Long, Long, Long

"Long, Long, Long", written by George Harrison, was (and is) a critical darling. From Wikipedia:

Music analyst Alan Pollack said the song has "an off-beat mixture of styles typical of the times: a three-way cross between jazz waltz, folk song, and late sixties psychedelia." Critic Richie Unterberger wrote that "Long, Long, Long" is one of the most underrated songs in the Beatles' large discography. Ian MacDonald also argues that the song is Harrison's "finest moment" on The Beatles.

The ambiguity of the lyrics and the psychedelic nature of the music itself lend a unique air to this one. "'Long, Long, Long' is a love song, though as Nicholas Schaffner notes, it was 'the first of dozens of Harrison love songs that are ambiguous in that he could be singing either to his lady or to his Lord'." The singing is so quiet that I had a difficult time trying to figure out what George is saying (which I actually find really irritating, for whatever reason--a pet peeve, maybe). The way the song is set up, I think I actually enjoy the second half a little more (fewer lyrics to not hear?). The whole song would've been well suited for one of the earlier, more psychedelic albums, and overall I like it. I liked it much more once I looked up the lyrics, of course. :P

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

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Heard It Tally: 39

Songs Completed: 162

Helter Skelter

Today we reach "Helter Skelter". The Wikipedia article contains a fabulous quote summarizing the song: "A product of McCartney's deliberate effort to create a sound as loud and dirty as possible, the clangorous piece has been noted for both its "proto-metal roar" and "unique textures." 

Recording the song was appropriately difficult, taking 18 takes. "After the 18th take, Ringo Starr flung his drum sticks across the studio and screamed, 'I got blisters on my fingers!'" The article also mentions how raucous the session itself was:

According to Chris Thomas, who was present, the 18 July session was especially spirited. "While Paul was doing his vocal, George Harrison had set fire to an ashtray and was running around the studio with it above his head, doing an Arthur Brown." Starr's recollection is less detailed, but agrees in spirit: "'Helter Skelter' was a track we did in total madness and hysterics in the studio. Sometimes you just had to shake out the jams."

"Helter Skelter" is hard not to like. It's wild, chaotic, with blistering (no pun intended) instruments and equally devastating vocals, and some pretty interesting lyrics as well. Lennon credits the entire business to McCartney; he said in a 1980 interview, "That's Paul completely ... It has nothing to do with anything, and least of all to do with me." Not sure if he meant to compliment Paul or if that was a snide remark, but "Helter Skelter" remains one of the most popular Beatles songs. :P

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

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Heard It Tally: 39

Songs Completed: 161

Sexy Sadie

Today we meet "Sexy Sadie", which was written by John and chronicles his disillusionment with the Beatles' erstwhile teacher, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He had learned, just before the guys were due to depart the ashram, that the yogi had made a pass at one of the female students. Lennon, outraged and disappointed in his beloved mentor, wrote the song, replacing "Maharishi" with "Sexy Sadie" and removing the strong expletives that he'd written as the original working lyrics. Upon his return to England, he scratched the lyrics down on a piece of wood. 

The story continues; over time people have begun to doubt the veracity of the accusers and the yogi's reputation is (somewhat) repaired. I'm not one to blame the victim and I have no idea what actually happened, so I encourage you to dig around Wikipedia if you're curious about the sordid details. :P

I'd never heard "Sexy Sadie" before (though of course I was aware of the song's existence after watching Across the Universe), but when I started listening to it, what immediately popped into my head was Jet's "Look What You've Done", which shares the lines, "Look what you've done / you've made a fool of everyone". However, Jet wasn't the only group inspired by "Sexy Sadie"; Charles Manson and his "family" used this song as part of their Armageddon conspiracy theory. 

That's all for today; see you here tomorrow. :)

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Heard It Tally: 39

Songs Completed: 160

Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey

Today's winner of the weird title contest is "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey". It was written and performed by John, who attributed his inspiration to Yoko Ono:

In 1980, Lennon said: "That was just a sort of nice line that I made into a song. It was about me and Yoko. Everybody seemed to be paranoid except for us two, who were in the glow of love. Everything is clear and open when you're in love. Everybody was sort of tense around us: You know, 'What is she doing here at the session? Why is she with him?' All this sort of madness is going on around us because we just happened to want to be together all the time."

Paul of course remembered it a bit differently; Wikipedia tells us that "McCartney believes it was a reference to Lennon's heroin habit."

I'm a big fan of this song! It's quirky, ridiculous, paranoid, catchy, probably references drugs, and just hilariously fun, especially if you choose to take "monkey" literally instead of as a Yoko Ono/drug reference. :P It's a nice change from the past two or three songs, which haven't been all that interesting to me personally. With "Everybody's", the guys are back in the game. :P

That's all for today. See you tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 39

Songs Completed: 159

Mother Nature's Son

"Mother Nature's Son" was written mostly by Paul while the guys were at the ashram. "It was inspired by a lecture given by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi while the Beatles were in India. The same lecture inspired Lennon's unreleased song 'Child of Nature', the tune of which he later re-used for 'Jealous Guy'." 

This one's short and sweet, and the lyrics are simple. The nature theme and inspiration is very obvious. I think it was probably refreshing for Paul (and John, who contributed "a few words" according to Wikipedia) to write such a straightforward song. There aren't any innuendos or references to drugs or sex, just nature (at least, as far as I can tell). It's not my favorite--I'm definitely into the innuendos and references, being a lyrics person--but it's relaxing and sweet on the ears nonetheless. :)

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

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Heard It Tally: 38

Songs Completed: 158

Yer Blues

"Yer Blues" was written by John in India. It's a very bluesy number, and the lyrics explore Lennon's battles with depression. From Wikipedia:

Lennon said in a Rolling Stone interview that he used the humorous title as something of a defense mechanism, so that if anyone criticized the song, he could write it off as a parody. The lyrics are extremely suicidal, and include references to Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" as well as cosmology, and were possibly reflective of Lennon's well-documented battles with his psychological demons.

To me, that seems to mark a deep insecurity--the kind he talks about in many of his songs--about not only his work, but about himself and his relationships as well. In addition, its blues vibe bears a "similarity to much of Lennon's early solo output... and marks a retreat from Lennon's concern with studio experimentation that marked such songs as 'Tomorrow Never Knows' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever'." We'll see more of that as we move away from The Beatles as a cohesive unit and start to explore each Beatle's solo career. 

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

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Heard It Tally: 38

Songs Completed: 157

Birthday

Today's song is "Birthday", which was based around a guitar riff that Paul thought up. All of the Beatles participated in the creation and recording of the song; George's wife Pattie and Yoko Ono also contributed on backing vocals and handclaps. According to Wikipedia: 

The song is an example of the Beatles' return to more traditional rock and roll form, although their music had increased in complexity and it had developed more of its own characteristic style by this point... The song is among McCartney's most intense vocal performances given the range in which he sings during the blues run.

As far as birthday-themed songs go, it's definitely not the worst. The guitar riff is probably my favorite part; it's reminiscent of the old-style rock-and-roll Beatles songs, which, though they're in no way my favorite thing in the world, are still fun to listen to now and then. :P I think the guys would agree; Paul and Ringo performed "Birthday" for Ringo's 70th birthday party in July 2010.

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

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Heard It Tally: 38

Songs Completed: 156