"Can't Buy Me Love"

Title: “Can’t Buy Me Love”

Album: A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

While in Paris for a series of concerts at the Olympia Theater in January 1964, the Beatles booked studio time to record (reluctantly) new German-language versions of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and “She Loves You,” having been told that their records would never sell in large numbers in Germany if they were in English. They had extra time in the Paris studio after these tracks were recorded so the band also worked on McCartney’s new tune, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” making it the only Beatles’ English-language song recorded outside the U.K.   Paul’s final vocal, however, was overdubbed in February at Abbey Road, and the backing vocals were removed, making it the first Beatles’ single without their characteristic harmonies (and their sixth single overall, B-sided by “You Can’t Do That”).

Paul was often asked about the song, finally pressed by journalists in 1966 to reveal its “true” meaning.  He said that you can interpret it in almost any way you want, but he insisted it was not about prostitution.

The clip below is from the Beatles Shea Stadium performance.  “Everybody clap your hands and sing along.”

"You Can't Do That"

Song: “You Can’t Do That”

Album: A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

“You Can’t Do That” is a John tune through and through—he even recorded the guitar solo. It’s perhaps sexist and paranoid, but it’s also personal, and it reflects John’s love for R&B. Written for A Hard Day’s Night, the song was cut from the film but included on the album. It was also considered for A-side release until Paul wrote “Can’t Buy Me Love” (for which it ultimately became the B-side). 

The song was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in February 1964. It was the first recording released in which George used his Rickenbacker 360 Deluxe electric 12-string guitar (only the second one ever made), which had been presented to him in New York while the band was there for The Ed Sullivan Show. The guitar was his go-to instrument on A Hard Day’s Night, and its signature chiming sound influenced musicians like Roger McGuinn, who would later form The Byrds.

"Love Me Do"

Song: “Love Me Do”
Album: Please Please Me (1963)

Released in October 1962 (B-sided by “P.S. I Love You”), “Love Me Do” was the first Beatles single, peaking at number 17 in the U.K. and number 1 in the U.S. (but not until 1964). It’s a song that fits the model of early Beatles lore well: McCartney wrote it while skipping school at 16 (John contributed the middle eight) probably putting it down in a notebook with “Another Lennon-McCartney Original” scrawled atop the page (as was their practice at the time). It was originally envisioned as an Everly Brothers-style harmonizing piece. And they do harmonize on “please,” but because John couldn’t sing and play the harmonica (a major fixture in many of their early tunes), Paul took the solo “love me do.” The harmonica was originally overdubbed (so John could sing the line, too), but it was too loud and overpowering in the final recording so John instead played it while Paul sang.

The song was first recorded in June of 1962 with Pete Best on drums. It was recorded again in September with Ringo, as producer George Martin did not like Best’s drumming. But Martin wasn’t happy with Starr’s drumming either, and the Beatles recorded the song a third time (again in September) with session drummer Andy White (with Starr playing the tambourine—so the Ringo and White versions can be easily distinguished by the presence or absence of a tambourine). The Starr version was the one first issued as a single, but the White version was used for Please Please Me and most other releases of the song. The Pete Best version was not released until 1995’s Anthology 1 volume.

Aside from just his pickiness about the drumming, Martin was not yet impressed with the songwriting prowess of the newly signed Beatles (who were picked up primarily for their charisma). He selected this as their first single because he didn’t feel they had any better material at the time. But the band really wanted to record their own song for their first single, which was unusual at the time, especially for a new artist. And Martin probably deserves the credit for giving them a shot.

The original master of “Love Me Do” from the first September session (with Ringo as drummer) no longer exists. Two-track session tapes for singles were often erased after being mixed down to a master so its no surprise the original tapes are gone, but the master was lost at some point, too. EMI probably wasn’t too concerned about it as the later recording (with White) was the master used for most releases of the song. But in the early 1980’s, a new master was struck from a mint 45 from a private record collection and has been the “official” master ever since.

"Let it Be"

Song: "Let it Be"
Album: Let It Be (1970)

"Let It Be" was written by McCartney during a tumultuous period while recording The Beatles (The White Album), following a dream Paul had about his mother (who died of cancer when he was fourteen). The Mother Mary line in the song refers to her (Mary McCartney), and he’s said that she told him, in the dream, “It will be all right, just let it be.”

The song was not recorded, though, until January of 1969, during the even more tumultuous Get Back sessions.  “Let it Be” was the final single released by the Beatles (in March 1970) before McCartney announced his split from the group.  An alternative mix also appeared as the title track on the Let it Be album (renamed from Get Back), which was released later in 1970, after the Beatles had parted ways.

George overdubbed two guitar solos--recorded April 1969 and January 1970--for the song, which were added to the original January 1969 take. The intention was that they’d both be used in the final track, but instead, the first was used for the single release, and the second was used in the original album release. Backing vocals were added in January 1970, including those sung by Linda McCarney, which is her only known contribution to a Beatles song. 

Phil Spector remixed the song in March 1970 for what would become the Let It Be album, augmenting some of Ringo’s drumming (including adding a delay to the high hat), stripping out the backing vocals (except on the first chorus), and adding a more prominent orchestral arrangement. In short, he overdid it. It was remixed again for the 2003 release of Let It Be…Naked, in which much of Spector’s excess is removed, especially (to Ringo’s satisfaction) the delayed drumming effects, leaving Starr’s more natural, stripped-down drumming.  

“Let it Be” was well-received critically, and is frequently cited as a fan favorite. Additionally, it won both an Academy Award (for Best Original Song Score) and a Grammy (for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special) for the Let It Be film in 1971.

"Nowhere Man"

Song: “Nowhere Man”

Album: Rubber Soul (1965)

One of my all time favorites, “Nowhere Man,” which is notable both for being one of the first Beatles’ songs to have nothing to do with romance and for being an early example of John’s philosophically-influenced songwriting, was recorded in October 1965 and appeared on 1965’s Rubber Soul LP, as a U.S. single in 1966, and in 1968’s Yellow Submarine film.

George and John played identical “sonic blue” Fender Stratocaster guitars (John on the verses and George on the solo) on the tune, and Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison all shared the three-part vocal harmony.

Many, including Lennon himself, believed the song was about John—either feeling lost about what song to write next for Rubber Soul, or feeling generally out of place in the universe.  Dr. Who fanatics, on the other hand, have a different theory, suggesting the song is about the series’ title character—a human-disguised alien that travels through space and time, heading nowhere in particular, always trying to save the universe.

The video below is from a performance of the tune in Japan.

"Rain"

Title: “Rain”

Album: (Not released on LP)

Lennon’s “Rain,” which B-sided 1966’s “Paperback Writer,” was recorded during the Revolver sessions. It’s widely considered the Beatles’ finest B-side. The song was written following a particularly rainy stint the band had in Australia. John said it was “about people moaning about the weather all the time.” It’s musically simple, but technically impressive and highly experimental, containing a slowed down rhythm track and backward-played vocals, which foreshadowed things to come on Revolver (released later the same year). Also notable on the track is Paul’s complex basssline and Ringo’s drumming, which Starr himself (as well as many critics) consider his finest recorded performance. The performances and the technical effects pioneered in this song cannot be overstated. And the three promotional films shot for "Rain" (one of which can be seen below) marked another way in which the Beatles influenced the emergence of the music video (again, well over a decade before MTV was launched).

"Yesterday"

Song: “Yesterday”
Album: Help (1965)

As the story goes, McCartney (literally) dreamed the melody of “Yesterday,” and rushed to a piano upon waking to play it out before forgetting the tune. Because it came to him so clearly and completely, he was worried that his subconscious was plagiarizing someone else’s song while he slept. So he played it for numerous people, figuring if no one claimed to have heard it before, he'd probably be safe in continuing to work on it. But he agonized over it, kicking the song around for quite some time before recording it. Actually, it was quite a while before it even had a title. As John and Paul often did when working out a new song, McCartney used nonsense “working lyrics”: “Scrambled Eggs/Oh, my baby how I love your legs.”

The song was a point of contention in the group, because the other Beatles were annoyed with Paul’s incessant fiddling with and chattering about the song. It probably could have been included on either A Hard Day’s Night or Beatles for Sale, but disagreements about the arrangement (or whether or not the song was even appropriate for a Beatles’ album) delayed its release. After Paul was comfortable with a  completed version of the song, it was actually initially offered to musician Chris Farlowe (probably because it didn’t sound like a Beatles tune), but Farlowe turned it down because it was “too soft.” Paul finally recorded it in June 1965 (four days after his 23rd birthday). A string arrangement was later added to the track, but none of the other Beatles were included in the final recording. George Martin apparently had a conversation with Brian Epstein about this, suggesting that maybe they should just release it as a Paul McCartney song, as the rest of the band had little to do with it (and it sounded unlike anything else they’d recorded).  But Epstein was adamant that they not split up the Beatles. The song was ultimately included on the Beatles 1965 Help!

The rest, as they say, is history. “Yesterday” went on to become one of the Beatles’ most popular songs. It’s still popular today, and has been covered more than 2,000 times. 

"Do You Want to Know a Secret"

Song: “Do You Want to Know a Secret”
Album: Please Please Me (1963)

“Do You Want to Know a Secret” was written primarily by Lennon and was recorded during an epic nine-song session in February 1963. It was released on the Please Please Me LP in March 1963 and as a single (B-sided by “Thank You Girl”) in March 1964. John and Paul composed the tune for Harrison to sing, whose voice range—at least by Lennon’s estimation—was limited at the time. (John later said George’s voice improved significantly with time). In 1964, it became the first George-sung tune to crack the top ten of the Billboard Top 100, peaking at #2, just behind “Can’t Buy Me Love.”

The lyrics were inspired by the song “I’m Wishing,” which was featured in Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Apparently Lennon’s mom Julia would sing it to him as a child. In fact, the first lines from the Snow White tune—“Want to know a secret? Promise not to tell?”—are used almost verbatim as the third and fourth lines of the Beatles’ track.

"All My Loving"

Song: “All My Loving”

Album: With the Beatles (1963)

Although not released as a single, “All My Loving” was immensely popular and enjoyed significant radio play after its release on the group’s 1963 U.K. LP With the Beatles. So much, in fact, that EMI later issued it as the title track to an EP. It was also the opening number for the Beatles’ first performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, and it was later used in the background during scenes in both A Hard Day’s Night and (as an instrumental piece) Magical Mystery Tour.

It was a solid early Paul song. For many, it was the track that made people realize McCartney could write just as well as John. In fact, many critics consider it the best non-single Beatles’ track before 1964.

Even John spoke fondly about the tune, joking with interviewers that he wished he’d been the one to write it. And legend has it (or, at least, TV producer Alan Weiss—who was at Roosevelt Hospital when Lennon was brought in—claims that) “All My Loving" was playing in the emergency room when was Lennon was pronounced dead. 

"I'm a Loser"

Song: “I’m a Loser”

Album: Beatles for Sale (1964)

Recorded in eight takes (with no overdubs) in August 1964—on the same day as “Mr. Moonlight” and “Leave My Kitten Alone”—John’s “I’m a Loser” was originally considered for release as a single (until John composed “I Feel Fine,” which was selected over it).   The tune instead appeared on Beatles for Sale (Beatles ’65 in the U.S.) and was regularly played while touring.

Both its overall sound and its lyrical content were influenced by country music (as well as by folk, especially Bob Dylan). The song, in part, marked the beginning of rock and folk coming together in a meaningful way, as well as the shifting of the Beatles into darker musical and lyrical territory. Not a happy track (as its title clearly indicates), “I’m a Loser” was among the first of the Beatles’ grown up love songs, dwelling on the despondency of a tough breakup instead of the euphoria of new love. Fitting nicely with the character of the song, Lennon even dips to a low G during the verses, something he rarely did (as it was a note typically hit only by Baritones or Bass—and Lennon was a Tenor).

An interesting tidbit: the original pressing of Beatles for Sale (in the U.K.) misprinted the title as “I’m a Losser."

"Helter Skelter"

Song: “Helter Skelter”

Album: The Beatles (The White Album) (1968)

Paul wrote “Helter Skelter” in an effort to make the loudest, dirtiest sounding song he could, apparently in response to a 1967 Guitar Player interview in which Who guitarist Pete Townshend described their single, “I Can See for Miles,” as the loudest, rawest song they’d ever recorded. Many critics credit “Helter Skelter” as a forerunner of heavy metal.

Paul said he used the “symbol of helter skelter as a ride from the top to the bottom; the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.” Charles Manson, however, infamously cited several The Beatles (The White Album) songs as a coded prophecy for an apocalyptic vision of white people killing each other off with Manson and his followers emerging as the rulers of the remaining black people, or some such ridiculousness.  Manson referred to the prophetic course of events as helter skelter.

The song was recorded several times during sessions in July 1968, including 12 and 27 minute versions, and apparently all acted quite zany during the recording. It’s rumored that George even ran around the study with a flaming ashtray held above his head while Paul recorded his vocals.

"I'm Happy Just to Dance with You"

Song: "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You"
Album: Hard Day's Night (1964)

Written before Harrison composed his own material, Paul and John penned “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” specifically for him to perform. It was recorded in March of 1964 for the Hard Day’s Night soundtrack, and the clip from the film below marked the first commercial video piece in which George sang lead.

Lennon and McCartney considered it a formula song, but there’s a few interesting bits about its structure nonetheless. The Beatles often used unique and unpredictable chords, and in this song they augmented the B7th chord on “dance,” adding a hint of dissonance to a crucial point of the chorus. Also, the opening of the song is taken from the last four bars of the bridge instead of from the verse or chorus (which was standard for most pop tunes at the time).