Show Notes
There are a number of things that make "With A Little Help From My Friends" distinctive. It was the last song written by John and Paul specifically for Ringo to sing. The three Ringo songs that came after this were written by Ringo himself, or by John alone. It’s the Beatles song for which we have the most detailed eye-witness account of its composition. The account mainly covers part of the lyrics, but it’s still fascinating. It includes one of Ringo’s very few drum solos, although it’s only two bars long. It’s become Ringo’s signature song and the one he’s played live more than any other. This isn’t surprising since the message of the song, its melody and its spirit all fit Ringo so perfectly. And it’s one of a handful of Beatles songs that had a cover version go to number 1 in the UK. It is the only one of those to have more than one cover go to number one, and it's had three!
More from Every Sound There Is: Exploring The Beatles’ Songs
In The Beatles' early history, “P.S. I Love You” is much more important than it’s usually given credit for. It is not one of The Beatles’ best songs, but it has a number of notable distinctions. Despite The Beatles spending a total of around 9 months in Hamburg between 1960 and 1962, it is the only Lennon and McCartney song that they wrote in full while they were there. It is one of only four songs they recorded for EMI with Pete Best as drummer. It was the first Beatles song to include an outside musician, although that wasn’t by their choice. It was the B-side of a number 1 single in the U.S. and a U.S. top ten song in its own right.
“I’ve Just Seen a Face” was the first Beatles song to be recorded with no bass guitar. It’s their only song that includes a solo on a 12-string acoustic guitar. No other Beatles song delivers its lyrics in such a breathless torrent. It has a very unusual approach to rhyming in the lyrics, with rhymes occurring in multiple places within each verse, and in different places in different verses. And the fact that it was first released in different ways in the UK and the US is notable. In the place that The Beatles and George Martin chose for it, just before “Yesterday” on the UK Help! album, its strengths are not as obvious as they are when you hear it as the lead-off track on the American version of Rubber Soul.
A song written by John that was almost the first hint of a huge change that was coming in the Beatles’ song writing: the switch from lyrics that focused almost exclusively on girls, boys and love, to lyrics that ranged across almost every possible theme. An early song displaying an influence of Bob Dylan. The first Beatles song to include a 12-string acoustic guitar, but was it the same guitar as we can see John playing on ”You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” in the Help! movie? Unusually, all eight takes from the recording sessions are available for fans to hear.
We continue looking at one of George's best-loved songs. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was presented to the band before John and Paul had recalibrated (upwards) their views about George's songwriting ability. It’s the only Beatles track that includes a guest playing lead guitar. It was the first EMI recording for which they used an eight-track recorder. The use of distorted bass was unusual, and the use of distorted bass chords was particularly unusual. And, at least music-wise, it’s one of George’s great Beatles songs.
One of George's best-loved songs, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was presented to the band before John and Paul had recalibrated (upwards) their views about George's songwriting ability. It’s the only Beatles track that includes a guest playing lead guitar. It was the first EMI recording for which they used an eight-track recorder. The use of distorted bass was unusual, and the use of distorted bass chords was particularly unusual. And, at least music-wise, it’s one of George’s great Beatles songs.