"The Long and Winding Road"

Song: “The Long and Winding Road”

Album: Let it Be (1970)

“The Long and Winding Road” was the Beatles’ 20^th (and final) number one song in the United States and the last single released by the band while all members were still alive.  While immensely popular upon its release, Paul (the song’s primary composer) was enormously displeased with Phil Spector’s production of it—so much so that he cited Spector’s treatment of the song as one of six reasons for the legal split of the Beatles.

Paul wrote the song at his farm in Scotland during a time of growing tension in the band (providing its metaphorical heft), but the “long and winding road” is also said to be a physical reference to the B842 road running along the east coast of Kintyre into Cambeltown in Scotland.  

Paul cut an early demo of the tune in September 1968 during The Beatles (The White Album) sessions.  The final recording was cut on January 26 and 31, 1969, just days before and a day after the legendary rooftop concert. In early 1970, Spector was presented with the tapes from the Get Back sessions to remix the songs for an album. He gave particular attention to “The Long and Winding Road.” Citing John’s poor bass performance on the track, he remixed it with an orchestration that included 18 violins, 4 violas, 3 cellos, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 guitars, and achoir of 14 women, which was arguably a bit overkill for a seemingly minor problem (and certainly in direct opposition to the Beatles’ stated “back to basics” intent for the album).

A simpler mix was released with the Beatles Anthology in 1996. And in 2003, The Beatles and Yoko Ono release Let It Be…Naked, which contains “stripped down” cuts of all of the album tracks, including (and probably, especially) “The Long and Winding Road.” This version of the album contained no strings or other instrumentation that wasn’t played in the studio during the original recordings, which brought the album in line with (or, at least, much closer to) its intended form.

Ringo, who never had any problem with the sting arrangment Spector added (beyond Spector’s odd, eccentric behavior during the mixing process), liked the Naked version of the tune, saying that it’d been over thirty years since he’d heard it without all of the added instrumentation, and it blew him away. Spector has criticized Paul for being so overly sensitive about the original album version, citing that McCartney had no problem accepting the Oscar for the Let It Be soundtrack or adopting some of Spector’s arrangement when performing the song on tour in the years since. 

The closing lyrics in the single version of the song include Paul’s refrain, “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” fittingly harkening back to the Beatles’ early hits as they played off into the sunset.

"Tell Me Why"

Song: “Tell Me Why”

Album: A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

Written by Lennon, “Tell Me Why” was recorded in eight takes in February 1964. The video below was filmed the next month at the Scala Theatre in London and can be seen during the studio performance portion of A Hard Day’s Night. The lyrics are far more biting than the harmonies and doo-wop structure suggest, and Paul later reflected that this, like many of Lennon’s songs, was likely drawn from personal experiences, but neither McCartney, Starr, or Harrison realized it at the time.

"From Me to You"

Song: “From Me to You”

Album: (Not Released on LP)

Written by McCartney and Lennon (and considered one of their most collaborative efforts), “From Me to You” was released as a single in 1963 and became the first number one hit on some of the British charts (second on others).  But it was not an immediate hit in the U.S. In fact, it took Del Shannon’s cover version a year later to put the song in the American pop charts (making it the first song written by Lennon and McCartney to enter the U.S. charts).  It was one of the last Beatles tunes attributed to McCartney-Lennon (before taking on the Lennon-McCartney label for good). 

Inspired by some of the letters featured in New Musical Express, Paul and John began writing “From Me to You” during a ride to Shrewsbury for a show. Performer Kenny Lynch, who was on the same coach, apparently considered himself something of a songwriter and tried to “help” the two before exasperatedly proclaiming the song “bloody rubbish” by “idiots” who “don’t know music from their backsides.”

But Paul has said that it was a “pivotal” song for the group, marking innovation in their song structure and chord use. And the opening “da da da da da dum dum da,” which was suggested by George Martin (and the band at first thought unusual), proved successful, indicating to the group Martin’s musical savvy—and perhaps cementing their trust in him.

 McCartney has pointed out that this tune—like many of their early numbers—uses “I” or “me” or “you” as a way of connecting directly to the listener. But although this particular song uses first person pronouns, it has no lead singer.

Paul claims he first realized the impact the Beatles had on the musical world when he heard a milkman whistling "From Me to You."

"I'll Cry Instead"

Song: “I’ll Cry Instead”

Album: A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

“I’ll Cry Instead” is a Lennon tune recorded for the A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack.  Although director Richard Lester ultimately decided to use “Can’t Buy Me Love” in the sequence, John wrote “I’ll Cry Instead” for the band’s breakout scene in the film. And while it wasn’t used in the original film, the 45 release was listed as “From the United Artists Picture, A Hard Day’s Night.” Plus Walter Shenson’s 1981 re-release of the film includes the tune over a redone opening sequence that includes a retro-style photo collage (see the promo for the film below).

Cynthia Lennon—John’s first wife—has said that the song reflects Lennon’s frustration during that period,  gaining tremendous fame but losing the freedom of his youth.

A Newsreel

Here's a brief film/newsreel made before and during a 1963 concert in Manchester.  I love the flowery, glowing narration in the beginning. 

Includes performances of "She Loves You" and "Twist & Shout."

"Magical Mystery Tour"

Song: “Magical Mystery Tour”

Album: (Not Released on LP)

Written primarily by McCartney (from an idea mostly conceived by McCartney), “Magical Mystery Tour” is the title song to the double EP and TV film, but it was never released as a single like the themes to other Beatles’ films.  “Mystery Tours” were common and popular in Britain when the Beatles were young, and the “Magical Mystery Tour” takes the concept a step further, adding a magical, surreal (likely drug-influenced) dimension to it. 

The song was recorded in April and May 1967, just days after the final sessions for Sgt. Pepper’s. The song wasn’t even complete when their new session began so much of the early time in the studio was spent hashing out the rest of it. 

While never released on an LP in the U.K., the EP was stretched to LP-length in the U.S. by adding five previously released singles (including both “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” from the double A-side).  The LP version was later released in both the U.S. and U.K. on CD.

The original six-song double EP (released in the U.K.) was received much better than the film was, but most critics consider the “Magical Mystery Tour” song itself a pleasant but inconsequential entry in the Beatles canon. 

"Penny Lane"

Song: “Penny Lane”

Album: (Not Released on LP)

Recorded during the Sgt. Pepper sessions, McCartney’s “Penny Lane,” along with “Strawberry Fields Forever,” was part of a double A-side single released in February 1967. Lennon and McCartney used to catch buses for Liverpool’s city center at the Penny Lane junction—such a common terminus at the time that many of the buses roaming the city displayed PENNY LANE. Smithdown Place (near the bus terminus) was a popular attraction for Beatles’ fans making a pilgrimage to Liverpool, and city officials had to replace stolen street signs displaying “Penny Lane” constantly until they decided to paint street names on neighborhood buildings. Ultimately, more “theft-resistant” signs were installed in 2007.

Neither song was released on a British LP by the group, but they were both included in the U.K.’s double EP soundtrack “Magical Mystery Tour” and on the U.S. LP of the same name. George Martin said that he believed pairing “Penny Lane” with “Strawberry Fields Forever” resulted in the greatest single ever released by the Beatles.

“Penny Lane” was recorded during December 1966 and January 1967 at Abbey Road. David Mason’s piccolo trumpet solo, for which he was paid about 27 pounds, was done in a mock-Baroque style. The original US single mix of the song had an additional trumpet flourish, but was quickly replaced by a version omitting it. The few copies that had already been sent to radio stations (with the additional trumpet passage) are among the most valuable Beatles collectibles.