Within You Without You – The Hermit (Harrison) Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967 Take a deep breath in and out. For maximum impact, allow the opening notes of this song to slowly wash over you. Sgt. Pepper has a reputation as the most cosmic and philosophical of Beatles albums, and George Harrison’s “Within…
I Want You (She’s So Heavy) – 10 of Wands (Lennon/McCartney) Abbey Road, 1969 The first side of Abbey Road ends with a sudden cut, from overwhelming noise to silence. At nearly eight minutes in length and only 13 words for lyrics, John’s “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” is one of the Beatles’ most…
I Am the Walrus – The Moon (Lennon/McCartney) Magical Mystery Tour, 1967 Magical Mystery Tour was the peak of the Beatles’ psychedelic period, and John’s song “I Am the Walrus” in particular is the culmination of this groundbreaking era. It’s a hallucinatory masterpiece. The esoteric lyrics are a cross between Lewis Carroll and Bob Dylan.…
BACK IN THE U.S.S.R. – 4 of Wands (Lennon/McCartney) The Beatles (The White Album), 1968 The White Album opens with sounds of an airplane engine followed by an uptempo drum and guitar beat. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” is a raucous pastiche of Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys. The song’s title is lifted directly from…
The tarot deck is a beautiful and fascinating system of symbols. It’s also an effective tool for accessing the deep wisdom you possess within yourself. Engaging with the tarot’s symbols naturally takes you within your own consciousness, toward the source of deep truth and love inside. Tarot is an intuitive method, map of consciousness, pictorial…
For No One – 3 of Swords (Lennon/McCartney) Revolver, 1966 “For No One” is a beautiful breakup song, with Paul’s gift for melody and lyrics on full display. In 1966, the Beatles were exploring all sorts of musical themes and styles and could appear to do no wrong in the recording studio. For most bands…
“The thing is, we’re really the same person. We’re just four parts of the one.” – Paul McCartney We all know the Beatles were something truly special, but they were far more than that. They were literally magic. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr each represented an elemental force within the band.…
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Magician (Lennon/McCartney) Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967 Sgt. Pepper: The Beatles’ most notorious record and arguably the greatest album ever made! Released in the Summer of Love, it broke the mold for what was possible from a rock band. It is the perfect infusion of…
I’ve Got A Feeling – 9 of Wands (Lennon/McCartney) Let It Be, 1970 We can tell within the first few notes that the feeling he’s got is one of dark foreboding. For good reason: the Beatles were growing apart personally and creatively as this song was recorded for what would eventually be the Let It…
I’m Down – 8 of Swords (Lennon/McCartney) Released as a single, 1965 Available on Past Masters This B-side to the smash single “Help!” became a raucous staple of The Beatles’ live act. Little Richard is a clear influence, and “I’m Down” could be seen as a sequel to a Paul-sung favorite, “Long Tall Sally“. Like…