The common conception seems to be that Paul is the king of the ballads, while John was the rocking soul of the guys. Of course that’s simplistic, because there are many exceptions on both counts, but well, the gist is true IMHO. But then, what were the great exceptions? I’m counting original Beatles, original solo songs and cover versions done by one of them.
For me it’s “If I Fell” in Lennons’s case and “Long Tall Sally” in McCartney’s. I don’t know how much the two still collaborated in songwriting in 1964, and of course Paul provided great harmonies, but I think that “If I Fell” is John’s song, and it’s just beautiful. I’m sorry that I took “Long Tall Sally” over his own “I’m Down” in Paul’s case, but I think his rocking soul shines best when he’s doing Little Richard, which he obviously also does on “I’m Down”, but “Long Tall Sally” is just a tad more frenetic.
I’m with you in terms of the general vibe, but it doesn’t hold up with any scrutiny. I Saw Her Standing There, Paperback Writer rock hard and are all Paul. Hide Your Love Away, In My Life, Across the Universe are all John ballads. It’s all good.
He considered “Nowhere Man” to be “honest,” in that it was reflective of how he felt at the time and not something he just knocked out for the sake of filling an album.
