Tag Archives: the beatles

#654: The Beatles – It’s Only Love

Leave a reply

‘It’s Only Love’ was written by John Lennon sometime during 1965 and ended up on the Beatles’ first album to be released that year – Help!. He went on to claim that he thoroughly disliked this song calling it ‘lousy’ and particularly taking umbrage with its ‘abysmal’ lyrics. Lennon said he hated a lot of Beatles songs during his lifetime…. though it can be agreed that he definitely wrote a better set of lyrics than those on display here.

“I get high when I see you go by, my oh my, when you sigh my my inside just flies, butterflies” are the words of the first verse. Laughable to those who take lyricism very seriously. But I don’t think ‘It’s Only Love’ is supposed to be a totally serious song. That’s probably what saves it from being disgraceful in the end. Plus Lennon delivers them with such a wilting energy to them that they pale in comparison when that fantastic chorus comes in.

There’s not much to say here. It’s a short, mainly acoustic number that lasts for just under two minutes. Due to the retro mixing of the 60s, it’s quite hard to pick out what each instrument is doing. The emphasis is on George Harrison’s descending guitar riff at the beginning and end of the track. So, to recap, Lennon’s vocal performance and that guitar are the best parts of it all. I still like this song quite a bit though. Not the best track on the album but it does the job.

#634: The Beatles – The Inner Light

Leave a reply

George Harrison began work on what would be his debut solo album in late 1967. Those sessions resulted in Wonderwall Music, released a year later. He travelled to Bombay in order to work with some musicians, and back to London to record some vocals. In that time, today’s song – ‘The Inner Light’ – was recorded. It was the last of Harrison’s songs during his time in the Beatles to explore the Indian influences that had been something of a trademark for him since 1966.

There’s a lot of information on its Wikipedia page that I don’t want to regurgitate. I’ve basically come to take it as an ode to meditation. Feeling content and peace within yourself and those around you. He took a lot of the lines from the Chinese Tao Te Ching text, putting a glorious melody on the words which are backed by a strong harmonium drone and floating Indian flutes.

Upon completion, it was made B-Side to ‘Lady Madonna’ and released in March 1968 while The Beatles went to India for some Transcendental Meditation. It was the first Harrison song to appear on a single. Harrison was proud of it, Paul McCartney held it in high regard. It worked out well in the end. For the song at least – the band were never quite the same from this year onwards.

#625: The Beatles – In My Life

Leave a reply

John Lennon and Paul McCartney could never agree on who wrote the music to this particular song. ‘In My Life’ was originally released on Rubber Soul as the album’s eleventh track. Nearing 55 years on and the track along with many others is still one of the band’s most celebrated.

It could have ended up as something entirely different. Initially Lennon’s lyrics for the song were something of a long poem about his childhood, based on a bus route he would usually take in Liverpool. He thought those lyrics sucked and eventually changed the majority of them. Either Lennon or McCartney put those lyrics to music, it’s still undecided, and the rest is history. Oh, and their longtime producer George Martin played the piano solo. That solo was performed at a slower tempo on a lower octave, so when the tape was sped up it resulted in the music you know all too well.

It’s a lovely tune. This is the only moment on the album where things really slow down. You can take a breather, cry about some family members/friends who have passed away and then carry on as if nothing’s happened when the next song comes on. There’s something very sparse about this song that I’ve noticed. There’s no emphasis on the guitar except for George’s lead that plays the song’s riff. There is this rhythm guitar that strums along, but that and the bass blend together that it’s barely noticeable. They cause this sort of low melodic hum that goes along with the track. It’s all about the vocals and Ringo Starr’s percussion.

Lennon was 24 going on 25 when he wrote this. His words go well beyond that age. One of the most admirable and earnest things he ever did.

#612: The Beatles – If I Needed Someone

1 Reply

George Harrison was listening to The Byrds’ take of the old folksong ‘The Bells of Rhymney’ one day and took particular interest in the track’s main guitar riff that starts it off and appears every now and again throughout. Liking it so much he decided to use it in one of his own songs that would appear on the next Beatles album. He did send the track to the Byrds thanking them; they were more than thrilled with the result. ‘If I Needed Someone’ was released alongside thirteen other tracks on Rubber Soul nearing Christmas 1965, and was another of Harrison’s compositions that showed his growing maturation as a songwriter.

The song’s prominent jangly guitars was further inspired by the sound The Byrds had pretty much created earlier in the year though the track has The Beatles’ stamp all over it, with soaring three-part harmony vocals and a strong rhythm section featuring a weaving bass guitar line courtesy of Paul McCartney. Harrison stated that the song was a simple love message to his then girlfriend Pattie Boyd who he’d met during the filming of A Hard Day’s Night. A lot of people think it’s about having a sidechick – to put it simply. There are a lot of valid reasons as to why by just reading the lyrics. It’s nothing to get too caught up about though. With the position they were in at the time, they could write about anything.

I assume that ‘If I Needed Someone’ was moderately popular within the group as it was the only Harrison song to be performed live by them before they stopped touring in 1966. George would obviously go on to write many more great songs but at that time… it was most definitely the best one he had put down on paper.

#611: The Beatles – If I Fell

2 Replies

‘If I Fell’ from A Hard Day’s Night – the third album by The Beatles – is the song to show people if they were to ask what was so great about John Lennon and Paul McCartney as a pair of vocalists. Their voices and their melodies are what carry this track for its duration. That wasn’t meant to be a slight at George Harrison or Ringo Starr because they do their thing too. But with Lennon and McCartney’s vocals being the main attraction, there’s no reason for the other two to do anything too fancy.

Paul and John harmonise throughout the entire track bar some parts where they sing the exact same melody and John’s double tracked lead at the start. I usually sing John’s part if ever the song comes into my head. I’ve always seen it as Paul singing the higher harmony and John taking the lead rather than vice versa. It is John’s song after all. Although there is a demo recording of him trying to sing what would become Paul’s vocal, so it may be that that is the main melody. It’s no big deal to be honest.

It’s a love song, similar to a lot of other songs the two wrote during those years in the band, but sees Lennon practically begging this new love to treat him better than the one who came before. He would do this again only five years later in “Don’t Let Me Down“. But in 1964 he was a lot more sweeter about in his approach.