Please Mr. Postman
This is one of those songs that it is easy to forget that The Beatles recorded. It was made popular by The Marvelettes and The Carpenters and was never released as a single by The Beatles. It's a basic song and was a good song for them to do when they were starting out before they had really made a name for themselves.
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
There are no real words. This song is a beautiful addition to any breakup/heartache playlist. The lyric "If she's gone I can't go on/feeling two feet small" and "Gather round all you clowns/let me hear you say/You've got to hide your love away" are fantastic summations of how I felt when I've suffered lost. Not just loss of romantic love. This song would have been a fantastic way to express how I felt when my father's mother was in the hospital right before she passed away. There was a lot of family drama and I was hurt badly by things said to and about me, and honestly while I was completely capable of going on without my grandmother I honestly felt completely worthless at that time. John's voice perfectly expresses heartache, you can almost see the pain as you listen to the song. Lovely.
Dizzy Miss Lizzy
From Help! which is one of my favorite albums as a whole. This song is really just a happy, jazzy, cover and a good dance song. This is fun to blast in the morning when I'm getting ready for work and I'm dancing around my room looking for socks and make-up brushes.
Hey Jude
I think the fact that Paul wrote this song for John's son says all I need to say. John has never been (and will never be) my favorite Beatle. I have a lot of issues, and while I understand that the band as a whole would sell better if one of their members wasn't a husband and son, it bothers me that PAUL wrote the song for Julian. The song itself is very pretty and inspiring. This is my mother's favorite Beatles song and I can understand why. The message is one we all need, "don't carry the world upon your shoulders" is something I have to remind myself of frequently. The version I'm listening to is from the "Love" album, and while there aren't a lot of differences in this version and the original, it is interesting to hear how it was remixed a bit as far as the background music is concerned.
You Won't See Me
I can honestly say I rarely listen to this song. In fact, I can't ever recall listening to it. However, it's adorable. A lovely ditty about trying to talk to a girl. Not just any girl, but a girl you have lost, a girl who is gone. "I just can't go on/if you won't see me." Well, that's a common feeling! I believe everyone has at one point just wanted the person they want to LOOK AT THEM. Good on you Paul.
Drive My Car/The World/What You're Doing
This is another song from "Love" and I love it. Drive My Car is such a fun song on it's own, but when it's mixed with What You're Doing and The World. AMAZING! George and Giles Martin did a wonderful job of mixing those songs. Honestly, if you didn't KNOW that they were three different songs it sounds like verses all from one song that tells a story about a girl and how she has managed to wrap a boy around her finger.
Help
HELP! For quite some time in high school this was my favorite song by The Beatles. It is always hard for me to pinpoint "favorites." So many things can affect it. Am I in a good mood? Do I need to cry? Am I angry? Did I just accomplish something big? Do I have work to do? Did I hear a new song that mattered? All of those things really affect what my favorite (insert noun here) is. But as a young 18 year old girl I felt SO OLD AND WISE!* Help really impacted me and especially after my grandmother died and I realized I was a dumb kid. That I had no real idea what was going on. I did need help. Also it was fun to sing at top volume while I was driving.
I Me Mine
Oh, George. You are truly my favorite**. This song in particular isn't my favorite George song, that honor goes to While My Guitar Gently Weeps or Here Comes the Sun, depending on my mood. But I Me Mine really makes a point. It really impacts me to realize that in all of our actions we tend to focus on OURSELVES and not others. Especially when I think of Esther, a young girl who asked people to tell their loved ones how they felt for her birthday gift. That is the spirit I want to present to the world. To realize that material objects and stuff doesn't mean anything. The time I spend with people I care about is really going to make a difference. Going out of my way to brighten someone else s day will make my day a little brighter as well. If I focus a little less on "I me mine" then I can really make a difference.
The Ballad of John and Yoko
I really wanted to skip this song. I have Yoko issues, and even though it isn't fair they are there. But it's a good song. It's upbeat, it's fun, and it's honest. It really describes their lives and how they were together. It references their marriage, their honeymoon and the Bed-In and his desire for peace. I respect the work they did for peace and the effort they put into expressing their desire for a peaceful world. A lot of celebrities today aren't activists, and they don't have to be. But it is inspiring to remember that this man, who was close to my age at the time, spent his honeymoon making a statement about what he wanted his world to look like. That is inspiring.
Being of the Benefit of Mr. Kite
FINALLY! A Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band song! This has to be one of my favorite full albums they ever did. Which is random really. It has great songs on it, but it also has nonsense songs like this one. However, this is an album that I stole from my dad back before I ever had any kind of mp3 player and listened to frequently. I actually listened to it so many times that it will no longer play and I really should replace the album for him. There is nothing to really SAY about Mr. Kite, except that it is wonderfully used in the movie Across the Universe!
Some end notes. My current favorite Beatles song is "In My Life." That John Lennon really knew how to string some words together man. My dad's favorite Beatles song is "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." I think. At least that's what he told me when we last talked about Beatles songs I haven't heard. It is a REAL mood lifter, which is humorous because it is about a serial killer. I would highly recommend watching Across the Universe. It is lovely and it is full of minor/subtle references to The Beatles that you may not understand if you AREN'T really a hardcore fan*** but the movie is still great even without knowing them. If you like musicals then it will also appeal, even if you aren't a fan. There are also beautiful people acting in it, so that helps! I find it amusing that of the ten songs listed here, only one is in any playlist that isn't a Beatles Only playlist. I may do this again sometime (not during BEDA, that's practically cheating, but someday) since there are so MANY Beatles songs!****
*Stupid little girl.
**There is a reason that my iPod is named George.
***I didn't know a lot of the references, but I watched with my dad and he explained them to me. It was a great experience for me, both as a fan and as a daughter. \
****Currently 269 in my "Beatles" playlist.
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