Tag Archives: buy

My iPod #158: The Beatles – Can’t Buy Me Love


Another wonderful vocal performance by Paul McCartney. Sings it right from the gut. It was almost ear-piercing when I was always messing up the audio in Audacity and amplifying their tracks to ridiculous levels. I used to like my music very loud; I know now why audiophiles exist.

The first time I heard the song, The Beatles weren’t singing it. It was a cover version that played in a Simpsons episode. From what I recall Bart and Lisa volunteer to work at the Retirement Castle and they persuade the old folk to have fun outside or whatever, which leads to a montage very similar to the original video by The Beatles which you can see above all of this.

That occurred when I was a child. I didn’t see “A Hard Day’s Night” until I was fourteen, so that whole montage was something that I thought was silly and comedic, rather than a parody.

“Can’t Buy Me Love” is a joyful and bouncy song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, but mostly by the latter. You cannot listen to this song and feel sad at the same time. When Paul sings money can’t buy him love, he sings it like he believes it. You want to believe him when he sings it too. This is all very cliché, but it is true. Money’s bad. Love is good. Money does help a bit…. but compared to love it’s nothing. Love is all you need.

Jamie.

My iPod #152: Nine Black Alps – Buy Nothing

I leave for university tomorrow, and I can’t wait. So many opportunities waiting for me…. But wait.

Where does this leave “The iPod Times”? Is this finished will I ever get back to this. You’ll have to wait for the last song of the ‘B’ series. Which is also tomorrow. I really don’t know what I’ll do.

——-

“Buy Nothing” was released as a free download from the band’s website, and was the first taste of new material in two years after their second album “Love/Hate”.

I wasn’t a huge fan of that album. The band had completely dumped their post-grunge/hard rock approach they had on “Everything Is” and replaced it with – what I think was supposed to be a more radio friendly sound – which just didn’t work for me. It’s an okay album, but that’s really it.

“Buy Nothing” was the sign that everything had gone back to normal. It has a hell of a riff which drives the song along as lead singer San Forrest tells us to forget about the government, advertising and consumerism are meaningless. BUY NOTHING.

That’s all there is to the song.  It’s one of the heavier songs on “Locked Out from the Inside”, it’s one of my favourite songs by the band too.

Jamie.

(Sorry for the late post. I’m packing, you see.)