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The Beatles Lyrics, album "The Beatles 1962-1966 (The Red Album)"
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JOHN 1963: 'It came to the charts in two days. And everybody thought it was a 'fiddle' because our manager's stores send in these… what is it… record returns. And everybody down south thought, 'Aha! He's just fiddling the charts.' But he wasn't.'JOHN 1972: 'Paul wrote the main structure of this when he was sixteen, or even earlier. I think I had something to do with the middle.'RINGO 1976: 'The first record, 'Love Me Do,' for me that was more important than anything else. That first piece of plastic. You can't believe how great that was. It was so wonderful. We were on a record!'JOHN 1980: ''Love Me Do' is Paul's song. He had the song around in Hamburg even, way, way before we were songwriters.'PAUL 1982: 'In Hamburg we clicked… At the Cavern we clicked… but if you want to know when we 'knew' we'd arrived, it was getting in the charts with 'Love Me Do.' That was the one. It gave us somewhere to go.'PAUL 1984: ''Love Me Do' …the first song we recorded, like, for real. First serious audition. I was very nervous, I remember. John was supposed to sing the lead, but they changed their minds and asked me to sing lead at the last minute, because they wanted John to play harmonica. Until then, we hadn't rehearsed with a harmonica; George Martin started arranging it on the spot. It was very nerve-wracking.'PAUL 1988: ''Love Me Do' was us trying to do the blues. It came out whiter because it always does. We're white, and we were just young Liverpool musicians. We didn't have the finesse to be able to actually sound black. But 'Love Me Do' was probably the first bluesy thing we tried to do.'PAUL circa-1994: 'George Martin said, 'Can anyone play a harmonica? It would be rather nice. Couldn't think of some sort of bluesy thing, could you John?' John played a chromatic harmonica… I actually had one too but he'd been clever – he learned to play it. John expected to be in jail one day and he'd be the guy who played the harmonica. The lyric crossed over the harmonica solo, so I suddenly got thrown the big open line, 'Love me do,' where everything stopped. Until that session John had always done it. I didn't even know how to sing it… I can still hear the nervousness in my voice.' Love, love me do You know I love you I'll always be true So please, love me do Whoa, love me doLove, love me do You know I love you I'll always be true So please, love me do Whoa, love me doSomeone to love Somebody new Someone to love Someone like youLove, love me do You know I love you I'll always be true So please, love me do Whoa, love me doLove, love me do You know I love you I'll always be true So please, love me do Whoa, love me do Yeah, love me do Whoa, oh, love me do JOHN 1963: 'Our recording manager (George Martin) thought our arrangement was fussy, so we tried to make it simpler. We were getting tired though, and just couldn't seem to get it right. In the following weeks we went over it again and again. We changed the tempo a little, we altered the words slightly, and we went over the idea of featuring the harmonica just as we'd done on 'Love Me Do.' By the time the session came around we were so happy with the result, we couldn't get it recorded fast enough.'JOHN 1980: ''Please Please Me' is my song completely. It was my attempt at writing a Roy Orbison song, would you believe it? I wrote it in the bedroom in my house at Menlove Avenue, which was my auntie's place. I heard Roy Orbison doing 'Only The Lonely' or something. That's where that came from. And also I was always intrigued by the words of 'Please Lend Your Ears To My Pleas,' a Bing Crosby song. I was always intrigued by the double use of the word 'please.' So it was a combination of Bing Crosby and Roy Orbison.'PAUL 1988: 'It's very Roy Orbison when you slow it down. George Martin up-tempo'd it. He thought it was too much of a dirge, and probably too like Orbison. So he cleverly speeded us up… and we put in the little scaled riff at the beginning, which was very catchy.' Last night I said these words to my girl I know you never even try, girl C'mon (C'mon), c'mon (C'mon), c'mon (C'mon), c'mon (C'mon) Please please me, oh yeah, like I please youYou don't need me to show the way, love Why do I always have to say "love" C'mon (C'mon), c'mon (C'mon), c'mon (C'mon), c'mon (C'mon) Please please me, oh yeah, like I please youI don't wanna sound complaining But you know there's always rain in my heart (In my heart) I do all the pleasing with you, it's so hard to reason With you, oh yeah, why do you make me blueLast night I said these words to my girl I know you never even try, girl C'mon (C'mon), c'mon (C'mon), c'mon (C'mon), c'mon (C'mon) Please please me, oh yeah, like I please you (Me) Whoa yeah, like I please you (Me) Whoa yeah, like I please you PAUL 1964: ''From Me To You.' It could be done as an old Ragtime tune… especially the middle-eight. And so, we're not writing the tunes in any particular idiom. In five years time, we may arrange the tunes differently. (jokingly) But we'll probably write the same old rubbish!!'JOHN 1980: 'We were writing it in a car, I think… and I think the first line was mine. I mean, I know it was mine. (humms melody) And then after that we just took it from there. We were just writing the next single. It was far bluesier than that when we wrote it. The notes, today… you could rearrange it pretty funky.'PAUL circa-1994: 'The thing I liked about 'From Me To You' was it had a very complete middle. It went to a surprising place. The opening chord of the middle section of that song heralded a new batch for me. That was a pivotal song. Our songwriting lifted a little with that song. It was very much co-written.' Da da da da da dum dum da Da da da da da dum dum daIf there's anything that you want If there's anything I can do Just call on me and I'll send it along With love from me to youI've got everything that you want Like a heart that's oh so true Just call on me and I'll send it along With love from me to youI got arms that long to hold you And keep you by my side I got lips that long to kiss you And keep you satisfied, ooohIf there's anything that you want If there's anything I can do Just call on me and I'll send it along With love from me to youFrom me, to you Just call on me and I'll send it along With love from me to youI got arms that long to hold you And keep you by my side I got lips that long to kiss you And keep you satisfied, ooohIf there's anything that you want If there's anything I can do Just call on me and I'll send it along With love from me to you To you, to you, to you JOHN 1963: 'We wrote that two days before we recorded it, actually.'PAUL 1963: 'John and I wrote it together. We were in a van up in Newcastle somewhere, and we'd just gone over to our hotel. I originally got an idea of doing one of those answering songs, where a couple of us sing about 'she loves you' …and the other one sort of says the 'yes, yes' bit. You know, 'yeah yeah' answering whoever is saying it. But we decided that was a crummy idea anyway. But we had the idea to write a song called 'She Loves You' then. And we just sat up in the hotel bedroom for a few hours and wrote it, you know.'JOHN 1963: ''Yeah.' That's sort of the main catch phrase from 'She Loves You.' We'd written the song, and then suddenly realized we needed more… so we added 'yeah, yeah, yeah' and it caught on.'JOHN 1980: 'It was written together (with Paul) and I don't remember how. I remember it was Paul's idea – instead of singing 'I love you' again, we'd have a third party. The 'Woooo' was taken from the Isley Brothers 'Twist And Shout,' which we stuck into everything.'PAUL 1982: 'Occasionally, we'd overrule George Martin, like on 'She Loves You,' we end on a sixth chord, a very jazzy sort of thing. And he said, 'Oh, you can't do that! A sixth chord? It's too jazzy.' We just said, 'No, it's a great hook, we've got to do it.''PAUL 1988: 'We rehearsed the end bit of 'She Loves You' and took it to George. And he just laughed and said, 'Well, you can't do the end of course… that sixth… it's too like the Andrew Sisters.' We just said, 'Alright, we'll try it without,' and we tried it and it wasn't as good. Then he conceded, 'You're right, I guess.' But we were both very flexible. We would listen to George's ideas too, because he was a producer and a musician, and he obviously knew what he was talking about. There was good to-and-fro. We loved that bit, and we rehearsed it alot. John and I wrote that in a hotel room, on twin beds during an afternoon off – I mean, God bless their little cotton socks, those boys WORKED! Here I am talking about an afternoon off, and we're sitting there writing! We just loved it so much. It wasn't work.' She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeahYou think you lost your love Well, I saw her yesterday It's you she's thinking of And she told me what to sayShe says she loves you And you know that can't be bad Yes, she loves you And you know you should be gladShe said you hurt her so She almost lost her mind But now she says she knows You're not the hurting kindShe says she loves you And you know that can't be bad Yes, she loves you And you know you should be glad, oohShe loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah And with a love like that You know you should be gladYou know it's up to you I think it's only fair Pride can hurt you too Apologize to herBecause she loves you And you know that can't be bad Yes, she loves you And you know you should be glad, oohShe loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah With a love like that You know you should be glad With a love like that You know you should be glad With a love like that You know you should be glad Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah PAUL 1964: 'Let's see, we were told we had to get down to it. So we found this house when we were walking along one day. We knew we had to really get this song going, so we got down in the basement of this disused house and there was an old piano. It wasn't really disused, it was rooms to let. We found this old piano and started banging away. There was a little old organ too. So we were having this informal jam and we started banging away. Suddenly a little bit came to us, the catch line. So we started working on it from there. We got our pens and paper out and just wrote down the lyrics. Eventually, we had some sort of a song, so we played it for our recording manager and he seemed to like it. We recorded it the next day.'JOHN 1980: 'We wrote alot of stuff together, one on one, eyeball to eyeball. Like in 'I Want To Hold Your Hand,' I remember when we got the chord that made the song. We were in Jane Asher's house, downstairs in the cellar playing on the piano at the same time. And we had, 'Oh you-u-u/ got that something…' And Paul hits this chord, and I turn to him and say, 'That's it!' I said, 'Do that again!' In those days, we really used to absolutely write like that – both playing into each other's noses.'PAUL circa-1994: ''Eyeball to eyeball' is a very good description of it. That's exactly how it was. 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' was very co-written.' Oh yeah, I'll tell you something I think you'll understand Then I'll say that something I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your handOh please, say to me You'll let me be your man And please, say to me You'll let me hold your hand Now let me hold your hand I wanna hold your handAnd when I touch you I feel happy Inside It's such a feeling that my love I can't hide I can't hide I can't hideYeah, you got that something I think you'll understand Then I'll say that something I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your handAnd when I touch you I feel happy Inside It's such a feeling that my love I can't hide I can't hide I can't hideYeah, you got that something I think you'll understand When I feel that something I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand JOHN 1972: 'This was one of his first biggies.'JOHN 1980: ''All My Loving' is Paul, I regret to say. Because it's a damn fine piece of work. But I play a pretty mean guitar in back.'PAUL 1984: 'Yeah, I wrote that one. It was the first song I ever wrote where I had the words before the music. I wrote the words on a bus on tour, then we got the tune when I arrived there. The first time I've ever worked upside down.'PAUL 1988: 'I think that was the first song where I wrote the words without the tune. I wrote the words on the tour bus during our tour with Roy Orbison. We did alot of writing then.'PAUL circa-1994: 'It was a good show song. It worked well live.' Close your eyes and I'll kiss you Tomorrow I'll miss you Remember I'll always be true And then while I'm away I'll write home every day And I'll send all my loving to youI'll pretend that I'm kissing The lips I am missing And hope that my dreams will come true And then while I'm away I'll write home every day And I'll send all my loving to youAll my loving I will send to you All my loving, darling I'll be trueClose your eyes and I'll kiss you Tomorrow I'll miss you Remember I'll always be true And then while I'm away I'll write home every day And I'll send all my loving to youAll my loving I will send to you All my loving, darling I'll be true All my loving, all my loving ooh All my loving I will send to you JOHN 1972: 'John and Paul, but mainly Paul.'JOHN 1980: 'That's Paul completely. Maybe I had something to do with the chorus, but I don't know. I always considered it his song.'PAUL 1984: 'We recorded it in France, as I recall. Went over to the Odeon in Paris. Recorded it over there. Felt proud because Ella Fitzgerald recorded it, too, though we didn't realize what it meant that she was doing it.'PAUL circa-1994: ''Can't Buy Me Love' is my attempt to write a bluesy mode. The idea behind it was that all these material possessions are all very well but they won't buy me what I really want.' Can't buy me love, love Can't buy me loveI'll buy you a diamond ring my friend If it makes you feel alright I'll get you anything my friend If it makes you feel alright 'Cause I don't care too much for money Money can't buy me loveI'll give you all I've got to give If you say you love me too I may not have a lot to give But what I've got I'll give to you I don't care too much for money Money can't buy me loveCan't buy me love, everybody tells me so Can't buy me love, no, no, no, noSay you don't need no diamond rings And I'll be satisfied Tell me that you want the kind of things That money just can't buy I don't care too much for money Money can't buy me loveCan't buy me love, everybody tells me so Can't buy me love, no, no, no, noSay you don't need no diamond rings And I'll be satisfied Tell me that you want the kind of things That money just can't buy I don't care too much for money Money can't buy me loveCan't buy me love, love Can't buy me love, oh RINGO 1964: 'We went to do a job, and we'd worked all day and we happened to work all night. I came up still thinking it was day I suppose, and I said, 'It's been a hard day…' and I looked around and saw it was dark so I said, '…night!' So we came to 'A Hard Day's Night.''JOHN 1980: 'I was going home in the car and Dick Lester suggested the title, 'Hard Day's Night' from something Ringo had said. I had used it in 'In His Own Write,' but it was an off-the-cuff remark by Ringo. You know, one of those malapropisms. A Ringo-ism, where he said it not to be funny… just said it. So Dick Lester said, 'We are going to use that title.' And the next morning I brought in the song… 'cuz there was a little competition between Paul and I as to who got the A-side – who got the hits. If you notice, in the early days the majority of singles, in the movies and everything, were mine… in the early period I'm dominating the group. The only reason he sang on 'A Hard Day's Night' was because I couldn't reach the notes. (sings) 'When I'm home/ everything seems to be right/ when I'm home…' – which is what we'd do sometimes. One of us couldn't reach a note but he wanted a different sound, so he'd get the other to do the harmony.'PAUL circa-1994: 'The title was Ringo's. We'd almost finished making the film, and this fun bit arrived that we'd not known about before, which was naming the film. So we were sitting around at Twickenham studios having a little brain-storming session… and we said, 'Well, there was something Ringo said the other day.' Ringo would do these little malapropisms, he would say things slightly wrong, like people do, but his were always wonderful, very lyrical… they were sort of magic even though he was just getting it wrong. And he said after a concert, 'Phew, it's been a hard day's night.'' It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log But when I get home to you I find the things that you do Will make me feel alrightYou know I work all day to get you money to buy you things And it's worth it just to hear you say you're going to give me everything So why on earth should I moan, cos when I get you alone You know I feel OKWhen I'm home everything seems to be right When I'm home feeling you holding me tight, tight, yeahIt's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log But when I get home to you I find the things that you do Will make me feel alright owwwSo why on earth should I moan, cos when I get you alone You know I feel OKWhen I'm home everything seems to be right When I'm home feeling you holding me tight, tight, yeahIt's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log But when I get home to you I find the things that you do Will make me feel alright You know I feel alright You know I feel alright JOHN 1972: 'Both of us wrote it. The first half was Paul's and the middle-eight is mine.'JOHN 1980: ''And I Love Her' is Paul again. I consider it his first 'Yesterday.' You know, the big ballad in 'A Hard Day's Night.'PAUL 1984: 'It's just a love song. It wasn't for anyone. Having the title start in midsentence, I thought that was clever. Well, Perry Como did 'And I Love You So' many years later. Tried to nick the idea. I like that… it was a nice tune, that one. I still like it.' I give her all my love That's all I do And if you saw my love You'd love her too I love herShe gives me everything And tenderly The kiss my lover brings She brings to me And I love herA love like ours Could never die As long as I Have you near meBright are the stars that shine Dark is the sky I know this love of mine Will never die And I love herBright are the stars that shine Dark is the sky I know this love of mine Will never die And I love her JOHN 1972: 'Both of us wrote it. I think we wrote this when we were trying to write the title song for 'Help!' because there was at one time the thought of calling the film, 'Eight Arms To Hold You.''JOHN 1980: 'Eight Days A Week' was never a good song. We struggled to record it and struggled to make it into a song. It was his (Paul's) initial effort, but I think we both worked on it. I'm not sure. But it was lousy anyway.'PAUL 1984: 'Yeah, he (Ringo) said it as though he were an overworked chauffeur: (in heavy accent) 'Eight days a week.' (Laughter) When we heard it, we said, 'Really? Bing! Got it!'' (Laughs) Ooh, I need your love, babe Guess you know it's true Hope you need my love, babe Just like I need youHold me, love me, hold me, love me Ain't got nothing but love, babe Eight days a week.Love you every day, girl Always on my mind One thing I can say, girl Love you all the timeHold me, love me, hold me, love me Ain't got nothing but love, girl Eight days a week.Eight days a week I love you Eight days a week Is not enough to show I careOoh, I need your love, babe Guess you know it's true Hope you need my love, babe Just like I need youHold me, love me, hold me, love me Ain't got nothing but love, babe Eight days a weekEight days a week I love you Eight days a week Is not enough to show I careLove you every day, girl Always on my mind One thing I can say, girl Love you all the timeHold me, love me, hold me, love me Ain't got nothing but love, babe Eight days a week Eight days a week Eight days a week JOHN 1964: 'George and I play the same bit on the guitar together – that's the bit that'll set your feet a-tapping, as the reviews say. The middle-eight is the most tuneful part, to me, because it's a typical Beatles bit.'JOHN 1972: 'This was the first time feedback was used on a record. It's right at the beginning.'JOHN 1974: 'I wrote this at a recording session. It was tied together around the guitar riff that opens it.'JOHN 1980: 'That's me completely. Including the guitar lick with the first feedback anywhere. I defy anybody to find a record… unless it is some old blues record from 1922… that uses feedback that way. So I claim it for the Beatles. Before Hendrix, before the Who, before anybody. The first feedback on record.'PAUL circa-1994: 'John had a semi-acoustic Gibson guitar. It had a pick-up on it so it could be amplified… We were just about to walk away to listen to a take when John leaned his guitar against the amp. I can still see him doing it… and it went, 'Nnnnnnwahhhhh!' And we went, 'What's that? Voodoo!' 'No, it's feedback.' Wow, it's a great sound!' George Martin was there so we said, 'Can we have that on the record?' 'Well, I suppose we could, we could edit it on the front.' It was a found object – an accident caused by leaning the guitar against the amp. The song itself was more John's than mine. We sat down and co-wrote it with John's original idea. John sang it, I'm on harmonies.' Baby's good to me, you know She's happy as can be, you know She said so I'm in love with her and I feel fineBaby says she's mine, you know She tells me all the time, you know She said so I'm in love with her and I feel fineI'm so glad that she's my little girl She's so glad, she's telling all the worldThat her baby buys her things, you know He buys her diamond rings, you know She said so She's in love with me and I feel fine, mmmBaby says she's mine, you know She tells me all the time, you know She said so I'm in love with her and I feel fineI'm so glad that she's my little girl She's so glad, she's telling all the worldThat her baby buys her things, you know He buys her diamond rings, you know She said so She's in love with me and I feel fine She's in love with me and I feel fine, mmm, mmm GEORGE 1965: 'We are always worried with each record. With 'Ticket To Ride' we were even more worried. There's bound to be a time when we come in at 19 (on the charts). But this 'number one' business doesn't seem to stop – great while it lasts – but now we'll have to start all over again and people will start predicting funny things for the next one.'JOHN 1970: 'It's a heavy record, and the drums are heavy too. That's why I like it.'JOHN 1980: 'That was one of the earliest heavy-metal records made. Paul's contribution was the way Ringo played the drums.'PAUL circa-1994: 'I think the interesting thing is the crazy ending – instead of ending like the previous verse, we changed the tempo. We picked up one of the lines, 'My baby don't care,' but completely altered the melody. We almost invented the idea of a new bit of a song on the fade-out with this song… It was quite radical at the time.' I think I'm gonna be sad I think it's today, yeah The girl that's driving me mad Is going awayShe's got a ticket to ride She's got a ticket to ride She's got a ticket to ride But she don't careShe said that living with me Is bringing her down, yeah For she would never be free When I was aroundShe's got a ticket to ride She's got a ticket to ride She's got a ticket to ride But she don't careI don't know why she's riding so high She ought to think twice She ought to do right by me Before she gets to saying goodbye She ought to think twice She ought to do right by meI think I'm gonna be sad I think it's today, yeah The girl that's driving me mad Is going away, yeahOh, she's got a ticket to ride She's got a ticket to ride She's got a ticket to ride But she don't careI don't know why she's riding so high She ought to think twice She ought to do right by me Before she gets to saying goodbye She ought to think twice She ought to do right by meShe said that living with me Is bringing her down, yeah For she would never be free When I was aroundAh, she's got a ticket to ride She's got a ticket to ride She's got a ticket to ride But she don't careMy baby don't care, my baby don't care My baby don't care, my baby don't care My baby don't care, my baby don't care (fade out) Yesterday JOHN 1965: 'We think it's one of the best we've written.'JOHN 1980: 'The whole Beatle thing was just beyond comprehension. When 'Help' came out, I was actually crying out for help. Most people think it's just a fast rock 'n roll song. I didn't realize it at the time; I just wrote the song because I was commissioned to write it for the movie. But later, I knew I really was crying out for help. So it was my fat Elvis period. You see the movie: He – I – is very fat, very insecure, and he's completely lost himself. And I am singing about when I was so much younger and all the rest, looking back at how easy it was. Now I may be very positive… yes, yes… but I also go through deep depressions where I would like to jump out the window, you know. It becomes easier to deal with as I get older; I don't know whether you learn control or, when you grow up, you calm down a little. Anyway, I was fat and depressed and I was crying out for help.'PAUL 1984: 'John wrote that… well, John and I wrote it at his house in Weybridge for the film. I think the title was out of desperation.' Help! I need somebody Help! Not just anybody Help! You know I need someone Help!(When) When I was younger (When I was young) so much younger than today (I never need) I never needed anybody's help in any way (Now) But now these days are gone (These days are gone) and I'm not so self assured (And now I find) Now I find I've changed my mind, I've opened up the doorsHelp me if you can, I'm feeling down And I do appreciate you being 'round Help me get my feet back on the ground Won't you please, please help me?(Now) And now my life has changed (My life has changed) in oh so many ways (My independence) My independence seems to vanish in the haze (But) But ev'ry now (Every now and then) and then I feel so insecure (I know that I) I know that I just need you like I've never done beforeHelp me if you can, I'm feeling down And I do appreciate you being 'round Help me get my feet back on the ground Won't you please, please help me?When I was younger, so much younger than today I never needed anybody's help in any way (Now) But now these days are gone (These days are gone) and I'm not so self assured (And now I find) Now I find I've changed my mind, I've opened up the doorsHelp me if you can, I'm feeling down And I do appreciate you being 'round Help me get my feet back on the ground Won't you please, please help me?Help me, help me Ooh Here I stand head in hand Turn my face to the wall If she's gone I can't go on Feeling two-foot smallEverywhere people stare Each and every day I can see them laugh at me And I hear them sayHey You've Got to Hide Your Love Away Hey You've Got to Hide Your Love AwayHow can I even try I can never win Hearing them, seeing them In the state I'm inHow could she say to me Love will find a way Gather round all you clowns Let me hear you sayHey You've Got to Hide Your Love Away Hey You've Got to Hide Your Love Away JOHN 1980: 'Paul did the first half, I did the middle-eight. But you've got Paul writing, 'We can work it out/ We can work it out' real optimistic, you know. And me, impatient, 'Life is very short and there's no time/ for fussing and fighting, my friend.''PAUL circa-1994: 'I wrote it as more of an up-tempo thing, country and western. I had the basic idea, the title, had a couple of verses… then I took it to John to finish it off and we wrote the middle together, which is nice – 'Life is very short/ And there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend.' Then it was George Harrison's idea to put the middle into waltz time, like a german waltz… The lyrics might have been personal. It is often a good way to talk to someone or to work your thoughts out. It saves you going to a psychiatrist, you allow yourself to say what you might not say in person.' Try to see it my way Do I have to keep on talking till I can't go on? While you see it your way Run the risk of knowing that our love may soon be goneWe can work it out We can work it outThink of what you're saying You can get it wrong and still you think that it's alright Think of what I'm saying We can work it out and get it straight, or say goodnightWe can work it out We can work it outLife is very short, and there's no time For fussing and fighting, my friend I have always thought that it's a crime So I will ask you once againTry to see it my way Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong While you see your way, There's a chance that we may fall apart before too longWe can work it out We can work it outLife is very short, and there's no time For fussing and fighting, my friend I have always thought that it's a crime So I will ask you once againTry to see it my way Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong While you see it your way There's a chance that we may fall apart before too longWe can work it out We can work it out JOHN 1972: 'Me. But I think Paul helped with the verse.'JOHN 1980: 'That's mine. Including the guitar lick, the guitar break, and the whole bit. It's just a rock 'n roll song. Day trippers are people who go on a day trip, right? Usually on a ferry boat or somethng. But it was kind of – you know, you're just a weekend hippie. Get it?'PAUL circa-1994: 'Acid was coming on the scene, and we'd often do these songs about 'the girl who thought she was it.' Mainly the impetus for that used to come from John – I think John met quite a few girls who thought they were it… But this was just a tongue-in-cheek song about someone who was a day tripper, a sunday painter, a sunday driver, somebody who was committed only in part to the idea. Where we saw ourselves as full-time trippers, fully committed drivers, she was just a day tripper. That was a co-written effort – we were both making it all up but I would give John the main credit.' Got a good reason for taking the easy way out Got a good reason for taking the easy way out now She was a day tripper, a one way ticket yeah It took me so long to find out, and I found outShe's a big teaser, she took me half the way there She's a big teaser, she took me half the way there now She was a day tripper, a one way ticket yeah It took me so long to find out, and I found outTried to please her, she only played one night stands Tried to please her, she only played one night stands now She was a day tripper, a Sunday driver yeah It took me so long to find out, and I found outDay tripper Day tripper yeah Day tripper Day tripper yeah Day tripper GEORGE 1977: 'If Paul had written a song, he'd learn all the parts and then come in the studio and say 'Do this.' He'd never give you the opportunity to come out with something. But on 'Drive My Car' I just played the line, which is really like a lick off 'Respect,' you know, the Otis Redding version. And I played the line on the guitar and Paul laid that with me on the bass. We laid that track down like that. We played the lead part later on top of it.'JOHN 1980: 'His (Paul's) song, with contributions from me.'PAUL circa-1994: 'This is one of the songs where John and I came nearest to having a dry session. The lyrics I brought in were something to do with golden rings, which are always fatal (to songwriting). 'Rings' is fatal anyway, 'rings' always rhymes with things and I knew it was a bad idea. I came in and I said, 'These aren't good lyrics but it's a good tune.' Well, we tried, and John couldn't think of anything, and we tried, and eventually it was, 'Oh let's leave it, let's get off this one.' 'No, no. We can do it, we can do it.' So we had a break… then we came back to it, and somehow it became 'drive-my-car' instead of 'gol-den-rings,' and then it was wonderful – because this nice tongue-in-cheek idea came.' Asked a girl what she wanted to be She said baby, "Can't you see I wanna be famous, a star of the screen But you can do something in between"Baby you can drive my car Yes I'm gonna be a star Baby you can drive my car And maybe I'll love youI told the girl that my prospects were good She said baby, "It's understood Working for peanuts is all very fine But I can show you a better time"Baby you can drive my car Yes I'm gonna be a star Baby you can drive my car And maybe I'll love you Beep beep mm, beep beep yeahBaby you can drive my car Yes I'm gonna be a star Baby you can drive my car And maybe I'll love youI told that girl I can start right away And she said, "Listen baby I've got something to say I got no car and it's breaking my heart But I've found a driver and that's a start"Baby you can drive my car Yes I'm gonna be a star Baby you can drive my car And maybe I'll love you Beep beep mm beep beep yeah Beep beep mm beep beep yeah Beep beep mm beep beep yeah Beep beep mm beep beep yeah (fade out) JOHN 1972: 'Me. But Paul helped me on the lyric.'GEORGE 1980: 'I had bought, earlier, a crummy sitar in London… and played the 'Norwegian Wood' bit.'JOHN 1980: ''Norwegian Wood' is my song completely. It was about an affair I was having. I was very careful and paranoid because I didn't want my wife, Cyn, to know that there really was something going on outside of the household. I'd always had some kind of affairs going on, so I was trying to be sophisticated in writing about an affair… but in such a smoke-screen way that you couldn't tell. But I can't remember any specific woman it had to do with.'PAUL 1985: 'It was me who decided in 'Norwegian Wood' that the house should burn down… not that it's any big deal.' I once had a girl Or should I say She once had meShe showed me her room Isn't it good Norwegian woodShe asked me to stay And she told me to sit anywhere So I looked around And I noticed there wasn't a chairI sat on a rug Biding my time Drinking her wineWe talked until two And then she said "It's time for bed"She told me she worked in the morning And started to laugh I told her I didn't And crawled off to sleep in the bathAnd when I awoke I was alone This bird had flownSo I lit a fire Isn't it good Norwegian wood JOHN 1980: 'I'd spent five hours that morning trying to write a song that was meaningful and good, and I finally gave up and lay down. Then 'Nowhere Man' came, words and music… the whole damn thing, as I lay down. So letting it go is what the whole game is. You put your finger on it, it slips away, right? You know, you turn the lights on and the cockroaches run away. You can never grasp them.'PAUL 1984: 'That was John after a night out, with dawn coming up. I think at that point in his life, he was a bit wondering where he was going.'PAUL 1988: 'I remember we wanted very treble-y guitars – which they are – they're among the most treble-y guitars I've ever heard on record. The engineer said, 'Alright, I'll put full treble on it,' and we said, 'That's not enough.' He said, 'But that's all I've got.' And we replied, 'Well, put that through another lot of faders and put full treble up on that. And if that's not enough we'll go through another lot of faders.' They said, 'We don't do that,' and we would say, 'Just try it… if it sounds crappy we'll lose it, but it might just sound good.' You'd then find, 'Oh it worked,' and they were secretly glad because they had been the engineer who put three times the allowed value of treble on a song. I think they were quietly proud of those things.' He's a real nowhere man Sitting in his nowhere land Making all his nowhere plans for nobodyDoesn't have a point of view Knows not where he's going to Isn't he a bit like you and me?Nowhere Man, please listen You don't know what you're missing Nowhere Man, the world is at your commandHe's as blind as he can be Just sees what he wants to see Nowhere Man can you see me at all?Nowhere Man, don't worry Take your time, don't hurry Leave it all till somebody else lends you a handDoesn't have a point of view Knows not where he's going to Isn't he a bit like you and me?Nowhere Man, please listen You don't know what you're missing Nowhere Man, the world is at your commandHe's a real Nowhere Man Sitting in his nowhere land Making all his nowhere plans for nobody Making all his nowhere plans for nobody Making all his nowhere plans for nobody JOHN 1972: 'Both of us. I wrote the middle with him.'PAUL 1977: ''Michelle' was like a joke French tune for when you go to a party or something. That's all it was. And then after a while you say, 'Well, that's quite a good tune. Let's put some real words to it.''JOHN 1980: 'He and I were staying somewhere and he walked in and hummed the first few bars, with the words, and he says, 'Where do I go from here?' I had been listening to (blues singer) Nina Simone. I think it was 'I Put A Spell On You.' There was a line in it that went, 'I love you, I love you.' That's what made me think of the middle-eight for 'Michelle.' So, my contributions to Paul's songs was always to add a little bluesy edge to them. Otherwise, 'Michelle' is a straight ballad, right? He provided a lightness, an optimism, while I would always go for the sadness, the discords, the bluesy notes.'PAUL 1988: 'I'll never forget putting the bass line in 'Michelle' because it was a kind of Bizet thing. It really turned the song around. You could do that with bass. It was very exciting.' Michelle, ma belle These are words that go together well My MichelleMichelle, ma belle Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble Très bien ensembleI love you, I love you, I love you That's all I want to say Until I find a way I will say the only words I know that You'll understandMichelle, ma belle Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble Très bien ensembleI need to, I need to, I need to I need to make you see Oh, what you mean to me Until I do I'm hoping you will Know what I meanI love youI want you, I want you, I want you I think you know by now I'll get to you somehow Until I do I'm telling you so You'll understandMichelle, ma belle Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble Très bien ensembleAnd I will say the only words I know That you'll understand, my Michelle JOHN 1980: 'It was the first song I wrote that was consciously about my life. (Sings) 'There are places I'll remember/ All my life though some have changed…' Before, we were just writing songs a la Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly – pop songs with no more thought to them than that. The words were almost irrelevant. 'In My Life' started out as a bus journey from my house at 250 Menlove Avenue to town, mentioning every place I could remember. I wrote it all down and it was ridiculous… it was the most boring sort of 'What I Did On My Holiday's Bus Trip' song and it wasn't working at all. But then I laid back and these lyrics started coming to me about the places I remember. Paul helped with the middle-eight. It was, I think, my first real major piece of work. Up till then it had all been sort of glib and throw-away. And that was the first time I consciously put my literary part of myself into the lyric.'PAUL 1984: 'I think I wrote the tune to that; that's the one we slightly dispute. John either forgot or didn't think I wrote the tune. I remember he had the words, like a poem… sort of about faces he remembered. I recall going off for half an hour and sitting with a Mellotron he had, writing the tune… which was Miracles inspired, as I remember. In fact, a lot of stuff was then.' There are places I'll remember All my life though some have changed Some forever not for better Some have gone and some remainAll these places had their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I've loved them allBut of all these friends and lovers There is no one compares with you And these memories lose their meaning When I think of love as something newThough I know I'll never lose affection For people and things that went before I know I'll often stop and think about them In my life I love you moreThough I know I'll never lose affection For people and things that went before I know I'll often stop and think about them In my life I love you moreIn my life I love you more JOHN 1980: 'That's me, writing about this dream girl – the one that hadn't come yet. It was Yoko.'PAUL circa-1994: 'It was John's original idea, but it was very much co-written. I remember writing 'the pain and pleasure,' and 'a man must break his back.' …It was amusing to see if we could get a naughty word on the record. The Beach Boys had a song out where they'd done 'la la la la' and we loved the innocence of that and wanted to copy it but not use the same phrase. So we were looking around for another phrase – 'dit dit dit dit,' which we decided to change it in our waggishness to 'tit tit tit tit.' And it gave us a laugh. It was good to get some light relief in the middle of this real big career that we were forging. If we could put in something that was a little bit subversive then we would. George Martin would say, 'Was that dit-dit or tit-tit you were singing?' 'Oh! dit-dit George, but it does sound a bit like that, doesn't it?' Then we'd get in the car and break down laughing.' Is there anybody going to listen to my story All about the girl who came to stay? She's the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry Still, you don't regret a single dayAh, girl, girl, girlWhen I think of all the times I tried so hard to leave her She will turn to me and start to cry And she promises the earth to me and I believe her After all this time I don't know whyAh, girl, girl, girlShe's the kind of girl who puts you down When friends are there, You feel a fool When you say she's looking good She acts as if it's understood. She's cool, ooh, ooh, oohAh, girl, girl, girlWas she told when she was young that pain would lead to pleasure? Did she understand it when they said That a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure? Will she still believe it when he's dead?Ah, girl, girl, girl JOHN 1972: 'Paul. I think I might have helped with some of the lyrics, Yes, I did. But it was mainly Paul's tune.'JOHN 1980: ''Paperback Writer' is son of 'Day Tripper' …meaning a rock 'n roll song with a guitar lick on a fuzzy loud guitar.'PAUL circa-1994: 'I arrived at Weybridge and told John I had this idea of trying to write off to a publishers to become a paperback writer, and I said, 'I think it should be written like a letter.' I took a bit of paper out and I said it should be something like, 'Dear Sir or Madam, as the case may be…' and I proceeded to write it just like a letter in front of him, occasionally rhyming it… And then we went upstairs and put the melody to it. John and I sat down and finished it all up, but it was tilted towards me – the original idea was mine. I had no music, but it's just a little bluesy song, not alot of melody. Then I had the idea to do the harmonies, and we arranged that in the studio.' Paperback writerDear Sir or Madam, will you read my book? It took me years to write, will you take a look? It's based on a novel by a man named Lear And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer Paperback writerIt's the dirty story of a dirty man And his clinging wife doesn't understand His son is working for the Daily Mail It's a steady job but he wants to be a paperback writer Paperback writerPaperback writerIt's a thousand pages, give or take a few I'll be writing more in a week or two I can make it longer if you like the style I can change it round and I want to be a paperback writer Paperback writerIf you really like it you can have the rights It could make a million for you overnight If you must return it, you can send it here But I need a break and I want to be a paperback writer Paperback writerPaperback writerPaperback writer, paperback writer Paperback writer, paperback writer Paperback writer, paperback writer Paperback writer, paperback writer (fade out) PAUL 1966: 'I was sitting at the piano when I thought of it. The first few bars just came to me, and I got this name in my head… Daisy Hawkins picks up the rice in the church. I don't know why. I couldn't think of much more so I put it away for a day. Then the name Father McCartney came to me, and all the lonely people. But I thought that people would think it was supposed to be about my Dad sitting knitting his socks. Dad's a happy lad. So I went through the telephone book and I got the name McKenzie. I was in Bristol when I decided Daisy Hawkins wasn't a good name. I walked 'round looking at the shops, and I saw the name Rigby. Then I took the song down to John's house in Weybridge. We sat around, laughing, got stoned and finished it off.'JOHN 1980: 'Paul's baby, and I helped with the education of the child… The violin backing was Paul's idea. Jane Asher had turned him on to Vivaldi, and it was very good.'PAUL 1984: 'I got the name Rigby from a shop in Bristol. I was wandering round Bristol one day and saw a shop called Rigby. And I think Eleanor was from Eleanor Bron, the actress we worked with in the film 'Help!' But I just liked the name. I was looking for a name that sounded natural. Eleanor Rigby sounded natural.' Ah, look at all the lonely people Ah, look at all the lonely peopleEleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been Lives in a dream Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door Who is it for?All the lonely people Where do they all come from? All the lonely people Where do they all belong?Father McKenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear No one comes near Look at him working, darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there What does he care?All the lonely people Where do they all come from? All the lonely people Where do they all belong?Ah, look at all the lonely people Ah, look at all the lonely peopleEleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name Nobody came Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave No one was savedAll the lonely people (Ah, look at all the lonely people) Where do they all come from? All the lonely people (Ah, look at all the lonely people) Where do they all belong? PAUL 1966: 'It's a happy place, that's all. You know, it was just… We were trying to write a children's song. That was the basic idea. And there's nothing more to be read into it than there is in the lyrics of any children's song.'JOHN 1972: 'Paul wrote the catchy chorus. I helped with the blunderbuss bit.'JOHN 1980: ''Yellow Submarine' is Paul's baby. Donovan helped with the lyrics. I helped with the lyrics too. We virtually made the track come alive in the studio, but based on Paul's inspiration. Paul's idea. Paul's title… written for Ringo.'PAUL 1984: 'I wrote that in bed one night. As a kid's story. And then we thought it would be good for Ringo to do.'PAUL circa-1994: 'I was laying in bed in the Asher's garret, and there's a nice twilight zone just as you're drifting into sleep and as you wake from it – I always find it quite a comfortable zone. I remember thinking that a children's song would be quite a good idea… I was thinking of it as a song for Ringo, which it eventually turned out to be, so I wrote it as not too rangey in the vocal. I just made up a little tune in my head, then started making a story – sort of an ancient mariner, telling the young kids where he'd lived. It was pretty much my song as I recall… I think John helped out. The lyrics got more and more obscure as it goes on, but the chorus, melody and verses are mine.'GEORGE 1999: 'Paul came up with the concept of 'Yellow Submarine.' All I know is just that every time we'd all get around the piano with guitars and start listening to it and arranging it into a record, we'd all fool about. As I said, John's doing the voice that sounds like someone talking down a tube or ship's funnel as they do in the merchant marine. (laughs) And on the final track there's actually that very small party happening! As I seem to remember, there's a few screams and what sounds like small crowd noises in the background.' In the town where I was born Lived a man who sailed to sea And he told us of his life In the land of submarinesSo we sailed up to the sun 'Til we found the sea of green And we lived beneath the waves In our yellow submarineWe all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarineAnd our friends are all aboard Many more of them live next door And the band begins to playWe all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarineFull speed ahead, Mr. Boatswain, full speed ahead! Full speed it is, Sergeant! Cut the cable, drop the cable! Aye-aye, sir, aye-aye! Captain, Captain!As we live a life of ease (a life of ease) Everyone of us (everyone of us) has all we need (has all we need) Sky of blue (sky of blue) and sea of green (sea of green) In our yellow (in our yellow) submarine (submarine, ah-ha)We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarineWe all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine |
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