I came close to picking While My Guitar… but went with Julia just because of my love for one line:* Her hair of floating sky is shimmering, glimmering
In the sun*- I just love the sound of that line when sung.
Trivia: Though Julia is about his mother (for whom Julian Lennon was named) “Ocean child” is a reference to Yoko, whose name translates as ocean child).
Immediately dismissed: USSR, Glass Onion, Ob-La-Di, Honey Pie, Bungalow Bill, Blackbird, Piggies, Rocky Raccoon, Don’t Pass Me By, Do It in the Road.
Considered: Dear Prudence, Happiness/Gun
Strongly considered: Guitar Gently Weeps, Martha My Dear, I Will, Julia
The Winner: I’m So Tired
You’d say I’m putting you on
But it’s no joke, it’s doing me harm
You know I can’t sleep, I can’t stop my brain
You know it’s three weeks, I’m going insane
You know I’d give you everything I’ve got for a little peace of mind
mmm
I thought I was the only Beatles fan who didn’t like While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Many things wrong with it, leaving aside the cringe-making title. I just don’t think George had a very good singing voice, for one. That spoils a lot of his songs for me. Not all of them, because occasionally his atonal drone does fit the song. Second, the really bad lyrics. Third, it just doesn’t sound like the Beatles. The White Album has sometimes been described as three solo albums released under one name, and I think that is correct.
I voted for *Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, *for one simple reason: I have chronic depression, and no matter how lousy I’m feeling, that song makes me smile. That counts for a lot these days. My second choice would be *I Will, *for a similar reason.
I was tempted to vote for The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill or Rocky Raccoon…but Dear Prudence is my favorite Beatles ever.
Although, I’ll concede that the correct answer probably is While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
“Dear Prudence”- for Ringo’s drum work at the end.
I voted for Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da it is by far the best “feel good” song the Beatles ever did
That’s actually Paul playing drums on that one, IIRC - it was done while Ringo had temporarily left.
Piggies is a song that’s forever tainted by its association with Manson. A shame since it’s one of the few to include a harpsichord.
That sure didn’t hurt “Helter Skelter” in the other poll.
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird;12983204
That’s actually Paul playing drums on that one, IIRC -[/QUOTE]
I thought that was “Lady Madonna”.
After listening to some of the alternate versions of While My Guitar… the version in this disc did lose a bit of luster; *Piggies *OTOH has a good smart-aleck bent to it that I greatly enjoy. Happiness is… knocked me for a loop when I first heard it, indeed quite a superb piece of work by John (though it of course gets some wicked dose of unwelcome irony in view of later events); he also gets in his shot at those looking for hidden meanings and references, with Glass Onion (“Here’s another clue for you all: the walrus was Paul”). Mac puts in there the two pop winners on this disc (Back in the USSR and ObLaDi-ObLaDa) but I, too, find Blackbird his superior effort of this side.
In the end I go for Happiness Is a Warm Gun; while also acknowledging I’m So Tired and Dear Prudence as outstanding pieces
OTOH boy did they ever lay down some “why, bless your heart, that’s certainly… interesting?” filler on both discs of this project…
The competition’s not as steep on disc 2.
Fourth vote for “I Will,” here. It is simple and beautiful, and that’s hard to beat. Possibly my second-favorite Beatles song, after “Penny Lane.” (Which is still only maybe my favorite.)
Second choice is “Martha My Dear,” because it’s catchy as hell and is a song I often find myself randomly humming.
Tied for third are “Blackbird,” “Rocky Raccoon,” and “Dear Prudence.” I love them each, for various reasons.
I like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” but it’s not one of my favorites.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da evinces smiles, but Rocky Raccoon makes me sit up straighter.
Strangely, there’s a lot of songs on the album I don’t remember at all.
So many votes for Dear Prudence! I can’t stand it.
My mum played this album a lot when I was growing up, so I can’t help but vote for Rocky Raccoon. Such a fascinating song to me when I was a child. I had a few records of my very own, including Raffi’s Baby Beluga. This, however, was clearly an adult’s record, yet it had a song about raccoons? Crazy!
Also, I agree that While My Guitar Gently Weeps is lyrically very weak. But the intro, with the piano and the “Hey-o”, I just love and adore.
As Paul once said, not only was Ringo not the best drummer in the world, he wasn’t even the best drummer in the Beatles.
Paul could be a real shit sometimes.
An apocryphal comment that is usually attributed to John. (I even once found it attributed to George.)