# What lead to the Beatles ballad period? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234 "2017-04-25T18:22:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/1 "2017-04-25T18:22:39Z")
I’ve never understood how the group that wrote I Am The Walrus and other… Uh, oddities Created some of the greatest piano ballads of all time. Let It Be, Hey Jude, Yesterday, and rock ballads like Long and Winding Road, Here Comes the Sun, Hello Goodbye. How did they get out of their psychedelic period and create such masterpieces? Strangely enough, I can’t recall Paul writing similar piano pieces for Wings. It’s like he wrote a few wonderful ballads and then backed away. He did some great keyboard collaboration with Stevie Wonder. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/2 "2017-04-25T18:36:54Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Strangely enough, I can’t recall Paul writing similar piano pieces for Wings. While it’s arguably not on the same level as some of his Beatles work, “Maybe I’m Amazed” would seem to qualify as such a piano-based ballad. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/3 "2017-04-25T18:43:34Z")
I forgot that one. Heading to YouTube to get reacquainted with this great song. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/4 "2017-04-25T20:01:43Z")
Interesting that their greatest ballads came towards the end when the band was in turmoil. The one outlier is Yesterday. For some reason, I always think of this song from the Hey Jude, Winding Road era. Yesterday June, 14 1965 Hello Goodbye Nov 2, 67 Hey Jude Aug 9, 68 Long Winding Road Jan 31, 69 Here Comes the Sun,Aug 16, 69 Let it be March 1970 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/5 "2017-04-25T20:16:51Z")
I never felt they really had a “ballad period.” All of their albums seem to have ballads on them. Here’s a list I picked out from their discography: “Do You Want to Know a Secret?” 1963 “This Boy” 1963 “And I Love Her” 1964 “If I Fell” 1964 “I’ll Follow the Sun” 1964 “Girl” 1965 “In My Life” 1965 “Michelle” 1965 “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” 1965 “You’re Going to Lose That Girl” 1965 “Eleanor Rigby” 1966 “For No One” 1966 “Here, There and Everywhere” 1966 “She’s Leaving Home” 1967 “Blackbird” 1968 “Good Night” 1968 “I Will” 1968 “Julia” 1968 “Mother Nature’s Son” 1968 “Something” 1969 ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/6 "2017-04-25T20:43:58Z")
I don’t think there was a “ballad period” per se either. Paul always liked that stuff, and in general they always pushed the limits a bit on the musical styles appropriate for a “guitar group.” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/7 "2017-04-25T22:11:37Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > While it’s arguably not on the same level as some of his Beatles work, “Maybe I’m Amazed” would seem to qualify as such a piano-based ballad. Does “My Love” count? ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/8 "2017-04-25T22:17:48Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Does “My Love” count? What about Lonely Old People? (second half of Treat Her Gently/Lonely Old People) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/9 "2017-04-25T22:18:32Z")
I tell my students what to study for the final, and I always add “…and for the extra credit section, Beatles trivia.” I always ask about Pete Best, just so I can use him as an example (and talk about Ringo’s reliability). And something about Hamburg, so I can talk about Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours. And the answer to “When did Paul McCartney write Silly Love Songs?” … [spoiler]Survey says… **1963-2017** [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/10 "2017-04-25T22:45:40Z")
> [@SpeedwayRyan](#): > > I don’t think there was a “ballad period” per se either. Paul always liked that stuff, and in general they always pushed the limits a bit on the musical styles appropriate for a “guitar group.” It probably wasn’t deliberate. I thought it was notable that several Beatles piano ballads hit the charts in a short time. Even more notable because they were primarily a guitar band. Sgt Pepper, June 1967 was such a complex studio album that relied heavily on overdubs. It was a treat to hear that simple piano accompaniment for Hey Jude (intro). Then Ringo comes in on drums. Gorgeous song. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/11 "2017-04-25T23:10:39Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I tell my students what to study for the final, and I always add “…and for the extra credit section, Beatles trivia.” > > I always ask about Pete Best, just so I can use him as an example (and talk about Ringo’s reliability). And something about Hamburg, so I can talk about Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours. > > And the answer to “When did Paul McCartney write Silly Love Songs?” … [spoiler]Survey says… > > **1963-2017** [/spoiler] McCartney wrote When I’m sixty four when he was 16 so the answer to the last questions would be 1957-2017 at the latest. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/12 "2017-04-26T01:19:07Z")
I got curious, Maybe I’m Amazed was recorded Feb 22, 1970. So before Wings? Silly Love Songs Jan 1976 with Wings I do understand the joke about writing love songs. ---
**Author:** ![Graymalkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@Graymalkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Graymalkin)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/13 "2017-04-26T01:23:43Z")
I think Maybe I’m amazed was on that solo album McCartney did that has a bowl of cherries on the cover and in which he played all the parts himself? Great song. Great album. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/14 "2017-04-26T01:26:10Z")
So, this McCartney fellow was in a band before _Wings_? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/15 "2017-04-26T01:26:19Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Maybe I’m Amazed was recorded Feb 22, 1970. So before Wings? As [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maybe_I'm_Amazed) notes, he wrote it in '69 (when he was still in the Beatles), and originally recorded it for his 1970 solo album, _McCartney_ – so, yes, technically, before Wings. But, the live version, recorded in 1976 with Wings, was the version that was actually released as a single, and is the version with which I suspect most people are familiar. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/16 "2017-04-26T01:29:23Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > So, this McCartney fellow was in a band before _Wings_? Sir Paul was in a band? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/17 "2017-04-26T01:31:16Z")
I thought the timing seemed off. Maybe I’m Amazed and Let E’m In were played constantly when I entered high school. Wings was a big part of my school years. ---
**Author:** ![Club\_33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Club\_33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Club_33)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/18 "2017-04-26T02:17:32Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Created some of the greatest piano ballads of all time. Let It Be, Hey Jude, Yesterday Thought someone should mention that “Yesterday” is a guitar ballad, no piano to be found. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/19 "2017-04-26T02:55:31Z")
Paul is great, a phenomenal musician and tunesmith. But some of his songs are a little too sappy, saccharine or overwrought. _Eleanor Rigby_ comes to mind. Blech. Good lord, what dreck. Some of his Wings stuff is fantastic, and really brings back that 70s vibe. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234/20 "2017-04-26T03:59:32Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > Paul is great, a phenomenal musician and tunesmith. But some of his songs are a little too sappy, saccharine or overwrought… Amen! Sir Paul and Stevie Wonder (and maybe throw Elton in this mix) are musical geniuses but occasionally get mired in sentimentality. _(Eboneeee and Ivoreeee…)_('nuff said) I’ve had a saying for decades: “Every McCartney needs a Lennon.” Back when I was in a band my best mate was a tough, critical guy. He’d keep us from getting too bouncy/sappy, I’d keep us from getting too raw/cynical. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lead-to-the-beatles-ballad-period/785234.md?page=2)