BEATLES MUSIC BREAK: Continuing the theme of outstanding Beatles songs I didn’t get a chance to post on the Beatles Blog during the term . . . here is “Happiness is a Warm Gun,” a song written by John Lennon and featured on the self-titled Beatles album (a.k.a., the White Album), released in November 1968. As I mentioned in lecture, Lennon wrote the song after reading the headline “Happiness is a Warm Gun” in the May 1968 issue of American Rifleman magazine. The concept of someone deriving happiness from a warm gun seemed to Lennon to be “fantastic, insane… a warm gun means you've just shot something. I thought it was so crazy that I made a song out of it.” Lennon came to regard the song as one of his best, a sentiment shared by Paul McCartney. As listeners tend to do, they read different meanings into the song, with some believing it was about Lennon’s sexuality, and others hearing lyrics about heroin addiction. Lennon loved to keep the fans guessing. Over the decades, the song has withstood the test of time as one of John Lennon’s most beloved and, at the same time, edgiest, songs.

BEATLES MUSIC BREAK: As long as I’m posting Beatles songs that I love that I didn’t get a chance to post during the term, here is “Got to Get You Into My Life,” a Paul McCartney gem from Revolver (1966). McCartney called the song “an ode to pot,” but he was mindful of Motown songs when he wrote it, with a heaping teaspoon of psychedelia. Recorded between April 7 and June 17, 1966, at EMI Studios (Abbey Road), the song included George Martin on organ, three trumpet players, and two tenor saxophonists, in addition to Paul on bass, George on lead guitar, John on rhythm guitar, and Ringo on drums. The renowned musicologist Walter Everett – co-author of our textbook this term – has correctly described “Got to Get You Into My Life” as “one of the . . . most popular tracks” on Revolver, and John described it in 1980 as one of Paul’s “best songs.” The song was actually released in the United States as a single in 1976 (with “Helter Skelter” on the B-side), climbing to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year. Two years later, in 1978, the R&B / soul / funk / disco band Earth, Wind & Fire remade the song. But – as always – nothing comes close to the Beatles’ original version.

BEATLES MUSIC BREAK: What better time of the year to post “Here Comes the Sun” than now? Even though we haven’t seen much of the sun in the last several months, this gem of a song – written mainly by George Harrison, and featured on Abbey Road – is a sweet, gentle, effervescent tune that delivers such a positive vibe to the listener. The song skyrocketed to #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rock Songs after its release in September 1969. It became one of Harrison’s most beloved signature songs, performed by him repeatedly after the Beatles broke up, including at the Concert for Bangladesh on August 1, 1971. The song was also covered numerous times by other performers, most notably by Richie Havens, Nina Simone, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Peter Tosh, and Jon Bon Jovi, who sang a great live version of “Here Comes the Sun” in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2021, at an inauguration event for Joe Biden. Originally, Harrison wrote the song in Eric Clapton’s garden after a particularly trying time following the death of Brian Epstein. As Harrison told a BBC interviewer in 1969: “It was just sunny and it was all just the release of that tension that had been building up on me. It was just a really nice sunny day, and I picked up the guitar, which was the first time I'd played the guitar for a couple of weeks because I'd been so busy. And the first thing that came out was that song. It just came. And I finished it later when I was on holiday in Sardinia." This beautiful music video for the song was released in 2019.

LECTURE 22: YESTERDAY & TODAY: RZA of Wu-Tang Clan has long been a huge fan of The Beatles, and even wrote his song “The Heart Gently Weeps” as a tribute to the band (featured on Wu-Tang’s fifth studio album, 8 Diagrams, from 2007). Here’s the music video to “The Heart Gently Weeps.” It’s a compelling modern rap version of a Beatles classic. There used to be on YouTube – until it got taken down – a wonderful video of RZA telling a great story about wanting to make a version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and meeting George Harrison’s son, Dhani Harrison, and getting him involved in the project. The two instantly hit it off, and RZA convinced Dhani to play rhythm guitar on the song. The result is a compelling variation of Harrison’s masterpiece. 

LECTURE 22: YESTERDAY & TODAY: The late, great Davy Jones (1945-2012) of The Monkees, always so delightful and funny, shares his memories of The Beatles and reveals his deep love of the band and its music. What a great raconteur! His comments about The Beatles being a “manufactured” band are very insightful, and not what you’d expect from someone who uses that label to describe them. Jones is very reverential toward the band. You’ll enjoy this wonderful interview! 

LECTURE 22: YESTERDAY & TODAY: The Beatles are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Paul McCartney couldn’t be there that night, but Ringo Starr and George Harrison, as well as Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon and Julian Lennon, appeared at the event and all gave brief speeches. Alas, Paul McCartney couldn’t make it. At the time, as mentioned in an earlier blog entry, Harrison had a #1 hit single on the Billboard Hot 100, “Got My Mind Set On You,” which – it turns out – would be the last #1 hit by an Ex-Beatle to top the charts. George’s sweet words of reconciliation are deeply moving. And Sean Lennon’s comments are a delightfully irreverent wrap-up to the previous speeches. 

LECTURE 22: YESTERDAY & TODAY: Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones inducts The Beatles into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 20, 1988. “We went through some pretty strange times. We had a sort of – a lot of rivalry in those early years, and a little bit of friction; but we always ended up friends. And I like to think we still are,  ‘cause they were some of the greatest times of our lives, and I’m – I’m really proud to be the one that leads them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”

LECTURE 22: YESTERDAY & TODAY: In December 1980, “The Boss,” Bruce Springsteen, delivered a moving talk at the start of his Philadelphia concert about John Lennon (1940-1980). “ “I’d just like to say one thing, I appreciate it and it’s a hard night to come out and play tonight when so much’s been lost. The first record…the first record that I ever learned was a record called ‘Twist and Shout’ (cheers), and if it wasn’t for John Lennon, we’d all be someplace very different tonight. It’s a hard world that asks you to live with things that are unlivable, and it’s hard to come out and play tonight. But there’s nothing else to do.“

Lecture 21: CARRYING ON: No lecture on the solo years of The Beatles would be complete without John Lennon’s Utopian, era-defining anthem “Imagine,” released in the fall of 1971. The song went on to become one of his best-known hits – in or out of The Beatles – and revealed his more humanistic and visionary side, As we’ve seen in the documentary The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006), and as Lennon’s biographers point out, the singer-songwriter musician had, by this time, become radicalized by his support for the anti-Vietnam War movement and nonviolence in general, and “Imagine” marks the summit – or high point – of his leftward shift. The song has since become the stuff of legend, used in movies (e.g., the critically acclaimed The Killing Fields from 1984), documentaries, tributes, and protests. Most recently, it was used by actress Gal Gadot and a group of entertainers in March 2020, who sang the song online as a sort of reassurance of our collective humanity in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, which sparked a bit of a backlash. But oh well! It just goes to show the song’s enduring power over the decades. It remains instantly recognizable and widely loved. This is the promotional film for “Imagine,” starring John Lennon and Yoko Ono, made in 1971.

Lecture 21: CARRYING ON: “Cold Turkey,” a single released in 1969 by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band, is one of the most powerful songs ever written about drug addiction. Lennon performed the song with Plastic Ono Band (which on the single included Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann and Ringo Starr) at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival held at Varsity Stadium at the University of Toronto on September 13, 1969. The festival included such diverse acts as The Doors, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Chicago, Alice Cooper and Jerry Lee Lewis. Drummer Alan White played with Plastic Ono Band in Toronto, otherwise the lineup on the single (Clapton, Voormann, Lennon) remained the same. Lennon wanted the song to be included on ABBEY ROAD, but that didn’t happen, so he released it as a single. It enjoyed modest chart success, even though it’s now remembered as one of Lennon’s grittiest and most intense songs. When Lennon returned his MBE to Queen Elizabeth II in 1969, he included a note stating, “I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against ‘Cold Turkey’ slipping down the charts.” This remarkable live performance was filmed at Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 30, 1972.

Lecture 21: CARRYING ON: If there’s a hero in History 207, it’s Julian Lennon, the first son of John Lennon. If you watch this 2010 segment of CBS Sunday Morning, you’ll find out why. PLEASE (please, please, please) WATCH IT!!! It will make me so happy if you do. Julian is a remarkable musician, photographer, artist and human being. The relationship between Julian and Sean Lennon is profoundly touching.  It’s a poignant, deeply moving story of brotherly love, redemption and finding the courage to forgive. 

Lecture 21: CARRYING ON: Here’s the CBS Evening News coverage of George Harrison’s death in November 2001. Harrison was only 58 when cancer killed him. Note that he died in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which are the lead story here. Yet the focus shifts quickly to Harrison, a music legend who packed a lot of living into those 58 years, more than many people pack into 80 or 90 years. Perhaps his most profound line in this segment is: “It doesn’t take long from being 17 to being 57. Forty years just goes…” <snaps> “…like that.”

Lecture 21: CARRYING ON: I bet you won’t have dry eyes when this is minute-long video clip is over. Ringo Starr recalls his final conversation with George Harrison in 2001, right before Harrison passed away. Ringo’s deeply moving – and unexpectedly funny – closing line is priceless. Talk about a gentle soul. Ringo is as sweet as they come.  And this remembrance puts his sentimental side on full display. Full disclosure: I always try to have a box of Kleenex nearby when I watch this segment

Lecture 21: CARRYING ON: Here is the entire episode of NBC’s TODAY SHOW from December 9, 1980, which takes us right back to that harrowing Tuesday morning after John Lennon was murdered outside of the Dakota Apartments by deranged gunman Mark David Chapman, while a horrified Yoko Ono looked on. That terrible, ghastly, unimaginable moment – dark beyond description – was followed by days of mass gatherings, candlelight vigils, tributes and various ceremonies. Mourners took comfort in the widespread sense of grief that countless kindred spirits felt around the world. This fascinating broadcast offers a memorable window into the past. Please watch it in its entirety if time permits. 

Lecture 21: CARRYING ON: Want to hear some fantastic Paul McCartney music from the 1980s? I thought you did! “Take It Away” (1982) rivals anything Paul did in the 1970s (in the opinion of this Beatle blogger).  The music video (shown here) enjoyed ample amounts of airtime on the new music sensation of the era, MTV. And check out who’s drumming for Paul in this video! The video for “Take It Away” also features George Martin (who performs on the song) at 2:25, actor John Hurt, and Linda McCartney. The song is featured on Paul’s TUG OF WAR album.

Lecture 21: CARRYING ON: Promotional film for the delightful Wings song, “Silly Love Songs” from 1976. The song is contained on Wings’ fifth studio album, WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND. Almost as successful as its predecessor, Band on the Run, Wings at the Speed of Sound included a number of memorable songs, including this one and “Let ‘Em In,” and marked a time when Paul McCartney’s solo career flowered, both artistically and commercially. The promo film is loads of fun, with scenes of the band’s touring, and the footage of Paul and Linda McCartney together is particularly touching. 

LECTURE 21: CARRYING ON: Promotional film for Wings’ 1974 smash hit (actually released in December 1973), “Band on the Run,” featured on the band’s hugely successful album of the same name from the previous year. BAND ON THE RUN, came after a string of solo albums by Paul McCartney that enjoyed mixed critical acclaim and generated few major solo hits. Band on the Run changed all that. The album, in many ways, was a conscious throwback to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and – as you can likely tell from the promo film (especially at 3:25) – drew a great deal of inspiration from Pepper. Also, keep an eye out for Brian Epstein at 3:16. Thanks to hits like “Band on the Run” and “Jet,” Band on the Run (the album) proved to be one of the most commercially successful albums of the 1970s.