What's your obscure hipster Beatles reference?

I am seeing that the Beatles continue to lead to fun, interesting discussions: https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=854492

So, why not pile on?

What do you think of as your obscure Beatles touchpoint? “Oh, you don’t know XYZ? Yeah, it’s doesn’t get as much attention as their hits, but I think folks in the know look at it as more important.” :wink: :smack: :smiley:

I’ll start by taking out Doper pulykamell at the knees. I know he loves this song, too - Things We Said Today: - YouTube

Why is this a relatively “deep track”? When it transitions from it’s minor key to the major key middle eight (“me, I’m just the lucky kind…”), it takes on a whole different energy and reshapes the song. And my god, the harmonies on the pre-chorus bit? Jesus.

You?

Well, I didn’t know what exactly you meant by the thread title, but you got me on “Things We Said Today.” It’s one of my favorite songs in the Beatles catalog. It’s not just that cool transition from a mysterious, guitar strumming, minor-key A section into that rocking major key/seventh chord B section, but there is something about the chord changes and harmonies in the part that goes “someday when I’m lonely, wishing you weren’t so far away” that contrasts against the two-chord vamp in the rest of the A section that sends chills up my spine. It’s a nice relief from that hypnotic minor chord vamp, and there’s this sudden “brightness” and “hope” added to the song before it goes right back into the two repeating minors chords. (Re-reading your post, I assume that’s what you mean by the “pre-chorus bit.”) I don’t know what it is, but there’s just certain chord changes that really push my buttons, and that’s one of them.

I’m trying to think of what others there might be for me. I mean, there’s “Hey Bulldog,” but I have a feeling that’s been getting its share of respect lately and, while not one of the first thirty songs people think of when they think of the Beatles, it’s kind of been acknowledged by the hipster set as being a cool song… I think.

Actually my favorite obscure Beatles reference is, “It’s a fiendish thingy!” which has nothing to do with their music.

My obscure hipster reference was that I was listening to them when I was 5 years old and they were still recording. I had a little transistor radio that I’d hide under my pillow, and after my mom put me to bed I would turn on the radio and listen to the only rock station in town, which at that time played the Beatles all the time. They were by far my favorite band.

Likewise, I identify all compositions of Ludwig von’s as Famous Beethoven’s Famous Nth Symphony, Whatever Concerto, etc.

I like the song “Two of us”… I always thought it was about John and Paul, but apparently Paul wrote out on a road trip with Linda. It’s still one of my faves from the Let it be/Abbey Road days.

Maybe not what you are looking for since it’s not a Beatles composition but I love their version of Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues. Very smokey and swampy.

I like to talk about “Only a Northern Song.”

Also, “Are you bluish? You don’t look bluish.”

I kinda doubt that anything related to the Beatles would be obscure to anyone at this message board, but when I tell my less knowledgeable acquaintances that one of my favorite Beatles deep cuts is Long, Long, Long, they either say “huh?” or start to slowly back away.

My hipster reference is The Wrestling Dog.

Curiously unmelodious, but memorable: JOHN LENNON "THE WRESTLING DOG" - YouTube

(I about wore out a copy of In His Own Write in childhood, and believe it explains a lot about me even today.)

Story, please?

It’s from the movie. A Lennon kind of thing. Thingy, rather. A perfect joke. My personal favorite: Not a bit like Cagney.

Yep, Own Write and Spaniard in the Works seem obscure. Not too much remains in my memory, tho: “Arfing round the bend”, Mad Elf Heatlump. Pretty interesting stuff from a singer in a Boy Band.

It’s nice to know that it was Ringo who cried “I’ve got blisters on me fingers!”. It changes an interesting metaphor into a literal complaint.

It’s from Help!

For the longest time (I’m talking decades) I thought the guitar lead in “And Your Bird Can Sing” was George on his Rick 360/12 in a non-standard tuning. A writer ran into George in a lounge at an airport while they were both waiting for a flight and during their conversation had the courage to ask. George was surprised there was a mystery. It was just him and Paul playing the lead together. Nothing special.

“Hello, this Is John speaking, with his voice.”
“Our story begins in Corsica…”
“Matches”, “Candles”
“Please don’t bring your banjo back, I know where it’s been.”

A Suprise for Little Bobby.

“With a Little Help…” has the same intro and outro:

Bil - ly Shears
.
.
Ah - h - h

There was a bomb made up to look like a curling stone. When the Lads from Liverpool recognized what it was, instead of crying “danger,” “look out,” or something else you’d expect, John yelled, “It’s a fiendish thingy!”

Just a bit of absurdist nonsense.:wink:

“Well, that’s just too bad, in’it?” has become a catchphrase around our house (well, the half that I happen to be in at any given moment). It’s a comment from Paul in a studio outtake.

Since we couldn’t afford Beatles albums back in 5rd grade, we’d buy the 45s. Which meant songs like “I’m Down” (the B-side of “Help”) were more well-known to us than the unwashed public. “I’m Down” became the unofficial theme song all summer as we built The Best Treehouse Ever…

Especially when my friend HiGuy almost fell out of the tree while singing:
How can you laugh/
when you know I’m down?
'Cause you make me laugh/
and I fall to the ground!
I’m dowwwwn…