162. Birthday

 

 

"Birthday" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and performed by the The Beatles on The White Album. It is the opening track on the "third side" of the LP (or the second disc in CD versions of the record). This song is a prime example of the Beatles' return to more traditional rock and roll form, although their music had increased in complexity and it had developed more of its own characteristic style by this point.

 

"Birthday" begins with a blues progression in A (in the form of a guitar riff doubled by the bass) with McCartney singing at the top of his chest voice, "They say it's your birthday/ Well it's my birthday too, yeah!" Afterwards, a drum break lasting eight measures brings the song into Lennon's section, which rests entirely on the dominant before returning to a third section, sung by McCartney. It is among the latter's most intense vocal performances given the range in which he sings during the blues run. The female backing vocals that sing the "birthday" were performed by Yoko Ono, Linda Eastman and Patti Harrison.

 

 

Other uses

The opening bars of this song have been looped and played at professional hockey games in the United States for years.

The TV show Jimmy Neutron has an episode titled "Happy Birthday To You". During the title card, a band in the background plays a song resembling "Birthday".

Philadelphia Phillies games play this song while showing the attendees celebrating their birthdays on the Jumbotron.

Many schools use this song for assemblies with birthdays.

On an episode of Full House, the family goes into Jesse's (John Stamos) bedroom to wake him up for his birthday. The family sings Birthday, while Joey imitates the guitar riff.

 

 

163. Yer Blues

 

Dirty Mac (Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Mitch Mitchell, Eric Clapton & John Lennon)

 

"Yer Blues" is a song by The Beatles, the second song on the second disc of the CD version of the White Album. It was written by John Lennon while in Rishikesh, India, and has a basic I, IV, V chord progression.

 

 

Overview

Lennon apparently intended the song as a friendly parody of British blues, but it was delivered with such spirit that it has been hard for some listeners not to take it seriously. The lyrics are extremely suicidal, and include references to Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" as well as cosmology, and were almost certainly reflective of Lennon's well-documented battles with his psychological demons. The claustrophobic sound of the recording is due to the fact that, according to Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Recording Sessions, the band recorded the song in Abbey Road Studio Two's "annex", which was actually a large closet in the control room. In interviews for the Beatles Anthology series, Ringo Starr affectionately recalls recording this song in the stripped-down conditions, saying it was like the old days of Beatles live performances. This may have been influential on the Beatles approach to their next album project, Get Back. The stripped-down, bluesy nature of the song bears similarity to much of Lennon's early solo output, including "Cold Turkey" and his 1970 John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album and marks a retreat from Lennon's concern with studio experimentation that marked such songs as "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Strawberry Fields Forever".

 

The vocals in the final verse can barely be heard. The reason for this is that it is actually meant to be an instrumental verse, but what are actually the guide vocals that John Lennon sang off-mic while the drums were being recorded can be heard on the left channel. These guide vocals actually exist throughout the song (on the left channel), but most of the time they cannot be distinguished from the main vocal. The easiest time to hear them (apart from the last "instrumental" verse) is during the third verse - Lennon had obviously not quite finished writing all the vocals and when the backing track was being recorded, he shouted random phrases throughout this verse instead. Although it is easy to hear that there is a second vocal in the track, it is very difficult to dicern what is being said. Using timings from the version of the song on the "The Beatles [White Album] (Disc 2)" CD, it sounds like the following phrases are said:

 

"[it] blacks out" (1:31), "Black cab" (1:34), "Who we are" (1:37), "crossed the road" (2:00), "Why it’s alive" (2:03).

 

There is also a guide solo that can be faintly heard on the left channel while the main solo is being performed. This is again leakage into the drum microphones during the backing track recording, but because the main solo is only on the right channel, it can clearly be heard by listening to the left channel only.

 

Just after the White Album came out in late 1968, John Lennon performed "Yer Blues" at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus with a supergroup dubbed the Dirty Mac, consisting of himself, Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Keith Richards on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. The performance was followed with a boogie instrumental jam called "Whole Lotta Yoko", featuring dissonant avant-garde violinist Ivry Gitlis and vocals by Yoko Ono. The recording was never broadcast, and for decades the performance was only available on bootleg, but it finally came out officially on both CD and video in 1995. Lennon's performance with "The Dirty Mac" was his first live performance since the Beatles' last concert in 1966 and may have contributed to his renewed enthusiasm for live performance in 1969 (see "Give Peace a Chance" and Live Peace in Toronto).

164. Mother Nature's Son

 

Paul live 2004

 

"Mother Nature's Son" is a Lennon/McCartney song, released by The Beatles on The Beatles (The White Album). It was written by Paul McCartney while the band was in India.

 

The lecture by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi that inspired this song also inspired John Lennon's unreleased song "Child of Nature," the tune of which he later re-used to completely different effect in "Jealous Guy."

 

 

Covers and mashups

Ramsey Lewis covered the song in 1968 on an album with the same name.

Harry Nilsson covered the song in 1969.

John Denver covered it and after his death it became the title of a biography of Denver by John Collis.

Gryphon (band) covered the song in 1974 on the album Raindance.

Sheryl Crow covered it for the movie I Am Sam.

Danger Mouse included a sample of the song in his mashup version of the Jay-Z song "December 4th".

DJ Reset used it along with Slick Rick's La-Di-Da-Di for the mashup song "Mother Nature's Rick".

You Am I released a similarly titled track that was not a cover 'Ken (The Mother Nature's Son)' on the album Hi Fi Way.

 

165. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey

 

 

"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" is a song written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and performed by The Beatles on their 1968 album The Beatles, also known as The White Album.

 

In 1980, Lennon said: "That was just a sort of nice line that I made into a song. It was about me and Yoko. Everybody seemed to be paranoid except for us two, who were in the glow of love. Everything is clear and open when you're in love. Everybody was sort of tense around us: You know, 'What is she doing here at the session? Why is she with him?' All this sort of madness is going on around us because we just happened to want to be together all the time."

 

The song's title is the longest of any in the Beatles' catalogue, and it originates from a quote by the Maharishi; however, as for the "and My Monkey" part, George Harrison attested that he didn't "know where that came from."

 

 

Recording

The released version of the song was recorded at Abbey Road Studios on 27 June 1968, and an overdub session the next day.

 

 

Cover versions

Fats Domino covered the song in 1970, which reportedly pleased Lennon, a longtime fan of Domino's. The American post-punk group the Feelies also covered the song on their 1980 debut album Crazy Rhythms.

 

Beatallica (a satire tribute band that plays songs derived from those of the Beatles and Metallica ) covered the song as "Everybody's Got a Ticket to Ride Except for Me and My Lightning", which combines the titles of this song, "Ticket to Ride", and the Metallica song "Ride the Lightning".

 

Kristen Hersh (main singer and songwriter of the Throwing Muses) covered this song on her 1999 Echo EP, which was released in conjunction with her third solo album, Sky Motel. Earlier, as a member of the Throwing Muses, she covered another song from The Beatles album, "Cry Baby Cry", which was released on the Counting Backwards EP in 1991.

 

The Trews have covered this song during many of their live sets.

 

Soundgarden would play the song in 1988, and there is a bootleg with a demo of the song.

 

 

Cultural references

In the episode Speaking Terms / Tooth and Nail of the Nickelodeon cartoon Rocko's Modern Life, the title of the song was referenced by the main character. In this episode, Rocko has acquired a nail-biting problem and tries to hide his hands under a ham and a monkey puppet as he answers the door. His friends, Heffer and Filburt try to question him, to which Rocko replies "So what? Everyone's got something to hide except for meat and my monkey!"

 

Marilyn Manson alluded to the song live frequently during the early-mid 90's, as well as wrote a song called "My Monkey" which loosely can said to be influenced from this song.

 

Robbie Williams released his own song entitled "Me and My Monkey" on his 2002 album, Escapology.

 

In the Vertigo comic Y: The Last Man, issue #46, Yorick calls "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" the worst Beatles song. He uses it to compare the relationship he has with his pet monkey, Ampersand. Ampersand is the only person he tells everything to.

166. Sexy Sadie

 

 

"Sexy Sadie" is the name of a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon (and Paul McCartney) in India.

 

Originally titled "Maharishi", the Beatles changed the title to "Sexy Sadie" to avoid the potential for litigation as the song's lyrics portray the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in a less than favorable light. Lennon became discouraged after the Maharishi had allegedly made a pass at one of the female members of their entourage. Lennon once said of the song: "That was inspired by Maharishi. I wrote it when we had our bags packed and were leaving. It was the last piece I wrote before I left India. I just called him, 'Sexy Sadie,' instead of (sings) 'Maharishi what have you done, you made a fool...' I was just using the situation to write a song, rather calculatingly but also to express what I felt. I was leaving the Maharishi with a bad taste. You know, it seems that my partings are always not as nice as I'd like them to be."

 

In a 1969 interview, John Lennon stated one of his favourite songs was "I've Been Good To You" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. The Miracles song begins with the line Look what you've done / You made a fool out of someone, compared to Sexy Sadie's What have you done? / You made a fool out of everyone. This would not be the first time Lennon "borrowed" from this song - it has the same chordal and melodic arrangement as "This Boy".

 

 

Influence

The Spanish band Sexy Sadie took their name from this song.

 

As described in Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter, Charles Manson took the title of this song as a reference to Manson Family member Susan Atkins, who was nicknamed Sadie Mae Glutz, prior to the release of the White Album.

 

Songs deemed similar to "Sexy Sadie" include Australian rock group Jet's "Look What You've Done", which has similar lyrics and style to the song. Oasis lifts a remarkably similar intro on their b-side, "Sitting Here In Silence (On My Own)." Also, Jack Johnson's song, "Cocoon" (from the On and On album), is strikingly similar to this song and parts of the piano are similar to Radiohead's song "Karma Police", and the band has apparently acknowledged the similarity.

 

167. Helter Skelter

 

 

"Helter Skelter" is a song written by Paul McCartney, credited to Lennon/McCartney, and recorded by The Beatles on The White Album. A product of McCartney's deliberate effort to create a sound as loud and dirty as possible, the clangorous piece has been noted for both a "proto-metal roar" and "unique textures." It was one of several White Album compositions taken by Charles Manson as elaborate prophecy of a war to arise from racial tensions between blacks and whites.

 

 

Inspiration

McCartney was inspired to write the song after reading an interview of The Who's Pete Townshend where he described their latest single, "I Can See for Miles," as the loudest, rawest, dirtiest song the Who had ever recorded. McCartney then "wrote 'Helter Skelter' to be the most raucous vocal, the loudest drums, etcetera" and said he was "using the symbol of a helter skelter as a ride from the top to the bottom—the rise and fall of the Roman Empire—and this was the fall, the demise." (In British English, the term helter-skelter not only has its meanings of "confused" or "confusedly" but is the name of an amusement park slide.) McCartney has used this song as a response to critics who accuse him of only writing ballads.

 

 

Recording

The Beatles recorded the song multiple times during the The White Album sessions. During the 18 July 1968 sessions, a version of the song lasting 27 minutes and 11 seconds was recorded, although this version is rather slow and hypnotic, differing greatly from the volume and rawness of the album version. Another recording from the same day was edited down to 4:37 for Anthology 3. On September 9, eighteen takes of approximately five minutes each were recorded, and the last one is featured on the original LP. After the eighteenth take, Ringo Starr flung his sticks across the studio and screamed, "I've got blisters on my fingers!" The Beatles included Starr's shout on the stereo mix of the song (available on CD); the song completely fades out around 3:40, then gradually fades back in, fades back out partially, and quickly fades back in with three cymbal crashes and Ringo's scream (some sources erroneously credit the "blisters" line to Lennon). The mono version (on LP only) ends on the first fadeout without Ringo's outburst. The mono version was not initially available in the US as mono albums had already been phased out there. The mono version was later released in the American version of the Rarities album.

 

According to Chris Thomas, who was present, the 18 July session was especially spirited. "While Paul was doing his vocal, George Harrison had set fire to an ashtray and was running around the studio with it above his head, doing an Arthur Brown." Starr's recollection is less detailed, but agrees in spirit: "'Helter Skelter' was a track we did in total madness and hysterics in the studio. Sometimes you just had to shake out the jams."

 

On the version that appears on the Anthology 3 album, McCartney occasionally sings "hell for leather" instead of "helter skelter".

 

 

Critical reaction

The song has been covered by a number of bands (see below) and praised by critics, including Richie Unterberger of the All Music Guide. Unterberger called it, "one of [the] fiercest and most brutal rockers done by anyone" and "extraordinary."John Lennon, referring to the song's association with Charles Manson, sarcastically said that it was "Paul's completely ... Paul's song about an English fairground. It has nothing to do with anything, and least of all to do with me." Ian MacDonald was critical, calling it "ridiculous, McCartney shrieking weedily against a massively tape-echoed backdrop of out-of-tune thrashing." His other remarks indicate a lack of appreciation for heavy metal music in general.

 

In March 2005, Q magazine ranked "Helter Skelter" number 4 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.

 

 

Charles Manson

Main article: Helter Skelter (Manson scenario)

The infamous Charles Manson told his followers that White Album songs including "Helter Skelter" were the Beatles' coded prophecy of an apocalyptic war in which racist and non-racist whites would be maneuvered into virtually exterminating each other over treatment of blacks. Upon the war's conclusion, after Black Muslims would kill off the few whites they would know to have survived, Manson and his companions, having ridden out the conflict in an underground city, would emerge from hiding and, as the actual remaining whites, rule blacks, who, as the vision went, would be incapable of running things. Manson employed Helter Skelter as the term for this epic sequence of events. Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi, who led the prosecution of Manson and the killers who acted on Manson's instruction, named his best-selling book about the murders Helter Skelter. The book was the basis for two films of the same title.

 

 

Notable covers

In 1978, Siouxsie & the Banshees included a cover of this song on The Scream.

In 1981, Pat Benatar released a cover of "Helter Skelter" as the final track on Precious Time.

In 1983, Mötley Crüe recorded their version of this song on their Shout at the Devil album.

In 1983, The Bobs released an a capella version on their eponymous album. It earned them a 1984 Grammy nomination for best new arrangement of an existing song.

In 1986, Hüsker Dü covered "Helter Skelter" live and issued it on their "Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely" EP.

In 1987, rock band U2 recorded the song in concert for their Rattle and Hum movie and album which was released the following year. Bono's introduction to the song was, "This is a song Charles Manson stole from The Beatles. We're stealing it back." Also noteworthy of this cover is that Bono reworked McCartney's original line "You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer" and sung it as (in a kind of double-negative) "you ain't no lover but you ain't no dancer" (this occurs throughout the performance so one assumes that, while he was "stealing it back," Bono's reworking of the lyric was intentional and not simply a live flub).

In 1988, Japanese Heavy Metal band Vow Wow released an album entitled Helter Skelter which included a cover of the song.

From 1990 to 1994, Marilyn Manson used vocal samples of a Charles Manson interview and lifted McCartney's lines "Do you, don't you want me to love you, I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you, tell me, tell me, come on tell me the answer", and "You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer" on various live and studio versions of their song "My Monkey", along with other various Beatles samples. The full cover of Helter Skelter was played on their Smells Like Children tour in 1995.

In 1991, Aerosmith released a version of "Helter Skelter" on their Pandora's Box collection. The song was recorded in the 1970s.

White Zombie often played this song live (circa 1992) and it appears on the bootleg Resurrection Day.

In 1994, Alice Donut released an instrumental version of the song on their live album Dry Humping the Cash Cow, in which drummer Stephen Moses plays the melody on the trombone. At the end of the song, Moses cries, "I've got blisters on my lips!"

On October 31st, 1994, Phish covered the song as part of their "Musical Costume" performance of (almost) the entire White Album. This version contained heavy dischords; it concluded with the line "I've got Blisters on my Fingers" sung in four-part harmony. This concert was released as Live Phish Volume 13.

During their 1995 to 1996 These Days Tour, Bon Jovi covered the song frequently in their set.

Soundgarden played a slowed down version with added lyrics during their 1996/1997 Down on the Upside tour. It was never officially released but is available on bootlegs and through file-sharing. Also available as a medley with the song "Bootcamp".

In 1997, Noel Gallagher of Oasis wrote the song "Fade In-Out" for their 3rd album, Be Here Now. The song is similar to "Helter Skelter" and includes the line, "Get on the helter skelter" among its lyrics. During the recording sessions for Be Here Now, the band recorded a studio cover of the song. It wasn't released until 2000, as a b-side to "Who Feels Love?". The band also performed the song live in some shows throughout 2000, one of which was included as a bonus track on the audio versions of their live album, Familiar to Millions.

In 1999, Japanese heavy metal bands Siam Shade, Sex Machineguns and Valentine D.C performed this song in a concert against AIDS.

John Frusciante has also covered this song, although only live and it does not feature on any Red Hot Chili Peppers release or on any of his solo albums.

In 2002, Swedish death metal band Dimension Zero featured a cover of the song on the Japanese release of their album, Silent Night Fever.

In 2006, French guitarist Louis Bertignac featured a cover of the song on his live album called "Live Power Trio".

In 2007, The Manvils covered the song on their EP Strange Disaster. A Live video version has been found circulating the web on various websites including MySpace, You Tube, Yahoo Videos etc.

Gov't Mule, Nickel Creek and Apollo Sunshine cover this song live.

Arizonian post-hardcore outfit the Bled covered this song at the end of their set on many of their UK and European tour dates.

 

Cultural references

In 1971, Don McLean uses the line "Helter Skelter in a summer swelter" at the beginning of the fourth verse of American Pie, a song which purportedly features many other references to The Beatles.

On his 1985 album I Have a Pony, comedian Steven Wright said that the ice cream truck in his neighborhood played "Helter Skelter".

In an episode of ALF, ALF, after singing his alternate lyrics to Camptown Ladies and receiving complaints, responds with the remark, "Okay, so do you wanna hear how I changed the words to Helter Skelter?"

In 1989, sound collage artists Negativland created a false press release saying that they could not go on their long-planned tour because their song "Christianity Is Stupid" may have triggered a real-life murder. News channels and media sources picked up the story and broadcast it without checking with the proper authorities, and Negativland created the album Helter Stupid about it to show the irresponsibility of the media as well as the media's obsession with sensational stories such as murder or scandal. The album samples Helter Skelter, as well as samples of Charles Manson speaking about the murder.

In 1989, Skinny Puppy used vocal samples of Charles Manson's rendition of the song in what is now a legendary track Worlock from the album Rabies. Lifting both McCartney's line sung by Manson "You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer" and a sampled guitar riff from the original Beatles song.

On TISM's 1995 album Machiavelli and the Four Seasons, the song "Play Mistral For Me" contains this verse: "The Beatles found out with Helter Skelter / And John Lennon saw it in Mr. Chapman / And The Stones learnt from Gimme Shelter / You're only as good as your fans."

In 2004, DJ Danger Mouse sampled the song for The Grey Album's cover of "99 Problems" by Jay-Z.

In a 2005 episode of South Park, Randy Marsh's alarm goes off in the morning to a DJ saying, "The Beatles' White Album, "Helter Skelter"."

In 2007, The Manvils covered the song on their EP Strange Disaster

In the Family Guy episode "To Love and Die in Dixie", Stewie Griffin screams "I've got blisters on my fingers!" after singing his song; likewise, the Chumbawamba song "Pass It Along" includes this line.

In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "The Yoko Factor", cyborg villain Adam says that he likes the song "Helter Skelter".

The band Dog Fashion Disco mentions Helter Skelter in the song Headless on the album Anarchists Of Good Taste. "Like Helter Skelter. And son of Sam. By the days end you'll know who I am. I spill your blood on the Hollywood Boulevard."

The band Black Label Society mentions Helter Skelter in the song What's in You? on the album Mafia. "Oh, what's in you now? Helter Skelter running through my veins. Satan's coming, on his way"

At the end of the song Mystery Train by Transatlantic, drummer Mike Portnoy can be heard yelling, "I've got blisters on my pen*s!", and throwing his drumsticks across the studio.

The Powerpuff Girls featured an episode entitled "Helter Shelter". Creator Craig McCracken is a vocal Beatles fanatic, having also written and directed the "Meet the Beat-Alls" episode of the same show, which featured a nearly non-stop stream of Beatles songs and cultural references.

The Anime Eureka Seven features an episode titled "Helter Skelter". The show has repeatedly named episodes, characters, and other important things after someone involved with music,music artists, or the title of a song. The Anime makes multiple musical references in regards to naming.

The Beatles parody group The Rutles (on the Archaeology album) ends a particularly raucous track with one of the members shouting, "I've got sudden cramp in me pinky!!!" in a parody in the "blisters on my fingers" line.

The band Papa Roach mentions a 'Helter Skelter' romance in their song titled "Forever".

168. Long Long Long

 

 

"Long, Long, Long" is a song written by George Harrison, and first released by the The Beatles on their 1968 The Beatles album (also known as The White Album). Harrison is the only vocalist on the Beatles' recording of this song.

 

Critic Richie Unterberger writes that "Long, Long, Long" is one of the most underrated songs in the Beatles' large discography. It is a relatively quiet, calm song, especially when compared to the raucous heavy metal of "Helter Skelter" which immediately precedes it on The Beatles.

 

"Long Long Long" is a song written about God. Harrison: "The 'you' in 'Long, Long Long' is God."

 

According to Harrison's autobiography, I Me Mine, the rattling heard at the end of the song was the result of a bottle of Blue Nun wine sitting on the Leslie speaker. When Paul McCartney, who was playing Hammond organ on the track, hit a certain note, the bottle began to rattle.

 

 

Cover versions

In 1987, Terry Scott Taylor recorded the song for his album, A Briefing for the Ascent.

 

In 1997, Low included a cover of the song as the B-side on the Joan of Arc 7-inch single.

 

In 2004 this song was sampled on the controversial The Grey Album on the opening track.

 

In 2005, the song was covered by Robert Deeble on his six-song EP, This Bar Has No One Left.

 

On her 2006 album This Hungry Life, Tanya Donelly covers the song live with her band.

 

The song was frequently covered by Elliott Smith during his live shows, most notably as the last song during his final show before his death in 2003.

 

Built to Spill's Doug Martsch has also covered the song in his solo shows.

169. Revolution 1

 

 

"Revolution 1" is the same song as "Revolution" but is performed in a distinctly different style: slower, with less distortion and more emphasis on acoustic instruments (though electric guitar remains a primary component of the track's sound). Lennon performed most of the vocal take lying on his back in the studio, typifying his ongoing search for new ways of recording his vocals.

 

"Revolution 1" was recorded between 30 May and 4 June 1968, about 6 weeks before "Revolution", but released nearly three months later than the single. Lennon wanted the initial version to be released as a single but the other band members said it was too slow for a single.

 

Lennon, slightly irritated, resolved to remake the song in a version as loud and raucous as anything the Beatles had released, and he led the band through the faster recording which ended up backing "Hey Jude". Searching for a highly distorted and 'dirty'-sounding guitar sound, Lennon asked producer George Martin for advice, and Martin suggested routing the guitar output through a highly-overloaded piano amplifier. The resulting highly distorted tone satisfied Lennon and became the distinctive sound of the released version.

 

The original version, re-titled "Revolution 1" to distinguish it from the single version, was released on The White Album in late November 1968.

 

"Revolution 1" contains a notable lyrical difference to the final "Revolution": Lennon's vocal for the track adds the word "in" following the line "When you talk about destruction/don't you know that you can count me out". Lennon said in interviews that he was undecided in his sentiments toward the song's theme so he included both options.

 

Unreleased versions of the song, including demos and outtakes, can be found on many bootleg albums such as "From Kinfauns To Chaos" and "Revolution", on which appears a twenty-three minute version of the song with Yoko Ono talking over The Beatles.

170. Honey Pie

 

 

"Honey Pie" is a song by The Beatles, from their 1968 album The Beatles (the "White Album"). Although credited to Lennon-McCartney, it was composed entirely by Paul McCartney. Despite the similarity of title, the song is unrelated to "Wild Honey Pie".

 

The song is a direct homage to the British music-hall style. It concerns a famed actress, known through the hypocorism "Honey Pie", who becomes famous in the United States, and her old lover, who wishes for her to rejoin him in England. The premise – a humble admirer yearning for the return of his lover – is not unlike a typical music-hall plot. In order to establish an appropriate, old-timey sound, 'scratches' were added to the third line, "Now she's hit the big time!" from a 78 RPM record.

 

The song has been covered by Barbra Streisand, the King's Singers Tuck & Patti and John Pizzarelli. Perhaps the strangest cover was performed by Dom DeLuise in the 1978 film Sextette (which included the comic tapdancing on a piano).

171. Savoy Truffle

 

 

"Savoy Truffle" is a song written by George Harrison and performed by The Beatles on their eponymously-titled album (the "White Album"). Harrison wrote the song as a tribute to his friend Eric Clapton's chocolate addiction, and indeed he derived the title and many of the lyrics from a box of Mackintosh Good News chocolates. Supposedly all of the candy names used in the song are authentic except cherry cream and coconut fudge. The chorus ("But you'll have to have them all pulled out after the savoy truffle") refers to the state of the consumer's teeth after eating the aforementioned confection. The line "We all know Obla-di-bla-da" refers to the song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" which appears earlier on the album.

 

The Beatles recorded the first take on 3 October 1968 and the final mixes were done by 14 October. Six saxophonists (two baritone, four tenor) were brought in and were reportedly displeased when George Martin decided to distort them. The song is on side four, track three of the vinyl release and disc two, track ten of the CD release.

 

 

Cover Versions

They Might Be Giants covered "Savoy Truffle" on the compilation Songs From the Material World: A Tribute to George Harrison. Their version is more subdued than the original.

 

Phish covered the song on their live album Live Phish Volume 13, during this concert they also covered the entire White Album.

172. Cry Baby Cry

 

 

"Cry Baby Cry" is a song by The Beatles from the White Album, and it is the final song on the album featuring the group's instrumental presence. It is about an old fairy tale that John Lennon remembered from his youth.

 

When asked about "Cry Baby Cry" in 1980, Lennon replied, "Not mine. A piece of rubbish." The "Not mine" part is either a mistake in Lennon's memory, an error in the transcription of the interviewer's audio tape of the interview, or merely John sarcastically disowning the song. Paul McCartney said, "Cry Baby Cry was another of John's songs from India."

 

The track also includes a very short unrelated song performed by McCartney, whose most prominent line is "Can You Take Me Back," appearing directly before "Revolution 9". This portion of the song does not appear in the lyrics shown written for the album.

 

Immediately following "Can You Take Me Back", a short and barely audible conversation takes place between producer George Martin and Alistair Taylor (Brian Epstein’s personal assistant). Taylor is apologising to Martin, apparently for neglecting to bring a bottle of wine for him to the session. While this was included as part of the track for Cry Baby Cry on some CD releases, it is considered the beginning of Revolution 9.

 

The original lyrics were "Cry baby cry, make your mother buy." Lennon said he got the words from an advertisement. The "Duchess of Kirkcaldy" mentioned in the song was a creation of Lennon's, possibly inspired by the Beatles' gig in the town of the same name in 1963.

 

George Martin plays harmonium on this track (introduced after the first statement of "make your mother sigh". This was the same harmonium Lennon used on 'We Can Work It Out'.

 

 

Cultural references

The song is referenced in a line from the Firefly episode "Serenity."

173. Revolution 9

 

No Video (thank god)

 

"Revolution 9" is an experimental recording which appeared on The Beatles' 1968 self-titled LP release (known as the White Album).

 

The track marked the peak of the band's studio experimentation; the inclusion of such a sound collage or musique concrète on a pop music release was virtually unprecedented. The recording began as an extended ending to the album version of "Revolution", to which were added vocal and music sound clips, tape loops, and sound effects influenced by the Musique concrète styles of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Edgard Varèse, and John Cage, further manipulated with editing and sound modification techniques (stereo panning and fading). As with "Revolution" itself, the theme was inspired by the contemporary May 1968 riots in Paris, and "Revolution 9" was meant to capture the violence of a revolution in progress. At over eight minutes it was the longest track on the album, as well as the longest Beatles track ever officially released.

 

The work is credited to Lennon/McCartney (as were all Beatles songs written by either composer), though it was primarily the effort of John Lennon. George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Yoko Ono made small contributions, while Paul McCartney did not actively participate in the track's creation. Ono's avant garde influence on Lennon's songwriting and composition is clear throughout "Revolution 9." McCartney and producer George Martin fought hard to keep the track off the White Album, but Lennon and Ono won out, and the track was included as the second from last song at the end of the album's fourth side.

 

 

Structure and content

"Revolution 9" starts with a conversation between George Martin and Alistair Taylor:

 

Alistair Taylor: ...bottle of Claret for you if I'd realized. I'd forgotten all about it George, I'm sorry.

George Martin: Well, do next time.

Taylor: Will you forgive me?

Martin: Mmmm...yes...

Taylor: Cheeky b**ch.

(Although this conversation is usually known to be the beginning of "Revolution 9," the time tracking from the CD indicates it as the tail end of the previous track, "Cry Baby Cry," following Paul's short solo song "Can You Take Me Back.")

 

After a brief piano introduction, a loop of a male repeating the words "number nine" (taken from an EMI examination tape) begins to be heard. This phrase fades in and out throughout the recording as a motif. Then there is chaos: feedback, impromptu screaming, rehearsed overdubs, and more tape loops.

 

As some portions of "Revolution 9" are recordings of other music (bits of Sibelius and Beethoven, for example), the piece can be seen as an early example of sampling. Other audio elements include various bits of apparently nonsensical dialogue, various found sounds, reversed sounds and recordings of American football chants.

 

 

"Paul is Dead" significance

"Revolution 9" played an important part in the infamous "Paul is dead" controversy. Most notably, the repeated "number nine" played backwards can be heard as "Turn me on, dead man." If one listens carefully, the "babble," many believe, includes other hints left by the band about Paul's alleged death, including "My wings are broken" and "Let me out!" As the "Paul is dead" rumours were quickly debunked, these "clues" are creative misinterpretations of "Revolution 9" and are an interesting footnote to the Beatles' history.

 

 

Charles Manson

Los Angeles District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi and Manson Family member Paul Watkins came up with the theory that Charles Manson believed that "Revolution 9" was a reference to Revelation 9, a book in the Bible that speaks of apocalypse and prophecy. He believed the Beatles were speaking to him through this song, and he drew many odd interpretations from the lyrics.

 

Manson said 'it was the beatles' way of telling people what was going to happen; it was their way of making prophecy; it directly paralleled the Bible's Revelation 9.' It was also the battle of Armageddon, the coming black-white revolution portrayed in sound, Manson claimed. According to Poston: 'When Charlie was listening to it, he heard in the background noise, in and around the machine'gun fire and the oinking of pigs, a man's voice saying "Rise".' (It is first heard 2 minutes and 34 seconds into the song, just after the crowd sounds that follow 'lots of stab wounds as it were' and 'informed him on the third night'and just before 'Number 9, Number 9'.)

 

 

Related works

While "Revolution 9" is The Beatles' longest and easily strangest recording, it is not the only avant-garde song they recorded in their career. There is another, legendary recording known as Carnival of Light, written by Paul McCartney and recorded by The Beatles during the Sgt. Pepper sessions on January 5, 1967. Like Revolution 9, Carnival of Light is an avant garde piece, and clocks in at 13:48 minutes. The song has never been released, nor has it been bootlegged. Very few people have ever heard the track. Paul McCartney has confirmed its existence, and the track was supposed to appear on Anthology 2 but George Harrison vetoed it. It remains unreleased and unheard to this day.

 

The Beatles also dabbled in the avant garde during the White Album sessions with "What's The New Mary Jane", recorded in August 1968 and unreleased until its inclusion in Anthology 3 in 1996. The song is full of more abstract (as opposed to sound collage) sounds than "Revolution 9," but is centered around a traditional verse-chorus song, with John on piano and vocals, and George on acoustic guitar.

174. Good Night

 

 

"Good Night" is the final song by The Beatles on their self-titled album (aka The White Album). It is sung by Ringo Starr, the only Beatle to appear on the song. The music is provided by an orchestra arranged and conducted by George Martin. John Lennon originally wrote the song as a lullaby for his son Julian when he was five years old.

 

George Martin's arrangement is excessively lush, and intentionally so. Lennon is said to have wanted the song to sound "real cheesy" — like a Gordon Jenkins-esque Hollywood production number. The musicians play the following instruments: 12 violins, three violas, three cellos, one harp, three flutes, one clarinet, one horn, one vibraphone and one string bass. The Mike Sammes Singers also took part in the recording.

 

The song has been covered by several artists, including the Carpenters, Kenny Loggins, Cyril Stapleton, the Manhattan Transfer, and Monkees drummer Micky Dolenz and the "Forces Sweetheart" Vera Lynn who released it as a single and performed it on a BBC TV variety show. It was also chosen by the British band Coldplay to play out after the band had left the stage at concerts on their 2005–06 Twisted Logic tour.

 

The song makes two appearances on the Beatles' soundtrack to the Cirque Du Soleil production of Love. It first can be heard at the end of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" transitioning into "Octopus's Garden". It can be heard a minor third lower than originally recorded. After the orchestral intro to the third verse of "Good Night", the same orchestral accompaniment is played over a sample of Ringo Starr freely, slowly singing the opening words to "Octopus's Garden". Later, at the end of the show, after the strains of "All You Need Is Love" have faded out, the orchestral outro of "Good Night" (in its original key, G major) (as well as the last bits of dialogue in the Beatles' fan club-exclusive Christmas album) bring things to a peaceful close.

 

In the 1980's, it was used as the soundtrack to an animated film that was used for the daily close-down of Sydney, Australia's Seven Network affiliate, ATN-7. The sequence contained brief cartoon nudity, so it earned considerable controversy.

175. Only A Northern Song

 

 

"Only a Northern Song" is a song written by George Harrison and performed by English rock band The Beatles. It was first featured in the Beatles' 1968 animated movie, Yellow Submarine, and subsequently appeared in that movie's soundtrack early the next year.

 

The song's basic track was recorded on 13 February 1967, with overdubs added on 14 February and 20 April. The song was originally to appear on the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. According to Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, the song was left off the album because the other band members felt it didn't fit in with the rest of the songs. Featuring a self-referential lyric, unconventional musical form, and unusual instrumentation, including distorted trumpets, a reverbed organ, chimes, and a glockenspiel, it is one of the most psychedelic songs the Beatles ever recorded.

 

Throughout the song, Paul McCartney plays trumpet as the other members play percussion instruments such as a glockenspiel, orchestral chimes, timpani and piano. A mellotron can be heard during parts of the song as well. An edited and slightly sped-up version of the song's basic track without the overdubs added 20 April (organ, bass, drums and vocal only) was released on volume two of the Anthology set in 1996, with a different vocal take containing some lyrical variations. Since the song was made from two separate takes playing in synchronization, the original mix of the song was available in mono only until 1999, when a remixed version of the track was released on the Yellow Submarine Songtrack.

 

The lyrics feature Harrison's disparagement of the song itself, concluding each verse with the title phrase "It's only a Northern song", which Harrison has explained as referring both to the band's often-disrespected hometown of Liverpool (in northwest England), and to the Northern Songs publishing company. (Harrison had not yet formed his own publishing company; Northern Songs was Lennon/McCartney's publishing company, for whom Harrison was, at the time, essentially a writer-for-hire). The song is sometimes interpreted as a sarcastic jibe at Lennon/McCartney, mocking the overtly psychedelic lyrics and musical style they employed in many songs during this time, and as a reaction to the often-dismissive attitude bandmates John Lennon and McCartney held of Harrison's songwriting contributions, with Harrison listlessly singing "It doesn't really matter what chords I play/What words I say or time of day it is/As it's only a Northern song".

176. All Together Now

 

 

"All Together Now" is a song by The Beatles, originally released on the Yellow Submarine Soundtrack by Apple Records. The songwriting credit is Lennon/McCartney; Paul McCartney wrote the verses/refrain, John Lennon the middle-eight.

 

 

Origins

Lennon and McCartney had no qualms about writing children's songs, and "All Together Now" typifies the kind of song sung in the school playground by girls in games with a skipping rope.

 

The lyrics of the song are very simple, and similar to "Yellow Submarine" in that regard. The song was performed in a skiffle style with acoustic guitar with bass and a bass drum. Banjo, harmonica and finger cymbals were added to the instrumental mix. McCartney sang the lead vocal while Lennon and George Harrison sang backing vocals and a chorus consisting of whoever appears in the studio. As with the song "Yellow Submarine", Harrison provides no guitar to the track, instead adding harmonica. Lennon, unusually, plays banjo. The song ends with an old fashioned hand-pumped car horn.

 

The track was recorded on 12 May 1967 and mixed the same day, but was not released until 17 January 1969, when it appeared on the soundtrack album. The song took only six hours to record and was recorded in nine takes.

 

The song appears in an animated sequence in the film Yellow Submarine, and is also introduced by The Beatles themselves in a postscript to the film.

 

 

Cultural legacy

Football fans in the UK have sung the song during football matches. Verizon Wireless used the song in commercials in 2002. While the band was in India studying Transcendental Meditation, they sang a different version of the song changing the words "E F G H I J I Love You" to "E F G H I, Jai Guru Dev" in honor of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

 

The title All Together Now was also used for a discography of Beatle-related records written by Harry Castleman and Walter Podrazik, and published by Pierian Press in 1975.

 

 

Drinking Game

A drinking game has arisen from this song. Participants are all to be seated in a circle. Each time "All Together Now" is sung in unison a person drinks. The song's gradual increase in speed makes the song ideal for a fast-paced way of binge drinking. Groups no larger than six are recommended. As the game involves quick reflexes, experience with shots is recommended, and the game is not for those with weak tolerance.

177. Hey Bulldog

 

 

"Hey Bulldog" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album in 1969.

 

 

Release history

Written by John Lennon (but credited to Lennon & McCartney), the song was recorded during the filming of the "Lady Madonna" promotional video, and is one of the few Beatles songs to revolve around a piano riff. During the recording, Paul McCartney started to bark without warning. The next lines (initially intended as "Hey Bullfrog") were changed mid-song to "Hey Bulldog". This served, of course, as the song's title. During these sessions, a film crew photographed the four Beatles recording the song and intended the footage to be edited as a promotional film for "Lady Madonna". It was one of the few times they allowed themselves to be extensively filmed recording in the EMI Abbey Road studios, for a promotional film to be released during their scheduled four-month retreat to India (which was later edited together to accompany the single Lady Madonna).

 

The Beatles' engineer, Geoff Emerick would go on to claim this was the last song the band recorded that featured a team dynamic with enthusiasm from every member. When the group reconvened in the studio in May 1968 for the The Beatles sessions, their group cohesion had already been undermined by the business, artistic, and personal differences that would culminate in their eventual breakup.

 

The song was used in an animated segment of the Yellow Submarine film which initially appeared only in European theatrical prints. It was restored and seen for the first time in 30 years for the film's 1999 re-release. To promote the reissue, Apple went back to the original footage shot for the "Lady Madonna" promo film and restructured it for use as a promotional clip for "Hey Bulldog" (as it is possible to identify what they were playing, and therefore possible to synchronize the music with the original footage).

 

The guitar riff from "Hey Bulldog" was included in the 2006 album Love in its version of "Lady Madonna".

 

 

Cover versions

"Hey Bulldog" has been covered by Eric McFadden, Ween, Elvis Costello, Honeycrack, Ian Moore, Gomez, Rolf Harris, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Firewater, Alice Cooper, The Gods, Skin Yard, Dave Matthews, Paddy Milner, The Golden Ticket, Dave Matthews & Friends as well as the Roots, who cover it during jams in their live shows with the Beatles' vocals replaced by rapping from their MCs.

 

Gota and the low dog, a Japanese band recorded a version in 1995.

178. It's All Too Much

 

 

"It's All Too Much" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared on the 1969 Yellow Submarine film soundtrack album. It was written and sung by George Harrison. It was originally recorded in 1967, shortly before the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It had been slated to appear on the next album, Magical Mystery Tour, but it was pushed back again.

 

The song was recorded at De Lane Lea studios, making it one of only a very few Beatles tracks not recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Harrison and John Lennon played lead guitars on the song, and Harrison played organ. The track had the working title of "Too Much".

 

A mono mix, over eight minutes long and containing all of the lyrics plus a much longer ending than the eventual released versions, has never been released officially, but has been found on bootleg recordings.

 

The most well-known version of the song was further edited to over six minutes long and appears on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album. The version of the song that appeared in the film itself is slightly different and contained a lyric that was cut from the album version: "Nice to have the time to take this opportunity/Time for me to look at you and you to look at me."

 

The song contains several lines taken from other works; the "With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue" line was from The Merseys' "Sorrow", and the trumpets at many points emulate Jeremiah Clarke's "Prince of Denmark's March", also known as Trumpet Voluntary.

 

At the start of the song, Harrison can be heard saying "to your mother".

 

 

Cover versions

"It's All Too Much" has been covered by The Church, Steve Hillage, Senator Flux, Paul Gilbert, The Violet Burning, and in a heavily rewritten version by Journey.

179. Get Back

 

 

"Get Back" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney (though largely the work of McCartney), and originally released as a single on 11 April 1969 and credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston". It would later become the closing track of The Beatles' last album to be released before they split, Let It Be (1970). The single reached number one in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, France, and West Germany, and was The Beatles' only single that credited another artist (Preston). The single was The Beatles' first single release in true stereo in the U.S. — in the UK they remained monaural records until the following single release — "The Ballad of John and Yoko".

 

 

Composition

"Get Back" is unusual in The Beatles' canon in that almost every moment of the song's evolution has been extensively documented, from its beginning as an offhand riff to its final mixing. Much of this documentation is in the form of illegal (but widely available) bootleg recordings, and is summarized in the book Get Back: The Unauthorized Chronicle of The Beatles' Let It Be Disaster by Doug Sulpy and Ray Schweighardt.

 

The song's melody grew out of some unstructured jamming on 7 January 1969 during the rehearsal sessions on the sound stage at Twickenham Studios. Over the next 15 minutes or so, McCartney introduced the lyrics to the chorus - lifting "Get back to the place you should be" from fellow Beatle George Harrison's "Sour Milk Sea" and turning it into "Get back to where you once belonged" - and some of the elements of the verses. Later, on the press release to promote the "Get Back" single, McCartney would write, "We were sitting in the studio and we made it up out of thin air... we started to write words there and then...when we finished it, we recorded it at Apple Studios and made it into a song to roller-coast by."

 

Around the time he had the first inklings of "Get Back", McCartney was inspired to satirise the "Rivers of Blood Speech" by British Cabinet minister Enoch Powell, in which Powell used a reference in Virgil to the river Tiber foaming with blood to describe what he thought would happen if the tide of Commonwealth immigrants was not stemmed. McCartney jammed what has become known as the "Commonwealth song" - loosely based on Powell's speech. The lyrics included a line "You'd better get back to your Commonwealth homes".[citation needed] As evident from bootlegs, the "Commonwealth Song" has no resemblance to the final version of "Get Back", but it is a good insight into the creative process that developed the song.

 

On 9 January the group introduced what has become known in Beatles folklore as the "No Pakistanis" version. This version is more racially charged, satirising right wing attitudes - (we) "don't dig no Pakistanis taking all the people's jobs". However, most of the song was random screaming and vocalizing with random lyrics.

 

The song was further developed into what McCartney described as a "protest song", and in subsequent rehearsal takes (some of which John Lennon sings) the immigration theme is developed into a full verse. By mid-January the song had developed into three verses: The first being the "Lorreta Martin" verse, the second being the "Jo-jo" verse and the third the "Pakistanis verse". Whilst heard by Beatles fans on bootleg for over a decade the lyrics to the third verse are not widely known:

 

"Meanwhile back at home there's nineteen Pakistanis,

Living in a council flat

Candidate for Labour tells them what the plan is,

Then he tells them where its at"

 

 

Another version of the "Pakistanis verse," in what is claimed to be the entire song in John's handwriting, is on display in the Hard Rock Cafe in San Francisco. In this version, the Pakistani verse is:

 

"Meanwhile back at home too many Pakistanis,

Living in a council flat

Candidate Macmillan, tell us what your plan is,

Won't you tell us where you're at"

 

 

These lyrics show the true meaning of the 'Pakistani' references, which were a social commentary on the racist attitudes of the time. In an interview in Playboy magazine in 1980, Lennon described it as "...a better version of 'Lady Madonna'. You know, a potboiler rewrite." "Lady Madonna" is widely considered to be a social commentary.

 

On 23 January the group (now in Apple Studios) tried to record the song properly; bootleg recordings preserve a conversation between McCartney and Harrison in between early takes discussing the song, and McCartney explaining the original "protest song" concept. The recording captures the group deciding to drop the third verse largely because McCartney doesn't feel the verse is of high enough quality, although he likes the scanning of the word "Pakistani".

 

 

Recordings

In line with the concept behind the "Get Back project", the idea was to record all songs live to get back to the rock and roll sound of their early work. To achieve this the band recorded multiple takes in the studio trying to perfect the performance of each song.

 

Billy Preston joined The Beatles on the electric piano from January 22, having been recruited by Harrison partly with a view to deter bickering among The Beatles. Harrison's idea worked: when Preston was present The Beatles avoided fighting as they had during some earlier sessions. Augmented by the addition of a fifth musician, the group started to produce some tighter performances.

 

The Beatles recorded approximately ten takes on January 23 developing the song. On the January 27 they made a concerted effort to perfect "Get Back" recording approximately 14 takes. By this time the song had the addition of a false ending and reprise coda; as heard on the bootlegs of the session which are widely available. After numerous takes the band jammed some old numbers and then returned to "Get Back" one last time in an attempt to record the master take. This performance (Take 11) was considered to be the best yet, it was musically tight and punchy without mistakes. For some reason though the song finishes without the restart; on the session tape George Harrison comments "we missed that end", this is the version heard on the Let It Be... Naked album.

 

The next day, 28 January, the group attempted to recapture the previous days performance and recorded several new takes each including the coda. Whilst these takes were good, they didn't quite achieve the quality of the best take from the previous day.

 

The Beatles had EMI produce a mono remix of the track on 4 April (completed by Jeff Jarrett). When The Beatles heard it they were unhappy with the mix; therefore on 7 April McCartney and Glyn Johns booked time at Olympic Studios to produce new remixes for the single release. They made an edited version using the best take—take eleven—from January 27 and the 'best coda' ending from the January 28. The edit is so precise that it appears to be a continuous take, achieving the desired ending the Beatles had wanted all along. This was a divergence from the concept of straight live performance without studio trickery, but a relatively minor one, and avoids the somewhat abrupt ending of the version that is used on the Let It Be... Naked album.

 

 

The Beatles' last performance in public included three performances of "Get Back"; the final one was interrupted by the police.The Beatles performed "Get Back" (along with other songs from the album) as part of the "Beatles Rooftop Performance" which took place on the roof of Apple Studios in Savile Row, London on January 30, 1969. "Get Back" was performed in full three times; on the third and final time, The Beatles' performance was interrupted by the police, who had received complaints from office workers nearby. After the police spoke to Mal Evans, he turned off Lennon and Harrison's amplifiers only for Harrison to switch them back on, insisting that they finish the song. It was during this period that McCartney ad-libbed, "You've been playing on the roofs again, and that's no good, and you know your Momma doesn't like that...she gets angry...she's gonna have you arrested! Get back!" None of the rooftop versions appear on record in their entirety although in the Let It Be film an edited version of the rooftop performance was included, and is available on Anthology 3.

 

At the end of the last rooftop performance of "Get Back", the audience applauds and McCartney says "Thanks, Mo" in reply to Maureen Starkey's applause, and Lennon adds: "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we've passed the audition". Spector used some of the talk preceding the master take of 27 January and edited on these comments to make the album version sound different to the single. Because of the talk at the start and end of the take, the different mix and the absence of the coda it is widely believed that the album version was a different take. In fact all three versions use the same 'take 11' as the core performance. One can define this 'take 11' by listening for the high "hoo!" or "bup!" just after "Get back, Loretta!" in all versions.

 

 

Releases

 

Single version

On 11 April 1969, Apple Records released "Get Back" as a single in the United Kingdom, paired with "Don't Let Me Down" on the B-Side. The single began its seventeen-week long stay in the charts on April 26 at the top spot in the charts, a position it would hold for six weeks. It was the only Beatles single to enter the UK charts at number one.

 

In the United States "Get Back" came out as a single on 5 May, backed with "Don't Let Me Down." Five days later "Get Back" began its first of twelve weeks on the chart. Two weeks after the song's chart debut, it hit number one, a position it held for five weeks. It was The Beatles' first single to be released in true stereo instead of mono as part of the "stereo only" movement gaining force in 1969.

 

In both the United Kingdom and the United States the single was released by Apple, although EMI retained the rights to the song as part of their contract. The single was the only Beatles single ever to feature another artist on the credit, crediting "Get Back" to "The Beatles with Billy Preston".

 

Apple launched a print ad campaign for the song concurrent with its release showing a photo of the band with the slogan The Beatles as Nature Intended, indicating that the sound of "Get Back" harked to the group's earlier days.

 

The single version of the song contains a coda after a false ending, with the lyrics "Get back Loretta / Your mommy's waiting for you / Wearing her high-heel shoes / And her low-neck sweater / Get back home, Loretta." This does not appear on the album version; the single version's first LP appearance would come three years later on the 1967–1970 compilation. This version also appeared in Past Masters, Volume Two.

 

 

A second version of "Get Back" was released on the Let It Be album, a remix by Phil Spector of the same version used on the single

 

Let It Be version

When Phil Spector came to remix "Get Back" he decided to make it seem different to the version released as the single. Both of the previous unreleased Get Back albums included elements of studio chatter to add to the live feel of the recordings. In this spirit, Spector included part of the studio chatter recorded immediately before the master take (recorded on 27 January) and added the close of the rooftop performance. This made the album version appear to be a live version, creating the impression that the single and album versions are different takes.

 

 

Let It Be... Naked version

In 2003 "Get Back" was re-released on the Let It Be... Naked album, remixed by independent producers with the sanction of surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono. The "naked" version of "Get Back" is ostensibly a cleaned up version of the single version albeit much shorter as there is a fade immediately before the final "whoo" and coda.

 

 

Love version

In 2006 a newly mixed version of "Get Back" produced by George Martin and his son Giles was included on the album Love. This version incorporates elements of "A Hard Day's Night" (the intro chord) and "The End" (Ringo Starr's drum solo)

 

 

Lyrics and melody

The song is composed of two verses, with the intro, outro, and several refrains making up the rest of the song.

 

The first verse tells the story of a man named Jojo, who leaves his home in Tucson, Arizona, for some "California grass". (At the time that Linda McCartney lived in Tucson, one of the most popular bars was one named Jojo's.) The second verse is about "Loretta Martin". The single version includes the coda urging her to "get back" where she belongs, as well.

 

It should be borne in mind that interpretation of any Beatles' lyrics is highly tentative and often an exercise in baseless pedantry. The Beatles would play around with their lyrics during recording sessions, as is evidenced by Lennon's erstwhile introduction "Sweet Loretta Fart she thought she was a cleaner, but she was a frying pan".

 

In the quiet break, after "once belong", and just before Paul's "oooh", someone speaks (2:31 - Single version & 2:51 - Let It Be album version). It sounds like maybe George saying "Let's give him some Night Nurse" – Night Nurse being a cough/cold remedy. Also reported as "It's giving him some nightmuures" (Liverpool pronunciation of nightmares), and "Let's give it some might, guys". After careful listening to bootlegs of the session it's apparent that George is saying "Let's give it some might, guys" in reference to the "coda" section that is due immediately after the false ending.

 

The song famously ends with John Lennon quipping "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition".

 

Covers

Amen Corner released their version as a single in November 1969, at around the time they disbanded.

Patrick Williams, the US arranger and composer, did a jazz-oriented instrumental cover of the song for his 1970 album Heavy Vibrations. That version became the longtime theme for the TV quiz Sports Challenge, hosted by Dick Enberg.

Elvis Presley performs the song as part of a medley with "Little Sister" in the rockumentary film That's the Way It Is (1970).

Elton John covers it completely during extended live performance of "Burn Down the Mission" on 11-17-70 (Uni 19305, 1971), a live broadcast over WABC-FM, New York City on that date.

Ike & Tina Turner covered it on their album Nutbush City Limit (1973).

Rod Stewart covered the song for the 1976 ephemeral music documentary All This and World War II. (Various Artists, 1976).

Billy Preston, in the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and released on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Various Artists, 1978).

Shirley, Squirrely and Melvin, released on Shirley, Squirrely and Melvin (Excelsior 88009, 1981).

Steve Wariner, in 1995

Little Texas, in 2007

 

Parodies and cultural references

The Rutles' "Get Up and Go", written by Neil Innes, features a set of lyrics parodying "Get Back". The lyrics are about a jockey by the name of Joe who leaves his "one-horse town" set to an almost identical tune. This apparently caused a copyright dispute which resulted in the song being left off of the Rutles soundtrack album, although it was reinstated for the later CD reissue.

At the end of The Simpsons episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", all the members of The Be Sharps sing their first hit on Moe's rooftop while George Harrison, driving by, says "It's been done." Also, at the end of their song, Homer says the ending comments "...I hope we pass the audition", followed by everyone laughing and Barney saying "I don't get it."

U2's 1987 video for "Where the Streets Have No Name" features a Get Back-style rooftop concert on the roof of a building in downtown L.A.

Sgt. Pepper's Only Dart Board Band performed the song on the roof of the Merlin Theatre in Frome, Somerset, to publicise their forthcoming Beatles tribute concert at the venue. In keeping with tradition, the police were called.

180. Don't Let Me Down

 

 

"Don't Let Me Down" is a song by The Beatles, recorded in 1969 during the Get Back (Let It Be) sessions. Richie Unterberger of All Music Guide called it "one of the Beatles' most powerful love songs", and Roy Carr and Tony Tyler called it "a superb sobber from misery-expert J. W. O. Lennon, MBE. And still one of the most highly underrated Beatle underbellies."

 

An anguished love song Lennon wrote to Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney interpreted it as a "genuine plea", with Lennon saying to Ono, "I'm really stepping out of line on this one. I'm really just letting my vulnerability be seen, so you must not let me down." Lennon's vocals work their way into screams, presaging the primal scream stylings of the following year's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album.

 

The song is in the key of E and is in 4/4 time during the chorus and bridge but changes to 5/4 during the verses.

 

 

Recording and release

Multiple versions of "Don't Let Me Down" were recorded during the tumultuous Get Back (Let It Be) recording sessions.

 

The version recorded on 30 January 1969 was released as a b-side to the single "Get Back", recorded the same day.

The Beatles performed "Don't Let Me Down" twice during their rooftop concert of 30 January 1969, one of which was included in the Let It Be film. When the "Get Back" project was revisited, Phil Spector dropped "Don't Let Me Down" from the Let It Be album.

In 1970, the b-side version was included on the Hey Jude compilation released in the US.

In 1988, the b-side version appeared on the soundtrack to the 1988 documentary, Imagine: John Lennon.

In November 2003, an edit of the two rooftop versions was included on Let It Be... Naked.

 

 

Cover versions

A cover is featured on the 1969 Dillard & Clark album Through the Morning Through the Night.

Marcia Griffiths did a reggae version of this song in 1969.

On her 1977 album It Looks Like Snow, Phoebe Snow covered this song - her version was described as an "exquisite interpretation" by All Music Guide.

On the European leg of their 1987 "Get Close" tour, The Pretenders included a cover of the song in their live set.

Annie Lennox had a live version on Coldest in 1992.

Taylor Hicks covered it during the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2006.

Zwan covered the song many times in 2002 and 2003.

The song was covered by the band Stereophonics and appears on the I Am Sam soundtrack.

Paul Weller covered the song on his album Fly On The Wall - B Sides And Rarities.

Garbage performed the song at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland as a message to the newly-elected MSPs.

Maroon 5 played the song at a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina and on The Howard Stern Show, June 11, 2007.

The Aggrolites performed it at many live shows.

Matchbox Twenty covered the song on Last Call with Carson Daly.

Bon Jovi borrow the tune and rhythm for their song I'll Be There for You off their New Jersey album.

181. The Ballad Of John and Yoko

 

 

"Ballad of John and Yoko" is a song released by The Beatles as a single in May 1969. Primarily written by John Lennon, the song was attributed, as was the custom, to the Lennon/McCartney songwriting team. It chronicled the events surrounding Lennon's marriage to Yoko Ono and their subsequent activities together, including their famous first Bed-In, and demonstration of bagism. It was released while the couple was in the middle of their second Bed-In. It was recorded during the sessions for the Abbey Road album.

 

The song is not a "ballad" in the sense used in modern pop music (where the term usually refers to a slow, sentimental love song), but rather in the traditional sense of a "story told in song".

 

Although sounding like a straightforward recording of the full band, "Ballad of John and Yoko" was performed by just Lennon and Paul McCartney. Lennon had a sudden inspiration for the song and called on McCartney, suggesting the two of them record it immediately without waiting for the other Beatles. (George Harrison was on holiday, and Ringo Starr was filming The Magic Christian, in which John and Yoko lookalikes make a cameo appearance, with Peter Sellers.)

 

Lennon was on lead vocal, and played lead guitar and acoustic guitar. McCartney sang harmony vocals and played bass, drums, piano, and maracas. The outro guitar riff was inspired by the Dorsey and Johnny Burnette song, "Lonesome Tears in My Eyes", notably covered by the Beatles in their early years and released on the album Live at the BBC.

 

The session recordings reveal this amusing exchange:

 

Lennon (playing guitar): Go a bit faster, Ringo!

McCartney (playing drums): OK, George!

The song is sometimes listed as "The Ballad of John and Yoko", and sometimes using the shorter title "Ballad of John and Yoko". For example, the picture disc single released in the UK on 30 May, 1989 shows the latter wording on the A-side and the former wording on the B-side of the disc.

 

 

Controversy

The song was banned by several US radio stations, due to Lennon's use of the word "Christ" and the phrase "They're gonna crucify me" in the lyric. In fact, the song's working title was "The Ballad of John and Yoko (They're Going to Crucify Me)".

 

These allusions, in combination with Lennon's controversial "Jesus" comment in 1966, might have contributed to the fact that it reached number one in the UK but not in the US.

 

Additionally, the song was found objectionable by the then-current Spanish government due to its statement that Gibraltar was "near Spain" (the status of Gibraltar being a hot issue between the UK government and Franco's dictatorship at the time). This caused it to be dropped from the tracklists of Beatles Again (not replaced) and The Beatles 1967-1970 (where it was replaced by the Let It Be version of One After 909.)