While recording the White Album, the band suffered bouts with tremendous turmoil. John bringing Yoko to the studio had a lot to do with the bickering. Near the end of March they had a bit of success with ‘Lady Madonna,’ peaking at #4, but climbing back from the deep void that Paul’s Magical Mystery Tour film fiasco dumped our heroes in, caused many fans to wonder if the Beatles might surrender the throne. The four mates had pressure up the ying-yang finalizing the tight-rope holding together a new business announcement called Apple, and riffs between them entered the recording studio practically forcing Abbey Road to utilize separate sound rooms for each individual. Ringo actually quite the band during those days, but returned after two weeks to piles of flowers and signs draped over his drum set saying, Welcome home, you’re the best rock ‘n’ drummer in the world, we love you.
The White Album delivered close to every style of music, rock, blues, country, tin pan alley, surf music, ballads, honky-tonk, and Revolution 9, an experimental exercise. Of course, not all tunes rely on themes of love, but today we shall uncover those that do.
10th LP – The White Album, Disc 1 (Mutual Love Songs / 1 vs. One-Sided / 3)
Track 1 – Back In The USSR. The basic theme is closer to a love of country and sexual conquests with the region ladies.
Track 2 – Dear Prudence. Identified as friends, not lovers.
Track 3 – Glass Onion. A song written by John for John down memory lane.
Track 4 – Ob-La-Dee, Ob-La-Da. A mutual love song between Desmond and Molly Jones. Courting, marriage, and a couple of kids. Background Fun Facts: Written between March and May 1968 while in India. When brought into the studio, it took the longest amount of time spent recording one song for their current project. Both John and George hated the song and refused to issue it as a single in the UK or America, however, 'Ob-La-Da, Ob-La-Da’ was released as a single in many countries, topping the charts in Japan, Austria, Switzerland, and Australia. Marmalade, another band from Scotland, offered it as their single in the UK and quite pleased the cover rendition also sailed up to #1. The phrase originated from an acquaintance of Paul, a Nigerian man known as Jimmy Scott, who wasn’t at all thrilled the Beatle wanted to write a song based on Scott’s expression of greeting. After an agreement that included taking care of Mr. Scott’s unpaid alimony balance, which also would release the Nigerian from London’s hometown district locked cell, Paul had approval. On a personal note in closing, I was sixteen- years-old when I purchased my copy of the White Album and played it often when home from school or work. The only time I turned the volume down occurred during Ob-La-De, Ob-La-Da by the mere word “bra,” I didn’t want to offer an opinion why my favorite band sang about a bra to my parents.
Track 5 – Wild Honey Pie. Just a spontaneous sing-a-long around the campfire in Rishikesh and Pattie Harrison always requested that Paul play the tune, so he squeezed it into the LP playlist.
Track 6 – The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill. A tiger hunt!
Track 7– While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Philosophical thoughts toward life.
Track 8 – Happiness Is a Warm Gun. John sought added lyrics from Pete Shotton and Derek Taylor as Neil Aspinall hurriedly jotted them down while these four men tripped on acid. Mother Superior was Yoko. Not a love song.
Track 9 – Martha My Dear. About Paul’s sweet sheepdog.
Track 10 – I’m So Tired. Just a song according to John’s experienced emotions trying to meditate for three weeks leaving him wide awake at night and missing the taste of alcohol.
Track 11 – Blackbird. Not a love song.
Track 12 – Piggies. A song referring to the upper-middle-class snobs. Harrison’s mother suggested the line, “what they need’s a damn good whacking,”
Track 13 –Rocky Racoon. A one-sided love song by Paul, based on the lyric portrayal Rocky lost his girl, Nancy, to Dan. Background Fun Facts: Written in1968,
alongside John and Donovan Leitch on one of the roofs inside the Maharishi’s compound. Paul claims the inspired plot unraveled from an old Mack Sennett silent comedy film, but further credit should not overlook a famous poem published in 1907 by Robert W. Service titled, The Shooting of Dam McGrew. If curious, here is a link to the piece, plan on five to seven minutes reading time: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/45082
Click here for an early incomplete demo Paul laid down inside the studio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P0XjWwJy_Q
Press reports and interviews that date back to 1963 mention the song as Ringo's first composition. For instance, sometime during The Beatles seven-day visit to New Zealand between June 22nd and 28th of 1964, the group did a radio interview which included mention of the song, Ringo urging his bandmates to “sing the song I've written, just for a plug.” (Paul): "Ringo has written a song called 'Don't Pass Me By.' A beautiful melody. This is Ringo's first venture into songwriting." (John and Paul sing a verse) (Ringo): "It was written as a country and western, but Paul and John singing it with that blues feeling has knocked me out. Are The Beatles going to record it? I don't know. I don't think so actually, I keep trying to push it on them every time we make a record." (Paul): Unfortunately there's never enough time to fit Ringo's song on an album. He never finishes it."
Recorded June 5, 1968. Ringo and Paul worked at laying down a rhythm track,
this consisting of Paul on piano and Ringo on drums and finished on three takes.
Overdubs include Ringo double-tracking
his vocals plus some piano and sleigh bells. Paul added more piano and bass,
then a gentleman named Jack Fallon provided violin using a music score written
by George Martin.
In Closing, you might enjoy listening to a flock of demos that constructed the White Album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imTSPdKu07E
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