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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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Released: 1968 Album: Single

And not surprisingly we have the ultimate Beatles song of all time. There is no universe, past, present or future where this song will not be my all time favorite Beatles track. Paul McCartney came up with this song while driving out to visit Cynthia and Julian Lennon. Cynthia and John were going through a divorce and Paul was thinking a lot about Julian, John's son, and how he would handle this situation. He started it off by singing Hey Jules but changed it to Jude after a character from the movie Oklahoma. John Lennon when hearing this song, believed that the song was about him saying about the line "go out and get her" that Paul "subconciously he was saying, Go ahead, leave me." He was speaking about Paul's feelings on his relationship with Yoko Ono. Also one of my favorite things I've ever read about the Beatles comes from this song. George Martin noted the length of the song and told the group that they couldn't make a single that long because if they did it might never be played on the radio. To which John Lennon replied, "They will if it's us." Just an absolute legend, knowing this group is the best ever and it doesn't matter how long a song is, as long as it's The Beatles they will play it on radio lol. I love that. Also within the song there is a faint cursing that I believe Paul does on the track where I watched a video on Youtube where they say where it is, and now everytime I hear the song I can't not hear that part lol.

What I Love About the Song: The thing that I love the most about this song is just the hope that it conveys. You have no clue how many times in my life that I have not been feeling all that great and the thing I always do to cheer myself up is to go throw this song on and give it a listen. It never fails to make me feel better. I love the piano in this song and Paul's voice throughout the entire thing is just so fantastic. Ringo's drums in the song are steady and the cymbal parts are really magnified on this one. The backing vocals are fantastic as well. But for me there is nothing quite like the outro to the song. Paul just straight up loses his damn mind for like four minutes lol. The outro part is actually longer than the verses and chorus parts. I just love how they go on and on with the na, na, na's. There are parts where you just wonder what the hell Paul was thinking on the day this was recorded he just loses it. I love the "Jude Jude Jude Judey" part that he does and how the intensity he has goes up and up throughout the outro. I also really love towards the end of the outro where Paul starts with his "my my my" over and over. I wrote about this song a couple years ago on the 50th anniversary of its release and it's hard really to explain just what this song has meant to me over the years and how much I truly, truly love this song.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "Take a sad song and make it better." This has kind of become my motto for life. For a long time I allowed the sad moments in my life to control me, to take over daily life. But recently I have come to actually practice this lyric. Before I would say it and it would all sound good but it was rare where I actually took the sad song and made it better. Now I find myself doing that way more than I ever have before in my life. I have thought about getting a tattoo at some point in my life and for me I feel like if I were to get one it would be music related. I have thought about getting a lyric tattoo and this one has been the one I have always thought about getting. It's such a great lyric but how personal it has been to me over the years is what makes it so meaningful to me. Again I could sit here for probably days going over this song and this lyric especially and I know I could not convey just how much it means to me. Also, being able to sing along with thousands of others on the outro to this song at two Paul McCartney concerts is something I will never forget for as long as I live.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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Released: 1969 Album: Abbey Road

First things first on this one, this is not the same medley that is on the album. At the 7:25 mark it goes into "Her Majesty" which on the actual album is the song that closes out the medley. This is the original intent of how The Beatles were going to have the medley go but if I remember right one of the engineers while working on the album accidentally cut out where "Her Majesty" was and then the group decided to stick it at the end to close it out. Sometimes it does upset me that "The End" doesn't finish out the album but either way what a way for the group to go out. The medley consists of incomplete fragments of songs that some had been written during the recording of The Beatles & Let It Be albums. The idea for the medley came from Paul, George Martin claims some credit for the structure of the medley stating he "wanted to get John and Paul to think more seriously about their music."

What I Love About the Song: The medley starts off with "You Never Give Me Your Money" which was written by Paul with inspiration with The Beatles business issues with Allen Klein and some of his employees. I love how how it starts off slow that picks up the pace and slows back down a bit at the end. The next song is "Sun King" which I love the guitar part on that one, so slow and mellow but so relaxing as well. A great three part harmony from Paul, John & George on this one also. We then move into "Mean Mr. Mustard", one of John's interesting characters from the medley. There is some good guitar bits in this one, John and Paul also have a really good vocal harmony together. On here it goes into "Her Majesty" but we're going by the album version so after "Mean Mr. Mustard" it goes into "Polythene Pam." Which really picks up the pace compared to the other songs so far on here. The guitar parts on this one are killer, the mix of the acoustic with the electric licks is fantastic. The guitar solo at the end of this is fantastic as well, I also love right before the solo John yells out "Great!" in a big British accent, so funny lol. We then get into "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window." Paul takes the vocals on this stretch of songs. This is one of the highlights of the medley for me, I love this one musically and lyrically. So well done. But then we get into the high point of the medley for me, "Golden Slumbers." I love the piano intro to this one, and Paul's voice on this is so amazing. I love when he goes into the first chorus and he gets to the "smiles awake you" when he sings awake he gets deep and just lets it out. So amazing. Then we get into "Carry That Weight" which once again was about the tension Paul was feeling about the business issues of the group. Phenomenal harmonies on this one as well as a kick ass guitar solo. Then it goes into what most people remember from the medley "The End." What a finish. The only song in the entire catalog of The Beatles where Ringo has a drum solo, and he absolutely nails it. Amazing. There is also a great guitar solo where John, Paul & George all take a couple measures and combine an amazing guitar solo to take us to the big finish. Where we have the little piano part with Paul's amazing, in the words of John Lennon "cosmic" lyric to finish out the work of the greatest band in the history of music.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: So I know I just do one lyric for this part. But this song I feel deserves an extra one. So the first one, "And in the end/The love you take/Is equal to the love you make." The lyric that probably most well known from the Beatles. To be honest I'm really not 100% sure what exactly he means by this lyric but man is it a great one. I feel like regardless of what happens in life anytime you fall in love you take that feeling with you, whether it ends up badly or great. Falling in love is something you don't ever forget and once you do experience that, it consumes your entire life. You want to have that kind of love every single day of your life and if you lose you will try your best to find love again someday. My other lyric comes from "Golden Slumbers," "Sleep pretty darling/Do not cry/And I will sing a lullaby." This is a lyric that always always always gets me thinking about the future. Whenever I hear this one I think of a girl, girlfriend or wife, either one lol, that is having some trouble falling asleep and I envision saying this to her. Just go to sleep pretty darling, don't cry it's all going to be alright because I'm here with you. I never really think of myself having kids but this lyric does make me think of that as well. I think of being asleep and hearing that little baby crying in the next room. So I tell that pretty darling next to me to go back to bed I'll take care of this one. Then I go into the next room and sing this part of the song over and over to that little baby until she drifts back off to sleep. Also, I don't know why exactly but this entire medley I find to be so romantic to me. Like I would love to one day curl up on the couch with that special lady and just throw this on the record player and just listen to it over and over with her.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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Released: 1968 Album: The Beatles

Here's another one of those Beatles songs that I love so much just because of how much fun this song is. I often say this song contains the greatest love story in history, Desmond and Molly Jones' love story lol. The lyrics for this song were inspired by Nigerian musician Jimmy Anonmuogharan Scott Emuakpor, who Paul knew from the London clubs. Jimmy would often say in Yoruba "Ob la di ob la da, life goes on bra." Paul really enjoyed that expression and told Jimmy that eventually he would use that in one of his songs. Later, Jimmy Scott complained that he had not gotten songwriting credit on the song and Paul ended up sending him a check to thank him. John Lennon hated this song, stating that the group spent more time working on this song than any other on the album.

What I Love About the Song: I absolutely love that little piano part that opens up the song. I remember reading about this song that part was not initially how it was written in the song. John left the studio one night and then came back later high on weed, went straight to the piano and played those opening chords louder and faster than before, and that was what ended up on the track. Instrumentally there is nothing that really stands out to me like wow that is simply amazing but just the tempo and upbeatness of the song is fantastic. You turn this song on and you can't help but just tap your feet or move your head to the beat. It's just a very fun song that always gets me in a fun, happy mood when I hear it. I love the backing vocals on this song as well, especially the part when Paul sings "ring" and then there is that high pitched backing vocal repeating it. The end of the song is great to when the music ends and you think it's over and then somebody, probably John says "thank you" before the song officially comes to an end.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "Ob la di ob la da, life goes on bra/La la how the life goes on." This lyric I have actually come to see how true it is over the past year or so. For the longest time, I had held on to something that I needed to let go of. For years, I couldn't move on from that moment and all I wanted, all I could think about was somehow, someway getting that back again. I didn't want to hear it from my family or my friends when they would say you need to move on, let it go. I couldn't. I couldn't be happy in life by doing that, when it actuality I was actally becoming more unhappy by holding onto that. I bargained with God a lot to somehow get back what I had lost. Finally I was able to see and realize that they were all right in what they were saying. The only way to find happiness and enjoy life again was to let things go, to realize that no matter how hurt I may be, life still does go on. And I'm happy that I was able to realize this, sure it took longer than it probably needed to but I was able to get there and that's what's important. So now anytime that things start to get me down, or I'm struggling with stuff I repeat this line, ob la di ob la da, life goes on bra, and it all just seems to melt away.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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Released: 1970 Album: Let It Be

This is another song from the Beatles catalog which I would consider to be one of Paul McCartney's masterpieces. Such a beautiful, beautiful track. Paul got the inspiration to write this song from a dream that he had where his late mother, she had died from cancer in 1956, came and spoke to him. In the dream Paul wasn't sure if she ever used the exact words "let it be" but he did state that she was trying to be reassuring for him. This was a difficult time in Paul's life, there was massive tension within the band, his relationship with John was falling apart and there were problems with their company, Apple. I read somewhere before that a lot of people kind of view this song as a religious type song, almost like a hymn that would be sung in church. I can definitely see that. Most people believe that because of the reference to Mother Mary but for me I find the feel of the song, melodically, musically has that church hymn quality to it.

What I Love About the Song: The reason I love this song so much is how hopeful it is. It's a great song to throw on when you are feeling down or things are not going just right in your life. The song starts off with a gorgeous piano melody from Paul, which really is the main instrument throughout the track. Paul's voice comes in so beautiful followed with some backing vocals in the chorus which sound fantastic with his vocal. Ringo's drum part is very subdued in the beginning just hitting the cymbals every so slightly in the second verse. Then the drums pick up in the second singing of the chorus. At the 1:58 mark there is a killer guitar solo from George that is one of my favorite solos that he performs in the entire Beatles catalog. I love how a couple times towards the end of the song when Paul sings "be" he stretches it out and goes way high with the "beeeeee" which always makes me smile.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me/Shine until tomorrow, let it be." There were two lyrics in this song that really get to me but I went with this one here. I spoke in the last section about how hopeful this song is to me and this line is the one that keeps that hope going for me. We all have moments in life where it's not great, where the sun isn't out and shining but life has become cloudy for us. For the longest time in my own life I would let the cloudy moments or days take control and drive each and every day. But over the past 10-12 months I've tried to make myself become a more positive person, somebody who looks at the glass as half full instead of half empty. And I got to say I have been more successful at that then I thought I would be. Sure there have been days and moments where the old me is around and the tough times control my life but for the most part I have grown as a person to when I am having a rough patch in my life this line speaks to how to go about that. I believe there is a light out there that shines on me everyday, keeps me safe, healthy and moving forward and when times are tough that light continues to shine and helps me get back on my feet to a more positive, happy person.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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Released: 1968 Album: The Beatles

A year ago at this time, this song probably would have been lucky to crack the top 20 of this countdown. However, due to a later story it jumped way up on my list of Beatles songs. Paul McCartney stated in an interview that the guitar part for the song was inspired by Bach's Bourree in E Minor, which he and George Harrison had tried to learn as teenagers. The fingerpicking technique that Paul uses for the song was taught to him by singer Donovan. During the second concert of Paul's that I saw live, he mentioned before playing this track whoever had tried to learn this song on the guitar was playing it wrong because the picking he used on the song was so strange lol. Paul has also stated that the inspiration for the song was about the civil rights struggle in America during the 1960's. He was using the blackbird has a symbolism for that.

What I Love About the Song: To be honest there is not all that much going on in this song. Paul McCartney is the only member of the group on the track, playing an acoustic guitar. I do love the guitar part of this song. It has almost a calming feel to this song, like if you are all worked up about something and you happen to put this song on it will melt away all that tension. The tapping that you hear on the track is Paul tapping his feet on the floor. A lot of people initially thought it was a metronome that was being used but it turned out to only be Paul's feet tapping with the beat. I love his voice on this song too, also has a calming feel to it and sounds so beautiful along with the acoustic guitar on the song. I also enjoy the different bird chirping sounds that are used on the track to go along with the title of the song. Just a wonderfully gorgeous composition by one of music's legends.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "Take these broken wings and learn to fly." A couple of years ago I hit another rough patch in my life and my depression seemed to be taking over every aspect of my life. I had lost something important to me and I had wanted nothing more than to someway, somehow get that back. It was a Saturday morning, last June, I was at my parents house and I was down in the basement messing around on the acoustic guitar when I decided to try and learn Blackbird. So I needed to find out something about the song so I turned the song on and honestly it was like a life changing experience for me. As I listened to it I got to this line of the song and all of a sudden it all made sense to me. I had to listen to this song at least 10 more times that day. I knew what had to be done at that point, it was no longer about looking back, it was time to take my broken wings and learn to fly again. From that point on, it was like a new me had been born. Things didn't hurt like they used to, I wasn't crying like I used to, smiling was actually smiling not just a mask to fool people. I know it was cliche but I swear to God that the sky was bluer and the birds were chirping louder each time I was outside after that day. This song changed my life forever. Every time that I hear this song now it is an emotional thing for me. It made me realize that some things in life don't work out for a reason. You have to face those moments and those heartaches and allow yourself to grow from them. I know that I prayed for certain things and I bargained with God to help those things come true but they never did. And as I sit here today I couldn't be more thankful that those prayers were not answered. I never thought I would say this but I'm happy with the way things worked out and how my life has been. After all those years of struggling all it took was this line, from this song, to make me finally realize that fact.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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Released: 1969 Album: Yellow Submarine

Two of the songs that are on the final six of this countdown I placed there because of how much fun they are. This is the first of those "fun" songs. In 1968, Paul McCartney had played drums on a Paul Jones song which had barking sound effects on it. During the recording of this song, Paul started to bark without warning the other members which caused the title of the song having to be changed. Initially the song was titled by John Lennon as "Hey Bullfrog" but after Paul's barking the lyrics and title were subsequently changed to Bulldog.

What I Love About the Song: The song starts off with a killer piano riff played by John Lennon. It is then followed up by the same riff on the guitar by George Harrison, which sounds awesome especially with the effect that he has on his guitar for this song. I love how during the verses Paul's backing vocal is only on the first word of each line of the verses. Then he backs the entire chorus which sounds great along with John's vocal. Paul's bass guitar part on this song is killer as well. At 1:13 mark there is a wonderful solo done by George, which sounds even better with that guitar effect he is using on the track. Ringo's drum part, typical Ringo style, subtle and just moving the song along. But for me the best part of the song has to be the outro part. Where John and Paul just absolutely lose their damn minds lol. There is talking, barking, John laughing hysterically, Paul talking about how he has 10 children, cheering, it is just an unbelievable great and fun ending to this song.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "You think you know me but you haven't got a clue." This line of the song has become more meaningful to me over these past couple of months. A lot of times over the past few months here I have found myself thinking about the past and the future for me. And I've done a lot of thinking about myself as a person and my personality. One of the things that I have come to see about myself is just how high I have built the walls up around my heart. I feel like I have not let anybody in to get to know the real me and even with my family I don't tell them everything that happens to be going on in my own life. I know I have mentioned this one girl who lives around me and I have this hope that someday I'll get to know her better. But everytime that I think that I say but more importantly than that is that I want her to get to know me. Not me that I show to most people but the true, real me. All my flaws, strengths and anything in between I would love for her to get to know. It would be a start in tearing down these walls around myself and letting more people in to discover the kind of person that I am.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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Released: 1969 Album: Abbey Road

This song, in my opinion, is quite possibly the most underrated of all the Beatles songs out there. Over the years I have come to love this song so much that it is my second favorite part of Abbey Road, my favorite Beatles album. Paul McCartney really worked at getting his vocal to sound just right on this track. "When we were recording, I came into the studious early every day for a week to sing it by myself because at first my voice was too clear. I wanted it to sound as though I'd been performing it on stage all week." I would say that he did a great job of that because I find this to be one of Paul's best rocking vocals in his time with the Beatles. John Lennon would not agree with this sentiment, as I read once before that he did not think Paul sang the song all that well, and that he believed he should have been the one to sing on the track feeling like it was more his style of song. John recorded some backing vocals on this song and this would be his last recording session with the group, after that he would only be in the studio for mixing.

What I Love About the Song: The song starts off with a quick guitar chord and then Paul comes in with the start of his amazing vocal. John Lennon plays a great piano part that keeps the song driving forward and George has a cool guitar part in the verses where he just quickly hits a chord and then waits a hits again throughout the verse. Sounds great. I love when Paul hits the "Wooo's" in the vocal, the first one being at the 55 second mark, those always make me smile when I hear them. Paul's vocals are definitely the highlight for me in this song but I'll say that Ringo's drumming, especially right before they head into the chorus, is absolutely mind blowing. Sounds fantastic, and the more I hear this song the more I begin to think this could be the best drumming he does in the Beatles catalog. Then we go into the chorus and George has a cool little guitar picking part that sounds great and of course Paul's vocals in the chorus are amped up to another level and sound wonderful. At the 2:11 mark, before heading into the chorus, Paul says "Believe me darling" then there is another louder "Woo" on this part which once again makes me laugh a little bit. Then at 2:58 Paul sings the "Let" in "I'll never let you down" so high and loud you can hear his voice shrieking that you can feel how much he adores this girl and how much he wants her to know that he will never let her down. Then at the end you think it's all over but there a couple of guitar notes almost sounding like harmonic guitar notes that close out the song.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "Oh darling, please believe me/I'll never do you no harm." I honestly can't get enough of the vocal by Paul on this, it is that good. This line I really enjoy as well. First, I love the use of the Oh Darling, just the way he stretches out the oh part and then into the darling. But also I love how it's reassuring to her that you need to believe me I'll never do you no harm. Now of course this is something that most everybody whenever they are in a relationship will promise to the other person. It's very rare to find that somebody who will live up to and keep that promise. I hope that one day when I find that special person I can be one that will keep that promise and one that can reassure that no matter what I will never cause her any harm. And I have recently thought about that from my point of view, dealing with my anxiety issues it's scary to let people in because you are afraid they are just going to end up hurting me. But I will sometimes hear the song from that other person's point of view, where that special someone is reassuring me that she will never do me no harm and for somebody who struggles with anxiety issues we do need a little more reassurance than most others. Regardless of what point of view I hear the song from it never fails to blow me away and get me smiling when I hear it.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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Released: 1964 Album: A Hard Day's Night

Paul McCartney has written so many ballads throughout his career but this one here was his first. Paul even was able to impress himself with this one stating later on, "the first ballad I impressed myself with." John Lennon stated it was Paul's "first 'Yesterday.'" Paul wrote the song while he was dating Jane Asher but he claimed in a 1984 interview that "It was a love song, really, written for no one in particular." Paul credited George Harrison with coming up with the guitar riff, saying it" made a stunning difference to the song." The "And" that starts off the title was important to the band, it was different than most pop songs as the title came in the second verse and never repeated. There is some questions about the middle eight part which John Lennon claimed he had written but Paul McCartney stated that he had written the whole song on his own.

What I Love About the Song: The song starts off with that absolutely beautiful guitar riff written by George Harrison, and played by John, which Paul was kidding when he said it made all the difference in the world. An amazing riff to start this one off. I also love the bongos and claves that are played by Ringo throughout the song, it just makes the feel of the song that much more sweet and beautiful. You had in the vocals and lyrics by Paul and this song just totally expresses what it is like to be in love with somebody. At the thirty second mark George comes in with an arpeggiated guitar part that sounds so well when put with the acoustic guitar and the bongos. At 1:30 there is a wondeful little guitar solo played by George, that is so gorgeous and is played right with the mood of the rest of the song. It may sound weird but it's almost like what being in love would sound like lol. Then we have another chorus of the song and it takes out to the end, which it's a shame that this song is so short because it's such sweet, beautiful track you wish it could go on longer.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "And if you saw my love/You'd love her too/And I love her." So I've mentioned before on this countdown how if I were to have a wedding that the only thing I really want from that day would be to have our wedding song be something that Paul McCartney played on. And for me, there have always been a few different options but every single time that I think about that day or a wedding of mine, this is the song I always end up thinking about the first dance to. For me this is the greatest love song ever recorded and it honestly would say everything that I would want to say to my significant other. This line here too, I mean my hope is to find that woman who when you see her you think to yourself people wouldn't need to ask why I love her all they would need to do is see her and be like okay I see why he loves her. This song always seems to follow me too,seemingly everytime I'm in the car this song happens to come on and then I drift off to thinking about that wedding or just that woman I hope to meet to fall in love and the two of us alone in a room just dancing to this song.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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Released: 1969 Album: Abbey Road

Here we have another song, like the previous one, that is just beautiful in all aspects of it. This song was the one that really got people believing that George Harrison was a songwriter that could write songs on the level of Lennon-McCartney. The opening lyric of the song was taken from the title of the James Taylor song "Something in the Way She Moves." While writing this song, George imagined it being recorded in the style of Ray Charles. The inspiration for the song there is some debate over. George's first wife, Pattie, claims that he had told her that she was the inspiration for the song but reading one of my many Beatles items over the years I recall reading once how he said that he hadn't really written the song for her but once she believed that he had there was no way he could tell her after all that time that it wasn't. It's definitely one of the greatest love songs ever written in the history of music.

What I Love About the Song: The song begins with a quick drum part and then very brief, cool sounding guitar part where George makes good use of some bends. George's vocal is done very well, kind of a laid back vocal that makes it sound so innocent and sweet. I also love the rhythm guitar part, also played by George, also gives the song that sweet, loving feel to it. This song also features a very well done bass part by Paul McCartney. Once again it's kind of laid back bass part, not right in your face, but you can definitely hear it more than any other instruments in certain parts of the track. I also love how in the chorus parts everything seems to pick up in intensity, the instruments, George's vocals, and then once that's over it goes back to the almost quiet, sweet sounds from the prior parts. At 1:42 there is an amazingly beautiful guitar solo by George that leads us into the final verse and chorus of the song. Such a gorgeous sounding solo though. I also love the song basically comes full circle at the end, coming back to that opening guitar riff to close out the track.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "Somewhere in her smile she knows/All I gotta do is think of her." Once again we have a song with so many lines to choose from that makes you think of that special someone, or in my case of that future special someone. The reason I picked this line is because of the part about her smile. When I meet that special someone one of the things I hope to bring to her life is that no matter what is going on or how she is feeling I'll be able to make her smile especially those days she really needs it. One of the things I struggle with in my life is that I often don't feel or think that I'm good enough for another person. But I feel like if I'm able to make that girl smile it's her way of telling me that it's all good and that I am good enough for her in her life. Also with this song, one of the things I initially thought about my wedding song is that it had to be a song Paul McCartney sang. But then I remembered this song and I changed it to okay it needs to be a song Paul McCartney played on not necessarily sang. So right now I have about four or five songs that I would consider as my wedding song and this one is definitely on that list.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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#10

Released: 1965 Album: Rubber Soul

This song was inspired when a British journalist asked John Lennon why his songs weren't more serious and suggesting he should write a song about his childhood. After thinking about what the journalist had said, John decided to write a more serious kind of song. He wrote it in the form of a long poem reflecting on his childhood years and telling how key places in Liverpool had played a role in his life to that point. After reading over the original lyrics he had written John did not like them so he rewrote the lyrics without putting in the specific memories from his childhood and just wrote some generalized lyrics on his past. John admitted the line "Friends I still can recall, some are dead and some are living" referred to his late friend Stuart Sutcliffe who was the original bass player of The Beatles, who had left the group prior to their massive success.

What I Love About the Song: This is one of those Beatles songs that is just simply gorgeous. The melody, the lyrics everything about is just beautiful. That opening guitar riff is one of the most beautiful pieces of music the band ever came up with and it's so simple and subtle but it just works so well in the song. Then John's double tracked vocal comes in which sounds great but then you add Paul and George's harmony backing vocal and it sounds that much better as well. At 1:29 there is an absolutely fantastic piano sole done by George Martin. When recording the sole, Martin could not play it at the song's tempo. So what he did was record the sol with the tape running at half speed so when it was played back at normal speed it would sound even faster and higher, which gave the piano solo a unique sound on the track. I love that piano solo so much probably my favorite part of the song other than what we will discuss in the next section. But then again at 2:10 another part which I could say is my favorite part of the song, when John sings the vocal "In my life" he gets his voice to get way high up there and it's the perfect way to end the vocals of the song, and that beautiful guitar riff plays us out of this masterpiece.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "But of all these friends and lovers/There is no one compares with you." How amazing and downright beautiful is this lyric? This lyric always makes me think of being in love and that special someone that you are in love with. I can't wait until I find a great gal and I'm able to listen to this song with her and it gets to that line and I can tell her just how true that line is. How out of all the many great people in my life there is not one single person that can compare to her. I often let my mind wander off into the future and think about that moment a lot. When will it be? Who will it be? Will she feel the same way about me that I do her? There are a lot of questions about it and I do often worry that maybe I won't end up finding that person that this song makes me think of. But I do my best to keep my head up, try not to worry about it too much, when it's meant to happen for me it will happen, and I can't wait for her to listen to this song with me and see how she reacts when I tell her I know exactly what John was talking about when he sang that line. One day.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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#11

Released: 1965 Album: Help!

Throughout this countdown I have mentioned a poll question of what the saddest Beatles song would be. Well for me, I think this one would be the winner of that question. It's such a heartbreaking, sad song that is quite possibly one of their most well known tracks. This could also be considered the first Paul McCartney solo song, since he is the only member of the group on the track. Paul came up with the melody of this song in a dream he had one night and woke up, hurried to the piano and played the tune so he wouldn't forget it. However, he believed that he had heard it before and that he was plagiarizing another song from somebody else. So for a long time he would go around playing the song for people and asking them if they had heard this before, which none of them did. When he began to put lyrics to the melody the initial title of the song was "Scrambled Eggs." There is a string quartet on the track but I read since Paul was the only Beatle on the song there was talk of him releasing it as a Paul McCartney solo song but he decided it against that.

What I Love About the Song: There is really not all that much going on in this song. Just Paul playing a cool finger picked acoustic guitar throughout it. Watching videos of lessons on how to play this song the way he plays it is different than what most guitar teachers online are used to seeing. I love that opening guitar part that comes in first, you can tell from those first few picks that this is going to be a sad, heartbreaking one. I also think that the string quartet that is on the track really adds to the mood of the song as well as giving it an added layer instead of only being the acoustic guitar. I've said it before but I am a sucker for sad songs, and this song is always one that can be an emotional thing listening to because it will remind you of all the heartaches and sad moments you have experienced in your own life. But that's what's great about music, is it takes us back and transports us into those moments in time, even the not so great ones.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be/There's a shadow hanging over me." There are so many lyrics in this song that I could pick that could remind me of some moment in my life. I chose this one because it takes me back to when I was so happy and things were going so great for me and then all of a sudden it was like bam I was half the person I was just the day before. There was a shadow that hung over me for years and years and it seemed like I would never be able to get away from that shadow. It's interesting because I didn't want that "shadow" to be the thing that defined me but as the years continued on it seemed like it was the defining feature of my life and it led down a rough path for me. I dealt with some mental health issues, some self esteem issues and things that really affected me and things that changed me into the kind of person that I am today, for better and worse. This song always takes me back to those moments of utter despair and heartbreak. A classic masterpiece by Paul McCartney which I also was able to see twice in person at his concerts.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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#12

Released: 1965 Album: Rubber Soul

This song came about when John Lennon wanted to write a song about his extramarital affairs but he didn't want his wife at the time, Cynthia, to know that's what he was writing about. "I was trying to be sophisticated in writing about an affair. But in such a smokescreen way that you couldn't tell," he said later on about the song. In the end of the song the main character sets the woman's house on fire or as Brown always said, "He burns that bitch's house down." Pretty intense by John but however, while reading one my Beatles song books it was actually Paul McCartney's idea to have him burn the woman's house down when he wakes up and she is no longer there. Who woulda thunk it lol? Also there is some dispute about where the title of the song came from. While listening to one of the show's on the Beatles channel on Sirius it was said that John got the title from Peter Asher's room, which was done in Norwegian wood. But on the program I listened to, Peter Asher, disputes that claim stating he doesn't remember having ever had his room done with Norwegian wood.

What I Love About the Song: George Harrison always had a thing for Indian music and tried to incorporate it into some of his and the Beatles music. This song is probably the most well known song for George's use of the sitar. The opening guitar riff is great but then you had the sitar part by George and they just sound so wonderful when put together in that opening part. John's double tracked vocal is great, it's one of those Beatles songs where his vocal is right out there and so impressive right from the opening line. Paul adds a good backing vocal that, like always, sounds so fantastic next to John's. The tambourine part that Ringo adds in the chorus sections, is so well done and so catchy. I love the story that this song tells as well, once you realize he's writing about an affair, you can see where he's coming from and the story especially the way it ends with him burning down her house in anger I find so funny and petty almost lol. The melody of this song is just ahhh so fantastic, it just draws you in right from the start and the melody never goes away for the entire duration of the track.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "I once had a girl/Or should I say she once had me." I realize that this song is about an affair but this line always takes me back to past moments in my life. It reminds me of the times when I was not single and I had somebody in my life. No matter that they didn't necessarily turn out the best for me, I have nothing but pleasant, great memories of those times. It reminds me of those days when I had somebody around to talk to at night, somebody that I had to look forward to seeing and spending time with when I came home, somebody that I could be the real me around. But that line also makes me question how much of it was real you know. Did I have a girl's love or was it more one sided and she only had my love? Certain days that answer changes but it's not something that consumes my every waking moment any longer. It's something that didn't work out but something I have absolutely zero regrets about and in the end made me a better person by going through it.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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#13

Released: 1968 Album: The Beatles

This is one of George Harrison's masterpieces in his time in The Beatles. He was inspired to write this song as an exercise in randomness inspired by the Chinese I Ching. He decided to open a book and use the first words that he read after opening the book. The two words he came across were gently and weeps. And so this song was born. The song also reflects the disharmony within the group at this time, as they were spending more time working alone on their own songs instead of as one cohesive unit like prior. The lead guitar part and the solos were done by George's good friend, Eric Clapton who was never credited for his work on this song. I read somewhere before that George said inviting Eric was good for getting rid of some of the tension between the group. I remember reading how he said it was like since there was a visitor in the studio the rest of the group was on their best behavior and all the bickering and nitpicking vanished for this particular recording.

What I Love About the Song: For me the thing I love the most about this track is the guitar part. Clapton just does a fantastic job on this one with his guitar, which is par for the course for him, he's so good on that instrument. I love that little piano piece that opens the song before being joined by the guitar. I love George's voice in this song, it sounds really good along with the backing vocals of Paul and John. The two guitar solos in this song are just classic guitar parts. The thing I love about them is that you can't even tell that it's somebody else playing those solos. Sometimes if you have a guest musician on a track it may not sound the same as what is usual for that band but here Clapton does a great job of playing the parts that you can very easily see George or John or Paul playing as well. Ringo has a nice steady drum beat, not too complicated but it does a great job adding into the wonderful guitar and bass parts on the song. I also like on the last solo that leads to the end of the song where the vocals come in with "ohhh ohh ohhh" and "yeah yeah yeah" over the guitar part that takes to the end of the song.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "With every mistake we must surely be learning." I really love this line because it's something that I find to be so true and something I use in my own life. All of us are going to make mistakes, no matter who you are or what you are doing inevitably you will make a mistake. The big thing is what do you do with those mistakes. The greatest tool that we have for learning in this world is our past mistakes. I truly believe that making a mistake is the greatest learning tool in the world. I believe that when it comes to my career, my personal life, my interactions with other people, anything really can be taught better by mistakes. Sure nobody likes to make mistakes and it would be awesome if we never did make a mistake but sometimes making a mistake is better than never making one because you can learn more from that than you could by not making one. Something I always think about when I hear this song.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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#14

Released: 1968 Album: The Beatles

The inspiration behind this track was actress Mia Farrow's sister, Prudence. Both of them were in India when the Beatles went there to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Prudence became very, very serious about her meditation and she would refuse to come out of her room for days at a time. The Maharishi had assigned John Lennon and George Harrison to act as her "team buddies." They were asked to somehow coax Farrow out of her room to engage with the others that were there. As a result of this, John wrote this song as his way to try and get her to see everything was okay outside that room and she should come out with everybody. She did say later on that she had not heard the song before The Beatles recorded the song but George did tell her that they had written a song about her prior to them all leaving.

What I Love About the Song: This is one of those Beatles songs that is just absolutely, unbelievable downright beautiful each and every time that I hear it. The song starts with a lead in that was the lead out to the opening track on the album, "Back in the USSR." The song begins with a hauntingly, gorgeous acoustic guitar part played with a finger picking pattern that he had learned from the musician Donovan. Then John's vocal comes in, double-tracked, and it keeps the theme of the song going by sounding so beautiful. Paul adds a nice steady drum part that goes together perfectly with the finger picked acoustic guitar and John's double tracked vocal. The backing vocal from Paul and George where they start off with some "ahhh's" and then follow it up with repeating the word "round, round, round" sounds wonderful as well. George's lead guitar licks throughout the song also sound really cool on this song. I love the end of the song where the lead guitar and the drums kind of pick up in intensity and volume, leading us towards the finish line of this track. I love how this song ends with that acoustic guitar playing us out on its own. Such a gorgeous track.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "The sun is up, the sky is blue/It's beautiful and so are you." This lyric could quite possibly be my favorite line in any Beatles songs. I mean there are a few others than me more to me personally but this one just is so freaking good on so many levels. Every single time that I hear this line I think of one day being able to say this to a special woman in my life. It's paint a great picture of what love and beauty is all about. There have been many times, especially over the past few months, since I've started to feel better where I would be outside and find myself looking up at the blue sky and think my goodness what a beautiful sight. It would be the same type of feeling and thought if you were to look at the woman you were in love with. That's what I'm hoping for some day soon, to find that special somebody and be able to be in the car or listening to the album at home when this track comes on, and that line is sung and you can look at her and be able to tell her that line says perfectly what I feel about her. Is that somebody out there? I'd like to think so, and I'd like to think that day is not far off for me.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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#15

Released: 1968 Album: The Beatles

The Who's guitarist, Pete Townshend, had done an interview where he had discussed The Who's new song "I Can See For Miles" and talked about how loud, dirty, rocking a song that it was. Paul had read the interview in the magazine and was inspired to write a song that was even louder, dirtier and more rocking than the one The Who had done. In Britain a Helter Skelter is a carnival ride which is a tall spiral slide that winds around a tower. Later on, when Paul actually heard The Who song that Pete was referencing he was somewhat disappointed to find it was not as hard rocking as Pete had claimed. An interesting fact, in one of the takes they did of this song it lasted 27 minutes and 11 seconds, although that version was much slower than the one that ended up as the album track. A sadder part of history concerning this song was the Charles Manson murders, as he interpreted the lyrics to the song in a much worse, darker way that called he and his family to murder people.

What I Love About the Song: I absolutely love just how dirty and rocking this song is. Just an absolute jam, once again showing that The Beatles were so versatile and could make any type of song sound fantastic. That opening guitar riff right off the bat gets things moving at a torrid pace and you realize from then it's going to be a hard rocking track. Paul's voice comes in and the opening verse he is shredding the vocal chords. Even though this is a hard rock song the backing vocals sound great along with Paul's kick ass vocal. Starting at the 41 second mark there is a cool little lead guitar riff, either played by George or Paul, as they both played lead on this one, that you hear multiple times throughout the song. At 1:36 there is a nice little guitar solo, that is fairly short and not all that complicated but it just meshes well with all the other noise going on in the song. I love Paul's vocal that starts at 2:32, which is so much singing as it is just shrieking out, which on this track sounds just wonderful. At the 3 minute mark there is just some weird guitar sounds that go into a mess of noises and sounds that take us to the end of the track. And then just as you think the so has ended, the noise makes a return for a few seconds and Ringo shouts out "I got blisters on my fingers!!" Which you can totally believe to be true on this track and a great, funny way to end this song.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "When I get to the bottom/I go back to the top of the slide." The main reason I love this song so much is just because of how hard and rocking this one is. This song never really had much meaning to me on a lyrical or personal basis. But the more that I've heard this song over the past few months this line has kind of stood out to me and my life. There have been plenty of times over the years where it's felt like my life has hit bottom, sometimes rock bottom. But I find this line to be kind of an inspiring pick me up line. Once you find yourself or your life at that bottom you have to pick yourself up and go back to the top of the slide. And sure there may be more than once that you end up back at the bottom but the important thing is that you always find it within yourself to get back up, dust yourself off and keep moving back towards the top. I can attest that that's not always the easiest thing to do but it's something that must be done to make life the best that it can be.

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fixingaheart · 5 years ago

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#16

Released: 1967 Album: Magical Mystery Tour

This song was basically a middle finger by John to all those people out there who tried to decipher the meanings behind his lyrics. He deliberately put nonsense phrases and words together to see what people would say he was trying to sing about. Basically, this song has absolutely zero meaning behind the lyrics to it. He got his inspiration for some of the lyrics from Alice in Wonderland and the poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter." The beginning of the melody he later revealed came to him when he heard the notes of a police car siren that was passing by outside while he was at the piano. The lyrics about "yellow matter custard" and "dead dog's eye" came from a nursery rhyme that John and childhood friend Pete Shotten would sing as kids.

What I Love About the Song: There is so much to love about this song just because it is so freaking different than anything ever done in pop music. That opening musical intro is absolutely fantastic, along with I'm not sure what instrument but it sounds like possible it could be a violin followed by a cool Ringo drum part. Then John's vocals begin and this is one of those songs of his where his voice sounds like it's from another planet. Like it sounds so different, there is something there that makes it stand out more so than on his other vocal tracks. I love the background vocals on this song as well where they are singing "wooooo" and it almost sounds like wind blowing on it. The imagery that the lyrics provide on this song are out of this world, like it's so mind blowing and I feel like it screams colors. Like it's a psychedelic song that makes it seem like such a colorful batch of images while you are listening to the nonsense words in it. At 2:01 an alarm clock goes off and then there is a small little string instrument solo section that leads into a cool lyric about "sitting in an English garden." My favorite part of the song is at the 2:43 mark, after he talks about the joker and the backing vocals sing the laughing part "ho ho ho, he he he, ha ha ha" that parts always cracks me up and I never miss singing that part out loud while listening to this in the car. The end of the song is just a mess of noises and sounds, lyrics of "oompa oompa oompa stick it up your jumper", alarm clocks going off, string instruments, people talking in the background like from a radio. It's just a mess of pointless sounds and words, that just in the context of this song is a downright masterpiece.

Lyric that kills me/Personal story of the song: "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye/Crabalocker fishwife, pornographic priestess/Boy, you been a naughty girl you let your knickers down." This song is one of those Beatles tracks that has really no personal story or meaning for me behind it. And honestly how could there be. With a mish mash of words and phrases that have zero meaning behind them it would be quite hard to find something meaningful from them. But damnit do some of these phrases and lyrics sound absolutely wonderful when put together. Like this lyric here always makes me smile and sounds just brilliant to me. Like what the f is a crabalocker, is that even word? I'm honestly not too sure. This song is an absolute gem and it was pure genius by John to put so many weird lines together just to see what people would say they believed he was trying to say with these words and phrases.

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