I used to really dislike this song for some reason, and in retrospect, I don’t understand why. Maybe it blended in with a lot of their earlier output, and if push comes to shove, I’d probably rank With the Beatles as my least favorite album, so that’s working against it too. But it’s not a bad song by any means. It’s got those glorious harmonies I can’t praise enough and perhaps most impressively, Continue reading “#154: All I’ve Got to Do”
Author: Anthony Cusumano
#155: Polythene Pam
After making a cameo appearance in Abbey Road‘s previous song, “Mean Mr. Mustard,” the sister of that title character gets her own track, and it’s a doozy. The three jarringly sharp guitar chords that kick off “Polythene Pam” are a pretty good indication that this song isn’t Continue reading “#155: Polythene Pam”
#156: Yellow Submarine
“Yellow Submarine” is one of the first Beatles songs everybody hears as a kid, but I can’t say I have any sentimental attachment to it. I mean, I appreciate the kooky visuals and singalong aspect, but it’s Continue reading “#156: Yellow Submarine”
#157: She’s a Woman
Nothing can ruin a good song faster than bad lyrics. That’s a fact. For all the claims that it’s all about the music, or that a certain vocalist could sing the phone book and it would still be compelling, one lame lyric will Continue reading “#157: She’s a Woman”
#158: Savoy Truffle
On the surface, “Savoy Truffle” is kind of a novelty song. George Harrison lists off a bunch of fancy candy varieties in a gentle ribbing of his pal Eric Clapton, a chocoholic/problem dental patient. George had a habit of poking fun at Eric’s foibles in song, like when he recorded an awful cover of Continue reading “#158: Savoy Truffle”
#159: The Word
Fans of Family Guy and pre-Beatles rock music are well aware that in 1963, Minnesota’s own The Trashmen established definitively and without question that “bird” is the word. It may have been occasionally accompanied by stutters of differing lengths, but the veracity of its prominent place in the lexicon was not up for debate.
And yet in 1965, two cocky young songwriters Continue reading “#159: The Word”
#160: Ain’t She Sweet
Pro: this is the first John Lennon lead vocal recorded in a professional studio. Con: it also Continue reading “#160: Ain’t She Sweet”
#161: I’ve Just Seen a Face
Oh Paul McCartney, you delightful trickster, you. The longing strums that open “I’ve Just Seen a Face” make for one of the most deceptive intros in the Beatles’ catalog. Because what follows those first 11 seconds is one of the Continue reading “#161: I’ve Just Seen a Face”
#162: Devil in Her Heart
Before the Beatles took over the world, they were paying their dues in German clubs, playing to drunken audiences for over four hours a night. Three members of the band wound up getting deported, and in a fun twist that nobody could have seen coming, Continue reading “#162: Devil in Her Heart”
#163: For You Blue
Since George Harrison is my favorite Beatle, I probably subconsciously grade some of his songs on a curve. (But not all of them.) If “For You Blue” hadn’t been one of the allotted two Harrisongs on Let it Be, I probably would be more immune to its bouncy charms. But honestly, that’s possibly the most appealing thing about “For You Blue”: save for his ironically salty ode to Eric Clapton’s sweet tooth, “Savoy Truffle,” and the quirky b-side “Old Brown Shoe,” “For You Blue” is practically the only moment on record in the Beatles’ later era where Continue reading “#163: For You Blue”
Anthony Cusumano 