Who's your favorite Beatle?

[prodicus]

@choie

Of course, Lennon had plenty of silliness too. What about the cringeworthy, soupy dreck of “Woman”? (Hell, much of Double Fantasy is crap to me.) The weirdness for weirdness’ sake of “I Am the Walrus” (albeit a great song, musically) and “I Dig a Pony”? The train wreck awfulness of “You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)”? And for the simplistic do-gooding sappy vibe of “Ebony and Ivory” I’ll match you with “Give Peace a Chance” or “War is Over.”

I’ll defend Maxwell’s Silver Hammer" with my dying breath. What’s wrong with black humor? I love its cheery grimness. As I’ve said elsewhere, it’s a Monty Python sketch set to music. I’ll counter it with “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.” A song I happen to like, BTW, but I’m just saying if this had been a Paul song we’d be hearing plenty of mockery. And if “Fixing a Hole” had been a John song, people might be pointing to it as more proof of John’s introspective poetry.

Also I don’t see a problem with someone coming up with a silly placeholder text for a melody, especially an artist with a sense of humor. I suppose if it had been Lennon inserting nonsense text, he’d have used something like “oohgaboo” or “purple dog” and decades later everyone would be falling over themselves with how this proves how irreverent and witty he was. And for all the praise Lennon gets for reassuring McCartney about “the movement you need is on your shoulder,” McCartney is the one who wrote it in the first place! Lennon (and the others) wanted to take OUT “Yesterday” altogether, for pete’s sake.

McCartney, as influenced by / influential to pop music as he is, obviously also loves the depth of classical music and the experimentalism of the avant-garde, as seen in his work with the Firemen, not to mention Carnival of Light and his other experimental tracks – some of which, if I’m not mistaken, even ended up enhancing Lennon’s “Tomorrow Never Knows.”

I’m not saying Paul isn’t more enamored by pop – which, y’know, isn’t in and of itself a bad thing – my defense is simply that dismissing Paul as “shallow bubblegum” is way too broad a brush for a brilliant musician; seems to be a strawman argument. I don’t object to people calling him “not as deep as Lennon.” It’s only when one says flatly “Paul is shallow” that my hackles get raised.

I just want to say that this post has crystallized my thoughts perfectly.

[Baal_Houtham]

@Yookeroo

I’m not so sure Paul was wrong here. What’s so great about this lyric?

So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
You’re waiting for someone to perform with
And don’t you know that it’s just you? Hey Jude, you’ll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder

Well, it might not strike your fancy, that’s art for ya.

To me it’s a line that suggests multiple rich meanings. It’s original without being precious, stupid or wishywashy.

My take is that the movement he needs is sex (with its attendant relationship developments), and having it be on his shoulder means that not only is it weighing him down, but it is RIGHT THERE GO FOR FOR IT YA IDJIT.

Additionally (in my mind) the motion of casting the world off his shoulders would be a profoundly liberating sexual style writhing.

I like it.

[woodstockbirdybird]

@Baal_Houtham

So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
You’re waiting for someone to perform with
And don’t you know that it’s just you? Hey Jude, you’ll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder

Well, it might not strike your fancy, that’s art for ya.

To me it’s a line that suggests multiple rich meanings. It’s original without being precious, stupid or wishywashy.

My take is that the movement he needs is sex (with its attendant relationship developments), and having it be on his shoulder means that not only is it weighing him down, but it is RIGHT THERE GO FOR FOR IT YA IDJIT.

Additionally (in my mind) the motion of casting the world off his shoulders would be a profoundly liberating sexual style writhing.

I like it.

Didn’t Paul write it about John’s son Julian after visiting him and finding him sad or something? Not that he necessarily meant it to be literally a “cheer up, kid” song or that he didn’t universalize it more in the final writing, but the sex theory creeps me out knowing the song’s genesis.

Count me in (even as a John fan) among those who don’t see how people could consider McCartney’s Beatles work shallow fluff. His post-Beatles stuff I’m of a different mind about, but he did substantial stuff by any standards while he was part of the band.

[blondebear]

If you voted for Paul (and if you don’t have it already), I highly recommend the 25th Anniversary Edition of Band on the Run .

The “bonus” CD features Paul telling the story of the album, along with cameos from others who were involved. Dustin Hoffman remembers how Paul wrote Picasso’s Last Words right in front of him at dinner. Christopher Lee and James Coburn talk about the photo session for the cover. Everyone remembers the time fondly; it’s a real treat to listen to.

[choie]

Ooh that’s fun, blondebear, thank you for posting that. I’m not a huge fan of Paul’s post-Beatles work … I like it but there are lots of ups/downs … but that looks like a keeper.

eleanorrigby, I didn’t mean to invalidate your opinion, I was just presenting a different side. I just thought we were discussing stuff, is all. Actually I think your “whatevs, I’m bored now” comment was rather more invalidating / dismissive, but since you were upset by what I posted, maybe that’s why. I apologize.

BTW, thanks so much, Thudlow Boink and prodicus. Your posts perked me up.

As does the Hey Jude discussion. I think the “movement you need is on your shoulder” is a fairly nonsensical but sounds deep kind of thing. What I like to think it means is: “you need to act, but first adjust your mindset – change your thinking or maybe stop thinking so much.” Or something like that.

[Pray_for_peace]

@Baal_Houtham

So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
You’re waiting for someone to perform with
And don’t you know that it’s just you? Hey Jude, you’ll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder
…

I think choie is right that “the movement” refers to change. But something I never noticed before is that “the movement you need” comes after the phrase “waiting for someone to perform with.” So “movement” could be interpreted as a musical movement, like the second movement of a symphony. As in, the next movement (segment of your life) will be you performing solo, but you’ll do just fine. That may be far-fetched, but even if I’m wrong I still like the lyric.

[Green_Bean]

I assumed that the thing on his shoulder was his head. In other words, if he wanted things to move/change, then he had to do something about it himself. It had to come from within himself.

Anyway, I voted Ringo. He’s a trip.

@koufax

Did anyone see the interview of Paul by Steven Colbert where Colbert asked him “So… who was your favorite Beatle?”

Very funny moment.

What did he say?

[choie]

@Green_Bean

Anyway, I voted Ringo. He’s a trip.

What did he say?

Paul agreed with you.

[Talon_Karrde]

@WordMan

It took Paul something like a year or more to finally commit the Yesterday hook to a song - he kept wondering who’s song it was that he was remembering, because it was so obvious and elegant a melody and chord structure…

If only George had done the same thing for My Sweet Lord…

@woodstockbirdybird

Didn’t Paul write it about John’s son Julian after visiting him and finding him sad or something? Not that he necessarily meant it to be literally a “cheer up, kid” song or that he didn’t universalize it more in the final writing, but the sex theory creeps me out knowing the song’s genesis.

IIRC, he wrote it for Julian when John and Cynthia Lennon were getting divorced. It’s always rough on a kid for his or her parents to get divorced so Paul wrote the song for him.