Dear Prudence

~*~* My #1 Favorite Beatles Song *~*~
For this blog's final post, I have decided to share with you my absolute favorite Beatles song. If you don't get right away why I feel this song is so special, just listen to it again... and again. It is hard not to be enchanted by the quirky charm and ethereal beauty of Dear Prudence.

Album: The Beatles (aka The White Album)

Year: 1968

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

Wow. I don't even know where to begin to tell you about this song because I love it so much. Listen to it with headphones on to hear all the cool and kind of weird musical layers, as well as the power in John's gentle singing.

In early 1968, The Beatles traveled to Rishikesh, India to study Transcendental Meditation (TM) with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. They wrote many songs and met many new friends during their visit. One new friend was Prudence Farrow, who spent most days all alone in her room trying to master the art of TM. Everyone was worried about her, so the Maharishi appointed John and George to convince her to join the rest of the group, which is when John started singing, "Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play..."

When all four Beatles returned home from India, they got together at George's house and recorded demos of the new songs they had each written. John had worked on Dear Prudence and played it for his bandmates, who joined in and added layers of new sounds when they recorded the song in the studio three months later.

John sings an absolutely sublime double-tracked lead vocal and also plays the haunting finger-picking guitar that runs throughout the song. Both Paul's bass and George's electric guitar are standouts on this track, but, sadly, Ringo does not appear on it. The band members had a disagreement the day before recording Dear Prudence, and Ringo temporarily quit the group, leaving Paul to play the drums. The fan-made video above features photos of The Beatles' visit to the Maharishi's ashram in Rishikesh.

I'll Be Back

** A TOP TEN FAVORITE **

Album: A Hard Day's Night

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

This gorgeous ballad is the last track on the boys' third studio album, A Hard Day's Night. Although the album includes mostly songs from their film of the same name, I'll Be Back was not included in the movie. Nevertheless, I am not alone in believing it is one of their under-appreciated early masterpieces.

John sings a perfect double-tracked lead vocal, with Paul providing his usual lovely harmony. The acoustic flamenco-style guitars, especially John's strong strumming, adds an exotic flair. With the beautiful guitars, gorgeous vocals, and sad but pretty theme of this ballad, I'll Be Back is one of my Top Ten Favorite Beatles songs.

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Album: The Beatles (aka The White Album)

Year: 1968

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

"Ob-la-di, ob-la-da" was a phrase that Paul learned from his Nigerian friend Jimmy Emuakpor (also known as Jimmy Scott). He said that it means"life goes on" in the Yoruba language. Paul thought it was a cool phrase, and it inspired him to write this fun and silly, ska-influenced song. 

Paul sings lead, with John and George doing the backing vocals. If you listen closely, you can hear John and George singing “Arm!” and “Leg!” after the line “Desmond lets the children lend a hand." George can also be heard saying “Foot!” in the final verse, after Paul sings “Molly lets the children lend a hand." The funny piano intro was written and played by John, and Jimmy Scott plays the conga drums on this track.

If I Fell

** A TOP TEN FAVORITE **

Album: A Hard Day's Night

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

This beautiful ballad has the most heavenly harmonies in all of pop music. That's just my opinion, of course, but have a listen and then try to tell me I'm wrong. ;-)

John wrote If I Fell to be included in the Beatles' first film, A Hard Day's Night, which is where the video above comes from. John sings the lead vocal, and Paul joins him in perfect harmony. When they recorded this song in the studio, John and Paul shared one microphone, just like one of their musical influences, The Everly Brothers, who were famous for their gorgeous harmonies. Probably because they would sing so close together, when John and Paul used to performed this song in concert, they would often get an incurable case of the giggles.

Giggles or not, I just love the beautiful singing in this song... which is why it is a Top Ten Favorite.

Girl

** A TOP TEN FAVORITE **

Album: Rubber Soul

Year: 1965

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

In the autumn of 1965, The Beatles began recording their sixth studio album, Rubber Soul, which many fans consider to be among the band's best. When it was released, it represented a big change in the Beatles' sound. Most of the songs have a folky, acoustic feel, and several classics can be found on this album.

John wrote Girl in preparation for the Rubber Soul sessions. It was one of his personal favorite compositions, and I can understand why. The vocals in this song are some of the best in all of Beatledom. John sings a sumptuous and soulful lead; many people (including Paul!) feel it is one of his most memorable performances. When Paul and George join him in harmony, it just sounds so smooth and lovely. It's one of those sad songs that also sounds beautiful, which is why it is one of my Top Ten Favorites.

Here Comes the Sun

Album: Abbey Road

Year: 1969

Written by: George Harrison

Anyone who's been to Noble on a Saturday morning knows this song well. My mom used to sing it to me when I didn't feel like getting out of bed, so I always think of it a great morning song. It's also one of my favorite George Harrison tunes. Here's what George had to say about writing this beautiful Beatles classic:

"Here Comes the Sun was written at the time when Apple was getting like school, where we had to go and be businessmen: 'Sign this' and 'sign that.' Anyway, it seems as if winter in England goes on forever, by the time spring comes you really deserve it. So one day I decided I was going to sag off Apple and I went over to Eric Clapton's house. The relief of not having to go see all those dopey accountants was wonderful, and I walked around the garden with one of Eric's acoustic guitars and wrote Here Comes the Sun."

George sings lead and plays all the guitars and the Moog synthesizer on this track. The video above was made by a fan and features photos of George throughout his days with the Beatles. Look how much he changed from the early days of the band until the time they broke up, not long after this song was written.

I Feel Fine

Album: Not included on an original Beatles album; released as the A-side of a single

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

That electronic sound you hear at the beginning of this classic Beatles tune is the first time that feedback was included on a rock record. John had accidentally created some feedback in the studio and he liked the way it sounded. "John figured out how to do it. You hit the A (string) and get it buzzing by the amp," George said. Because the Beatles always liked to try new things, they decided to put this cool sound on the record.

I Feel Fine is a riff-based pop song. John plays the riff on an acoustic Gibson guitar, which is amplified to make it sound electric. George mirrors John's riff on his Gretsch Tennessean. John sings lead vocal, with Paul and George joining him in some of the smoothest, most beautiful, and most classic Beatles harmonies ever.

I Feel Fine was the sixth Beatles single in a row to hit #1 on the American charts in 1964 – quite a phenomenal achievement. It is also a great rock song. Enjoy!

Eight Days a Week

Album: Beatles for Sale

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

Everyone knows that there are only seven days in a week, but have you ever been so tired that you felt like you have been working eight days a week? That feeling inspired the title of this fun and bouncy song. One day, as Paul was driving to John's house to write some new songs, he asked the chauffeur how he was doing. "Oh, working hard," replied the driver named Alf, "working eight days a week." Paul thought that would be a great title for a song, so he and John began composing it.

Eight Days a Week is the first time that John and Paul finished writing a song after they got into the studio. The practice of bringing partially-written tunes into the studio later became very common for the band. An interesting musical feature is the fade-in that opens the song. John sings a great lead vocal, with Paul doing the backing vocals. All four Beatles do the handclaps.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Album: Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Year: 1967

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

Picking up his young son Julian from pre-school one afternoon, John was impressed with a picture he had drawn. "Wow, that's really beautiful!" remarked John. "Who is that in the picture?"

"It's Lucy in the sky with diamonds," was the boy's response. Lucy was a friend of his from pre-school, and he had drawn her floating in the sky with diamonds, stars, and musical notes.

John loved the picture and he thought that the title was also beautiful, so he decided to write a song. Inspired by the word play and vivid images in Lewis Carroll's writings, especially Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, John created a very dreamy and imaginative song, with beautiful images of "the girl with kaleidoscope eyes."

John sings a double-tracked vocal, and Paul adds some harmony in the song's chorus. George plays two Indian instruments on this track–the sitar and the tambura. The very colorful video above features scenes from The Beatles' 1968 animated movie Yellow Submarine.

One After 909

Album: Let It Be

Year: 1958? (written) / 1969 (recorded) / 1970 (released)

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

No one is really sure exactly when One After 909 was first written, but John claimed he was 17 or 18 when he composed this rocker, so the best guess is about 1958. The Beatles recorded the song several times – on at least two demo records in 1960 and as a possible b-side to one of their singles in 1963. They also performed it live in 1962 when they were the main attraction at Liverpool's Cavern Club, and a recording of the band rehearsing the song was made at that time. John was never satisfied with the lyrics, though, and the band was never happy about any of the recordings, so the song was shelved until 1969.

In early 1969, with the band members drifting apart from each other, they began filming a movie. The idea was to show the band rehearsing songs in preparation for a concert. After weeks of not being able to decide where to hold the show, The Beatles finally agreed to perform live on the roof of their newly-formed company, Apple Records. On a cold day in January, 1969, the four Beatles and some friends climbed up to a London rooftop and blew away the neighborhood with their loud rock music. It was their final live performance as a band. One After 909 was the fifth song they played that day on the roof.

John sings a great live vocal, with Paul joining him in harmony. Billy Preston, a young keyboard player who played with one of the Beatles' idols, Little Richard, and who the boys had met when they were in Hamburg, Germany, plays the electric piano.

Things We Said Today

** A TOP TEN FAVORITE **

Album: A Hard Day's Night

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

This fantastic little song, which is about Paul's relationship with his girlfriend Jane Asher, was written while The Beatles were "on holiday" after their first visit to America and before they started filming their first movie, A Hard Day's Night.

It's amazing, but this song was recorded in just three takes at Abbey Road Studios, two days before the boys (as they were often called) were leaving for a world tour, which would include Europe, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and then later, the United States. Once again, it's a tribute to their artistic genius that such a beautiful song could come together so quickly.

Paul sings a lovely double-tracked lead vocal, while John's great rhythm guitar drives the song (he probably used his Gibson Jumbo). Even though they were just 22 and 23 years-old, John's and Paul's songwriting reflected a growing maturity on the A Hard Day's Night album, and Things We Said Today is a shining example... which is why it is one of my Top Ten Favorites.

I Need You

Album: Help!

Year: 1965

Written by: George Harrison

This sweet love song by George was included in The Beatles' second film, Help! The video clip from the movie shows the boys on Salisbury Plain, near the prehistoric monument called Stonehenge. George sings a double-tracked lead vocal, and he also plays lead guitar. John, who plays rhythm guitar, and Paul, who plays his usual bass, sing harmony. In an unusual turn, John also plays the snare drum. There's not much else to say about this song, except that I just love it. So, enjoy!