Beatles: A Song-a-Day
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122: Good Day Sunshine
Good Day Sunshine is a song written mainly by Paul McCartney for the Revolver album. In his authorized biography, McCartney explains that it was a conscious attempt to emulate the Lovin Spoonful’s Daydream. This was one of a number of feelgood Summer-themed hits at the time, and Paul fleshed out the idea while driving to…
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123: Within You Without You
George Harrison’s writing contribution to Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club, Within You Without You uses Indian instruments and musical form to present a thoughtful song described (by Chris Ingham) as a “meditation on life and love beyond self”. The album came at an interesting point in the Beatles’ evolution, at a time when they had…
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124: A Taste Of Honey
A Taste Of Honey was a theme, originally an instrumental, written for the Broadway version of a Shelagh Delaney play the same name. A little like Devil In Her Heart (discussed earlier this week) it was a fairly obscure track to select as a cover. It must have had an interesting transatlantic journey into the…
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125: Martha My Dear
Martha My Dear is a track from the White Album written wholly by Paul McCartney and largely performed by McCartney with the addition of brass and strings scored by George Martin. Along with others recorded the in the first week of October 1968, the song was recorded at Trident Studios in Soho, rather than the…
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126: Your Mother Should Know
Your Mother Should Know is a song from the Magical Mystery Tour TV movie, EP and album. It was written by Paul McCartney and deals explicitly with a theme that is present in quite a lot of his work – the idea that music is a thread that connects generations. The most obvious parallel is…
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127: I Want To Hold Your Hand
I Want To Hold Your Hand was the single that became the Beatles’ first US number one. Co-written by Lennon and McCartney, it was many American fans’ introduction to the band, and as such is arguably one of the most influential records of the 20th century. The release of the US single (26th December, 1963)…
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128: Devil In Her Heart
Devil In Her Heart is a cover version from the With The Beatles album, sung by George Harrison. The Beatles took great pride in their knowledge of American music and their taste in selecting even quite obscure songs for their setlist. Devil In Her Heart is a great example, being possibly the most obscure track…
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129: Good Night
Good Night is the final track on the Beatles’ double album known as the White Album. It was written by John Lennon but sung by Ringo Starr. Lennon later explained that it was a lullaby written for his then five-year-old son, Julian. It is a rather beautiful, tender and comforting song, at odds with most…
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130: You’re Going To Lose That Girl
You’re Going To Lose that Girl is another song from the excellent side one of the Help! album (I also covered The Night Before and Another Girl in the last few days). It was mainly written by John Lennon who takes the lead vocal, but likely includes important contributions from Paul McCartney. The song stands…
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131: Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!
Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (I’ll call it Kansas City) is a cover version from the Beatles For Sale album. It had been a staple of the Beatles’ Cavern Club setlists. The Kansas City part of the song is a very early rock’n’roll song written by Leiber and Stoller (both then just 19 years old) in 1952, but…
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132: When I’m Sixty-Four
When I’m Sixty-Four is the first track in this ranking from the amazing Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. It was one of Paul McCartney’s first compositions, started when he was around 14 and before rock’n’roll had had any real impact in the UK. McCartney grew up in a musical family and his dad,…
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133: Every Little Thing
Every Little Thing is a track from the Beatles For Sale album, written mainly by Paul McCartney but, unusually, with a prominent lead vocal by John Lennon. Beatles For Sale is one of the albums that I did not have access to growing up, and when I did get to hear it, it was not…