Every Little Thing – The Lovers (Lennon/McCartney) Beatles for Sale, 1964 Paul initially had high hopes for his new composition “Every Little Thing”, thinking it might be the Beatles’ follow up single to the smash hit “A Hard Day’s Night”. But after playing it for manager Brian Epstein he had to admit it “didn’t have…
Martha My Dear – Page of Cups (Lennon/McCartney) The Beatles (White Album), 1968 Paul McCartney had no intention of writing a song about his three-year-old sheepdog when he sat down to write “Martha My Dear”. But it just happened that way. As he described it later, the song was intended as a creative exercise, testing…
Please Please Me – Knight of Wands (McCartney/Lennon) Please Please Me, 1963 As soon as the Beatles finished recording their second single, “Please Please Me”, producer George Martin confidently proclaimed they’d just made their first number one. He was proven correct. It was the song that launched Beatlemania in their native UK, and as the…
Good Morning Good Morning – 4 of Cups (Lennon/McCartney) Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967 During the months before recording Sgt. Pepper, John Lennon spent a lot of time sitting around in his luxurious suburban estate. Ever since being a teenager, his daily schedule had been dominated by the demands of being a Beatle.…
No Reply – 3 of Swords (Lennon/McCartney) Beatles For Sale, 1964 The Beatles’ fourth album opens on a surprisingly gloomy note. The first track of their first three records all featured a high-energy rocker to set the mood for what was to come. And in its own way, “No Reply” sets the mood for Beatles…
Good Night – The Star (Lennon/McCartney) The Beatles (White Album), 1968 The Beatles’ self-titled album is by far their longest and most varied. Listening to it all the way through is like experiencing a journey through all manner of musical styles and dimensions of the psyche. And in the end, the White Album comes to…
This past Saturday, as the country waited (and waited…) for the last remaining states to complete counting their mail-in ballots, I hosted the first Saturday morning edition of my online Meetup. In the days leading up to the Meetup it became clear that the topic should be related to the state of the contentious election.…
I Feel Fine – 2 of Cups (Lennon/McCartney) Released as a single, 1964 Available on Past Masters “I Feel Fine” was one of the Beatles’ biggest singles, reaching #1 all over the world in late-1964. By the time of its recording, the Fab Four were looking for innovative ways to expand their sound. So they…
The Word – Ace of Swords (Lennon/McCartney) Rubber Soul, 1965 By late-1965, Beatle fans were more than accustomed to hearing their heroes sing songs about love. But this one was notably different. Compared to so many of their early songs about sweet and romantic love, this was the first time where love was sung about…
Roll Over Beethoven – Ace of Wands (Berry) With the Beatles, 1963 John Lennon once said, “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry.’” It’s not a stretch to say that the legendary Berry was the single most influential artist in rock’s early years, appearing on a…