Magical Mystery Tour

Album: Magical Mystery Tour

Year: 1967

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

After the tremendous success of the Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band album in the Summer of 1967, The Beatles were at a creative peak and they became excited by the idea of making a movie featuring their music. Their manager and dear friend Brian Epstein died suddenly in August, however, leaving them wondering whether or not they should follow through with their idea. They decided that work would be good for them during such a difficult time and that Brian would want them to carry on, so the Magical Mystery Tour project began in earnest in September.

With a few newly written songs ready to record, John and Paul got together to develop the movie idea. They didn't want a script or any famous stars. They just wanted to make a film that was fun, a bit surreal, and very indicative of the spirit of the times. They got some of their friends and a few unknown actors together for a bus tour (or charabanc, as it was known in Britain) and headed to the southwest coast of England, filming the trip, and adding fun, circus-like sequences with their new songs. The movie was shown on British television on Boxing Day, but most people thought it was too weird and didn't enjoy it. Some people loved it, though... like the great director Steven Spielberg, who has cited is as one of his influences.

This song opens the film. Paul sings lead, with John and George singing along in harmony in some parts. Last Monday, when Ms. Valdez and I saw Paul McCartney at his free concert on Hollywood Boulevard, he opened up the show with this song. 

I Want to Hold Your Hand

Album: Not included on an original Beatles album; issued as a single

Year: 1963

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

By the time I Want to Hold Your Hand was released as The Beatles' fifth single in late 1963, they were the most popular act in Great Britain, and they were starting to create a buzz throughout Europe. "Beatlemania" they began to call it. Teenagers all over Britain went mad for the lovable lads from Liverpool, but America had not yet caught the fan frenzy... until I Want to Hold Your Hand hit our shores.

Released in the United States just once month after the assassination of President Kennedy, which had shocked and saddened the entire nation, I Want to Hold Your Hand instantly cheered all the young Americans up. Many people consider it the greatest of The Beatles "early" songs. Listening to it now, we can hardly understand what a radical new sound this song represented because it is like so much of the music that came after it. But that is because The Beatles created that sound. This is Ground Zero.

John sings the lead vocal, but Paul sings harmony throughout most of the song. The singing is most noteworthy for the high note they hit together when they first say, "I want to hold your haaaand!" It is also one of the first recordings that The Beatles made using Abbey Road Studios' new four-track technology.

This song's impact can not be overstated. Though I was just a baby when it came out, it remains to this day the only Beatles song my 81 year-old father can name.

Two of Us

Album: Let It Be

Year: 1969 (not released until 1970)

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

By the time The Beatles began recording the Let It Be album in early 1969, they had begun to grow apart and were on the road to breaking up. In an effort to re-energize the band, they began filming a movie that recorded them practicing new songs in preparation for their first concert since quitting touring nearly three years earlier. Instead of being a positive experience, the Let It Be movie caused more disagreements among the band members, and this video captures some of the sadness that hung over them at the time.

Despite their problems, however, The Beatles could still make some beautiful music! Paul's inspiration for this wistful, rambling song was the habit of taking long drives in the country with his soon-to-be wife, Linda Eastman, but most Beatles fans agree that the lyrics are also about his relationship with his best friend John. ("You and I have memories, longer than the road that stretches out ahead.") Paul was very hurt that John and he were not as close as they had always been before, due to John's relationship with his girlfriend and future wife Yoko Ono, who can be seen in this video sitting next to John.

Paul sings lead in this beautiful song, with John singing a lovely harmony throughout. In a rare turn, George can be seen playing the bass part on an electric guitar. (Paul was the usual bass player for The Beatles.) 

And Your Bird Can Sing

Album: Revolver

Year: 1966

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

And Your Bird Can Sing is a really fun song that holds a special place in the hearts of most hardcore Beatles fans because of its unique guitar sound and Baroque-sounding melody. No one knows for sure what the song is actually about, although most people believe that its lyrics reflect the competition between the two biggest rock bands of the 1960s–The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. But whatever it's about, And Your Bird Can Sing is really cool!

The most distinctive feature of this track is the guitar riff played on two guitars at the same time by George and probably Paul (although some say it's John). The melody is also quite memorable, with its delightful twists and turns and descending bass line. John's lead vocal is double tracked, with Paul and George providing beautiful harmonies in the backing vocals. The overall feel of the song is energetic and bright.

Etc.

In 1996, 30 years after Revolver first came out, The Beatles released the second of their three-volume Anthology, which included rare tracks and alternative takes of their well-known songs. One of the most memorable tracks on Volume 2 of Anthology was Take 2 of And Your Bird Can Sing, in which John and Paul are heard cracking up while recording over a backing track. I'm including that version here because it is so funny: