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”
Pro: this is the first John Lennon lead vocal recorded in a professional studio. Con: it also Continue reading “#160: Ain’t She Sweet”
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”
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”
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”
Surprise, surprise, here’s another song John Lennon wrote and subsequently bad-mouthed a few years later. “I always thought it was a lousy song,” he said in 1980. “The lyrics were abysmal. I always hated that song.”
Ok, so he wasn’t Continue reading “#164: It’s Only Love”
I still remember the first time I heard “Long, Long, Long.” No, it was not some life-changing moment that forever altered my state of consciousness. I’ll always remember it because it was one of the most Continue reading “#165: Long, Long, Long”
The only instrumental track to appear on a core Beatles album, “Flying” is easily one of the band’s grooviest moments. It’s hard to listen to it and not get transported to a place of serenity, where everything is good and cool in the world, and you start to have second thoughts about Continue reading “#166: Flying”
The much-loved medley that makes up the bulk of side two of Abbey Road is comprised of eight songs (well, technically there are two medleys, but that sounds much less impressive than “THE MEDLEY” in all-caps and big bold letters as per the rules of AP style. Look it up). Taken as a whole, they represent one of the Beatles’ finest hours. Taken as individual songs, some clearly stand up better than others. But I’m not going to Continue reading “#167: Sun King”
Beatles fans who dive into the members’ solo years–a rocky but rewarding road to trek down–know all about John Lennon’s infamous “lost weekend” period in the mid-70s, in which he got drunk all the time, had an affair that Continue reading “#168: Little Child”
Anthony Cusumano 