"Getting Better" is today's song, and was written by both Lennon and McCartney. Their different personalities come through in the lyrics, as Wikipedia notes:
The song's title and music suggest optimism, but some of the song's lyrics have a more negative tone. In this sense, it reflects the contrasting personas of the two songwriters. In response to McCartney's line, "It's getting better all the time", Lennon replies, "It can't get no worse!" Referring to the lyric "I used to be cruel to my woman/I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved/Man I was mean but I'm changing my scene/And I'm doing the best that I can", Lennon admitted that he had done things in relationships in the past that he was not happy about.
We can see from the lyrics that they're at least partially autobiographical; John was always in crisis, and The Beatles' increasing drug use probably didn't help. In fact, there is an incident associated with this song, which is pasted below from Wikipedia.
One of the recording sessions for "Getting Better" is famous for an incident involving Lennon. During the 21 March 1967 session in which producer George Martin added a piano solo to Lovely Rita, Lennon complained that he did not feel well and could not focus. He had accidentally taken LSD when he meant to take an upper. Unaware of the mistake, Martin took him up to the roof of Abbey Road Studios for some fresh air, and returned to Studio Two where McCartney and Harrison were waiting. They knew why Lennon was not well, and upon hearing where Lennon was, rushed to the roof to retrieve him and prevent a possible accident.
One thing I've noticed is that Paul McCartney has always been adamant about minimizing the effects of the drugs on The Beatles' music. I can accept that it opened them up to inspiration and helped them create beautiful music. It's just interesting to me, the vastly different effects it had on the different Beatles.
"Getting Better" is okay, though it's not my favorite. Sort of a neutral reaction, I think. The pianet played by George Martin (he hit the keys with a mallet) provides a very solid backing, and the lyrics are interesting but not fascinating. Overall, not too bad. :)
That's it for now... See you tomorrow.
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Heard It Tally: 24
Songs Completed: 118
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