Top 10 Beatles songs to listen to in the car

I got the idea for this post while listening to Breakfast with the Beatles in the car this morning, and I thought it might be helpful if any readers are looking to make a Beatles driving playlist. The songs here don’t necessarily have to do with driving subject-wise, but I think that the vibes of all these songs are conducive to driving (or passenging). Feel free to disagree or come up with your own list. Here we go!

10. I Want To Hold Your Hand

I’m not going to say a ton about each song on this list, but the opening riff to this is just so good. It’s a great song to sing along to and it’s always a crowd pleaser. If it comes on the radio, crank it up and enjoy!

9. If I Needed Someone

Again, it’s really the riff here that makes this a “car song” for me. The relaxing, slightly lazy pace makes it perfect for any drive, any time. This is one I would listen to with the windows open, unless it’s snowing. Then, definitely close the windows. 🙂

8. A Hard Day’s Night

This is a great car song mostly because the opening chord is so instantly recognizable. It’s nice to know exactly what song is playing in the car without having to take your eyes off the road (or if you’re passenging, your phone, most likely), so this song is a great candidate for any Beatlemaniac’s car playlist.

7. I Am The Walrus

I’m going to assume that no one driving will be tripping on LSD (which would be very dangerous indeed), so I don’t think listening to this in the car will blow your mind TOO much… Anyway, I’m not exactly sure why I chose this song for this list. Once again, the opening is very famous, but aside from that, I just like it a lot. Not that I ever really do this, but if I were driving around with friends late at night and the car windows were open, this is the song I would want to bother the neighborhood with.

6. Day Tripper

For anyone who thinks this song is literally about taking day trips to the countryside, you’re wrong. It’s slightly more metaphorical (and naughtier) than that. But anyway, this riff combined with the awesome harmonies and the chorus makes it a fantastic song to listen to in the car. As I’ve said before, this is definitely one of my top 5 favorite Beatles songs. For a brief time, you can at least imagine that it’s about day trips. 🙂

5. Help!

Once again, the instantly recognizable opening makes it a good car song. I also think that the layered, call and-response harmonies throughout have a sort of Beach Boys-ish vibe that makes me think of driving cars in California. (again, I am clearly not a Californian…)

4. Get Back

This song is literally about going back to somewhere, and it mentions California and Arizona (two states 3,000 miles from me), so I thought it would be a good addition to this list. I think I’ve said this before, but I really like the drums on this song for some reason. Even after everything they had already accomplished musically in such a short time, the Beatles still found ways to innovate on this album.

3. One After 909

This isn’t a hugely popular Beatles song, but it REALLY makes me think of cruising along a highway on a nice day. I love the keyboards and guitar on this track. A relatively unknown Beatley tidbit is that this was actually one of the first songs the Beatles wrote, way back in the late 1950s. There’s a couple of versions of this on Anthology 1, but I definitely prefer this faster Let It Be version to any of the earlier ones.

2. Back in the USSR

This is a classic, and the plane sound effect at the beginning gets me every time. Again, I love listening to this in the car because it’s so upbeat and has a fantastic guitar solo. Many of you may know that Ringo quit the band for a bit while they were making the White Album, so who do you suppose plays drums on this song? That’s right, it’s the multi-instrumentally talented Paul!

Annnnd…

1. Drive My Car

So it might be a bit of a cop-out to have this as #1, but I honestly could not think of a better choice. The “driving cars” in this song may be metaphorical (I bet you can guess what it refers to…), but it’s still a great song to listen to in the car! And come on, who doesn’t love the “Beep beep, beep beep, yeah!” part? Just don’t honk the horn along with that part, as you may get some Looks of Doom from neighboring drivers. 🙂

So, that’s it for this list. On my list of “future posts,” in case you’re interested: Top 10 non-Beatles songs to listen to in the car, reviews of Phillip Phillips’ “Behind the Light” and U2’s “Songs of Innocence,” my thoughts on Conan’s George Harrison Week, and much more. Stay tuned folks!

Hilarious Beatle Promos

My inspiration for this post came yesterday when I was watching the promo to Help!, which I had never seen before. After watching many Beatle promo videos, I’ve noticed a few patterns running throughout all of them:
1. John is always making funny faces, forgetting the words even when he’s lip-syncing, and looking at Paul to make sure that they’re singing the same thing.

2. Paul is smiley and happy, performing the song like a true showman even though there’s no live audience, and just generally enjoying himself.

3. George rarely looks happy to be making the promos, sometimes glares at the camera, and is usually the one who somehow messes up the integrity of the video. However, when he does crack a smile, the whole screen lights up!

4. Ringo hardly ever has an actual drum kit to play on and is often stuck with a random prop to keep him busy.

Notice how these videos are all from the late 1964-1965 era. This was the Beatles’ “we were smoking marijuana for breakfast” (a direct quote from John) period. Enjoy!

I Feel Fine

I just love this video, for so many reasons. First, at 0:25, George is mouthing complete gibberish and wondering whether anyone will notice. Second, he’s singing into what looks like a bomb disguised as a microphone. Third, John seems VERY unsure of the lyrics, which for some reason he always messes up to this song.

Thankfully, Paul’s there to remind him that it’s “I’m in love with her” instead of “She’s in love with me” or vise versa. And lastly, what the heck is Ringo doing on the exercise bike? Couldn’t he have at least gotten a drum kit?
And whoever dressed the Beatles in turtlenecks for this video made a good call.

Help!

This video is hilarious! I’m really not sure why they’re all sitting single file on a plank. Paul and George keep trying to get in the shot throughout the video, which I find really funny because whenever George finally gets in the camera, Paul moves in front of him. I think Ringo gave up trying to be in the shot after about 10 seconds. Poor Ringo, all alone in the back with an umbrella.

Lastly, when the fake snow starts falling, I completely lose it. Especially at 1:38, when George does his absolutely priceless “What the heck?! Snow?!” face! For a fraction of a second, he looks a bit scared and really confused, and almost forgets to start singing. Evidently, no one told him that it would start snowing. Oh well. Ringo apparently got the memo.

Day Tripper

Seriously, whose idea was the set for this video? I really want to know. And why are John and Paul front and center, but George and Ringo are literally stuck behind bars? Ringo at least tries taking matters into his own hands by sawing his way out, but once again, George looks like he has no idea what on earth is going on.

Also, watch George’s fingers starting at 2:18. For a few seconds there, he’s not playing the riff; in fact, he’s not playing much of anything. While keeping a completely straight face, he just randomly moves his fingers for a bit. My guess is that he either really needed to stretch his fingers or just wanted to purposely mess up the video. I’m betting on the latter. 

Ticket to Ride

John and his terrible lip syncing is on full display here, especially at 1:38, when he does an enthusiastic “Yeah!” after realizing that he forgot to sing along to that part. And George singing along at 1:47 when he isn’t supposed to sing for the entire duration of the song always makes me smile.

Have a fab week!

My Top 10 Favorite Beatles Songs

Casual Beatles… And Then There’s Paul in a Suit.

I thought it was about time that I posted my favorite Beatles songs, because I feel like you can’t be a true Beatlemaniac without at least a semi-definitive list. But, my favorites do change, sometimes weekly, sometimes daily, depending on what period of the Beatles I feel in the mood for. One day I need my Rubber Soul fix, other days I like to jam to some earlier stuff, and sometimes I enjoy a little psychadelic road trip through Magical Mystery Tour or Sgt. Pepper. Still, there are certain songs that I always feel particularly connected to. These aren’t necessarily my opinion of the 10 best Beatles songs, just my personal favorites, to avoid any major, “BUT HOW COULD YOU LEAVE OFF (insert name of influential Beatles song here)?!?!?!?!” issues. Let’s get rolling!

10. And I Love Her

I just love how calm this song makes me feel. I have it in a playlist of “relaxing Beatles songs” that I put on while I’m doing work or when I just need to relax, and it always does the trick. Also, George does some great guitar work here that only adds to the lovely aura of the song. Paul is such an extrordinarily talented songwriter that his more understated compositions such as this one tend to get overlooked, but I think that it is one of his most sincere love songs. I sometimes pretend that he’s singing this to me… 🙂

9. Getting Better

This is one of my favorite songs to play on Beatles Rock Band! The guitar part in this song is fantastic, and “Getting Better” is definitely my favorite song on the Sgt. Pepper album, if I had to choose. Also, it’s so optimistic and uplifting that you can’t help but feel like things really will get better once you hear it.

8. I Am The Walrus

I once read that John Lennon wrote this song to purposely confuse people who were studying the Beatles’ lyrics. He probably succeeded in confusing many people with it, and I love it all the more for its hilarious insanity. The line “expert texpert choking smokers, don’t you think the joker laughs at you” is definitely my favorite line in the song. Finally, for anyone who was wondering, yes, they are saying “Everybody smokes pot” at the end of the song. This was confirmed for me after I saw a Beatle tribute perform this song live, and they enunciated those words VERY clearly!

7. I’ve Got A Feeling

This is another one I enjoy belting out on Beatles Rock Band. It’s probably one of the last true Lennon/McCartney collaborations written. Not too much else to say, just a great rock song. I was pleasantly surprised and happy when Paul performed this at 12/12/12, which I watched from the comfort of my couch. I wish I’d been there. That would have been epic.

6. Ticket to Ride

First, this video is my favorite part of the movie Help! Second, everything about this song rocks; from the harmonies to the drums to the guitar riff, it’s all there. John and Paul always sound magical singing together, and this song is no exception.

5. Day Tripper

Ahhh, I love this song! Words can’t describe how happy I feel when I hear it! It contains my favorite guitar riff throughout the song, and once again, it rocks in a way that can’t be recreated by anyone else. I also love how the beginning of this video shows George doing what he does best, and smiling while he does it! My heart fluttered a bit when he came on the screen. I think that every music video by any artist, ever, should start with a 10 second close up of George Harrison. But Macca Maniacs, Lennon Lovers, and Starrfish, feel free to disagree.

4. Something

This is one of the most listened-to songs on my iPod, probably because I listened to it every single night before I went to sleep for about a month straight. I’ve listened to it so many times that I’ve probably memorized every note of every instrument throughout the whole song. This is definitely George’s most beautiful love song, and maybe one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. Either way, it’s wonderful. Also, this video features pictures of George with his lovely first wife, Pattie Boyd. And if I ever had to answer the question, “Name the person you are most jealous of,” it would probably be her. Yeah, I wonder why…

3. She Loves You

This is by far my favorite pre-Rubber Soul Beatles song, because it’s so ridiculously catchy. I dare anyone to listen to it and not start dancing or singing along. You’ll have a tough go at it, I’m sure. I love it, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!!!

2. Hey Jude

This is one of those songs that I knew most of the words to before I even knew who the Beatles were. There’s a reason why it’s so popular; everyone loves hearing it, whether they admit it or not. No matter where this song comes on, people will start singing along. If it went on forever, I’d sing along the whole time and not get tired. It’s uplifting, infectious, and a classic in every sense of the word. This was also my favorite Beatles song for a while. Until I discovered THIS one…

1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

The only way to properly listen to and experience the power of this song is to listen to it late at night on your iPod with good quality headphones, in complete darkness, while sitting on your bed, clutching a pillow, and swaying to the beat of the song. I guarantee, you have not fully heard this song until you’ve done that. I could stay in that position for hours. The effect is truly mindblowing, and the song is hauntingly beautiful and hypnotic. And THAT is why it’s my favorite Beatles song!

Other “Honorable Mention” Beatles songs that would round out my Top 20 list: Sexy Sadie, Yesterday, Your Mother Should Know, Don’t Bother Me, I Feel Fine, This Boy, The Fool On The Hill, Within You Without You, Taxman, And Your Bird Can Sing.