Album Summary: Magical Mystery Tour

Magical Mystery Tour has been a fantastic album--almost as great as Sgt. Pepper in my mind. We went through several more classic Beatles songs (including "I Am the Walrus", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Penny Lane", and today's "All You Need Is Love"), and I got to hear plenty of new (to me) songs that I loved.

MMT seemed to me like the perfect follow-up album to Sgt. Pepper. It continued on the psychedelic path its forerunner had established, but still took an offshoot route. Although it didn't seem to have the same kind of "journey" vibe, it still had more of that than previous albums, which I quite enjoyed. Overall, this is probably my second-favorite album so far. :)

See you tomorrow for a new song and a new album!

All You Need Is Love

Today we finish Magical Mystery Tour with one of the most recognizable Beatles songs: "All You Need Is Love". It was written by John Lennon. 

The Beatles were asked to come up with a song containing a simple message to be understood by all nationalities. "It was an inspired song and they really wanted to give the world a message," said Brian Epstein. "The nice thing about it is that it cannot be misinterpreted. It is a clear message saying that love is everything."

During the last refrain which fades out gradually, the Beatles were accompanied by friends and family (including Mick Jagger and Keith Moon), who helped sing and clap their hands.

There's just something so pleasant, so warm and fuzzy, so reassuring and smile-inducing about this song. It was wonderful to come home to this particular song after a tough day, because I went from stressed and grumpy to cheerful and singing loudly. :P I especially like how the song ends with the guys singing, "She loves you, yeah yeah yeah". Kind of tops it off right.

That's all for the song--stay tuned for the album summary!

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Heard It Tally: 33

Songs Completed: 138

Baby, You're a Rich Man

Today's song is "Baby, You're a Rich Man". It was originally written for the Yellow Submarine film. According to Wikipedia: 

Two song fragments were combined to create "Baby, You're a Rich Man". The verses from "One of the Beautiful People" by John Lennon were combined with Paul McCartney's previously unaccompanied "Baby, you're a rich man …" chorus. Two songs were combined in a similar fashion to make "A Day in the Life", and "I've Got a Feeling".

It's an interesting song, with a fantastically odd, galumphing beat and vocals that alternate between high and just plain loud. The lyrics are sufficiently strange as well; the titular "Baby, you're a rich man" is just off-setting enough to fully capture whatever attention wasn't gotten with the music itself. I like it. :)

That's all for now. See you tomorrow.

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Heard It Tally: 32

Songs Completed: 137

Penny Lane

"Penny Lane" was written by Paul, and was voted #449 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Inspired by the name of a street in the part of Liverpool where John and Paul were from, "Penny Lane" describes a suburban paradise, filled with endearingly strange locals. 

Wikipedia tells us more about the strangeness of the song's lyrics:

Lyrically there are several ambiguous and surreal images. The song is seemingly narrated on a fine summer day ("beneath the blue suburban skies"), yet at the same time it is raining ("the fireman rushes in from the pouring rain") and approaching winter ("selling poppies from a tray" implies Remembrance Day, 11 November). Ian MacDonald has stated: "Seemingly naturalistic, the lyric scene is actually kaleidoscopic. As well as raining and shining at the same time, it is simultaneously summer and winter."

Somehow, "Penny Lane", despite its seemingly contradictory imagery, reminds me of my own hometown. There are odd characters and popular hangouts, people and places full of memories. Even with its slight psychedelic feel, at the same time it's comfortably familiar--much like many people's hometowns, I'm sure. 

That's it for today. See you tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 32

Songs Completed: 136

Strawberry Fields Forever

Today's unforgettable song is "Strawberry Fields Forever". John wrote the song, inspired by his "memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army house named 'Strawberry Field' near his childhood home." The song itself has had quite an impact; there's even a Strawberry Fields memorial in Central Park, where vigils are held for various events--Lennon's birthday, his and George's dates of death, and even September 11, 2001.

I love this song. I'm a lyrics person, and although Lennon, fueled by increasing drug use, his disintegrating marriage to Cynthia, and the stress of fame, purposefully made the lyrics to "Strawberry Fields Forever" as obscure as he could, I can still relate to them. I think those are the best lyrics--the ones that the artist makes sure very few people (if anyone) can understand the way he (or she) meant them, yet are still open to interpretation. 

John wrote the lyrics to describe the way he was feeling at a given point in time (he labeled it "psycho-analysis set to music") and even translated parts of the song later in his life, but I can apply the lyrics to my own life and gain what I would argue is an equally valid interpretation of the song. It's pretty much the same with any song, and the fundamental reason most songs are popular--they're applicable to the listener.

That's all for today... See you tomorrow.

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Heard It Tally: 31

Songs Completed: 135

Hello, Goodbye

"Hello, Goodbye", the Beatles song I hear probably the most often, was written McCartney (but with the usual Lennon/McCartney credits). Paul was apparently inspired to write it after this incident:

Alistair Taylor, who worked for the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, had asked McCartney how he wrote his songs, and McCartney took him into his dining room to give him a demonstration on his harmonium. He asked Taylor to shout the opposite of whatever he sang as he played the instrument—black and white, yes and no, stop and go, hello and goodbye. Taylor later said, "I wonder whether Paul really made up that song as he went along or whether it was running through his head already."

I hear this song quite often at my place of employment; I wouldn't say it gets old, per se, but I've heard it so often now that I can sing every word. I feel the same way about it as I did the first time--the call-and-response theme makes the song fun to sing along with, and it's just generally a catchy song. :)

That's all! See you tomorrow. :)

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Heard It Tally: 30

Songs Completed: 134

I Am the Walrus

Today we finally hear "I Am the Walrus", one of The Beatles' greatest and most popular songs. From Wikipedia:

Lennon composed the song by combining three songs he had been working on. When he learned that a teacher at his old primary school was having his students analyse Beatles' lyrics, he added a verse of nonsense words. ...The walrus is a reference to the walrus in Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter" (from the book Through the Looking-Glass). Lennon expressed dismay upon belatedly realising that the walrus was a villain in the poem.

Similar to the poem "Jabberwocky", also by Lewis Carroll, "I Am the Walrus" utilizes nonsense words and phrases--although it does use actual English words, unlike Carroll's poem. After John wrote the song, he reportedly remarked to a friend, Peter Shotton, "Let the f***ers work that one out." 

Although it's a bit long, I can't resist pasting what Wikipedia shares about Lennon's writing process regarding the song. So, enjoy:

Lennon explained much of the song to Playboy in 1980:

• "The first line was written on one acid trip one weekend. The second line was written on the next acid trip the next weekend, and it was filled in after I met Yoko... I'd seen Allen Ginsberg and some other people who liked Dylan and Jesus going on about Hare Krishna. It was Ginsberg, in particular, I was referring to. The words "Element'ry penguin" meant that it's naïve to just go around chanting Hare Krishna or putting all your faith in one idol. In those days I was writing obscurely, a la Dylan."
• "It never dawned on me that Lewis Carroll was commenting on the capitalist system. I never went into that bit about what he really meant, like people are doing with the Beatles' work. Later, I went back and looked at it and realized that the walrus was the bad guy in the story and the carpenter was the good guy. I thought, Oh, shit, I picked the wrong guy. I should have said, 'I am the carpenter.' But that wouldn't have been the same, would it? [Sings, laughing] 'I am the carpenter....'"

Personally, I really enjoy this song. I even enjoy the Bono version in Across the Universe, and I'm not a Bono fan even in the slightest. :P The lyrics are wonderfully random and weird, and the music is engaging. There is so much more to read about the background of both this song and John's inspiration in creating it, so I encourage you to explore on your own. :)

That's all for today. See you here tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 29

Songs Completed: 133

Your Mother Should Know

Today's song is "Your Mother Should Know", which was written by Paul specifically for the MMT film. In this segment of the film, the guys, sporting white tuxedos, walk down a grand staircase. "John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are wearing red carnations, while McCartney's is black. The carnation difference contributed to the 'Paul is dead' controversy."

My first reaction to this song is that it's the best and most subtle "yo mama" joke ever--your mother's very old, etc. Other than that amusing theory, I'm fairly neutral about this one. The lyrics are repetitive, but the music is pretty good and reminds me of just such an old hit song. 

That's all! See you tomorrow. :)

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Heard It Tally: 28

Songs Completed: 132

Blue Jay Way

Today's personally relevant song is "Blue Jay Way". George Harrison wrote it to keep himself awake while waiting for a friend to show up at his house on Blue Jay Way, in the Hollywood Hills. In that respect, it's a very literal song. :P

I really like this one. It's very soothing, and despite the lyrics warning the friends to hurry before the singer falls asleep, the song itself has a rather soporific effect. Basically George, in order to keep himself awake, wrote the perfect lullaby. 

That's all for today. I'll see you tomorrow. :)

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Heard It Tally: 28

Songs Completed: 131

Flying

Today we have the instrumental "Flying", the first song to be written by, and credited to, all four of the Beatles. Although there is some singing, it's minimal--basically just some la-la-la's. The focus of the song is really on the music itself. John, Paul, George and Ringo used various instruments and effects for "Flying", such as the "mellotron, guitar, bass, maracas, drums, and tape loops overdubs."

This one's pretty relaxing. It really does give you the feeling you're flying (in the film, which we'll see more about later, "the music is accompanied... by color-altered images of landscape in Iceland taken from an aeroplane". 

That's all for today. See you tomorrow! :)

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Heard It Tally: 28

Songs Completed: 130

The Fool on the Hill

Today's song is "The Fool on the Hill". Written and sung by Paul McCartney, it was praised by John Lennon and critic Richie Unterberger of Allmusic, but was panned by music critic Tim Riley. I'm leaning more towards the former; the first time I heard this song was in my car, not too long ago, and it made an impression on me right away. 

Paul was reportedly inspired to write it about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who was yogi to The Beatles. Additionally, there was a strange occurrence that also inspired Paul to write the song: 

Alistair Taylor, in the book Yesterday, reports a mysterious incident involving a man who inexplicably appeared near him and McCartney during a walk on Primrose Hill and then disappeared again, soon after McCartney and Taylor had conversed about the existence of God; this allegedly prompted the writing of the song.

Like I said, I'm very fond of this one. It's a good song to listen to when you're feeling a bit down--it seems to commiserate with you. 

That's all for today! See you tomorrow.

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Heard It Tally: 28

Songs Completed: 129

Magical Mystery Tour

Today we start the next Beatles album, Magical Mystery Tour. Providing the soundtrack for the film of the same name, it performed much better than the movie actually did. The album was even nominated for a Grammy in 1968, while the film was panned by critics.

The album starts off much as Sgt. Pepper did, with a welcome song. "Magical Mystery Tour" is simple and repetitive lyrically, but with grandiose musical stylings--plenty of trumpets and percussion, like a parade. The song thereby gives the audience an invitation to keep listening, as we're about to embark on a magical and mysterious journey. As far as the song itself goes, I don't really have an opinion; it seems more like an introduction than an actual song. 

That's all for today... See you tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 27

Songs Completed: 128