Glass Onion

Today's song is "Glass Onion". It was written and sung by John, and was the first White Album track to have Ringo back on drums. A "glass onion" is British slang for a monocle. According to Wikipedia: 

The song refers to several earlier Beatles' songs, including "Strawberry Fields Forever," "I Am the Walrus," "Lady Madonna," "The Fool on the Hill," and "Fixing a Hole." There are also subtle, passing references to "There's a Place," "I'm Looking Through You," and "Within You Without You." The song also refers to the "Cast Iron Shore," a coastal area of south Liverpool, known to local people as "The Cazzy."

There's one line that I'm sure caused all kinds of ruckus: "Well here's another clue for you all / The walrus was Paul." John apparently wrote this in reference to the "Paul is dead" conspiracy theory that was gaining popularity at the time (and still boasts some supporters today).

I like this one--I didn't catch all the allusions the first time around, but it was fun to learn about them. :) 

That's it for now. See you tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 34

Songs Completed: 141

Dear Prudence

Today we meet "Dear Prudence", which was written by Lennon (and, as always, credited to both him and McCartney). This is the second song from The White Album which featured Paul on drums (since Ringo was gone). 

John was inspired to write "Dear Prudence" while the guys were in India, studying with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. With them were actress Mia Farrow and her sister, Prudence Farrow. Prudence reportedly meditated for 23 hours a day, so John was asked to encourage her to socialize more. He ended up writing the song, which Prudence didn't hear until much later, once the Beatles were leaving the ashram. "According to Farrow, 'I was flattered. It was a beautiful thing to have done'."

I love this song. It's simple and yet beautiful. It seems like a great wake-up song, actually, since it starts off so gently and asks Prudence (and, in turn, the listener) to "greet the brand-new day". It's quite lovely. :) Still, I hadn't heard the original before today. I was familiar with the song, though, because of Across the Universe.

That's all for now! See you tomorrow.

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Heard It Tally: 34

Songs Completed: 140

Back in the U.S.S.R.

Today we start The Beatles' ninth studio album, The Beatles (also more popularly known as The White Album). It was the first the guys had created after the death of their manager, Brian Epstein, and marked a period of conflict and discord within the group. Ringo quit the group entirely for a short time, leaving Paul to play drums on a couple of tracks. 

A quote from Wikipedia gives us more details as to the songwriting of The White Album:

Although most of the songs on any given Beatles album are usually credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting team, that description is often misleading, and rarely more so than on The Beatles. With this album, each of the four band members began to showcase the range and depth of his individual songwriting talents, and to display styles that would be carried over to his eventual solo career. Indeed, some songs that the individual Beatles were working on during this period eventually were released on solo albums.

The Beatles themselves, Paul in particular, cite this album as being the beginning of the end, as it were. From Wikipedia: "Despite the album's official title, which emphasised group identity, studio efforts on The Beatles captured the work of four increasingly individualised artists who frequently found themselves at odds." As I mentioned above, Ringo quit the band for about two weeks, finally returning after the other three begged. George Martin found himself losing control over the guys, and recording engineer Geoff Emerick refused to continue working with them, despite having been with them since Revolver. The presence of girlfriends (like Yoko Ono and McCartney's girlfriend, Francie Schwartz) no doubt added to the contention, since previously the band's recording sessions were intensely private. Ringo and George would duck in and out over the next couple of years, and finally:

McCartney's public departure in 1970 would mark the formal end of the band's ensemble. He described the sessions for The Beatles as a turning point for the group. Up to this point, he observed, "The world was a problem, but we weren't. You know, that was the best thing about The Beatles, until we started to break up, like during the White Album and stuff. Even the studio got a bit tense then."

I think it's necessary to talk about the disharmony The Beatles were experiencing during the creation of this album, since it no doubt had an impact. With that, we'll start the first song.

"Back in the U.S.S.R.", primarily written by Paul, is one of the two songs from this album to feature Paul on drums, as Ringo had walked out of the recording session, declaring he'd quit. The lyrics are sung from a different point of view--namely that of an inhabitant of the old Soviet Union (the U.S.S.R.). It was partially inspired by the Beach Boys' "California Girls" and "Georgia on My Mind" by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell. "The title was inspired in part by the I'm Backing Britain campaign that had been endorsed by British Prime Minister Harold Wilson. It has been suggested that McCartney twisted that into "I'm back in (backin') the U.S.S.R."

I have mixed feelings about this one. For years, I had it on my mp3 player, but I would skip it more often than not. It's a catchy song, but it's possible that what turns me off about it is it's reminiscent of The Beatles' early rock-and-roll days, of which I'm less than fond. I much prefer the later albums (as you can tell by my recent album summaries), so "Back in the U.S.S.R." is relegated to a lower spot on my favorites list.

That's all for today. See you tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 34

Songs Completed: 139

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