# What's your obscure hipster Beatles reference? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 9, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882 "2018-05-09T22:34:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/1 "2018-05-09T22:34:02Z")
I am seeing that the Beatles continue to lead to fun, interesting discussions: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=854492](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.” 😉 :smack: 😃 I’ll start by taking out Doper **pulykamell** at the knees. I know he loves this song, too - **Things We Said Today** : [- YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlGaYlXZZVk) 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? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/2 "2018-05-09T22:46:04Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/3 "2018-05-09T22:52:08Z")
Actually my favorite obscure Beatles reference is, “It’s a fiendish thingy!” which has nothing to do with their music. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/4 "2018-05-09T22:55:50Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/5 "2018-05-09T22:56:27Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Actually my favorite obscure Beatles reference is, “It’s a fiendish thingy!” which has nothing to do with their music. Likewise, I identify all compositions of Ludwig von’s as Famous Beethoven’s Famous Nth Symphony, Whatever Concerto, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/6 "2018-05-09T22:56:46Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/7 "2018-05-09T23:15:17Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/8 "2018-05-09T23:42:55Z")
I like to talk about “Only a Northern Song.” Also, “Are you bluish? You don’t look bluish.” ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/9 "2018-05-09T23:51:37Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/10 "2018-05-10T00:21:51Z")
My hipster reference is _The Wrestling Dog_. Curiously unmelodious, but memorable: [JOHN LENNON "THE WRESTLING DOG" - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y2Hr_QUnYk) (I about wore out a copy of _In His Own Write_ in childhood, and believe it explains a lot about me even today.) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/11 "2018-05-10T01:12:29Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Actually my favorite obscure Beatles reference is, “It’s a fiendish thingy!” which has nothing to do with their music. Story, please? ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/12 "2018-05-10T01:39:41Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/13 "2018-05-10T01:47:49Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > My hipster reference is _The Wrestling Dog_. > > Curiously unmelodious, but memorable: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y2Hr\_QUnYk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y2Hr_QUnYk) > (I about wore out a copy of _In His Own Write_ in childhood, and believe it explains a lot about me even today.) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/14 "2018-05-10T01:51:56Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Actually my favorite obscure Beatles reference is, “It’s a fiendish thingy!” which has nothing to do with their music. > [@WordMan](#): > > Story, please? It’s from Help! ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/15 "2018-05-10T01:57:49Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/16 "2018-05-10T02:06:19Z")
“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.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/17 "2018-05-10T02:09:17Z")
A Suprise for Little Bobby. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/18 "2018-05-10T02:13:50Z")
“With a Little Help…” has the same intro and outro: _Bil - ly Shears . . Ah - h - h_ ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/19 "2018-05-10T02:57:38Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Story, please? > [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > It’s from Help! 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.😉 ---
**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:** [May 10, 2018, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882/20 "2018-05-10T04:02:24Z")
“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”)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGdliCIksds) 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…_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-obscure-hipster-beatles-reference/813882.md?page=2)