Long Tall Sally – Page of Wands (Johnson/Penniman/Blackwell) Long Tall Sally EP, 1964 Available on Past Masters The Beatles performed “Long Tall Sally” so often in concert that when it came time to put it on record, they nailed it in just one take. The song was a huge hit for Little Richard, who was…
Hey Jude – Temperance (Lennon/McCartney) Released as a Single, 1968 Available on Past Masters Paul wrote “Hey Jude” as a comforting message for John’s five-year-old son Julian, who was experiencing the separation of his parents. It was originally called “Hey Jules” but Paul changed the name to Jude because he felt it sounded better. It…
Not a Second Time – 8 of Cups (Lennon/McCartney) With the Beatles, 1963 How much pain is tolerable in a relationship? We all have our thresholds for what we’re willing to put up with before we move on. “Not a Second Time” was written by John and released on the Beatles second album, With the…
Rain – 9 of Swords (Lennon/McCartney) Released as a Single, 1966 Available on Past Masters This is the song that began the Beatles’ psychedelic period. “Rain” was recorded during sessions for the Revolver album and released as the B-side to Paul’s “Paperback Writer”. This song was written by John and includes some spectacular drumming by…
Act Naturally – The Fool (Morrison/Russell) Help!, 1965 As the Beatles were finalizing the Help! album, they realized it was still lacking a song sung by Ringo. The band had intended for their drummer to sing a Lennon-McCartney song called “If You’ve Got Trouble”, but everyone was unsatisfied with how it turned out. So Ringo…
Maxwell’s Silver Hammer – 10 of Swords (Lennon/McCartney) Abbey Road, 1969 “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” is the silliest song you’re ever going to hear about a serial killer. Although Paul thought it was good enough to be considered for a Beatles single, his bandmates despised it. John, who doesn’t even appear on the final recording, said…