Ticket to Ride

"Ticket to Ride" is the final song on the first side of Help! and the last from the film as well. There's a dispute over who contributed more to its writing, Lennon or McCartney. Most people agree John was the primary creator, but Paul's role is less certain. John said once that Paul's contribution was the equivalent of "the way Ringo played the drums", suggesting a limited role, while Paul maintained he was responsible for at least 40%. Honestly, the more interesting part for me is not who was mostly responsible for writing a song, but rather who would claim he contributed more afterward. :P

The lyrics talk about a girl who's leaving her man, the singer. The music is great; it has a slower tempo than a lot of the songs on this album (so far), and it's also the longest, clocking in at three minutes, ten seconds. Interestingly, "Lennon proudly claimed that it was the first heavy metal song given the droning bassline, repeating drums, and loaded guitar lines." I'm not sure I agree with labeling "Ticket to Ride" a heavy metal song, but maybe I'm just too stuck in our modern definition of "heavy metal". :P

There are several possible sources for the lyrics, particularly for the phrase "ticket to ride". Wikipedia gives us some to consider: 

While the song lyrics describe a girl "riding out of the life of the narrator", the inspiration of the title phrase is unclear. McCartney said it was "a British Railways ticket to the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight", and Lennon said it described cards indicating a clean bill of health carried by Hamburg prostitutes in the 1960s. The Beatles played in Hamburg early in their musical career, and "ride/riding" was slang for having sex.

There you have it. :P

That's all for today... Another mark for the Heard It Tally, and another song for tomorrow. :) See you then.

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Heard It Tally: 12

Songs Completed: 80