strong
I did my best
I used the gentle touch
I've done it for so long
You put me down
But I can laugh it off
And act like nothing's wrong
But why pretend
I think I've heard enough
Of your familiar song

I tell you what I'm going to do
I'll try to take my mind off you
And now that you don't need my help
I'll use the time to think about myself

You're not aware
Of what you put me through
But now the feeling's gone
But I don't mind
Do what you have to do
You don't fool anyone

I tell you what I'm going to do
I'll take a different point of view
And now that you don't need my help
I'll use the time to think about myself

The definition of friendship
Apparently ought to be
Showing support for the one that you love
And I was open to friendship
But you didn't seem to have any to spare
While you were riding to Vanity Fair

There was a time
When every day was young
The sun would always shine
We sang along
When all the songs were sung
Believing every line

That's the trouble with friendship
For someone to feel it
It has to be real or it wouldn't be right
And I keep hoping for friendship
But I wouldn't dare to presume it was there
While you were riding to Vanity Fair

&

UP NEXT:  Ringo's turn!

YouTube has a nearly 8-hour file called Chronicles in the Backyard Volumes 1-6. What's that about?

This is pretty chilling stuff, which we almost never get from Paul. I could totally see Radiohead doing this, which makes sense given who the producer is. "Foreboding ding-dong" is wikkidly accurate. 

The way the guitar notes come in at 2:50: <chef's kiss>.

From a vibe perspective, it's like Led Zeppelin's No Quarter crossed with trip-hop. 

Easily the best of the Chaos songs posted so far. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

51.  Photograph (Ringo, 1973)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #2)

"Photograph" is the only song with an official co-writing credit to Ringo and George, and it became Ringo's first #1 hit as a solo artist.  It's a very close call between this and "It Don't Come Easy" to be my second-favorite Ringo, but I like this one just a tiny bit more for what I consider a better vocal performance by Ringo, more interesting lyrics, and a beautiful jangly piano part by Nicky Hopkins.  Ringo gives a nice heartfelt performance!  The song has a bit of a Wall of Sound feel like "It Don't Come Easy" does - in this case with two drummers (Keltner of course), sax, and orchestral and choir arrangements - but in both instances I don't find the production over the top.  Ringo performed a loving and poignant version of this at the Concert For George, which also contributes to why I love the song so much.  But no one here needs me to tell them why this is a favorite, since it seems to be one of everyone else's two favorites as well.

This is my clear #2 Ringo as well, #1s being very different, of course. I could see this on ATMP if it had fewer strings, which makes sense given George's contribution. George would probably have done it faster and bouncier, but this way is well-suited to Ringo's voice, and even sounds like his country singing in spots.  

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Aw, screw it.  Here's a song.  I think I play this one less often than any of the others remaining on the list, so that must mean something. 

50.  Run Of The Mill (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #17)

This is George's favorite song from All Things Must Pass, despite its not having the hallowed #7 position.  In addition to George having declared it his favorite, Olivia has said that it is the song that most reminds her of George after his passing, as she loved it and often asked him to sing it around the house.  Written in the midst of the breakup of the Beatles, the song served as an elegy for the Beatles and a lament over the loss of friendship.  I find these to be some of George's most poetic lyrics:

Everyone has choice
When to or not to raise their voices
It's you that decides
Which way you will turn
While feeling that our love's not your concern
It's you that decides

No one around you
Will carry the blame for you
No one around you
Will love you today and throw it all away

Tomorrow when you rise
Another day for you to realise me
Or send me down again
As the days stand up on end
You've got me wondering how I lost your friendship
But I see it in your eyes

Though I'm beside you
I can't carry the blame for you
I may decide to
Get out with your blessing
Where I'll carry on guessing

How high will you leap
Will you make enough for you to reap it?
Only you'll arrive
At your own made end
With no one but yourself to be offended
It's you that decides

&

I love that the lyrics are presented as a stream of consciousness, with very little structure to the song and notably no instrumental breaks whatsoever.  The change from minor key to a major key when George on certain bits that seem most stressful ("I can't carry the blame for you") is a subtle touch that I adore.  I even enjoy the brass sound on this, not simply tolerate it, because I think its melancholic sound adds to the feeling of lament.  And most of all, I'm a huge fan of the sudden time signature changes that keep the song a little off-kilter, despite sounding on its face like a sweet and sorrowful requiem.  George was sad, but George was also angry, and I think he's expressed that anger here with more subtlety and poignancy than usual.

The drums and sax make it sound elegaic, which makes sense given your description. I just always glided mentally through this one and never paid much attention to the lyrics. But damn, this is definitely about the breakup of the Beatles. I always thought of this as a nice breather between the "big" songs, but lyrically this is A-grade. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

73 (32PM)  Wings - Hi, Hi, Hi (single, 1972)  

The rest of us hear this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HeEwPoDGnw

Binky hears this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1nM4OKvoXw

 

[jwb]

Sorry, Ringo, but I have to...

46.  Walk With You (Y Not, 2010)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #1!!!!!!!)

I've often repeated that intra-Beatle post-Beatle collaborations score extra points with me, and this one is particularly special as it's the only duet ever sung by Ringo and Paul.  Paul was not part of Ringo's original intention for the song, but while they were working on "Peace Dream" (#205 overall and Ringo #14 on my list), Ringo played for Paul a few of the other songs he was working on.  Paul took a shine to this one and suggested the idea of the trailing harmony, which is the centerpiece of the song and makes me  to hear two of my four favorite Beatles harmonizing on this song about friendship.  Especially that little bit Paul does at 3:40 in the last chorus.    In addition to those outstanding harmonies, I love the guitar riffs and Paul's bass lines, but the other highlight of the song is the violin by Ann-Marie Calhoun, who is no ####### slouch.  Even if you don't know her by name, you'd recognize many of her works with Hans Zimmer on a variety of movie scores.  I realize Ringo is Ringo on the vocal here, hitting those beats too dead on, but everything in this song works so well together that I listen to it constantly and am moved by it each time.  As I mentioned a day or two ago, I had never even heard this song before starting this project, and now it's my #1 BEST RINGO (SHOWCASE)!

I never heard this (or if I did, I don't remember it). I agree with Uruk, it sounds almost like a hymn. 

So many good songs I never heard in this thread. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

49.  Mistress And Maid (Off The Ground, 1993)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #21)

wikkid mentioned that he might have preferred for Paul to do an album of covers of Elvis Costello songs rather than the collaborations on Flowers In The Dirt, so I wonder what he will think of this one.  It's a leftover from the Flowers In The Dirt sessions, co-written by them, but which Paul recorded on his own, added various instrumental flourishes, and included on Off The Ground.  To me, despite its being "co-written," the lyrics sound like Costello through and through.  While the song features some of my favorite elements - waltz time!  powerful well-performed harmonies!  weird circus-y feel! - what sends this way over the top in my rankings are the lyrics.

First I'll back up.  When I research these songs for purposes of getting little tidbits, or to find the musician lineup, or what have you, I try very hard to avoid reading any reviews or opinions of the songs.  In contrast, I did read reviews of the albums but tried to avoid seeing much on any song in particular.  I don't want to be affected by what others might think.  But in reading about this album, along with Flowers In The Dirt, I've gotten a general sense that this song is not well regarded, at least compared to the other Costello collaborations and perhaps in comparison to Paul's catalog as a whole.  And it's befuddled me until a week or so ago, when *lightbulb*, I realized something that could be factor:  I've never read a book about the Beatles (individually or collectively), or a review or opinion piece, that was written by a woman.  That doesn't mean they're not out there, but the major writers seem to have penises.

Many years ago my BFF and I both read the book "She's Come Undone," by Wally Lamb.  It's an amazing book in many ways, but what she and I both were most blown away by was that it was a coming-of-age story of a teenage girl, written in the first person by a man, that somehow got into the mind of a young girl in an incredible way.  I'd never (and still haven't) seen a man write a woman's story like that.  This might not occur to you guys so much, because you're used to seeing both men and women write from the POV of men.  But writing from a woman's perspective is generally reserved for women only, and what Paul and Costello have done here reminds me of what had been most successful about that book.

This song is not written in the first-person, but it describes a deeply personal story from a woman's POV unbelievably well.  And the clever, subtle turns of phrase only heighten the storytelling, as a woman progresses from the beginning of a downturn in her relationship through her finding the strength to end it, entirely encapsulated in the song.  All in less than three minutes.  Check out, for instance, the minor change in wording between the first pre-chorus and chorus and the second as, in the second pre-chorus, she's coming to terms with the changes, and in the second chorus, she strengthens her resolve.  I've highlighted the two changes in each of the pre-chorus and the chorus that I'm referencing.  ####### brilliant.  I'm not an "I am woman, hear me roar" person, so the subtlety of these changes is particularly appealing to me.  When Paul sings the final chorus, many women can figuratively stand and shout along with him.

She said, "come in my dear
You're looking tired tonight
Your bath is drawn, let me loosen your tie
And fix you your usual drink"
He settles back, takes a magazine
Kicks off his shoes, as he studies the form
Of every appealing soubrette

But where are the flowers that he used to bring?
Every endearing remark
Reminds her of passionate promises
That he only made in the dark

In her bed, she wants to shout at the back of his head
Look at me, look at me, look at me--I'm afraid
See what it's come to
I'm just your mistress and maid

The wine is warm, but the dinner is cold
The look in his eye tells her it won't be long
'Till the girls on the page come to life

They'll get the flowers that he used to bring 
With every endearing remark
And all of the passionate promises
He'll never fulfill in the dark

In their bed, she wants to shout at the back of his head
Look at me, look at me, now that I'm not afraid
See what it's come to
I'm not your mistress and maid

See what it's come to
I'm not your mistress and maid

&

Everything about this is EC except the sound that comes out of Paul's mouth. Frankly I'm shocked this didn't end up on an EC album. 100% agree with everything else in the writeup. 

 

[krista4]

That growl sounds like a burp! 

Musically this (the official version) is kind of like how I imagine John's music following his Abbey Road songs if he hadn't taken so many detours personally and professionally. Especially starting around 2:10, this has the grit of the Stones crossed with the gloss of the Beatles. Unlike the other stuff I've heard from DF, this is not firmly planted in 1980 production- and arrangement-wise. It would have made sense as a sound to choose at any time between 1970 and 1980. 

The Cheap Trick version (is that Tony Levin on bass in the video?) is more influenced by their sound -- Robin Zander could sing this version and I wouldn't bat an eye, which would not be the case for the DF version. It doesn't fascinate me as much as the DF version, because there's little trace of the Beatles sound in it. Though Neilson's solos are outstanding. 

I'm Moving On really sounds like a continuation of the sound musically and the plot lyrically. This is easily the best Yoko track I've heard (though there aren't many), though she still can't sing. I mean, neither can I, but nobody from the Beatles devoted any space on their albums to my warblings. 

Kinda does sound like a burp.  I thought of it initially as a purrrrrr, then a growwwwwlll.  Good point on it being more of a Beatles extension.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I don't know; Shaft [don't] know; everybody [don't] know...might as well go with the one that sums up my current state.

49.  I Don't Know (Egypt Station, 2018)  Spotify  YouTube  TIEEEEEEEED see later

(Paul #21)  TIEEEEEEEEEED see later

I'd mentioned in this thread or another that I rarely fall in love with a song the first time I hear it.  This was an exception.  When this and "Come On To Me" were released as a double-a-side single in advance of Paul's most recent album, I was blown away with this one immediately.  It's the piano, and the interesting (not Paul-standard) chord progressions and key changes, and the cello (of course), and the overall production, and the excellent use of his old-man voice, not straining or pushing but singing beautifully within his range.  And it's the imagery - the lines about "crows at my window, dogs at my door" speak to me in an odd way.  But more than anything, what immediately drew me in was the theme of the song.  Although Paul has said this came from a particular experience in his life, where he felt like he was messing up a lot, it seems to be written more broadly in the "old man takes stock of his life" way that I find appealing in many films, novels, and songs.  It's unusual to hear Paul doing that, being so immediately vulnerable in terms of his life rather than couching it in a made-up universe.  It's "I've done things wrong," not "some character I invented should have done better."  It's such a genuine, direct expression of emotion and failure from Paul, which we're not used to hearing. 

Unsurprisingly, what I'm trying to say Paul said much better:  "That’s a grown-up song. Sometimes in your life, you’re not a god on Olympus. You’re a real person walking 'round the streets. I’m a grandfather, a father, a husband, and in that package there’s no guarantee that every minute’s gonna go right. In fact, quite the opposite. And there was a private occasion – I’m not gonna get into it – that brought me down. 'God, what am I doing wrong?' I’m not knocking it, I have a great life. But from time to time, reality intrudes. This was one of those occasions where it was like, 'Oh, #### me…' ."

This is how you do old-man vocals. This and the ding-dong song are both unusually dark for Paul, and it's a nice change from our usual expectations. 

Here, though, the melody is so strong that you never forget you're listening to a cotdamned Beatle. 

If Paul plays this live, I bet this is a bathroom break song for a lot of his fans, and that's a damn shame. You don't need that seventh beer, you're listening to a cotdamned Beatle. 

 

[krista4]

YouTube has a nearly 8-hour file called Chronicles in the Backyard Volumes 1-6. What's that about?

Easily the best of the Chaos songs posted so far. 

Glad you loved it.  I only have one more Chaos song, so this could remain your fave.  Morton has a few others in contention, though.

No idea on the YouTube file.