One of the joys for me in my days of working in a thrift store was the wonderful CDs that would be donated for us to resell--a lot of them were shit, but sometimes you'd get utterly amazing, like managing to get this week's featured album (and at the same time, Rubber Soul--yowza!). Needless to say, I quickly snatched it up for moi, and thankfully I did--I was not familiar with this week's featured tune and it quickly became an all-time fave.
This will be the third time I've written about the Beatles (could--and probably should--be a lot more considering I'm 507 songs into this project), with the previous posts linked inside the parentheses (song and album). I've also written one post about a single by each of the Fab Four: John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Say! what a lot of Beatles posts there are (thanks, Dr. Seuss). Other than that, I've done a Greatest Beatles Facts bio, and there's not much an amateur rock critic can add to their story that hasn't been said or written better by many much more talented rock and roll writers than me.
"Here, There and Everywhere" was the fifth song on side one of the Beatles rather whirlingly (couldn't come up with an adverb for "gun"...) entitled Revolver. The song was not released as a single (somewhat surprisingly, though I'm sure it's much easier in retrospect), while the album, in a not so stunning turn of events, reached number one in the U.S. and the U.K., as well as in the five other nations Wikipedia was so kind to list (somehow it peaked at #14 in Norway--apparently not nearly enough cool kids in Norway).
Fun Fact: McCartney has cited as his inspiration for this week's tune the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," I already mentioned this in my post for "God Only Knows" but since my half-assed research was really half-assed this week, it'll have to do.
McCartney, Lennon, and Beatles producer George Martin have all said that "Here, There and Everywhere" ranks as one of their favorite Beatles tunes...and who am I to question their choices. Like the (just) aforementioned "God Only Knows," this week's song is truly one of the great love ballads ever, and in a testament to just how great the Beatles were, it never really feels like a love ballad, just a brilliant piece of pop music condensed into two minutes and twenty-four seconds. And it says every bit as much about the human condition as the one thousand and umpteen pages of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest(not that I've ever waded my way through that morass). Written for one time McCartney love interest Jane Asher, the song has simple lyrics, smoothly sweet vocals from McCartney, a tasty melody, and the backing "oohs" throughout (which I just discovered while doing my prep this week) are to absolutely die for. One of those songs for which you give thanks that you existed long enough to hear it....
Lyric Sheet: "Here, making each day of the year/Changing my life with a wave of her hand/Nobody can deny that there's something there..."
Every now and again, I can't recall what made a song stand out for me and become an all-time favorite, and this week's tune is that now and again. Tried to think if it was a movie or a top songs list, but nothing came to me. In the end, I decided I'm at an age where it's entirely possible that I heard it on the radio a few years removed from when it was a hit--and just carried it with me to this day....
Peter and Gordon (Peter Asher and Gordon Waller) formed in the U.K. in 1962, were a part of the British Invasion, released fourteen albums in six years, and had four hits that sold over a million copies before going their separate ways in 1968. Peter Asher went on to be a record producer extraordinaire, producing records for thirty-seven different artists (most notably James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt--he also managed Ronstadt), won three production Grammys, and spent some time in the executive suites at various record labels. Waller dabbled in musical theater, released a few solo albums, and worked as a salesman. They reunited in 2005 and performed off and on together until 2009 when, sadly, Waller died of a massive heart attack. Asher continues to perform, wrote a book about his time with the Beatles (Paul McCartney dated Asher's sister, Jane, and lived with her family, sharing a room with Peter in the Beatles very early days), and produced a record for Susanna Hoffs of Bangles fame just this year.
"A World Without Love" was the first single ever released by Peter and Gordon, from their ever so cleverly named debut album, Peter and Gordon. The single would reach #1 (with a bullet!) in both the U.K. and the United States, as well as Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. It is also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The album peaked at #18 in Great Britain, and #21 here in America.
Fun Fact #1: Paul McCartney wrote this week's tune when he was sixteen (why he's one of the all-time greats, indeed), held onto it for a few years, and never felt it was good enough for the Beatles. When Peter and Gordon got their recording contract, Asher asked McCartney if they could have it. McCartney gave it to them, and the rest as they say, is history.
Fun Fact #2: This week's tune is one of two Lennon and McCartney songs (every song released during their time together as Beatles was a Lennon/McCartney tune, regardless of who wrote it or when) not recorded by the Beatles to hit #1. The other? A cover of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by Sir Elton John.
If an alien came down to earth, and somewhat oddly (I'd think) asked one of us to name a song that epitomizes sixties pop, one couldn't really go wrong with "A World Without Love." Lush harmonies, a smooth and creamy melody, and a bass drum that serves as the heartbeat (literally--listen closely) of the song make for a song that sounds every bit as shiny and new as it did fifty years ago when it was first released. Throw in a theme of waiting for the love of your life and knowing she'll be there someday and you have one of pop music's most magical moments ever.
Lyric Sheet: "Please lock me away/And don't allow the day/Here inside/Where I hide/With my loneliness..."
In which our hero tries and fails miserably to convey the essence of one of rock and roll's greatest albums from one of rock and roll's greatest bands in his birthday inspired once a year album review. Hell, even the album cover is one of the most memorable in rock's history....
Already wrote a bio of the Beatles and each of its members--just going to cut to the quick of synopsizing each song on Abbey Road(all seventeen of them):
Come Together--With its ominous musical overtones, "Come Together" opens the album and sets the standard for all the songs to come. Staccato guitar, a pulsating bass drum, and the rattlesnake cymbals make for a stunning intro . The gibberish lyrics just add to its charm. Favorite Line: "He say I know you, you know me/One thing I can tell you is you got to be free..."
Something--Just to give you an idea, 200 artists have done a cover version of this one (only "Yesterday" has more covers of a Beatles song). Yeah, it's a little on the sappy side, but it has a lovely melody, heartfelt lyrics, heartfelt vocals, and a nice guitar solo. An excellent effort from George Harrison--one of the greatest love songs ever written. Favorite Line: "Something in the way she knows/And all I have to do is think of her..."
Maxwell's Silver Hammer--Serial killing with an upbeat tempo. Not the best on the album or in Paul McCartney's career. Still better than anything Styx or REO Speedwagon ever did, though. Favorite Line: "Joan was quizzical, studied pataphysical/Science in the home..."
Oh! Darling--A raucous piece of barroom rock and roll. Essentially a 'baby please don't leave me" song. McCartney does his best to sound like he warmed up his voice by smoking three packs of cigarettes and drinking a fifty of whiskey--it works well enough. No one would ever confuse it with one of the Beatles' best, but a listenable effort. Favorite Line: "When you told me/You didn't need me anymore/Well you know I nearly broke down and cried..."
Octopus's Garden--Did you know that octopuses collect items from the ocean floor and build gardens from them? Me, either, but learning new things is one of the perks of Friday Night Jukebox. Ringo Starr wrote this one and performs the vocals. As novelty efforts go, it's not quite "Yellow Submarine," but it's still a cut above. Considered by many to be a great children's song. Quirky and lovable, just like Ringo. Favorite Line: "We would be warm below the storm/In our little hideaway beneath the waves..."
I Want You (She's so Heavy)--A nearly eight minute love song from John Lennon to Yoko Ono. Considered by some to be a precursor to heavy metal. Not your usual Beatles fare, but it works tremendously well. The lyrics are simple, the construction of the song is not. Lots of feedback over a foreboding guitar, while the drums accentuate the somber tone. One of those songs that make you realize why the Beatles were (and are) one of the most influential bands ever. Favorite Line: "I want you/I want you so bad/It's driving me mad..."
Here Comes the Sun--And out of the darkness comes one of the most hopeful, both musically and lyrically, songs ever written. The second gem on the album penned and sung by George Harrison, The light at the end of the tunnel, the end of the rainbow--it's the easing of your struggles and the peace you had hoped for coming over the horizon. The opening acoustic guitar is instantly recognizable and utterly unforgettable. Favorite Line: "Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter/Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here..."
Because--Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison all harmonize on this one, the first time all three would share lead vocals. Not only that, they did some fancy studio wizardry to make it sound as if it were nine voices. While the nature of this song is very different, like "I Want You (She's so Heavy)" this is another signature song for the Beatles which makes you realize why they're often considered to be the greatest band of all-time. Favorite Line: "Love is old, love is new/Love is all, love is you..."
You Never Give Me Your Money--The first song of an eight song medley (though this one sounds like it's three songs in one). Listening to the Beatles juxtapose all three sections is a joy--ballad to a bit of a rocker to a sing song pop song. Some think McCartney wrote this one believing Abbey Road would be the Beatles last album. Favorite Line: "You never give me your money/You only give me your funny paper..."
Sun King--The second song of the medley, and the second song where Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison harmonize the lead vocals. This one's a lot of lovely instrumental and a few lyrics, including a mix of romance languages at the end which Lennon admitted later was just the Beatles goofing around. Favorite Line: Everybody's laughing/Everybody's happy/Here comes the sun king..."
Mean Mr. Mustard--Lennon wrote a song about a real life miser who supposedly hid his money so well he couldn't spend it because he couldn't find it, to continue the medley. It only last one minute six seconds, but as with the best art a lot is packed into that short time. Almost has a whimsical quality, and I always liked it because I found it to be so catchy. The mention of the miser's sister Pam is a lead in to the next song. Favorite Line: "Saving up to buy some clothes/Keeps a ten-bob note up his nose/Such a mean old man..."
Polythene Pam--This Lennon penned ditty is the fourth song of the medley. Like the previous tune, extremely short and extremely catchy (from small things big things come). Supposedly about sex with a woman wrapped in polythene--which Lennon may or may not have been part of. Favorite Line: "Get a dose of her in jackboot and kilts/She's killer-diller when she's dressed to the hilt..."
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window--Number five. Based on a true story of a fan who used a a ladder to climb through the bathroom window of McCartney's home. She promptly let some friends in and they stole a handful of items. Another short catchy song. Maybe a theme? Favorite Line: "Sunday's on the phone to Monday/Tuesday's on the phone to me..."
Golden Slumbers--The last three songs of the medley are as close to godliness as rock and roll can get, and this one is a lovely lullaby. A beautiful plea to to a sleepy child to stop crying and let a peaceful sleep bring her a happy awakening. McCartney absolutely nails the vocal. Favorite Line: "Once there was a way to get back homeward/Once there was a way to get back home..."
Carry That Weight--Another song written by McCartney anticipating the end of their time together. The phrase "carry that weight" is an acknowledgment that all of them would carry the weight forever of being in the Beatles. A rare song as the chorus features all four Beatles harmonizing. An uplifting exhortation. Favorite Line: "Boy, you're gonna carry that weight/Carry that weight a long time..."
The End--A stellar drum solo from Ringo Starr, stupendous guitar solos in order from McCartney, Harrison, and Lennon, and perhaps the greatest single line ever written in a rock and roll song completes the last time the Beatles would be in the studio together. A masterful ending to a master work. Favorite Line: "And in the end/The love you take/Is equal to the love/You make..."
Her Majesty--Just to add the cherry on top, the Beatles added this novelty ode to Queen Elizabeth as a hidden track (on the original release). Twenty-six seconds of lighthearted fun to send us all home happy. Favorite Line: "I wanna tell her that I love her a lot/But I gotta get a belly full of wine..."
Enjoy a masterpiece:
It Was an Insurrection--the Blood of Those Killed on January 6th Is on Republican Hands
There will be a theme emerging over the next several posts of Friday Night Jukebox...see how long it takes you to figure it out!
For those of you who just stepped out of a spaceship from an alien planet, John Lennon at one time was in a band called The Beatles. That's it for me--what the hell else are you going to say about one of the most successful musicians in human history? Hey, here's a surprise--he's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice--solo and and for the band) and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. In addition to that tiny bit of success he had with The Beatles, Lennon found time to release 11 solo albums. After his death, his estate must have gotten really busy because he has 21 compilation/box set releases. Sadly--though his loss is much sadder for his family than his fans--his assassination robbed the world of what might have been.
Fun Fact: For any of my readers (both of you) who may be David Bowie fans, his #1 hit song "Fame" was co-written by...John Lennon. How the hell I've been following pop music for nearly fifty years now and didn't know that is a mystery for the ages.
"Watching the Wheels" was the last single released from Lennon's final album before his death, Double Fantasy. It would eventually reach #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album hit #1 on the Billboard 200, though as someone who was working in a record store when he was murdered can honestly tell you, the album never would have had he not died.
To be perfectly honest, "Watching the Wheels" isn't even close to being Lennon's best song from his solo career. But as I've aged, it's one of those songs that I appreciate more so on a personal level because it encapsulates my aging in the working world--having gone from being a top notch performer to being more than happy to be a cog in the works and letting everybody else get the glory. For those who don't know, after the birth of his second son Sean, Lennon spent five years just being a house husband, and "Watching the Wheels" chronicles Lennon's joy in simple domesticity. While Lennon eventually decided to get back to his art, I decided to keep watching the wheels--and Lennon's song is a perfect reminder of the serenity I've found watching the world go ceaselessly by. And I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Lyric Sheet: "I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round/I really love to watch them roll..."
For numerous reasons, in the spring of my junior year of college I was sick to death of my life and one day decided to blow off all of my classes and hit the backroads of Kokomo, Indiana. A few minutes into my drive this week's tune came on the radio and after singing it to my heart's content, I hit upon the idea that what I most needed was to, as the song said, go "...where the sun keeps shining through the pouring rain." And right then and there I decided to head back to California and return to the best home I'd ever had. About the time I hit the mighty metropolis of Burlington an hour or so later, it dawned on me that I had less than ten bucks in my pocket and the car I was driving was owned by my parents, and not me. I headed back home none the worse for wear, but to this very day every time I hear "Everybody's Talkin'" I can still feel the liberation of "skipping over the ocean, like a stone."
Harry Nilsson (professionally just Nilsson) began his career in 1958, and most certainly did not take a career path followed by many musicians. He spent the first few years learning instruments and honing his songwriting, having some success writing songs for others (Little Richard and the Monkees to name a couple), all the while keeping his job as an overnight programmer at a bank. He signed his first deal in 1966 and asked for an office so he could continue his songwriting. He released his first album the next year and got a huge assist from John Lennon and Paul McCartney when at a 1968 press conference both proclaimed Nilsson to be their favorite American music artist (Nilsson would go on to be a drinking buddy for Lennon, often for the worst). Nilsson was not much on touring (which he later admitted was a mistake), and by 1980 his career was pretty much done (though he would continue recording). For his career, Nilsson released 16 studio albums (one of which reached #3), and 50 singles (with one #1 and two other top ten hits), as well as winning a pair of Grammy Awards. Sadly, Nilsson suffered a heart attack in 1994 and passed away at the too young of an age of 52. Still, he's considered one of the forefathers of the Los Angeles singer/songwriter movement, and was listed at #62 on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest songwriters of all-time.
(Not so) Fun Fact: Nilsson had a flat in London at which Mama Cass Elliot (heart failure, aged 32) and Keith Moon (accidental overdose, also aged 32) both died. Distraught over their deaths, Nilsson sold the flat to Pete Townshend and never returned to London.
"Everybody's Talkin'" was released onAerial Ballet in 1968, but did not become a hit until it was featured in the movie Midnight Cowboyin 1969. It would reach #6 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.
Written by Fred Neil (who after deciding the music business wasn't for him, took the proceeds from his big hit and followed his own musical advice moving to Florida and spending the rest of his life advocating for dolphins), "Everybody's Talkin'" has become an American standard, covered by numerous artists. Nilsson nails the vocals--his plaintive wail captures the protagonists hopes and dreams, while the guitar (ukulele?) and strings softly slide the music forward. I've often thought the song captured Americans' grit perfectly with its cocky optimism...and have to admit that this is one of those songs that always makes my day better and that I never get tired of listening to. A veritable classic.
Lyric Sheet: "I'm going where the sun keeps shining/Through the pouring rain/Going where the weather suits my clothes..."
It's a bit hard to believe that 232 posts into Friday Night Jukebox and I'm just getting to the first tune featuring arguably the greatest band in the history of rock and roll...but that's one of the problems when a band has so many good songs. Too hard to choose just one. Which is probably why I went with one of their lesser known songs, but one that has all the pop sensibilities that emaycee so deeply loves....
Yeah, I'm going to recap The Beatles relatively short, often tumultuous, and yet hugely consequential career in a paragraph--name one other band where you can reel off the band members' first names (John, Paul, George, and Ringo) and everyone knows who you're talking about. So I'll just recite a number of fun facts. The Beatles have sold over 800 million records and are the all-time best selling music artist in history (this means that approximately one out of every ten people on the entire planet has bought a Beatles record). Their twenty #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 is still a record, and they still have more #1 albums in the U.K. (15) than any other artist. They won seven Grammy Awards and an Academy Award. They had five albums in the top 14 of Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest LP's of all time (Dylan had two and no other artist managed more than one in the first fourteen), and were listed as one of Time magazine's most influential people of the twentieth century. Not only was the band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but through the years each individual member has been selected as well. Of their thirteen core studio albums (some had different titles and song selections in the U.S.), eleven went to number one in the U.K. and twelve went to number one in the U.S. Whew...and that's just barely scratching the surface.
"I Will" was released on their album The Beatles (usually called "The White Album" for its stark white cover) in 1968. It was not released as a single, as none of the songs on the album were released as singles (though many received much airplay on album oriented radio stations). Surprisingly enough, The White Album was not well-received critically when it was first released, though as time passed more came to consider it as one of their best (it was #10 on the Rolling Stone list noted above).
One minute, forty-six seconds. That's how long "I Will" lasts, and Paul McCartney is still able to pack a whole lot of punches into such a short piece. There are few people in pop music who can create a melody better than Paul McCartney once could, and there aren't many who can sing so sweetly, either--and he does both to perfection in this little ditty. Though I've never been able to figure out if the song is written for a lover or only one hoped for, it's still a nice jaunt down Pop Music Lane. McCartney has a boucy little guitar jangle, the drums complement both the vocals and the melody exquisitely (and are played by John Lennon), and Ringo Starr puts the cherry on top with his bongo playing. You might also hear a hint of bass guitar--guess again! McCartney actually does that with his voice--a man of too many talents. It took McCartney 67 takes to get the song the way he wanted it, and his finished product is a piece of pop heaven from one of the greatest bands to ever grace our world.
Lyric Sheet: "And when at last I find you/Your song will fill the air/Sing it loud so I can hear you/Make it easy to be near you..."
I'm with this guy--despite the peace sign above, anyone who thinks we're going to win the soul of America by holding hands and singing "Kumbaya" while planting a tree is seriously deluding himself. It's time for an all out war with President Oompa Loompa and his republican minions:
Per Kos: Trump is illegitimate so sing it from the rooftops.
Meet our new best friend, Mr. Phil A. Buster. We need to filibuster, filibuster, and filibuster some more until republicans nuke it (likely) or quit (not)--and if they nuke it, then they own every shit piece of legislation they ram through.
What this guy says: Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, "We're not letting any prepped-out Harvard Business School neo-Nazi strategize us into becoming Germany 1933 and we will not let a cabinet of robber barons and white nationalists destroy everything the civilizing movements of the last century created." More candidates like this for us, please!
Hold Democrats feet to the fire--when Chuck Schumer tells republicans to make our day by attacking Medicare make certain that he's not only talking the talk, but walking the walk, too.
In the words of Thunderclap Newman,
Hand out the arms and ammo
We're going to blast our way through here
We've got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution's here, and you know it's right
And you know that it's right...
On this, the thirty-fifth anniversary of John Lennon's being murdered by four gunshots in the back. an infuriating fact: since his death on December 8, 1980, 1.1 million Americans have been killed by guns.
Imagine--it's easy if you try--how many of them would still be alive if only our political leaders had ever had the moral courage to stand up to the NRA and enact sensible gun laws.
The average American gets paid just enough so he doesn't quit his job, and works just hard enough so he doesn't get fired.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Source unknown
Uncle emaycee Wants You For the Coming Class War! Enlist today....
Capitalism: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you can exploit his labor, become filthy rich, and keep the poor bastard living paycheck to paycheck for the rest of his life.
