Album Summary: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

At eleven songs, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was quite a short album, but was certainly not short of talent, skill, and emotion. We can see the effects of primal therapy on John's lyrics, which talk about his parents, his thoughts and feelings on various emotional topics, etc. We also see the effects Yoko Ono had on his music, whether it's a love song or he's mentioned her in some way; her influence also goes much deeper than simple lyrical references.

Overall I quite enjoyed the album. I don't think there was a song I straight up disliked--while "Remember" and "God" were awkward in some ways (for me, at least), I still enjoyed them a great deal for other reasons. If the lyrics were strangely or awkwardly delivered, the music was phenomenal; if the music wasn't my favorite, the lyrics more than made up for it. Songs like "Look at Me", and the lyrics of "God", were my favorites and really got into my head. I think that Lennon really delivered with this album, proving he could fly solo with ease and showcasing his prodigious talent.

Tomorrow we'll start the next album, Imagine. See you then!

My Mummy's Dead

"My Mummy's Dead" is the final song on John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. It's very short, and set to the tune of "Three Blind Mice", giving it a distinctive childlike atmosphere. It undoubtedly arose from John's primal therapy sessions.

Julia Lennon was hit by a car when Lennon was only 17, an event that traumatized him greatly and served as a catalyst for his entire life. Wikipedia's section on Julia's death and her influence on John is a short but good read, and I recommend clicking through to check it out.

Although it's more of a nursery rhyme than a song, "My Mummy's Dead" strikes a deep chord and John's pain resonates with the listener. We heard his love for her in "Julia", and his anger at her death in "Mother", but this is the one that best shows his pain. Wikipedia states in Julia Lennon's article: "Biographer Ian MacDonald wrote that she was, 'to a great extent... her son's muse.'"

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Heard It Tally: 1

Songs Completed: 11

God

Hope you had a restful 4th of July... I relaxed on my day off. :)

Today's song has a pretty heavy title--"God". It's suitable though, really, because this is a heavy song. It feels like the music by itself could serve as a replacement theme for "The Wonder Years", while the lyrics are no doubt still pissing off some fundamentalist Christians somewhere. But before I get too gleeful, let's examine the words verse by verse.

"God is a concept / by which we measure / our pain." That line is so powerful that John decided to "say it again". He wasn't shy about redefining traditional concepts--like taking the Personal Jesus and turning it into a more rational idea, in this case a measure for pain.

The next verse is a list of all the things John Lennon doesn't believe in. I did a bit of a double-take when I heard him sing, "I don't believe in Zimmerman". He was referring to Bob Dylan, but of course I immediately thought of the Trayvon Martin case which is currently shaking things up in this country. Coincidentally I happen to agree with John on both counts--I'm not a huge Dylan fan (maybe I just haven't heard enough of his music), and I'm not a George Zimmerman supporter, either. Lennon's a prophet!

The third and final verse is my favorite. It connects with the last line on his List of Disbelief, "I don't believe in Beatles", and takes it a few steps further.

The dream is over
What can I say?
The dream is over
Yesterday
I was the dream weaver
But now I'm reborn
I was the Walrus
But now I'm John
And so dear friends
You just have to carry on
The dream is over.

"Yesterday" and "I Am the Walrus" are of course references to Beatles songs. The line where he says he "was the dream weaver" remind me of songs like "Across the Universe", a song which feels like an ephemeral dream world made into music. Wikipedia adds a note on the repeated line, "The dream is over":  "The final line of the song, 'The dream is over' represents Lennon's stance that the myth 'the Beatles were God' had come to an end. 'If there is a God,' Lennon explained, 'we're all it.'"

Overall I would have to say that Lennon, who'd announced during the height of Beatlemania that The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus", created a great sequel to that claim in "God".

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Heard It Tally: 1

Songs Completed: 10

Look at Me

Today's song is "Look at Me", a questioning sort of ballad featuring only John's double-tracked vocals and him on guitar. It was written when The Beatles were still together and creating the White Album. Wikipedia gives us some background on the distinctive picking pattern:

The pattern of the song is fairly prominent throughout the song. It was built from a finger-picking technique that Lennon used while with The Beatles, including "Dear Prudence", "Happiness Is a Warm Gun", and "Julia", all of which were also written during the White Album sessions. Lennon learned the song's finger-picking guitar style (known as 'Travis-picking') from the Scottish musician Donovan who was with Lennon at the time at Rishikesh, India.

It's a beautiful song. The notes seem to just float around, each one expertly crafted and sent off into the air. The insecure and almost rueful queries that comprise the lyrics don't tell a story, but instead give shape to a mood. There's a lot of feeling in this song and I love it.

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Heard It Tally: 1

Songs Completed: 9

Well Well Well

Today I listened to "Well Well Well", which opens with a pretty sick guitar riff, a lot heavier compared to what I've heard so far on this album. The lyrics are interesting, and there's a lot more screaming in the middle than I expected. I like this one a lot.

The neat thing about this song is that it works equally well as a tongue-in-cheek love song ("She looked so beautiful I could eat her"), a call for revolution ("We talked of women's liberation / and how the hell we could get things done"), an enigmatic puzzle ("We both were nervous, feeling guilty / and neither one of us knew just why"), or just a blues-infused rock song. Put all together, it adds up to more than the sum of its parts. Thus far I'd have to say it's my favorite from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, but the album isn't over yet!

I'm going to count this as one I've heard before--it was in The Departed (2006), so I know for a fact I've heard it, although I don't remember precisely which part of the movie it was in. One of my favorite bands, Cold War Kids, also did a cover which is pretty cool and very faithful to the original.

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Heard It Tally: 1

Songs Completed: 8

Love

Today's song is a ballad called "Love". It begins very quietly in the original album version, with Phil Spector on piano, and John singing and playing acoustic guitar. It was also re-released on The John Lennon Collection in 1982, two years after his death.

It's another minimalist tune, featuring only two instruments and Lennon's vocals. The lyrics kind of remind me of the cheesy bible verse everyone quotes at weddings (you know the one); however, while they're simple, they aren't simplistic. Lennon delivers a powerful message with only a handful of lines and a nice melody. That's pretty impressive, whichever way you care to look at it, and it was one of his greatest talents--brevity.

One last interesting fact is from Wikipedia: "The picture on the sleeve for 1982 release of 'Love' was taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz on 8 December 1980—the very day of Lennon's murder."

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Heard It Tally: 0

Songs Completed: 7

Remember

Today's jam is "Remember". This one has a little more going on than what we've heard already, and is based on John's experiences in primal therapy (as I've mentioned previously). While the beat is quicker, the vocals are slower to arrive, creating a kind of dissonance within the song. It even induced a little anxiety in me while I was listening to it, because I had to wait for John to sing the next couple of words each time. Maybe I'm just impatient?

In the song, Lennon references the Fifth of November, a British holiday also known as Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night. Some people (myself included, at one point) assume that the purpose of the often-raucous holiday, celebrated with fireworks and huge bonfires, is to praise Fawkes as a hero, for nearly blowing up the House of Lords in 1605. However, people often burn effigies of Fawkes (and the Pope, in the past) as part of the event--the actual celebration is the fact that the king, James I, escaped the Gunpowder Plot with his life, and Fawkes was caught and hanged as a traitor to the crown. Unfortunately the holiday has been used in the past to persecute Catholics, a tradition that has luckily all but discontinued, but which still leaves its mark on many places in England.

Now, what all this has to do with the point of the song... that's beyond me. The only similarity I can see is the refrain, "Remember, remember", which are the first two words of the poem commemorating the night of the original attempted crime. The words sometimes vary here and there, but the version from V for Vendetta is essentially the same and possibly even slightly more poetic:

Remember, remember, the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot.
I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

It's kind of a lot of explanation for what amounts to a passing reference at the end of the song, but it's an interesting historical tidbit nonetheless. Overall I'm neutral toward the song; I enjoy the beat and the music, but the delivery of the lyrics is somewhat taxing, and the lyrics themselves make a little less sense than I normally enjoy. It seems to be a general encouragement towards the listener to remember the past, but not get hung up on it.

In the end, I'm actually much more bothered by the fact Lennon got the second line wrong. The past tense of hang, as in "to hang a person" rather than to hang, say, a picture, is hanged. The person was hanged; the picture was hung. Grammar, people!

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Heard It Tally: 0

Songs Completed: 6

Isolation

"Isolation" is the fifth track on the album. It's minimalist like its predecessors, and featured John singing and playing piano and organ, Ringo on drums, and Klaus Voormann on bass. The lyrics are where Yoko Ono comes in, and also hint at the activities that they'd been getting up to lately: the words refer to "a boy and a little girl / trying to change the whole wide world".

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was released in 1970. Just a year earlier, knowing their wedding would be a huge deal around the world, John and Yoko decided to use it to spread their anti-war message. They spent their honeymoon in Amsterdam and staged a "bed-in"--basically staying in bed, surrounded by photogs and members of the press from 9am to 9pm, for a week.

There are conflicting accounts of just what people were expected to take away from this publicity stunt for peace. On one hand, this wasn't their last bed-in (they held another at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal not long after the first), and in December 1969 they put up billboards in major cities around the world, proclaiming that "WAR IS OVER! If You Want It - Happy Christmas From John and Yoko". On the other hand, however, Wikipedia notes that Lennon himself seemed to be disappointed that people took the bed-in at face value:

Following the event, when asked if he thought the Bed-In had been successful, John became rather frustrated. He insisted that the failure of the press to take the couple seriously was part of what he and Yoko wanted: "It's part of our policy not to be taken seriously. Our opposition, whoever they may be, in all manifest forms, don't know how to handle humour. And we are humorous."

So, the bed-in was meant to be humorous as another tool with which to combat those party-pooping warmongers Up Top, but it was taken seriously--too seriously--by the couple's fans and by the media. Lennon might be the only artist I know of who complained of being taken seriously (usually artists and celebrities only do it when they've made a cultural or societal faux pas and want everyone to think it was "all just a joke, people!").

I like the song. It has a simple message and reveals the loneliness that Lennon was feeling at the time. He was one of the biggest stars in the entire world, and while he was attempting to use that fame for a good cause, he was also feeling very much alone. Alone--with Yoko, that is. I wonder if he also felt alone without all of his Beatles brothers standing next to him as usual, or if he was glad to be rid of them and be out on his own. We know he still felt a good deal of anger towards them (judging from his digs at them in "I Found Out"), but we'll just have to wait and see if anything else emerges over the course of the album.

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Heard It Tally: 0

Songs Completed: 5

Working Class Hero

Today's song, "Working Class Hero", is Lennon's ode to the little guy. It's just John, his voice, and his guitar; the simplicity of the song lends itself well to the mood. You can almost imagine it as a traditional folk song, instead of a song about blue-collar people written by a rich white guy (who, granted, came from working-class Liverpool).

The lyrics have a special, almost Dylan quality to them. They're timeless, and in fact are still quite relevant today. In the Occupy age, the era of the Arab Spring and uprisings around the world, "Working Class Hero" serves as a tale of warning for the people: the rich and powerful need a foil. They need people to make them more rich, more powerful, and to keep them that way--and you're just the one for the job. Thus, "a working class hero is something to be". You're contributing to society when I keep you poor, uneducated, and downtrodden, so keep your chin up! You're a hero! Lennon is here drawing attention to the very idea that caused droves of people to camp out on Wall Street and in cities around the country to demand justice, fairness, equality. I'd say that's pretty timeless.

There was of course a hullabaloo regarding the two expletives in the lyrics; in some countries the song and jacket lyrics were censored, and some stations banned the song outright. The student-run station at Georgetown University, however, decided to play the song uncensored, and ran into a little trouble for it:

In 1973, US Representative Harley Orrin Staggers heard the song — which includes the lines "'Til you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules" and "But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see" — on WGTB and lodged a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The manager of the station, Ken Sleeman, faced a year in prison and a $10,000 fine, but defended his decision to play the song saying, "The People of Washington, DC are sophisticated enough to accept the occasional four-letter word in context, and not become sexually aroused, offended, or upset." The charges were dropped.

That makes me laugh a little--nothing like a verbal smackdown in a legal setting. :P

Overall, good song. It's built upon one of the most basic principles of music: a voice and an instrument; yet the message is universally applicable. I do suspect John would actually be disappointed that people today can still relate so closely to his lyrics. He'd probably wonder why the hell we haven't figured this stuff out already. I wonder that too sometimes.

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Heard It Tally: 0

Songs Completed: 4

I Found Out

"I Found Out" is another minimalist tune from John, but similar to "Mother", it's rather more on the negative side ("negative" of course being altogether dependent on the listener's individual viewpoint). Lennon snarls out the words with an impressively caustic vocal style while Ringo kills it on drums. The lyrics mainly speak to John's disenchantment with religion. He singles out several religions in biting attacks, and even goes for the throat when he rips into his former Beatles bandmates, George and Paul. The fourth verse hints at and mocks George Harrison's interest and belief in eastern spirituality:

Old Hare Krishna got nothing on you
Just keep you crazy with nothing to do
Keep you occupied with pie in the sky
There ain't no guru who can see through your eyes.

In the final verse he takes a more direct stab at McCartney, with whom he had shared such a tumultuous bromance in earlier years: "I seen through junkies, I been through it all / I seen religion from Jesus to Paul". Here, Lennon's likening religion to drug addiction (a similarity I can agree with, generally speaking), but he also references Paul. Presumably he's speaking of Paul, the Apostle formerly known asשָׁאוּל . However, it's also a snide reference to Paul the Beatle. John's (possibly) suggesting that everyone who likes Paul McCartney is simply subscribing to another false religion and might as well be just another empty-headed junkie. In this respect, John reminds me of a hipster--he hated Paul before it was cool. It's a really obscure hate, you probably haven't heard of it.

The first verse is my favorite... all that talk about "stay[ing] away from my door / Don't give me that brother, brother, brother, brother". Looks like the Jehovah's Witnesses paid a visit to John Lennon at some point. :P

Despite the obvious sense of disappointment that Lennon conveys through his trenchant lyrics, I actually like the overall message. I happen to agree with the basic idea, and although I can identify somewhat with the anger, it's not a dominant aspect of my own experiences so it's a little more brutal to me. Overall what I enjoy and understand most about this song are the last lines of the fourth and fifth verses, which inform the listener that no religion can replace his/her own life experiences, which are worth more than devotion to any supernatural deity. "There ain't no guru who can see through your eyes", and "No one can harm you, feel your own pain" seem to encourage us to respect our own experience and rely on ourselves to work through hardships. That's a message I can get behind. :)

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Heard It Tally: 0

Songs Completed: 3

Hold On

Today's song is "Hold On", a spartan number that encourages John, Yoko, and the world to "hold on... it's gonna be alright". Interestingly (and randomly), John growls the word "cookie" in the middle, a la Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. I'm not quite sure where that fits in the bigger picture, but the rest of the song is quite mellow and relaxing, as well as generally positive.

This one's a short song and there isn't too much going on with it, so I'll just close this post with a note: I suspect there will be several songs on this album (and possibly in the future) that will be difficult to write much about, as well as some that will inspire me to wax poetic. So we'll just have to see what comes out!

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Heard It Tally: 0

Songs Completed: 2

Mother

We begin the second half of our odyssey with John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970), John Lennon's debut solo album. The album involved him, Yoko Ono, Klaus Voormann, and Ringo Starr as the main musical contributors. Different tracks on the album featured various musicians and others including Phil Spector, Billy Preston, and more.

The album as a whole is considered one of Lennon's best accomplishments of his entire solo career. He explores many themes throughout; we'll examine them more closely as we go, but the Wikipedia article gives us an interesting tidbit (from Lennon Revealed by Larry Kane, 2005):

After the Beatles' break-up in April 1970, both Lennon and Ono undertook primal therapy with the guidance of Arthur Janov for four months in Los Angeles. Janov's therapy technique emphasized emotionally reliving repressed childhood traumas rather than analytical discussion. Lennon's experience in primal therapy strongly influenced both the lyrical content of the album, pushing Lennon towards themes of child-parent relationships and psychological suffering, and the simple but intense style of the album's music.

It makes me wonder what percentage of the world's music was written at the encouragement of the musician's therapist. 

Today's song is the first track from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, "Mother". As noted above, the song was inspired by Lennon's experiences in therapy post-Beatles, specifically his sense of abandonment by his parents. His father left the family when he was very young, and his mother, often absent from his life, was killed by a car when John was 17.

The song opens with the tolling of bells, funereal and ominous. While the music overall is fairly simple-sounding (no complicated riffs or solos), the piano stands out. If I didn't know better, I'd say Ringo's drums sound like a synthesizer or drum machine--they're so perfectly steady. John's singing could more accurately be called a lament, and over the course of the song we hear his voice degrade further into a more visceral, ripping cry. It's definitely the most prominent aspect of the song and I think it defines the mood even more than the lyrics.

Overall a good, slow, sad song; I can see already how Lennon's experiences in therapy influenced him, and I'm interested to hear more and see where it takes him. 

More tomorrow!

Also: I'm going to restart the Heard It tally, to be fair. :)

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Heard It Tally: 0

Songs Completed: 1

Get back to where you once belonged...

Man, that month-long hiatus took forever. I have my excuses--I moved across the country, I got a job and an internship that take up most of my time, etc. But now I'm getting back to where I once belonged... and I'm pretty excited about it!

So, we'll be starting up again where we left off: with the boys, post-Beatles breakup, going off on their own in a big, scary world, creating music and doing their thing. I'll go in the traditional order (John, Paul, George, Ringo), but seeing as how the second and fourth are still alive and making music, I'm guessing they'll take much longer than the other two (and could turn into ongoing projects).

I'm pretty stoked, both to hear more music from these talented dudes and to see where their evolution took/is taking them. I'd also like to examine how The Beatles as a creative force influenced their individual sound, style, lyrics, etc. There are some documentaries available that I've seen bits and pieces of (like George Harrison: Living in the Material World) that I may review at some point as well, when I reach that point in time, to supplement our understanding of that artist's development and life journey.

One aspect I'm not quite sure about is the other other Fifth Beatle, Yoko Ono. I'm somewhat familiar with her work as an artist, since we studied her as part of my contemporary art class in college; I may or may not end up doing a separate post or two on her, both as an artist and as a huge influence and muse for John. ("Force of nature" might be a more apt description.) We'll see how that pans out in the future, maybe once I'm finished with John's discography.

That's it for now... I'll officially start in with the music tomorrow. I need a little time to plan this one out since it's a much bigger project than the original Beatles blog. :) So, I'll see you tomorrow!

The Fork in the Road (or, Take a Sad Song and Make It Better)

Today's song is... not a song. 

I got ready to post my 212th Beatles song today and discovered that I finally reached the final unheard Past Masters song--yesterday. Since I hadn't been paying too much attention--simply going day by day and not looking ahead--it was quite a surprise. I realized it would arrive someday (even when this blog felt like it would never go anywhere), and during the past two weeks or so I knew the end was imminent since I was getting close to the magic number (which I believed was 208, but ended up being 211). It's just one of those things you never really expect to finally see but that creep up on you unawares, much like homework deadlines or your birthday. 

Looking back, it's been an amazing journey. I've spent the better part of a year committed to this project--that's a pretty substantial chunk of time. Although I missed a day here and there, I never once skipped a song, something I'm rather proud of (if I didn't post one day, I posted twice the next to make up for it). I guess I passed my self-imposed test of commitment. :P

As far as my Heard It Tally, the final numbers were 54 (songs I'd heard previously) out of 211 (songs total), giving me a 25.6% rate. It was about 10% higher than I predicted starting out, but overall my guess wasn't too far off. Additionally, I've learned more than I ever expected, and discovered so many fantastic songs that I probably never would've heard otherwise. That to me is one of the highlights of this blog; the sheer amount of education that I gained was invaluable, even if that education came from Wikipedia. ;)

Now the time has come for me to say goodbye to The Beatles... or at least to "The Beatles". I'll be taking a short hiatus, and then I'll begin covering each Beatle's solo discography, beginning with John Lennon and finishing in the expected order with Mr. Richard Starkey.

So, until then...

You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)

"You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" is an exceedingly weird song written by Lennon. According to Wikipedia:

The song is a music hall comedy number. Lennon came up with the lyric/title after seeing a phone book. He said:

That was a piece of unfinished music that I turned into a comedy record with Paul. I was waiting for him in his house, and I saw the phone book was on the piano with 'You know the name, look up the number.' That was like a logo, and I just changed it.

The song contains various weird vocalizations and different music styles that imitate some of The Beatles' contemporaries. Overall, it's a quirky song that starts off only a little odd and devolves into something truly bizarre. At this juncture I'm unable to decide how I feel about this song on a personal level. :P

That's it for now... see you tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 54

Songs Completed: 211

Old Brown Shoe

Today we hear Harrison's "Old Brown Shoe", which was the B-side to "The Ballad of John and Yoko". Wikipedia notes:

Harrison commented about this song: "I started the chord sequences on the piano, which I don't really play, and then began writing ideas for the words from various opposites... Again, it's the duality of things – yes no, up down, left right, right wrong, etc." This idea was also prevalent in their earlier single, "Hello, Goodbye".

It's a fun love song, one that makes you laugh. I particularly enjoyed the line, "I want a short-haired girl who sometimes wears it twice as long" as well as "If I grow up I'll be a singer / Wearing rings on every finger", which I took to be a humorous nod to Ringo, who was known for wearing lots of rings. 

John and Paul were great lyricists in their own ways, and had distinctive and individual styles that were hard to miss. However, when it came to writing love songs, George was the undisputed master. It's funny, how it took a long time for Harrison to even start writing lyrics that he felt comfortable enough to show to his bandmates, and he ends up writing some of the group's best songs. :)

That's it for now... See you tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 54

Songs Completed: 210

The Ballad of John and Yoko

"The Ballad of John and Yoko" is a song written by Lennon in 1969. The song is not a "ballad" in the modern sense (that is, a slower-paced and often powerful love song, i.e. the "power ballad"); it's in the traditional style of a narrative poem in a song. The ballad chronicles Lennon's and Ono's wedding and honeymoon, including an account of their "'Bed-In' at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel and their demonstration of 'bagism.'" (Both the bed-in and bagism are noteworthy reads; I recommend losing yourself in the Wikipedia articles for a while.)

During the recording session, the group was missing two members: George Harrison was on holiday, and Ringo Starr was filming The Magic Christian. Wikipedia continues:

In his biography, McCartney recalls that Lennon had had a sudden inspiration for the song and had suggested that the two of them should record it immediately, without waiting for the other Beatles to return. Reflecting this somewhat unusual situation, the session recordings include the following exchange:

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

McCartney (on drums): "OK, George!"

The song wasn't well-received in some circles, however. Lennon, who had uttered the infamous "more famous than Jesus" line, again drew the ire of conservative religious groups and radio stations, who took offense at the chorus of the song:

Christ, you know it ain't easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going 
They're gonna crucify me

In addition, and somewhat more hilariously, "The Spanish government under Franco objected to the song due to its statement that Gibraltar was "near Spain". The status of Gibraltar was a subject of debate between Spain and the United Kingdom at that time." How random is that? :P

I like this song quite a bit. Although I have mixed feelings about the Lennon/Ono mythos, particularly its effects on The Beatles as a group, this song seems to embody the best parts of their relationship--the creativity and inspiration that they produced when they were together (which, let's be honest, was all the time). If ever there was a "good parts" version of their relationship, it's "The Ballad of John and Yoko". 

That's all for today. See you tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 54

Songs Completed: 209

Don't Let Me Down

"Don't Let Me Down" is an angst-ridden ballad, written by John Lennon for Yoko Ono. It was recorded during the 1969 Get Back/Let It Be sessions, but was dropped by Spector from Let It Be. According to Wikipedia:

...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 Beatles performed this song twice during their rooftop concert, which, as we know, was the last time they performed together publicly (or somewhat publicly, as it were).

As far as love songs go, it's very anguished and heart-wrenching. Lennon's vocals (particularly on the version I listened to first, followed by the rooftop version) are fierce and send his passionate shrieks straight to listeners' hearts (and eardrums, if you're like me and crank the volume up). "Don't Let Me Down" is a relays a message that most, if not all, people can relate to: the anxiety, insecurity and nervousness involved in giving your heart to someone. 

That's it for today... see you tomorrow.

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Heard It Tally: 54

Songs Completed: 208

Revolution

We heard the experimental "Revolution 9" and the remix "Revolution 1". Now it's time for the original version, "Revolution". It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon/McCartney, and according to Wikipedia:

"Revolution" was inspired by political protests in early 1968. Lennon's lyrics expressed doubt about some of the tactics. When the single version was released in August, the political left viewed it as betraying their cause. The release of the album version in November indicated Lennon's uncertainty about destructive change, with the phrase "count me out" modified to "count me out, in". In 1987, the song became the first Beatles recording to be licensed for a television commercial, which prompted a lawsuit from the surviving members of the group.

The protests, which were against the Vietnam War in America (along with protests in Poland and France, among others) inspired The Beatles to express a political statement for only the second time ever (the first being in Harrison's "Taxman"). Like most (if not all) political statements, "Revolution" left a bitter taste in many fans' and critics' mouths. Some critics, however, took a different view of the song:

Music journalist Greil Marcus noted that the political critics had overlooked the music; he wrote that while "there is sterility and repression in the lyrics", the "freedom and movement in the music ... dodges the message and comes out in front." Among later music critics, Dave Marsh included "Revolution" in his 1989 book covering the 1001 greatest singles, describing it as a "gem" with a "ferocious fuzztone rock and roll attack" and a "snarling" Lennon vocal. Writing for Allmusic, Richie Unterberger called "Revolution" one of The Beatles' "greatest, most furious rockers" with "challenging, fiery lyrics" where the listener's "heart immediately starts pounding before Lennon goes into the first verse".

I agree with Marcus about the lyrics and the music telling vastly different stories. While the lyrics make me a little bit mad at John--protester extraordinaire, if somewhat lazy--the music is indeed ferocious and almost makes your blood boil just listening to it. For that reason, I forgive John his ill-conceived notions about what revolutions should and shouldn't do. :P

That's all for now. See you tomorrow. :)

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Heard It Tally: 53

Songs Completed: 207

Hey Jude

Today we hear possibly The Beatles' most famous song: "Hey Jude". Allegedly written by Paul McCartney for Julian Lennon, John Lennon's oldest son, the song was originally called "Hey Jules". According to Wikipedia, "More than seven minutes in length, 'Hey Jude' was, at the time, the longest single ever to top the British charts."

While the back story of the song--Paul writing it to comfort Julian Lennon during his parents' divorce--is the most commonly believed version (including by Julian himself, who said he often felt closer to McCartney than to his own father), there are alternate versions that are equally interesting and possible. These include: that Paul wrote the song about John (which Lennon firmly believed), that Paul wrote the song about himself (he was breaking up with Jane Asher around that time), or that Paul wrote the song about various other people (most of them random). 

Wikipedia gives us this funny tidbit:

Ringo Starr almost missed his drum cue. He left for a toilet break—unnoticed by the other Beatles—and the band started recording. In 1994, McCartney said, "Ringo walked out to go to the toilet and I hadn't noticed. The toilet was only a few yards from his drum booth, but he'd gone past my back and I still thought he was in his drum booth. I started what was the actual take, and 'Hey Jude' goes on for hours before the drums come in and while I was doing it I suddenly felt Ringo tiptoeing past my back rather quickly, trying to get to his drums. And just as he got to his drums, boom boom boom, his timing was absolutely impeccable."

For me, however, the most interesting fact about this song is this one:

When McCartney introduced Lennon to his new composition, he came to "the movement you need is on your shoulder" and told Lennon "I'll fix that bit." Lennon asked why, and McCartney answered "...it's a stupid expression; it sounds like a parrot." Lennon parried with "You won't, you know. That's the best line in the song." McCartney thus left the line in, and later said "...when I play that song, that's the line when I think of John, and sometimes I get a little emotional during that moment."

For me, "Hey Jude" symbolizes the McCartney + Lennon saga more than any other song, even more than "Carry That Weight" or others that were written by one specifically about the other. This song, which (if you believe the main theory) was written for his best friend's son, represents all of the best parts of their partnership and friendship. It gives encouragement and hope instead of the more common criticism and resentment that was often exchanged between the two. That's why this is one of my absolute favorite Beatles songs--although there are many amazing songs out there that showcase John and Paul's collaborations, to me, nothing says "Lennon/McCartney" like "Hey Jude". 

That's it for today... see you tomorrow.

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Heard It Tally: 52

Songs Completed: 206