Man, when I saw what today's song was, I got excited, remembering the Evan Rachel Wood version from Across the Universe. However, after hearing the actual song, complete with Paul's oddly wobbly voice, I'm somewhat less thrilled. It's not just me, either; apparently even the Beatles themselves disliked "Hold Me Tight".
Both McCartney and John Lennon, at one time or another, shared their distaste for the song, and in a 1980s interview with Mark Lewisohn in The Beatles Recording Sessions, McCartney says, "I can't remember much about that one. Certain songs were just 'work' songs, you haven't got much memory of them. That's one of them." In Barry Miles' Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, the songwriter calls it "a failed attempt at a single which then became an acceptable album filler." Lennon in 1980 said "That was Paul's....It was a pretty poor song and I was never really interested in it."
Can I first say how hilarious it is that Lennon constantly disowned and trivialized Paul's work, whether or not it was actually of lesser quality? I'm not trying pass judgment on John, though, because I'm sure Paul did the same thing to him from time to time. It's just amusing, is all. :P
Anyway, despite Ian McDonald's fondness for the song ("Play it loud with the bass boosted, and you have an overwhelming motoric rocker strongly redolent of the band's live sound"), I have to agree with everyone else. The Beatles' version is just not up to par. Perhaps it can be partially blamed on the fact that "Hold Me Tight" was recorded for inclusion on Please Please Me but didn't make the cut--if it wasn't good enough for the first album, it was probably not good enough for the second. But artists make mistakes, and mediocre songs, and it's okay. :)
To make up for the less-than-stellar song of the day, here's a super-stellar picture of the Beatles holding each other tight. :) See you tomorrow!
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Heard It Tally: 1
Songs Completed: 23
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