Slow Down – Knight of Wands (Williams) Long Tall Sally EP, 1964 Available on Past Masters There was such demand for Beatles music in 1964 that even two albums weren’t nearly enough. To fill the gap in anticipation of their third album, A Hard Day’s Night, the fab four hastily recorded a 4-song EP in…
One of the main ways that tarot decks differ from each other is how they present the minor arcana. The minor arcana (or just “minors” for short) are the 40 cards numbered Ace – 10 in the four suits, like you find in a playing card deck. There are basically two ways of presenting the…
Mother Nature’s Son – Page of Pentacles (Lennon/McCartney) The Beatles (The White Album), 1968 “Mother Nature’s Son” perfectly captures the tranquility of communing with the wonders of nature. Take a deep breath and allow it to wash over you. Paul has said the song was influenced by an old favorite, “Nature Boy” by Nat King…
Baby’s In Black – Death (Lennon/McCartney) Beatles For Sale, 1964 On the heels of the cheerful A Hard Day’s Night album and movie, the Beatles made a conscious decision to write songs that were a little darker and more serious for their follow-up. The first song they recorded for their next album, Beatles For Sale,…
Flying – The Fool (Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Starr) Magical Mystery Tour, 1967 “Flying” is unique in the Beatles’ canon. It is the only instrumental the group ever released, and it’s one of just two Beatles compositions that gave all four members equal writing credit. The song is off the soundtrack to their psychedelic third film,…
Eight Days A Week – 2 of Cups (Lennon/McCartney) Beatles For Sale, 1964 …“Eight Days a Week” has the distinction as the first-ever pop song that begins with a fade-in. The song opens side 2 of their fourth album, Beatles For Sale, released in late 1964. The catchy tune was released as a single in…
Rocky Raccoon – 5 of Swords (Lennon/McCartney) The Beatles (The White Album), 1968 Like most songs off the White Album, “Rocky Raccoon” was written in India, while the Beatles were learning Transcendental Meditation from the Maharishi. Paul claimed the song came to him quite quickly and easily while he got some lyrical ideas from John…
Matchbox – 5 of Pentacles (Perkins) Long Tall Sally EP, 1964 Available on Past Masters “Matchbox” is a swinging rockabilly tune, sung by Ringo. The Beatles had been performing the song since their early days; their original drummer Pete Best sang it when they still played small clubs. It’s a cover of a Carl Perkins…
The Night Before – 3 of Swords (Lennon/McCartney) Help!, 1965 On the surface, there’s not much special about “The Night Before”. It’s a serviceable little song about a breakup, written and sung by Paul, from the movie Help! The melody, lyrics, and arrangement are all pretty unexceptional, at least by the lofty standards of the…
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! – The Magician (Lennon/McCartney) Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967 Side 1 of Sgt. Pepper concludes with this two-and-a-half-minute kaleidoscopic dreamscape. Those hearing it for the first time probably weren’t sure what to expect looking at its odd title, but as the only Beatles song with an…