Tag: single
-
93: Revolution
Revolution was the B-side of the Beatles’ Hey Jude single, written by John Lennon, released in August 1968. A different version of the song, Revolution 1, was included as a track on the White Album. Revolution 1 was the first version to be recorded, but the single was released before the album. Revolution 9, which…
-
95: Get Back
Get Back is a track from the Let It Be album and was also released as the A-side of a single (with Don’t Let Me Down as its B-side). It was written by Paul McCartney during studio sessions that were filmed as part of the Let It Be/Get Back project. As a result the process…
-
102: Hello, Goodbye
Hello, Goodbye was the A-side of the Beatles’ last single of 1967, written by Paul McCartney. It was released in November becoming a Christmas number one in the UK, although it took a little longer to depose the Monkees’ Daydream Believer in the US. It also appears on Magical Mystery Tour. Whereas when writing yesterday’s…
-
104: The Ballad Of John And Yoko
The Ballad Of John And Yoko was the A-side of a single released in May 1969. The song is Lennon’s autobiographical account of his recent wedding and the (largely self-imposed) furore surrounding it. John and Yoko had begun their intense relationship in May 1968, around the Beatles’ return from India, just as the White Album…
-
105: We Can Work It Out
We Can Work It Out was one side of the double A-sided single (with Day Tripper) which was released on the same day – 3rd December 1965 – as Rubber Soul (neither song appears on the album); what an amazing day that must have been for Beatle fans. The songwriting was a collaboration between McCartney…
-
106: You Can’t Do That
You Can’t Do That, written by John Lennon, was the B-side of the Can’t Buy Me Love single and was included on the A Hard Day’s Night album. You Can’t Do That – recorded in early 1964 – can be seen as the start of a sequence of songs in which Lennon’s lyrics deal with…
-
112: Things We Said Today
Things We Said Today is a track from the A Hard Day’s Night album, and was the B-Side to the single release of A Hard Day’s Night, too. Written by Paul McCartney, it is a particularly cleverly crafted song and all the more so because it wears its sophistication very lightly; this is a classically…
-
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)…
-
143: I’ll Get You
I’ll Get You wound up as the B-side to She Loves You, but it had earlier been considered as a potential single in its own right. It was co-written by Lennon and McCartney and features dual vocals throughout. To me there’s a slightly strange sound to the vocals as if Lennon and McCartney are imitating…
-
144: A Hard Day’s Night
A Hard Day’s Night was the opening title song of the Beatles’ eponymous first film, appearing first on the soundtrack album and also released as a single. The song was written by John Lennon, overnight on 13th April 1964, after the film’s director Dick Lester had chosen its title – a malapropism attributed to Ringo…
-
147: Please Please Me
Please Please Me was the Beatles second single and their first UK number one (the flipside was discussed in yesterday’s post 148: Ask Me Why). It is also the title track of their first album. The recording and release of Please Please Me marked a transitional moment for the Beatles and has become a famous…
-
148: Ask Me Why
Having been written and performed live before the Beatles were signed, Ask Me Why was an early Lennon-McCartney collaboration, with the main idea coming from John Lennon. It appeared as the B-side to Please Please Me, and on the album of the same name. Lyrically it is a conventional but well-crafted love song. Musically it…