I Should Have Known Better

Today's song, "I Should Have Known Better", appeared in the film A Hard Day's Night (as do all the songs from the first side of this album, so I won't mention it every time). There's a clip on YouTube of that part of the movie, which is pretty fun to watch even if you don't know what the plot of the movie actually is. :) 

This song was written by John, and credited to him and Paul as usual. The influence Lennon cited for this particular tune was none other than Bob Dylan. A quote from the song's wiki page explains:

In January 1964, during a three-week engagement at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, the Beatles first became aware of American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan and, when having acquired a copy of his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, began playing it continuously. American journalist Al Aronowitz introduced them to Dylan when the Beatles visited New York in February 1964, and Dylan subsequently became a big influence on the group, especially Lennon, who even started wearing a copycat Huckleberry Finn cap. One consequence of this “infatuation” (as Ian MacDonald later described it) was the song "I Should Have Known Better". Paul McCartney said Dylan's songs were "great lyrically", and Lennon credited Dylan with inspiring him to write more meaningful lyrics.

So, the inspiration was mutual--we know Dylan was fond of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and it's clear the two groups respected one another.

From the title, I was kind of expecting a different story during the song--I assumed it was a more bitter breakup song. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when instead I heard a sweet love song. I liked this song, and my enjoyment of it was definitely increased by watching the video clip from the movie. It's so interesting to watch the guys performing, whether for a live performance or one of their films. :)

That's it for today... Later everybody!

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Heard It Tally: 4

Songs Completed: 39

A Hard Day's Night

Today we're beginning the album A Hard Day's Night, released on July 10th, 1964 as the soundtrack to The Beatles' first film of the same name. (I'm currently waiting for the movie to come out on Netflix, so when it does I'll do a review of it. If it takes too long I'll just see if it's at the library lol.) Wikipedia says that "the album and film are said to portray the classic image of the Beatles, as it was released at the height of Beatlemania." It's the first Beatles album to feature solely original material; most of the songs were written primarily by Lennon.

The name of the album came about in an odd way. It was something Ringo Starr said one day, what John (in the 1980 Playboy interview) called, "you know, one of those malapropisms. A Ringo-ism, where he said it not to be funny... just said it." Ringo himself, in an interview with DJ Dave Hull in 1964, said about his creation: 

We went to do a job, and we'd worked all day and we happened to work all night. I came up still thinking it was day I suppose, and I said, 'It's been a hard day... and I looked around and saw it was dark so I said, '...night!' So we came to 'A Hard Day's Night.'

(Ringo's so quirky--he reminds me of Virginia, the mom from "Raising Hope", who always mispronounces things, so words like "hereditary" become "heredimatary".) At any rate, Ringo's quote first inspired the film, and then the song, which seems backward but isn't really. :)

As for the song, "A Hard Day's Night" is the first song on the album. It was an important step in their continued success in America: "Featuring a prominent and unique opening chord, the song's success demonstrated that The Beatles were not a one-hit wonder in the United States." 

There is a great deal of fuss made over the opening chord of this song (you can listen to it here). In fact, there's a whole section on the song's wiki page about it, beginning with quotes like, "'A Hard Day's Night' is immediately identifiable before the vocals even begin, thanks to George Harrison's unmistakable Rickenbacker 360/12 12-string guitar's 'mighty opening chord'." There's lots of discussion and debate over what chord(s) it is, precisely, as well as other aspects of it. Definitely worth having a look-see if you're really into the technical side of music.

I love this song--it's just the thing to perk you up after a long day (or night) of work. :) So, that's it for today... See you later!

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Heard It Tally: 4

Songs Completed: 38

I Want to Hold Your Hand

Classic song today. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (released on The Beatles' Long Tall Sally) marked the true beginning of Beatlemania--when this single hit the States, thousands of teenage girls fell in love simultaneously--and also provided a way in for other artists wishing to hop the pond, sparking the British invasion. It holds a quite respectable #16 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and it appears on a myriad of lists--songs that changed the world, songs that shaped rock and roll, all-time best songs ever made ever, etc. The song was number one in the American charts for seven weeks; it was eventually replaced by "She Loves You". (It's probably less of a blow when your song gets replaced at the top by another one of your songs. :P )

It's pretty much universally accepted as a Beatles classic these days, but back then, there were some humbugs around. Below is a wiki quote detailing different reactions to the song.

The song was greeted by raving fans on both sides of the Atlantic but was dismissed by some critics as nothing more than another fad song that would not hold up to the test of time. Cynthia Lowery of the Associated Press expressed her exasperation with Beatlemania by saying of the Beatles: "Heaven knows we've heard them enough. It has been impossible to get a radio weather bulletin or time signal without running into 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'."

It reminds me of the popular T-shirt adage, often attributed to Dee Snider: "If it's too loud, you're too old." Clearly the youngsters were infatuated, and the mood was infectious. Even Bob Dylan caught the fever:

Bob Dylan was impressed by the Beatles' innovation, saying, "They were doing things nobody was doing. Their chords were outrageous, just outrageous, and their harmonies made it all valid." For a time Dylan thought the Beatles were singing "I get high" instead of "I can't hide". He was surprised when he met them and found out that none of them had actually smoked marijuana.

Honest mistake, I'm sure. :P 

My own impression of the song is extremely positive--it's one of those songs you either take to instantly, or immediately despise, so there's not much in between. I also love the romantic, slowed-down cover by T.V. Carpio in Across the Universe in all its anti-heteronormative glory.

This has been a great end to a crappy day. The Beatles always know how to cheer me up. :) I'll see you guys tomorrow!

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Heard It Tally: 3

Songs Completed: 37

Album Summary: The Beatles' Second Album

This album was a fun ride. I'd already listened several songs from it, but there were plenty of great new ones to hear. It's been an interesting journey, to have started with the British albums and then moved on to the American ones--they're often quite similar, but sometimes a new arrangement or the addition of different songs can change the mood of the entire album. Below is a quote from the wiki page for The Beatles' Second Album:

Unlike the contemporaneous British Beatles albums, The Beatles' Second Album is composed exclusively of uptempo numbers, and for this reason is a favorite of some Beatles aficionados and rock critics. "The Beatles' Second Album stands as probably best pure rock & roll album ever issued of the group's music" [sic], wrote Allmusic.

It's hard to go wrong, with covers of classic songs by Chuck Berry, Smokey Robinson, Little Richard, and The Marvelettes, all sung in The Beatles' own style but paying tribute to the greatness of the originals, as well as some awesome new material like "She Loves You". :)

Well, tomorrow is a new day, and a new album. I'll see you then. :)

She Loves You

Finally... a song I've heard! It's hard NOT to have heard it, really. After all, it's one of the most classic Beatles songs ever. :) "She Loves You" is ranked by Rolling Stone as the 64th greatest song of all time; it was the first song to be heard by a substantial number of Americans (The Beatles hadn't had too much success in the States beforehand, at least not success comparable to what they later experienced). However, the song itself gained in popularity only after The Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

The lyrics are special in that Paul wrote from a perspective outside of the usual "two lovers" theme. Wikipedia tells us more:

Unusually for a love song, the lyrics were written in the third person. This idea was attributed by Lennon to McCartney in 1980: "It was Paul's idea: instead of singing 'I love you' again, we’d have a third party. That kind of little detail is still in his work. He will write a story about someone. I'm more inclined to write about myself".

In addition, the fact they sing "yeah" instead of "yes" was apparently a scandal at the time (how quaint, right?). The "British establishment" found it improper, no doubt, and even Paul's dad, after the boys played him the song for the first time, asked, "Couldn't you sing 'She loves you, yes, yes, yes!'", complaining about the abundance of "Americanisms" in their lyrics. Paul, relating the story, said, "At which point we collapsed in a heap and said 'No, Dad, you don't quite get it!'" Parents just don't understand--wise words from Mr. Smith. It wasn't just Paul's dad, though:

Critics panned the song, dismissing the "yeah, yeah, yeah," as an uncouth slang from a fad band. The "yeah"s were to have a great effect on The Beatles' image — in some parts of Europe, they became known as the Yeah-Yeahs.

The song was wildly successful in England, and remains so today. Below are some facts from Wiki:

It was the best-selling single of 1963, and remains the best-selling Beatles single in Britain today. It was the best-selling single in the United Kingdom for fourteen years until it was surpassed by "Mull of Kintyre" by Wings, (written by that group's lead singer: Paul McCartney).

"She Loves You" was a big stepping-stone for The Beatles. It was part of a fortuitous sequence of events that catapulted them into fame. No doubt we'll see soon just how insane that was for them. :) 

This is the last song from The Beatles' Second Album so I'll be posting an album summary in just a few minutes. See you then!

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Heard It Tally: 2

Songs Completed: 36

I'll Get You

"I'll Get You", originally "I'll Get You In the End", is a quirky song. It's notable in that John and Paul sang together for the entirety of the song, "allowing the few occasions when they do harmonise to stand out." This one's another example of the ongoing disagreement as to who did the majority of the writing; some attribute it solely to Lennon, while McCartney states it was an equal collaboration. In addition, "McCartney recalls using Lennon's Menlove Avenue home as the writing base for the song. This was rare, as Lennon's Aunt Mimi, whom he still lived with at the time, was disapproving of the Beatles."

The lyrics themselves are interesting as well, particularly the choice to begin the song with "imagine", a word that travels a long way with The Beatles as a group as well as the individual guys. Below is a quote from Wikipedia regarding the use of "imagine". 

The song's opening line "Imagine I'm in love with you" was innovative, as it drew the listener immediately into the story. McCartney would cite this as an early example of Lewis Carroll influencing their lyrics; a ploy explored again in later compositions such as "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Strawberry Fields Forever" and Lennon's solo "Imagine".

It's definitely a strong word, one that can fill the listener with creative imagery. 

Another neat aspect of this tune is that the guys don't hide their accents. "Reiterating its A-sides' catchphrase ["She Loves You"], and assuming the heavy scouse accents conspicuous in their early records, Lennon and McCartney 'drawl their way through a mock-naïve love lyric'." The Liverpudlian singers didn't always let their accents shine through, however, as we'll hear in future songs. I liked this song--ignoring its slightly stalkerish lyrics, at heart it's a sweet love song. It kind of reminds me of a less intense version of both Blondie's "One Way Or Another" and The Police's "Every Breath You Take". Just... way less creepy. :P

Well guys, that's it for today! See you tomorrow. :)

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Heard It Tally: 1

Songs Completed: 35

I Call Your Name

Today's song, "I Call Your Name", was written by Lennon before The Beatles. John gave it to his pals, The Dakotas, for their use, but wasn't pleased with their arrangement of the song (and annoyed by the fact they released the song as a B-side on their album rather than an A-side--even though the A-side was another Lennon/McCartney tune, "Bad to Me"). John and the boys recorded it themselves, and were apparently more satisfied with the result. Also, according to Wiki, "the song's middle eight is the Beatles' first attempt at ska." Ska, as a music genre, has a long and interesting history--definitely worth checking out. :) 

I liked "I Call Your Name"--at first glance, it's one of those kind of pathetically, dramatically plaintive tunes that guys tend to sing when they've just been dumped. He's quick to mention he doesn't cry, but states he just can't make it without you. The perfect blend of tough and sensitive. However, at BeatlesEBooks.com, Rybaczewski says that there could be more than just one interpretation of the lyrics, and that even Paul didn't know exactly what John had in mind when he wrote them:

“When I look back at some of these lyrics,” McCartney has stated, “I think: Wait a minute.  What did he mean?  ‘I call your name but you’re not there.’  Is it his mother?  His father?  I must admit I didn’t really see that as we wrote it because we were just a couple of young guys writing.  You didn’t look behind it at the time, it was only later you started analyzing things."

Intriguing... Really, Lennon could've meant just about anybody in the song. The lyrics aren't explicitly romantic, and reading them in new ways gives a great deal more depth and meaning to them. Personally, I'm almost always more interested in the lyrics more than the actual music of a song (not that I don't appreciate some awesome music), so I'm always trying to glimpse those other facets, to see what I can find. :)

That's it for today. See you later!

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Heard It Tally: 1

Songs Completed: 34