A
look at Ringo Starr’s enduring musical influence. -- When musicians talk about the
Beatles’ musical influence, few would argue that the drumming of Ringo Starr
was one of the most singular aspects to the band’s music. We’re here to make
that argument.
When musicians talk about the Beatles’ musical influence, what
dominates the conversation might often be the songwriting genius of Lennon and
McCartney, George Harrison’s innovative writing and playing, the group’s
ear-worm melodies, and their groundbreaking use of the recording studio.
Few musicians would argue that the drumming of Ringo Starr was one
of the most singular aspects to the band’s music.
We’re here to make that argument.
While there are flashier drummers, greater technicians, and more
bombastic players from the same era (Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, and John Bonham
come to mind), Ringo’s inventive playing demonstrates a keen sense of how to
create a drum track that fits perfectly with the intent of every song. His role
as time keeper was important, but equally important was his artistry. Ringo’s
playing added shape and texture to the band’s iconic recordings while carefully
creating patterns and dynamics to create and resolve tension within each song.
Beyond keeping time
A great drum part is much more than a steady kick, snare, and hi
hat to which the instruments and vocals play along. Popular recordings often
blend a variety of rhythmic patterns that, when combined, create the overall
sound, tempo, and texture we come to know as the finished backing track. Once
the backing track is judged adequate, lead and harmony vocals, solo parts, and any
other instrumental “sweetening” such as percussion, strings, and special
effects are added to complete the multi-track master recording. Then, after
approving the overall sound, the song is mixed, mastered and released.
Many Beatles songs, especially in the early part of their release
history, relied on what can be termed standard rock drum beats. Some of the
great Ringo performances contrast from a standard rock drum beat as more of a
“composed” part; patterns he created specifically for a song that are anything
but a standard rock beat.
Let’s dissect two of Ringo’s creative drum performances. “Ticket
To Ride” and “In My Life” demonstrate ideas, patterns, and an approach that may
help you when you are considering how to make your next song or recording stand
out. We recommend you listen to these songs on a good pair of headphones to
better appreciate the nuances of his playing.
Ticket to Ride
In 1964 and ’65, Ringo started composing drum parts to keep up
with the ever-increasing sophistication of the songs that John, Paul, and
George were composing. With their producer George Martin encouraging them, the
band set out to explore just how varied they could make their compositions and
recordings using the basic instruments that any rock band might use in those
days: guitars, drums, bass, keyboard, and hand percussion instruments. While
strings or brass were brought in for a few specific songs (“Eleanor Rigby” and
“Got to Get You Into My Life,” being two such examples from 1966’s Revolver),
by and large, The Beatles wrote and played all the instrumental parts in their
backing tracks.
“Ticket to Ride” was released in 1965 as the first single from the
soundtrack album for their second movie, Help. It is one of the first Beatles
songs to feature a uniquely “Ringo-esque” drum part.
Ringo flipped the standard rock convention of having the snare
drum play primarily on beats two and four, instead hitting his snare on beat
two, but then displacing it to an offbeat (the “and” of three) and a flam on
the toms hitting on the “and” of beat four.
What happens on the backbeat at four? Cue the tambourine, which
Ringo overdubbed, to fill the function of what the snare would normally be
doing. The result is a catchy drum part that gives the mid-tempo verses and
chorus a chugging, forward motion that helped propel the song to the number one
spot on the Billboard chart around the world.
For the bridge section, “I don’t know why she’s riding so high . .
.” Ringo switches to a straight rock beat on kick and snare but gives it a
double time feel by playing eighth notes on the hi-hat and sixteenths on the
tambourine.
For the last verse, he mixes it up, going with the snare now
playing on both two and four, while retaining the tom flams on the “and” of
beat four. Brilliant! This gives the final verse extra oomph and shows us how
to subtly vary a drum pattern within a song to keep it evolving.
As icing on the cake, when the band launches into the outro
section, Ringo spices it up by playing the tambourine only on the “and”
offbeats, a perfect complement for Paul’s rocking-chair bass line and the
straight beat on the drums. “Ticket to Ride” shows how Ringo knew just what can
be done to build an interesting drum part that doesn’t get in the way of the
song’s top line melody, chords or structure – it just makes the track way more
memorable.
In My Life
This Lennon and McCartney gem from Rubber Soul features 16-bar
verses comprised of an A and B section with these two contrasting sections each
having two equal four bar parts: four bars A + four bars A + four bars B + four
bars B = 16 bar verse. Ringo uses a different drum part for the A and B
sections.
The guitar tone is warm and the guitar part has a light but
definitive rhythm against which the drum part nicely sits. For the first eight
bars or A part of each verse, Ringo plays a sparse but well executed part
featuring hi-hat only on the “and” of beat three of each measure. The kick drum
pattern is on the one, the “and” of two and the “and” of four. He plays the
snare on the standard backbeat, two and four.
The B section is first heard at the :30 mark at the lyric “All
these places have their moments . . .” Ringo switches to straight quarter notes
on a cymbal bell with a cymbal flourish after two bars, followed by two bars of
a straight rock beat. He then repeats that pattern switching to a snare
flourish at the end of the quarter note cymbal part before going to the
straight rock beat for the end of verse.
This simple part is a beautiful rhythmic complement to the band’s
lovely three-part harmony and the guitar part. The song’s title is always
supported by the regular rock beat when it appears at the end of the verse.
With its poignant lyrics double tracked by John’s vocals, the nicely arranged
three-part harmonies, and Ringo’s innovative use of accents and straight time
that fit the song to a tee, it’s one of the group’s most memorable recordings.
He’s so heavy
The last area we wanted to touch on is Ringo’s ability to play
with a powerful, stripped-down style featuring liberal use of toms and very
creative fill patterns. As the Beatles experimented more with studio techniques
such as compression and tape saturation, many of the more subtle parts of
Ringo’s drumming would not be as easy to hear in the mix. He adapted quickly,
and during the recording of the aforementioned “Strawberry Fields Forever,”
created the memorable “heavy” drum part featured in the last section of the
song.
For inspiration on how to drive a song with a steady groove while
again playing with urgency that is in perfect sync with the lead vocal, just
listen to Ringo’s playing on “I Am the Walrus.” And for a final lesson in
mixing up drum patterns and varying dynamics, dial up “I Want You (She’s So
Heavy)” from Abbey Road and check out Ringo’s contrasting, in the pocket beats
played for the first few verses, the switch he makes to a quasi-Latin feel with
nice tom patterns under the guitar solo, and then his inventive take throughout
the long outro section where he continually changes up his fills and accents
while staying locked to the dirge-like riff that the band drives all the way
home to the song’s abrupt ending. As much as the earlier genius shown on
“Ticket to Ride” and “In My Life,” this heavier, powerful side of Ringo’s
playing informs the drumming and sounds of many other great rock bands who
followed including Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, the Foo Fighters and the Black Keys.
While many people will remember Ringo Starr as the iconic voice of
Beatles’ songs such as “Yellow Submarine” and “With a Little Help From My
Friends,” we argue that a reappraisal of his inventive and rhythmically varied
parts – always in service of the song’s message – are worth careful study for
any up and coming songwriter or producer that wants to create the best possible
recordings. Us insiders know, he blazed a trail for musicians to strive to
imagine drum parts that breathe in and out with the singer and the song – doing
so much more than just keeping time.
[Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly
credited the excellent drumming on “Dear Prudence” to Ringo Starr, but as
tensions were high between the Beatles at the time of the White Album’s
recording, Ringo had temporarily left the band. In his stead, Paul played the
drums and he and George added the percussions parts (tambourine, cowbell, and
handclaps) on “Dear Prudence.”]
Paul’s
Bass Playing As A Beatle, never better! -- Paul McCartney’s bass lines
are an integral part of the Beatles’ evolution from world-beating pop band to
musical pioneers. We identify just what Paul did to make his parts stand out
from what other bassists were doing at the time.
In “A look at Ringo Starr’s enduring musical influence,” we
analyzed the creative drumming of Ringo Starr in the context of his capacity to
come up with simple, memorable drum parts that helped make each song unique.
Continuing with this thread, Paul McCartney’s development as a bass player
provides a textbook case for today’s songwriters and music producers on how a
little creativity can go a long way to help make a recording stand out. Through
the Beatles’ evolution, Paul McCartney’s bass lines became an integral part of
each song’s texture, sound, and color. Let’s rewind through a number of
Beatles’ tracks and identify just what Paul did to make the bass parts stand
out from what other bassists of the day were doing.
Traditional bass lines
The normal role of a rock bass player in a song is to accomplish
two tasks:
1. Keep time
2. Establish the song’s harmonic base
Usually a bass player will do this by playing a steady, repetitive
bass line using mainly the root note of whatever chord is being played (C note
on a C chord, G note on a G7, etc.) and occasionally the fifth or even the
third of the chord as well. The image below demonstrates these chord tones and
their relationship to the chord being played. Unique bass lines can be created
around chord progressions by using these chord tones, but more often than not,
the role of the bassist in a rock and roll band is to stick to the root note.
In early Beatles albums, where the audience was primarily
screaming teenage girls, we hear Paul sticking pretty closely to that role,
with a few exceptions. Aside from the fact that early recording and
amplification techniques did not treat the sound of the bass very well, the pop
music they played in these early years was much simpler than what can be found
on the group’s later albums. Listen to his playing on “Can’t Buy Me Love” and
“I Feel Fine” – classics from 1964 – and you’ll hear almost nothing but roots
and fifths in the bass part. The focus of these songs is on the vocals, so Paul
(and Ringo, for that matter) kept things simple, with only slight variations on
the powerful live performance techniques they had mastered over the previous
three years of non-stop gigging.
A new chapter for the bass --
Released in December 1965, Rubber Soul marked a clearly audible
change in direction for the Beatles. They were nearing the end of their touring
days, and as the most successful pop band of the day, had the clout to insist
that they be afforded significantly more time in the studio working out
arrangements and harmonies of greater complexity than could be found on their
nine previous US albums. What emerged was an album that featured a strikingly
different sound when compared to their earlier hits, with influences ranging
from Indian classical music to dense vocal harmonies influenced by
contemporaries like the Beach Boys.
It was on this album that each member of the band stepped outside
the traditional roles of each instrument and sought out new ways to contribute
to various songs.
For example, consider John Lennon’s song, “Nowhere Man.” The bass
line Paul played on this song mainly consisted of chordal tones. You can hear
that the bass line he created plays the root, third, and fifth of each chord in
every measure, but does it in a different way for each chord, creating a
memorable bass part that gives the recording a fresh sound.
Paul’s bass line on “Nowhere Man” may have been his most active up
to that point. He not only fulfilled the role of the bass by keeping time and
providing a harmonic base, but he added greatly to the energy and groove of the
track. His bass line, with its constant motion and runs, smoothly leads into
the next chord, propelling the record along. If your song needs a boost of
energy, emulate Paul’s approach to keep your listeners tapping their foot to
the song’s groove.
Bass boundaries expanded
In 1966, when The Beatles stopped touring altogether and became
exclusively a studio band, each member’s musical contributions grew
tremendously. Each song was viewed as a palette for them to expand their
musical creativity. Rightly considered one of the greatest albums of all time,
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club’s Band helped to redefine the role each
instrument would play in pop music, and Paul’s bass playing epitomized this sea
change.
The track “Lovely Rita” presents a bass line similar to “Nowhere
Man” in that its constant motion during the verses gives the song a feeling of
always moving forward. It is a bit more advanced in that Paul relies on many
more passing tones than “Nowhere Man.” At times his lines form a walking bass
line getting from one chord to the next, identical to what you would hear a
jazz bassist doing on any standard. It helped the track stand apart from the
more typical root-fifth bass lines of the day and underpins the song’s
whimsical sounding vocal and horn parts perfectly.
In “A Day in the Life,” Paul’s bass line serves as an essential
melodic element, nearly as important as the vocal melody.
First off, Paul’s not simply sticking to the root note. The
variety of rhythms used (quarter notes, half notes, dotted half notes, eighth
notes, etc.) show a more “composed” bass line, instead of just repeatedly
outlining the chord like he did in the “Nowhere Man” example. In some chords he
doesn’t even play the root note, adding harmonic complexity to the piece, and
in some measures he doesn’t play on the first beat of the measure, adding
rhythmic complexity. In short, he’s moved beyond the traditional role of the
bassist.
Paul still provides a harmonic base, but he does so by lazily
finding his way to the next chord. His diverse choice of rhythms, instead of
using one consistent line, plays with the timing as he hesitates and varies the
space in between notes, resulting in a lazy, sleepy vibe – very fitting for the
“dream” image that the first half of the song portrays. During the subsequent
“waking up” section of the song, Paul’s playing is completely the opposite:
steadily rhythmic and march-like to represent the character marching through
his day. It’s a perfect example of a bass line that matches the mood and intent
of the song and really gives it an ideal character, far beyond what the normal
bass line might afford.
Throughout the album Paul uses his bass in numerous instances to
add tasteful riffs and fills expanding the instrument’s role beyond simply
keeping time and mapping the chord changes. Check out his fill in riffs between
the vocals on “With a Little Help from my Friends,” and “Lucy in the Sky with
Diamonds.” Another inventive bass part can be heard on the bass harmonies he
plays to the horn and vocal parts on the song, “Good Morning, Good Morning.”
Paul was at the top of his game and these far-from-standard bass touches
provide us with a great classroom to learn how to improve our own use of the
bass.
Unlike some virtuosos, Paul’s playing became more musical, and
better served each song. In some cases, that meant creating very simple parts
if the focus clearly needed to be on other aspects of a song. Probably the best
example of this was his own tune, “When I’m Sixty-Four,” which focuses
primarily on the lyrics and clarinets. This song is an homage to the dance hall
music he heard as a boy growing up in Liverpool. Paul’s simple bass line,
played with a very light touch, helps give the track a light, playful feel.
As The Beatles matured and neared the end of their time together
as a band, we see each member reach their creative peak, displaying fully what
each instrumentalist was capable of bringing to a song. Paul’s bass parts on
the Abbey Road album are another chapter in his melodic bass textbook. On
George’s classic love song, “Something,” the bass spends very little time on
the root of each chord, instead opting to explore the upper registers of the
bass, thereby creating an ideal countermelody to the verse vocal line. During
the chorus, the bass returns to the low register to give the song the necessary
weight and depth that only a full bottom end can bring.
The song, “Come Together,” features one of the most well-known of
McCartney’s bass lines.
Unlike the two previous descriptions, there are no passing notes,
and no leading tones. It’s also very repetitive, and the pattern repeats itself
with little variation for each verse. So then what makes it so memorable? To
start with, simple repetitive lines are easier for listeners to remember – this
bass line becomes a hook in its own right. Secondly, Paul’s slides up and down
between the notes and across the bar lines give the bass line a fresh,
memorable feel.
Making the part even more memorable is its pairing with one of
Ringo’s most iconic drum parts. These two parts, each fairly simple on their
own, complement each other and create a steady, unshakable pocket that anchors
the entire vibe of the track. The groove is nearly unstoppable and, when it was
fi rst released, showed the world once more that the Beatles were a
potent rock band capable of upping the bar for all bands that followed them.
“Come Together” is probably one of the best examples in the rock canon of just
how powerful an intricately woven bass and drum part can be to a song.
Final thoughts
If we can learn anything from Paul’s development as the Beatles’
bassist, it’s that the bass can play a variety of roles in any given song and
that taking a “one size fits all” approach to writing bass parts is seldom the
best way to go. Of course, the primary function for the bass part in many songs
will always be to keep time and provide a harmonic base, but how to go about
doing that depends entirely on the nature of the song.
Take a page from Paul’s creative bass book – if it’s a simple pop
love ballad, such as “And I Love Her,” a fat, repetitive bass line sticking to
the roots of each chord may be the perfect solution. When it’s time for a track
you want people to jump up and dance to, a grooving bass line a la “The Word”
may get the job done. And if you are hunting for a hypnotic, trance-like,
all-consuming bass part to anchor an anthem, take a listen to Paul’s stellar
playing on “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” On it, his bass lines provide an
unshakable, sinuous foundation for the heavy guitars and vocals that John laid
over the top. Definitely a precursor to the harder sound that was soon to
emerge from bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
Whatever direction your song calls for, be sure to give some extra
attention to the bass line and how it can help serve the song’s mood and
direction. The next time you sit down to imagine the ideal bass part, take a
page out of Paul McCartney’s playbook and see if one of the techniques he
employed might best serve your own musical ideas. Going beyond the basics of
relying on root notes is a proven recipe to give your song a fresh, original
sound.
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Upon entering Studio Two of EMI studios on February 11th, 1963 to
record their first album, The Beatles chose to record this newly written song
first. Although nearly half of the songs on this first British album were cover
songs, emphasis focused on original material through the encouragement of their
manager Brian Epstein. With the exception of “A Taste Of Honey,” all of the
cover songs recorded for the album were done at the very end to fill the
allotted 14 tracks on the album before the day was over.
Starting at 10:00 that morning, the first take was complete and
with all the exact nuances already in place, except for the harmonica riff
which appears to have been an afterthought. George Harrison played what we know
as the harmonica riff as his lead guitar part. This take was flawless except
for two things: George flubbed his introductory guitar riff, and Paul’s vocals
were recorded louder than John’s. In spite of all the recorded vocals had
entered onto the same track, this deemed the take unusable.
Concerning the vocal parts, Paul relates: "We both sang it. I
took the high harmony; John took the lower harmony or melody. This was a nice
thing because we didn't have to actually decide where the melody was till later
when they boringly had to write it down for sheet music."
Take two corrected these two elements and was a complete
run-through of the song. Upon listening, the only explanation as to why this
wasn’t the finished version was that producer George Martin thought it could be
improved upon somehow.
Take three was stopped immediately after the introductory guitar
riff no doubt because George Harrison’s timing was a little late. Take four was
complete but, even though it’s early in the session, you can hear John’s voice
sounding a little strained already as he had a sore throat that day. They also
experimented with some staccato rhythm guitar playing in the final verse, which
may also have influenced George Martin to have them take another stab at the
song.
Before take five began, the session tape caught George Harrison
practicing his introductory guitar riff, which he played in octaves just like
done for “Please Please Me.” In fact, he actually plays the “Please Please Me”
riff here just to get himself acclimated to playing in this style. We also hear
John instructing Paul on how to keep good timing during their a cappella line
“the-e-e-e-ere.” John explains to Paul, “you gotta think the beat.” However,
Paul himself stops the take after a few seconds because George was late on his
guitar riff again.
Take six was also complete with near flawlessness. Take seven
started off well also, but George Martin called it to a halt after George
Harrison was late again with his riff at the end of the first verse. Take eight
was also complete but, with Ringo’s fire-cracker-like drum fill before the
bridge and George’s staccato rhythm guitar work in the final verse, this wasn’t
good enough either.
Take nine was also complete, but this time you could hear Paul’s
higher harmonies getting a little shaky. This and a very noticeable guitar flub
in the final verse had them try it all one more time. Take ten, as it turned
out, was nearly perfect and, with it being 11:30 already and a lot on the
agenda that day, they deemed this as “best.”
However, at about 4:15 pm, a decision was made to return to the
song to improve upon it. It was decided that John should overdub three
harmonica riffs for the song. These were played using the exact notes that
George Harrison originally played for his lead guitar riffs in the song.
Therefore, one can barely hear these lead guitar parts in the finished song.
The first attempt at this overdub, take 11, saw John’s harmonica work a little
shaky, and take 12 didn’t get past the first few seconds because they
accidentally didn’t have the harmonica volume up loud enough. However, take 13
was the keeper and therefore comprised the final completed version of the song.
The harmonica riffs that John added were heard during the introduction of the
song, at the end of the first verse, and then throughout the last 10 seconds of
the song. By 4:30 pm, the song was complete.
The mono and stereo mixes of "There's A Place" were done
by George Martin, assisted by Norman Smith and A.B. Lincoln, on February 25th,
1963. This mixing session was used to create both the mono and stereo masters
for their first album, as well as editing the songs “I Saw Her Standing There”
and “Please Please Me.” The fade out at the end of the song also accomplished
well at this mixing session.
Song Structure and Style
As with the majority of songs on their first album, “There’s A
Place” is written in the aaba format, which consists of 'verse /verse /bridge
/verse.' But there is more to the song's structure than meets the eye. Much
more.
To start out, a five-bar introduction begins the proceedings, which
consists of the song's melodic riff repeated twice by Lennon’s harmonica and,
if you listen carefully, Harrison’s lead guitar. At the beginning of the fourth
bar, The Beatles trademark ‘break’ occurs and lasts for one and a half bars
while the reverb of the last chord rings out. In the ensuing silence, John and
Paul perform a harmonized five-note descending and then ascending performance
of the word “there,” which acts as a clever anticipatory introduction to the
first verse.
The 15 bar first verse flows in harmony throughout, John taking
the lower melody while Paul takes the usual higher harmony. The eighth bar
includes a triplet performed in unison by the whole group which acts as a
transition into the second half of the verse. The 13th bar repeats the melodic
harmonica/guitar riff once, which again leads us into a one and a half bar
break, where John and Paul repeat their harmonized five-note run, but this time
on the word “I.”
The second verse is different from the first in a few different
respects. For one thing, it’s only twelve bars long and does not include the
‘group triplet,’ the break, or the harmonized five-note run. To create a proper
transition from the verse to the bridge, an alteration of the verse structure
was deemed necessary by the song's writers. Therefore, after the first seven
bars of the second verse, which are identical in structure to the first verse,
a complete change in the song occurs during the words “like I love only you.”
The new chord pattern presented here allows for a more natural progression into
the bridge. (An altered second verse occurs periodically in Lennon/McCartney
compositions, such as in “I Should Have Known Better.”)
The ten-bar bridge creates a reflective mood which temporarily
relieves the tension created in the song. This is achieved by Lennon singing
two of the four lines solo for the first time in the song, alternating them
with octave harmonies (Paul taking the higher harmony as usual) which also
occur only during the bridge. With Lennon’s solo lines “In my mind, there’s no
sorrow” and “there’ll be no sad tomorrows,” we’re allowed to see the intended
gist of the lyrics as if the fog has lifted and we now know the moral of the
story.
And then, once again, the final two bars of the bridge repeats the
‘break,’ and the harmonized five-note run on the word “there” identical to the
introduction of the song. This naturally takes us to the final verse, which is
nearly identical to the first verse, lyrics and all. Identical, that is, except
that it is only 14 bars instead of 15. The difference reveals there is no
harmonized five-note run. (Three times in a two-minute song is clearly enough;
a fourth would have been a little much, as the writers or George Martin must
have realized.) Therefore, the ‘break’ is only half a bar long, which then
propels us into a conclusion to create a note of finality to the song. The
conclusion consists of a continually harmonized repetition of the title of the
song alternating with the harmonica/guitar riff as the song fades out.
A side note may be necessary here to explain why there was a need
for a conclusion to be tacked on to the end of this song. Usually, Lennon /
McCartney songs that have an aaba structure have verses that end with the title
of the song, such as “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Love Me Do” and “I Want To
Hold Your Hand.” Verses such as in these three examples were written with a
note of finality ‘built in,’ so to speak, which didn’t need a conclusion tacked
on at the end to make it sound complete. To understand this, imagine if
“There’s A Place” ended directly after the final verse with the words “when I’m
alone.” Since the end of the verse was not on the signature chord of the song,
in this case, “F,” standard practice at the time usually required the signature
chord to be returned to create a ‘resolve.’ Therefore, a separate conclusion
needed to close the end of “There’s A Place.”
As for the musicianship of the song, both Lennon and Harrison
basically play rhythm guitar throughout, except George’s hardly noticeable lead
work on the signature riff of the song. Since there was no solo section written
into this song, its musical highlight is Lennon's’ harmonica riff which occurs
periodically throughout the song. The only other contribution from Harrison is
backing vocals, which occur during the vocal line "love only you" in
the second verse.
McCartney’s bass work is proficient at best, but while this was
performed simultaneously with his spot-on high harmonies throughout the song,
“proficient” is definitely worth recognition. Ringo performs his trademark
“beat” style drumming, which appears as an identical but slower version of both
“Boys” and “I Saw Her Standing There.” He gets to add his flams, his accents
and his ‘awkward-but-lovable’ left-handed drum fills, which results in his
putting in a noteworthy performance.
Lennon’s vocal delivery is timidly but effectively performed,
including his warbly-but-classy accents in the verses, such as on the words
“place,” “go” and “low” in the first verse. Motown artists, such as the
influential Smokey Robinson, were no doubt the catalyst to this vocal gimmick,
which Lennon performed flawlessly throughout this song.
It has been noted that The Beatles only wrote songs about love
(and/or relationships) throughout their early career and that the first
appearance of a song outside of this topic didn’t occur until 1966. Although
this is debatable (or, should I say, incorrect, because “Nowhere Man”
originally appeared in December of 1965…but if you say that it appeared first in
the US in 1966, then I stand corrected), there are a few Beatles songs written
before 1966 that only hint at a relationship. “One After 909” comes to mind.
“There’s A Place” is another.
Although most say Lennon didn’t write about himself in his early work
with The Beatles before “Help!,” we see here an example that blows that theory
out of the water. This appears to be his first piece of self-analysis, which
pre-dates the similar topic of the Beach Boys’ hit, “In My Room,” by a few
months. Unfortunately, Lennon’s self-analysis turned into self-indulgence in
his later solo years, which turned his songwriting sour in many people’s eyes.
After the first verse informs us that the place that the singer
can go to cheer himself up is his mind; it’s the second verse that tells of a
relationship. In his mind he thinks of the things that his ‘significant other’
does, such us her saying that she loves only him. But the general theme of the
song is stated in the bridge. When he is alone, he thinks about when there is
“no sorrow” and about a happy future. This topic is returned to and refined
much later in his solo work “Imagine.”
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George Martin told The Beatles on February 11th, 1963 to “play me
this selection of things I’ve chosen from what you do at the Cavern.” At one
point he even said that he purposely arranged for “Twist And Shout” to be
recorded last on this day so that Lennon’s voice would create a “linen-ripping
sound.” All things considered, with all quotes analyzed, it looks as though the
choice to record this song was indeed a last-minute decision between all
involved in the studio on that day.
The actual circumstances appear to be that, after beginning at 10
am that morning, it was now 10 pm. According to engineer Norman Smith, all of
their throats were “tired and sore” and the band, plus the recording staff,
filed into the EMI canteen for a small coffee and biscuit break knowing that
one more song was required. What would it be? No other original composition was
deemed suitable at that time, having deemed the attempted “Hold Me Tight” not
good enough to go back and finish at that late hour of the day.
Several songs were suggested and vetoed. No one can remember who
suggested “Twist And Shout” at this point (possibly George Martin) but, despite
John’s voice nearly gone by that time; he reluctantly agreed to sing it. He
“sucked on a couple more Zubes” throat sweets, gargled with some milk, took his
shirt off (for some reason) and went back with the band to record the final
song of the day. So the decision to do the song appears to be a true last
minute decision.
Because of the poor condition of Lennon’s throat, everyone knew
they had to get it right the first time, even in the control booth. So with
that first take, The Beatles performed live exactly what you hear on the record
to this day. No overdubs were needed. And that legendary performance that
evening at approximately 10:15 pm had a marked effect on everyone present.
Richard Langham, one of the engineers present that historic day, called this
take “an amazing demonstration.” George Martin himself astonishingly exclaimed
at the time, “I don’t know how they do it. We’ve been recording all day but the
longer we go on, the better they get.”
George Martin, the perfectionist, insisted on trying another take
of the song “just in case.” A second complete take took place (not a false
start), but John’s voice could not hold out any longer. The Beatles then
insisted on hearing the album played back to them that evening. Lennon had
stated back then that, since they were “perfectionists,” hearing the album
played back was one of their “most worrying experiences.” He said they might
have wanted to “do it all over again” if they weren’t happy with it, but they
decided that they “were very happy with the result.” This extended the session
to 10:45 pm, at which time Brian Epstein, who had also been present for this
historic day, gave engineer Richard Langham a ride home to Camden Town.
The mono and stereo masters of the song followed along with the
rest of the album on February 25th, 1963. The version of “Twist And Shout” that
shook the world was deemed complete on this day. Because you can’t improve
perfection, that mix has remained untouched and unaltered to the present.
On April 19th, 1964, The Beatles made a further audio recording of
the song at IBC Studios in London in preparation for the television special
"Around The Beatles" which was first broadcast on British Television
on May 6th, 1964. The Beatles arrived in the recording studio sometime in the
early evening on this day in April, recording seven selections on three-track
tape with Terry Johnson as balance engineer and Glyn Johns as second engineer
and tape operator. The recording session was over by 8:30 pm, all ready for The
Beatles to mime to for the filming of the show on April 28th, 1964.
Then came The Beatles' August 23rd, 1964 concert at the Hollywood
Bowl in Los Angeles, California. This concert fancied the intention of Capitol
releasing a live album for the American market. Capitol vice president Voyle
Gilmore shared production credit with George Martin, and Hugh Davies indicates
as engineer of the recording. Although this project was abandoned until the
1977 release of the "Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl" album, the
concert version of "Twist And Shout" did get a partial release on the
"The Beatles' Story" documentary album released in November of 1964.
To give a complete recording history for this song, two additional
takes of "Twist And Shout" did occur in January of 1969 during the
rehearsals for what eventually became the "Let It Be" album and
movie. The first happened on January 8th at Twickenham Film Studios and the
second on January 26th at Apple Studios. Neither of these brief attempts found
a place on the album or the movie or were released officially in any form.
Incidentally, Glyn Johns, second engineer at their IBC Studio session on April
19th, 1964, was hired as producer for this Beatles project.
Song Structure and Style
This song, primarily written with verses, makes it unique on this
album as well as the entire Beatles catalog. For the sake of continuity, we
will refer to the instrumental ‘solo’ section, as well as the vocal arpeggio of
the song, as the bridge, since it separates the second and third verses and
relieves the tension created in the first two verses. This will then put the
song in the same general structure as most of the rest of the album, namely
'verse /verse /bridge /verse' (or aaba). But there is more here than meets the
eye.
First, we have a four-bar instrumental introduction which creates
an anticipatory feeling. We then dive headlong into the first exciting verse
with its’ question/answer delivery, which comprises 16 bars. The second 16 bar
verse follows immediately afterwards which alter the lyrics only in the second
half of the verse. The bridge then follows, which is actually a two-part
section of the song that totals 14 bars. The first eight bars comprise the
instrumental ‘solo’ section of the song, while the remaining six bars contain
the climatic vocal arpeggio of the song, which leads directly back into the third
verse, which is identical to the first verse.
Through to this point, the structure of the song is identical to
the Isley Brothers hit which is the version that influenced The Beatles to
perform this song. At this point in the song, The Beatles adapt the Isley’s
version in order to create a fitting resolve to the song suitable for
performing it on stage. This was necessary because of the fade out ‘vamping’
that completes the song on the Isley Brothers record. The Beatles go into six
bars of ‘vamping’ to simulate what the Isley’s did to end their version of the
song, but then go into an additional five bars to partially repeat the climatic
arpeggio before creating a rousing resolve accented with tight triplets.
A unique aspect of The Beatles version of “Twist And Shout” as
compared to the Isley Brothers version is that The Beatles transform the song
from a pop/R&B performance with a touch of Latin influence into the hardest
rock and roll record The Beatles recorded thus far. Gone was the brass instrumental
‘solo’ section of the song, replacing it with a guitar. Gone was the R&B
sounding answer harmonies, replacing it with British accents. Gone was the
repeated ‘vamping’ vocals at the end of the song, replacing it with a second
arpeggio and stage conclusion. While the Isley Brothers impressively took the
“twist” craze into a more respectable R&B categorization, The Beatles took
the same classic song into rock and roll where it will forever be.
As for The Beatles performance of the song, all four members of the
group are at their peak, which is an understatement when you consider the
‘chills down the spine’ sensation the song creates. One can only imagine being
in the studio to hear this actual ‘once in a lifetime’ performance as it
happened. Those who were there attest to the excitement created by four guys
who, after recording for over 12 hours with hardly a break, perform what is
arguably the finest performance of their career. McCartney himself even shouts
a congratulatory “yeah” at the end of the song, acknowledging that something
exceptionally great has just happened.
Ringo rocks the drums the hardest on “Twist And Shout” as compared
to any other song on the album. The appropriate drum fills, as well as knowing
when to effectively ride on either the high-hat or ride cymbal, gives the song
its’ hard drive from beginning to end. The tight accents Ringo performs, such
as during both arpeggios and the songs’ conclusion, show how rehearsal always
equates to perfection, remembering this was the bands’ first attempt of the
song that day.
Both George and Paul play their respective instruments with
well-rehearsed accuracy and enthusiasm. Both their harmonies, while not major
‘attention-getters’ for the song, are essential ingredients that add the needed
flavor and excitement to the overall performance. Not a hint of faltering
appears in their ‘spot-on’ two-part harmonies as well as their “woo” accents
after every eight bars of each verse.
The most noteworthy performance, of course, goes to John Lennon
for his ground-breaking vocal work. The key they had learned the song in was at
the top of his vocal range, so Lennon knew it would be a challenge from the
beginning knowing the condition of his throat at the time. This proved to be
greatly advantageous, giving a rough and uninhibited quality to his vocal
performance, creating a blueprint for all rock and roll acts to mimic.
What seems incredibly fortuitous is how his voice cracked
habitually on the ‘one’ beat of the measure, usually on the word “baby.”
Ironically, the imperfections in Lennon’s vocals on this track led to him
performing the ‘perfect’ vocals possible for the song. When his pitch started
to waver, such as at the beginning of the first trademark arpeggio, the nearly
perfect layers of harmonies from George and then Paul covered for it and then
climaxed into ‘whoops’ and screams which made it an exciting transition into
the final verse. And when Lennon finally hit his vocal limit during the closing
“shake it, shake it baby” lines, it only added to the ‘wild abandon’ feeling
that helped define rock and roll. John even quietly acknowledges his vocal
accomplishment by uttering a sigh of pain discernable in the final seconds of
the song. Ironically, Lennon said over a decade later that he was “always
bitterly ashamed” of his vocal work on the song, feeling that he “could sing it
better than that.”
In order to complete the picture, it must be mentioned that
Lennon’s rhythm guitar work, while not magnificent in itself, took place
simultaneously with his exceptional vocal delivery. That is a true indication
of a talented musician and performer. If, when you’re physically tired and
sick, you can pull off the performance of a lifetime vocally and simultaneously
play top-notch rhythm guitar, it is truly a feat in itself.
As time progressed, The Beatles learned quite a lot from their
recording of “Twist And Shout” that translated well into their own
compositions. No other song was recorded with this intensity by The Beatles up
to this time, but this milestone would soon be repeated and maintained
throughout their career. Would the intensity of “Revolution,” “Helter Skelter”
or “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” ever surface if not for “Twist And Shout”
before them? How about the question/answer harmony vocals of “I’m Down” or
“With A Little Help From My Friends?” One can only speculate, but upon
examination of The Beatles catalog, you can see how their songwriting grew and
expanded as well as noticing the similarities with the classic, “Twist And
Shout.”
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Sometime during The Beatles December 1962 visit to Hamburg, Lennon
taped a version of this song for demonstration purposes so Billy J. Kramer
could learn it in preparation for his recording the piece. John made this demo
version in the bathroom of a Hamburg nightclub because, as he insisted, it was
the only place he could find that was quiet enough to do the recording. After
he completed the song, John flushed the toilet, possibly to symbolize his
opinion toward it at that time.
Only one proper session was needed to capture on tape this classic
performance by The Beatles. It was the fourth of eleven songs recorded on the
historic marathon session of February 11th, 1963 to complete their first
British album “Please Please Me.” The afternoon session began at 2:30 on that
day and, after recording the bulk of the song “A Taste Of Honey,” they
commenced recording “Do You Want To Know A Secret” between approximately 3:15
and 3:45 p.m.
After five run-throughs of the song, not all complete performances,
take six won the keeper, which all four performed musically without any edits
and with full instrumentation. Harrison sang lead vocals simultaneously with
the band on all of these takes, but no harmony vocals occurred yet. Take seven
and eight were attempts at recording Lennon and McCartney’s harmony
“doo-dah-doo”s while Ringo, at the suggestion of George Martin, tapped two
sticks together during the song’s bridge. These takes were overdubbed onto take
six of the song, while take eight saw the song as complete.
Both the mono and stereo mixes of the song took place on February
25th, 1963, as did the mixes for the rest of their first album. Both of these
mixes surfaced from the complete take eight, which included the harmony and
sticks overdubs. No Beatles were present at this session; only George Martin
and engineers Norman Smith and A.B. Lincoln were present.
Song Structure and Style
The structure of this song is very similar to most of the songs on
this album, being that it follows the 'verse/ verse/ bridge/ verse' (or aaba)
pattern. One identifiable difference is the Spanish-flavored introduction,
which adds a distinguished touch to the song and creates an air of
anticipation.
Another noticeable trait of the song which makes it uniquely
similar to “Love Me Do” is that each verse is lyrically identical. These are
the only two Beatles songs in their whole catalog to follow this (some might
call) skimpy pattern. Much experimentation continued to develop as Lennon, and
McCartney matured as songwriters, as evidenced even as early as their next
album (witness the confusing but identical structure of “It Won’t Be Long” and
“Little Child”). It should be noted, though, that there are enough intricacies
held within these uncharacteristically long 14 bar verses to make up for the
skimpiness of the song’s structure.
Once again, the songwriters opted not to include a solo of any
kind to the song, although, in the event the song is quite short in length
(1:56) some may suggest that it needed one. If they decided to include a solo,
though, the extended, identical verse would no doubt have repeated a fourth
time, which would have made the skimpy song structure very noticeable, as in
“Love Me Do.” Leaving it the way they did appears to have been the wisest
choice because most listeners don’t notice the three identical verses without
putting it under close scrutiny.
The song begins with a minor chord introduction, which loosely
comprises four bars, this being a throwback to many of John's favorites from
the 1930s and '40s, as well as something then utilized by one of his current
favorite songwriting teams, Gerry Goffin and Carole King. An impressive rising
guitar riff from Harrison then acts as a segue into the first verse. The melody
line of the verses mainly consists of movement up and down the scale except for
the falsetto highlight at the end of each verse. A distinctive descending chord
pattern from George repeats five times per verse, which is each time
accompanied by John and Paul’s “doo-dah-doo” harmony backing vocals on the
second and third occurrences of the verse.
The song utilizes two changes in pattern within the verses between
the 11th and 13th bar of each verse, which adds character to the song. The
surprise falsetto at the end of the verse detracts from the repetitious melody
line and acts as a tasteful segue into the next verse or bridge in the case of
the second verse.
After a somewhat abrupt transition from the second verse, the
short six bar bridge finds George singing solo to give the background vocals a
short break, thus reducing its redundancy. The simple melody line repeats twice
before a smoother transition occurs to lead us back into another identical
verse, which this time is extended by repeating the last two bars until it
fades.
As far as their performance, Harrison stands true to the fore with
his strong Liverpudlian accent and skillful lead/rhythm guitar work. Opinion
has it that one unnoticed vocal flub was left in because of the hurried nature
from this full day's recording schedule. On the first line of the bridge, we
hear George supposedly inverting the words "a" and "the"
("I've known the secret for a week or two") becoming "I've known
a secret for the week or two." However, this is proven to be false by the
release of the album "On Air - Live At The BBC Volume 2," also
reveals George singing it exactly the same way as the EMI studio version we all
know so well. It's just the Liverpudlian accent after all!
Lennon’s guitar work is hardly discernable throughout but is most
noticeable during the song’s introduction where John plays a jangly guitar
while George strums the discernable guitar chords. McCartney adds impressively
complicated bass runs throughout the verses while occasionally flubbing a stray
note here and there, most noticeably at the beginning of the bridge and during
the fade-out. These flubs were no doubt left in because of the rapid-fire
recording process instituted on that day.
Ringo plays a shuffle beat almost throughout the whole song
without any drum fills. The only two exceptions to this are during the verses
where, on the 11th and 12th bars, he plays a syncopated rhythm and then, during
the 13th bar, he plays only eighth notes on his bass drum. The bass drum eighth
notes then recur alternatively with the shuffle beat as the song fades.
The lyrics are a little more innocent and “cuddly” then what
suited the band even back then, which most likely was the deciding factor in
giving the song over to George to sing as well as donating it to Billy J.
Kramer shortly afterwards. This innocence, though, comes across as very
convincing and relatable to the young female fans, which overwhelmingly
comprised their audience at the time. The intricacies of the chord and overall
song structure, however, compensate for the simplistic and repetitive lyrics,
creating a pleasant slice of 1964 Beatlemania.
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As for The Beatles Baby It’s You version, this was the next to
last song recorded during the landmark single day recording session held on
February 11th, 1963. Three takes were recorded live with no overdubs, one of
which was a false start, approximately between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m. during their
evening session. Take three presents the complete version they used for the
album. As with the other ten songs recorded this day, no mixes occurred until
the end of the session, but there lay an additional reason why this wasn’t done
on this day. Something to better assist the solo portion of the song required
more thought.
George Martin rose to the task on an overdub session held nine
days later on February 20th, 1963 while The Beatles were on their national tour
with Helen Shapiro. After overdubbing himself playing piano edit pieces for the
song “Misery,” Martin added two overdubs of himself playing celeste (or
‘celesta’) on top of George Harrisons’ guitar notes during the solo section of
“Baby It’s You.” The Celeste is a piano-like instrument which is usually of
four octaves that transposes the notes one octave higher when played. It
consists of a keyboard that triggers hammers to strike a graduated set of metal
plates suspended over wooden resonators.
After two celeste overdubs (one for each solo phrase), Martin also
attempted a piano overdub during one section of the song. It is undetermined
what section of the song received the new the piano part because he decided not
to use this overdub after all. Take six of the song, which contains the piano
overdub, has never been officially released to the public. Take five became the
approved complete version which contained both celeste overdubs.
Five days later, on February 25th, George Martin, along with
engineers Norman Smith and A.B. Lincoln, performed both the mono and stereo
mixes for the first album, which contained “Baby It’s You.” Once again, The
Beatles were not present as they were still on tour and did not participate in
mixing sessions until much later in their career. Take five of the master tape
earned both the mono and stereo mixes.
Song Structure and Style
The song structure differs from every other song on this album in
that it actually only consists of three verses, each ending with the title of
the song as the hook line. The second half of each verse could be considered by
some to be a chorus, although because of the overall chord structure of that
second section (most noteworthy that the first chord of that section is not the
key chord of the song), it appears that each whole musical phrase should be
considered together as a whopping 21 measure verse.
The Beatles completely mimic the structure of the original
Shirelles recording, not wanting to tamper with the ‘girl group’ classic that
they so deeply admired. After a six-measure introduction, which includes the
trademark “sha-la-la” harmonies by Paul and George and a dramatic break in the
last measure, the first verse then begins amid the squeaking bass pedal of
Ringo’s drum set.
Lennon delivers a very confident lead vocal which is accentuated
in the fourth measure by the recurrence of the distinctive “sha-la-la”
harmonies. As the verse segues into the second dramatic half, the background
harmonies become a hushed and subtle backdrop to create a suitable effect for
the painful lyrics. As the verse nears its’ conclusion, the emotive lead vocals
resonate against accentuated background vocals which create an irresistible
climax leading to the ultimate break. The title of the song is then revealed
which is forever impressed on the mind as the ultimate hook line.
(Surprisingly, many have mistaken the song to be entitled “Sha-la-la-la-la”
because of its’ repeated occurrence in the song, as explained on the track
“Sha-la-la-la-la!” on their “Live At The BBC” album.)
A second verse then occurs having the identical structure but with
an additional touch of background vocals (”cheat, cheat”) which is necessary
with the lyrical content of that verse. What seems to be a third verse is then
played. The first section of this verse actually consists of the solo portion
of the song, performed simultaneously by George Harrison on guitar and George
Martin on celeste. The chord structure during this solo section is also
slightly different than the other verses, being that it contains an added: “D”
chord between each “C” and “G” of the verse.
This then leads us to the dramatic second half of the verse, which
is a repetition of the second verse and sung to a tee by Lennon. The last two
chords of the verse are then alternated repeatedly amidst the “sha-la-la”
backing vocals and accentuated lead vocals from John as the song fades.
As far as musicianship goes, The Beatles stay true to form in
mimicking the original Shirelles recording, not adding as much as a guitar
flourish or drum fill. The band took such liberties with other cover songs done
on this day (such as “Boys” also by The Shirelles), but they knew that anything
added would have detracted from the effect of this well-crafted composition.
Other interpretations of the song would have to wait until 1969, with the
excellent bluesy powerhouse rendition by the group Smith, which took the song
into the top five in the US.
The vocal performance is quite commanding and confident, unlike
the rather timid and unsure vocals, Lennon performs on his own compositions
recorded on this day. It is also noteworthy that, having a bad cold on this
day, his voice is started to crack in this song, especially noticeable in the
climatic “don’t want nobody” lines. The cracking only portrays character,
however, and is especially prominent in the next and final song recorded on
this day “Twist And Shout.”
The lyrics quite effectively portray the anguish felt at finding
out about infidelity and are very well suited to the melody line and chord
structure of the song. Strategically, the first verse paints the picture of the
singer recounting the reasons why he loves his “baby,” but then leaves a
question mark in our minds as to why he cries at night about her (or ‘him’ in
the case of The Shirelles). Instead of the second verse just rehashing the
first (as many Beatles compositions do), this song adds to the story with the
second verse, revealing that the singer has heard about her ‘never being true,’
which answers the question from the first verse. The story then is summed up as
the singer resolves that it doesn’t matter; he’s going to continue the
relationship “any old way.” This impressive display of lyric writing (building
upon the story with each verse) is evidence of professionalism which continues
to this day, especially in the field of country music.
Next Tune, A Taste Of Honey:
The Beatles recording of “A Taste Of Honey” was also part of the
12 ½ hour recording session that occurred on February 11th, 1963 to complete
their first British album. As can be noted by order of the songs recorded on
this day, the emphasis was primarily on recording original material at the
insistence of Brian Epstein and the band. The only exception to this rule was
the recording of this song, which was the only cover song recorded before the
evening session began.
When the afternoon session began in Studio Two of EMI Studios at
2:30 pm, “A Taste Of Honey” was the first song recorded. Five takes of the song
were recorded with The Beatles all playing their usual instruments live
simultaneously with lead and backing vocals. The fifth take temporarily reached
consideration as best.
After the next song, “Do You Want To Know A Secret,” deemed itself
as complete, attention focused again on “A Taste Of Honey.” At approximately
3:45 pm, two overdubs were performed by McCartney to “double-track” his lead
vocals. This effect entailed superimposing an identical performance on top of
another, creating a fuller sound because of not being able to perform the
second performance in perfect synchronization with the first performance.
McCartney was instructed by George Martin to “double-track” his vocals in two
places; each time the bridge of the song occurred. The first bridge overdub
grew into take 6 and the second bridge made it take 7, which then was
considered the final take, completing the song. This recording technique, which
was new to The Beatles at this point, was used at the band’s insistence on the
majority of the songs they recorded within the next two years (and sparingly
thereafter as well). As for this first album, this was the only song which
contained “double-tracking.”
No mixes of the song took place on this day. Both the mono and
stereo mixes of the song occurred during the mastering session for the album,
on February 25th. Both mixes used take 7, which included both of the McCartney
“double-tracking” overdubs.
Then, while jamming out renditions of old songs on January 22nd,
1969 in Apple Studios during the rehearsals for what became the "Let It
Be" album and film, The Beatles attempted "A Taste Of Honey" for
a quick run-through. This attempt, however, fell apart very quickly and, understandably,
has never been officially released.
Song Structure and Style
The structure of this song is a variation typical for most of the
songs on the album, and similar in the sense that it consists of only verses
and bridges with no chorus. Yet different in that it only has two verses that
alternate with two identical bridges. Therefore, the structure is 'verse/
bridge/ verse/ bridge' (or abab) per the bridge ending the song. Another
distinctive feature dissimilar to the rest of the album is the change in time
signature, as both verses pace in 3/4 time (or “waltz” time) while most of the
bars of each bridge pace in standard 4/4 time.
Like “Do You Want To Know A Secret” which preceded it, the song
begins with a dramatic introduction before the first verse commences. It
similarly begins with strummed guitar chords only whenever the chord changes,
but dissimilar by the three-part harmony between Paul, John, and George as well
as bass notes from Paul. The introduction actually lasts a complete 8 bars, all
in 3/4 time. The second half of the introduction contains the full band
instrumentation with three-part “doo-doot-n-doo” harmonies from the boys.
Each verse consists of 16 bars with a melody line and
distinctively melodic chord pattern. The melody line ascends dramatically to
the signature title of the song which alerts John and George to answer the
phrase creating another three-part harmony. The 10 bar bridge then transcends
into 4/4 time for the first six bars while McCartney sings his “double-tracked”
solo vocal line with added reverb. When his vocal line ends, the rest of the
bridge returns to the familiar 3/4 time with three-part harmonies, which is
actually identical to the second half of the introduction.
After a second verse follows the same pattern as the first, a
second identical bridge begins, but then changes into two dramatic breaks which
highlight a question-and-answer exchange between McCartney’s lead vocal and
John and George’s harmony answers. This distinctive hook is the one characteristic
that sparks the similarity between The Beatles version and the immensely
popular Herb Alpert instrumental version from 1965. The song then officially
climaxes with the extended high note from Paul as the song suddenly shifts back
to the 3/4 time signature for the final four bars of the song. An interesting
touch that McCartney capitalized on with his composition “And I Love Her” a
year later is setting apart the minor chords of the song with a final major
chord which create a satisfying note of finality to the song.
The lyrics have a simple sentiment of a long distance reminiscence
of the first kiss by a true love along with the desire to return soon. The
poetic way of expressing these desires brought out in Ric Marlow’s lyrics,
though, are consistent with the stature that the song has transcended to as
time passes. It seems quite ironic that the most known version of the song is
instrumental, meaning that most people are totally oblivious to these amazing
lyrics. Amazing, that is, in the context of the time and style of music it was
intended for. Also ironic is the fact that probably the second most popular
rendition is The Beatles vocal version, which sounds “schmaltzy” in comparison
to the rock-and-roll style they had formed. That being said, Ric Marlow’s
lyrics are probably best heard in the hands of Tony Bennett.
As for The Beatles performance, McCartney is truly in the
spotlight with his spot-on vocal work (despite his struggle to properly hit the
low notes) which convey the sentiment of the lyrics in the most convincing way
he could muster. His tasteful bass playing, especially during the bridges, show
him as not being a ‘showboat’ but being able to add the degree of tastefulness
necessary to pull off an impressive ingredient to a nice arrangement.
Harrison shows himself adept and able to pull off a tender ballad
arrangement ‘in style,’ even though his true overall inspiration really comes
from the likes of Carl Perkins. His guitar versatility, as well as his vocal
harmony work, performed simultaneously, shows his true focus on making the
band, not just himself, sound good.
Ringo shows his versatility as well by playing brushes throughout
and not straying off of the snare drum. One would think this was a professional
drummer for a light jazz combo instead of the same rock-and-roll drummer we
just heard wailing away on “I Saw Her Standing There.” Once again, we see the
focus on doing whatever it takes to make the song work.
Lennon, on the other hand, is hardly noticeable on rhythm guitar.
Also, the bad cold John faulters from on this day appear most evident on this
track as his harmony work, proficient as it is, suffers from his pronunciation.
“A taste of huddy” truly distinguishes the result of a stuffed-up nose.
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Chains was also one of the ten songs recorded on that historic day
of February 11th, 1963, the day chosen to produce the first Beatles album,
“Please Please Me.” The third of three sessions that day (the evening session),
held between 7:30 and 10:45 p.m. at EMI Studio Two. Of the six songs hurriedly
recorded during this evening session, “Chains” was the fourth.
Just over three hours were required to finish the album, being
that The Beatles had to immediately go back on the road the next day to
continue their first national tour with Helen Shapiro. Between approximately
9:00 and 9:30 pm, four takes of the song were performed, although the first
deemed as best. This again was a fully live recording with no overdubs or
edits. The faded ending to the song occurred on February 25th during the remix
stage.
Both the stereo and mono mix of the song, as well as their entire
first album, was created by George Martin and engineers Norman Smith and A.B.
Lincoln on February 25th, 1963 in the control room of EMI Studio One.
Song Structure and Style
When The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records on January 1st, 1962,
George Harrison was practically threatening to take over the role of lead
singer of the group, being that he sang lead on a good number of the songs
recorded that day. But for their first actual album, George was relegated to
two lead vocal performances, the first being “Chains.” The pattern then
continued throughout The Beatles career, allowing either one or two Harrison
lead vocal per LP disc (maybe three if he was lucky, as with “Revolver”).
“Chains” follows in the 'verse/ verse/ bridge/ verse' style (or
aaba) which does not have a repeatable chorus. As with the original version of
this song, The Beatles opted not to include a solo of any kind, which, after
the last verse, allows for an immediate repeating of the bridge and final
verse.
The most distinguishable ingredient in the four-bar musical
introduction to the song is the short, but vibrant, harmonica riff played by
Lennon. This riff is abruptly, and awkwardly, cut short only for John to chime
in on harmony background vocals, because the song was recorded live without any
overdubs. If time wasn’t of the essence, a decision might have been made to
overdub the harmonica introduction later in order to create a more natural
transition, as was done on later recordings (such as “From Me To You” and “Thank
You Girl”). But this was not to be, as the song was considered complete after
today’s performance.
The first verse then commences, which contain the first example of
actual three-part harmony found on any Beatles record. This effect was to
become a hallmark of The Beatles sound through the years whenever they chose to
use it, such as in “This Boy,” “Yes It Is” and “Because.” In this case, George
sings lead, which is prominent in volume, while John sings a lower harmony to
Paul’s higher harmony. The results show very well rehearsed, as not much time
beforehand could have been used to perfect it. After two verses, the bridge is
sung solo by George, which when repeated later in the song, has a different set
of lyrics.
During the third verse, Lennon’s rhythm guitar breaks up somewhat,
which may be a hint to the mystery voice that enters just as the second bridge
starts. A voice, faintly heard, seems to say “Is that enough?” or “Is that the
rhythm?” This could be from John himself or from the control room, but either
way, it is loud enough to appear on both the mono and stereo versions of the
song.
Since the original Cookies version of the song appeared in
November of 1962, the song had only recently joined The Beatles repertoire.
This would account for the tight harmonies, spirited drum fills, and excellent
musicianship heard on this recording, proved very fresh in their minds.
As for the lyrics, “Chains” sings about that unfortunate
circumstance of being in a committed relationship which is restricting you from
‘running around,’ which is what the singer seems tempted to do. Even though the
person the song addresses is “fine” and their “lips are sweet,” the “chains” of
the current relationship keep the singer monogamous, although he (or she)
wishes otherwise.
Next Cover Song
Of all the tunes recorded for the Beatles first LP, Boys earned
the only one recorded in one take. Since the original record was released on
November 7th, 1960, The Beatles took to it quickly thereafter and had been
performing it regularly ever since, being a showcase for Pete Best’s vocals and
then for Ringo when he replaced him in the band. They obviously knew the song
like the back of their hand, as McCartney has quoted that the song was a “fan
favorite” in their early live performances. So, at approximately 8:45 p.m., the
recording of one take was all they needed. This was a complete performance with
no overdubs or edits. The added fadeout ending arose to both the mono and
stereo mixes on February 25th, 1963, in the control room of EMI Studio One by
George Martin and engineers Norman Smith and A.B. Lincoln.
"Boys" was also recorded at their performance at the
Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, on August 23, 1964. The producers on
this session were Capitol's vice president Voyle Gilmore and George Martin with
Hugh Davies engineering. This recording ended up on the 1977 release "The
Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl."
Song Structure and Style
The song “Boys” is structurally unique to this album in two ways.
First, it is the only song on the album written in the “12-bar blues” style,
meaning that each section of the song (except the small introduction) consists
of twelve bars. Also, each section of the song has the same chord pattern,
which is E7 (4 bars), A7 (2 bars), back to E7 (2 bars), then B7 (1 bar), A7 (1
bar), E7 (1 bar) and finally B7 (1 bar) which is used as a transition to begin
the sequence again for the next section of the song. This total of 12 bars
makes up the standard “12 bar blues” pattern used by many of the recording
artists that The Beatles admired, such as Chuck Berry (“Too Much Monkey
Business,” “Johnny B. Goode”) and Gene Vincent (“Be-Bop-A-Lula”).
The second unique facet of this song on the album is the
occurrence of an actual chorus. This song was written in the 'verse/ verse/
chorus/ verse/ chorus' style (or aabab). After the first chorus, George
Harrison performs a guitar solo which replaces the sax solo on the original
recording. This is the second of four guitar solos on the album.
After a rousing 4 bar introduction, Ringo starts the first verse,
as all the verses are, singing practically acapella to only four bass notes,
one per bar. Paul, George, and John then begin the background harmony phrases
“bop-shoo-op” which consistently occur during each verse of the song. As the
second verse continues in the same structural pattern, we begin to hear
McCartney’s excited whoops and hollers which continue to escalate in frequency
as well as intensity throughout the rest of the song.
The chorus then occurs which finally introduces to the listeners
the title of the song (actually drilling it into our heads, and repeats 11
times per chorus). McCartney’s incredible musicianship is then brought to the
fore as he displays a careful staccato in his intricate bass line WHILE singing
(with George and John) the background vocal phrase “Yeah, Yeah, Boys” which is
out-of-sync with his quarter note bass playing. Couple this with Ringo’s
exuberant vocal work (simple though it may be) which outshines the original in
excitement, and you have a thrilling climax to the verse/verse/chorus pattern
that is only outshined by it’s repeated refrain and the song’s fade out.
After Ringo’s encouraging exclamation “All Right George,” as he
was prone to do (as in “Honey Don’t), we are treated to Harrison’s simple but
effective guitar solo, not overdubbed as most future recordings were, but all
in one performance with the band. It’s quite apparent that the group was very
much enjoying the performance as if there was an audience present as there
usually was when they performed the song. Judging by McCartney’s screams, he
seems to have been enjoying it a little too much. But, on the whole, they all
must have known that they were nailing the song on the first try, which they
indeed did.
Ringo’s drum work is also of note, displaying for the second time
on the album, the band’s trademark “beat” style that they had perfected
throughout the past few years. Although his squeaky drum pedal is apparent
throughout the song, the energetic performance with striking drum fills shows
that he clearly had the song down pat.
It may seem odd to many that The Beatles would even perform a song
that contained lyrics which lauded the joys of “boys.” As they had a penchant
for learning girl group songs, most of these lyrics can be comfortably
converted and sung by either sex. This song, though, was not the case, as Ringo
exclaims at the end of each chorus that boys are a “bundle of joy.” We, of
course, are looking on many decades later living in drastically different
times. Apparently back in the early sixties, hardly anyone noticed — not even
The Beatles. McCartney has been quoted more recently as saying that they “never
even listened” to the lyrics and that it was just an example of the “innocence”
of those times. They just enjoyed playing the song.
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This song ran alongside the ten tunes recorded on that historic
day of February 11th, 1963, the day chosen to produce the first Beatles album,
“Please Please Me.” The third of three sessions that day (the evening session)
occurred between 7:30 and 10:45 p.m. at EMI Studio Two. Keep in mind they had
been recording since 10:00 that morning with only two 1 1/2 hour breaks in
between. But those weren’t even breaks for The Beatles since they asked to keep
practicing while George Martin and his staff took their breaks.
By the time just over two hours remained for the days’ session,
The Beatles still had half an album to record. So they got to work right away,
but unfortunately they were off to an unproductive start. They tried,
frustratingly, to record a McCartney / Lennon song entitled “Hold Me Tight,”
going through 13 takes of the song, which took up a lot of time. After many
false starts, breakdowns, and edit pieces, only two complete versions took
place. It is estimated that a good 30 minutes or more) wasted away with this
song that never made it on the album. (The lads reworked it for their next
British album “With The Beatles.”)
With that out of the way, and the pressure on, they started work
on five cover versions of songs they had been performing on stage. The first
one recorded was “Anna (Go To Him), which started around 8:15 p.m. Since they
already had the arrangement down, they went through three complete takes of the
song, the third one being deemed the best. This ushered a completely live
performance with no overdubs or edits needed.
Both the mono and stereo mixes of the song, as well as the rest of
their first album, happened on February 25th, 1963 in the control room of EMI
Studio One by George Martin and engineers Norman Smith and A.B. Lincoln.
Song Structure and Style
The song uses one of the most established formulas of popular
music of its time, written in the 'verse/ verse/ bridge/ verse' style (or aaba)
without a repeatable chorus. As with the original version of this song, The
Beatles opted not to include a solo of any kind, which, after the last verse,
allows for an immediate repeating of the bridge and final verse. In this case,
it is not the title of the song found at the end of each verse, but the
subtitle, or hook-line, which utters “Go With Him.” (It’s interesting to note that
Lennon always sings the subtitle as “go with him” instead of “go to him,” the true subtitle on the label of the Arthur Alexander record. Alexander
himself sings “go with him” in his recording of the song.)
The song begins with a four-bar instrumental introduction
highlighted by George Harrison playing the same piano riff on the original
record (played by Floyd Cramer) very convincingly on his electric guitar while
Ringo plays a drum rhythm not unlike his pattern two years later on “In My Life.”
Note the squeaky bass drum pedal which especially bleeds into a microphone
during the introduction, although slightly detected throughout the song as
well. George Martin, when interviewed in 1987 with the album’s first CD
release, related that if he had realized how closely scrutinized this
album would have been so many years later, he would have done something about
the squeaky drum pedal.
The Beatles give careful detail to the most intricate
characteristics of the song, which shows how rehearsed and “fresh in their
minds” the song stood. Lennon’s vocal style is his precise interpretation of
the original, as Arthur Alexander was known as one of his favorite singers.
Note the pronunciation of certain words, which turns, for instance, “more” into
“mo,” as inspired Lennon continued to sing throughout the next couple of years
(evidenced in “I Should Have Known Better”, “When I Get Home” and “No Reply”).
Note also the lyrical phrasing of the word “girl” which habitually
appears at the end of many lines. Lennon, by inspiration, copies this style in
his songwriting as well (evidenced in “Please Please Me” and “Thank You Girl”).
As the first verse ends, we hear George and Paul copy the intricately hushed
backing vocals, giving more evidence of precise detail. As the climactic bridge
begins, the background vocals harmonize, sometimes slightly off key, while
Lennon excitingly tackles the emotion of the lyrics that depict supreme
self-pity, which reflect his life experience with romance. This also inspired John
to continue in his future songwriting, for instance, in “I’ll Cry Instead” and
“I’m A Loser.” He then concludes this emotive bridge with his
catch-in-the-throat “oh-oh-oh-oh’s” escalating downward to the last verse,
which lyrically finalizes the relationship with the “give back your ring” line
and the evidence of conceding to the other guy. The emotional punch of these
lyrics, as well as the convincing delivery of The Beatles, brings this R&B
standard to an audience who otherwise would have never experienced it.
It’s important to note once again that this was a live recording,
just as they had rehearsed, with no edits or overdubs. One can only imagine the
impact a performance of this caliber would have on a live audience at the
Cavern Club in Liverpool, which would make this band stand head-and-shoulders
above the other “beat” group competition floating around the clubs in the early
sixties. And since the original was released in September of 1962, not all that
much time had transpired to allow them to perfect the song in this way and to
make it their own. This shows the dedication The Beatles had when they felt
strongly enough about a good song.
The test of a good song is also when you can retain the melody in
your memory after its planted. This is the case with “Anna,” as evidenced in
the television show “Married…With Children.” A classic episode of this show,
“Oldies But Young’uns,” shows character Al Bundy with this song “stuck in his
head,” but unable to remember the words.
Please feel free to leave any comments or corrections and share
these articles plus this blog's website with your friends, especially Beatles’
fans. You and they might also enjoy knowing more about my Love Songs CD and my
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for full details.
