Stay ConnectedA Beatles podcast that goes song-by-song through every Beatles release in chronological order. We focus on the music itself, breaking down what you’re hearing and why it works.
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In this Beatles lecture series, we explore the music and lyrics of We Can Work It Out. Paul’s verses frame an argument around seeing things his way, while John’s middle eight questions the value of fighting at all. We consider how these sections might represent a conversation between friends or competing thoughts within one mind. Musically, we explore how the two sections perfectly contrast with each other, and how the argument may be resolved musically by the end.
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In this Beatles lecture series, we look at the music and lyrics of Day Tripper. Lennon uses ambiguous language to give overlapping meanings. Musically, the song begins with familiar blues gestures before taking a series of harmonic detours on its way home. The instrumental middle section builds tension by layering a repeating riff, rising guitar and vocal lines, and a sustained bass note over a prolonged dominant chord. Throughout, we trace how a few recurring gestures connect the riff, melody, refrain, and outro, giving the song a strong internal unity even as its harmony moves in unexpected directions.
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On this episode of our Beatles podcast, music historian Scott DeVeaux joins Kenyon and Peter to explore the song We Can Work It Out. The song originated from a fight between Paul and Jane Asher, but wasn't considered complete until John came in with a darker middle 8 to complete the composition.
We are just getting into Rubber Soul season, and if the first few songs are any indication, it's going to be a great ride.
We cover:
-Paul McCartney's relationship with Jane Asher, Margaret Asher, and the importance of the Asher family
-The mysterious "Lucy from Littletown" demo and Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle
-John Lennon's middle eight and competing interpretations of the song's lyrics
-George Harrison's suggested shift into 3/4 time and the Beatles' evolving use of unusual meters
-The October 1965 recording sessions
-The harmonium and the its place in the emerging Rubber Soul sound
-The three promotional films filmed at Twickenham Studios
-The double-A-side release with Day Tripper
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On this episode of our Beatles podcast, we kick off Rubber Soul season with Day Tripper and special guest Aristotle of Aristotle Digs Music. We explore the song’s origins, the interplay between the Beatles’ instruments, and the humor hiding in its lyrics. The storytime digs into the lore of the first time John, Cynthia, George, and Pattie took LSD.
We cover:
- The “Day Tripper” work tape and disputed riff origins
- Bobby Parker's Watch Your Step and I Feel Fine
- Paul’s Rickenbacker 4001S and the guitar riff
- Ringo’s Stax-inspired drums and Al Jackson influence
- Sex, drugs, and weekend hippies
- The October 16, 1965 recording session
- “Day Tripper” at the Beatles’ final Candlestick Park concert
- The first LSD trip of John Lennon, Cynthia Lennon, George Harrison, and Pattie Boyd
Check out Aristotle:
https://www.instagram.com/aristotledreher
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Dizzy Miss Lizzy closes Help! by going back to the Beatles’ roots. It was an old stage favorite, a Larry Williams rocker they had known for years, and the last cover they would ever record. For this episode of our Beatles podcast, it also gives us our first official "Beatles last" as we work our way through the catalog.
We talk about why the recording feels so relentless, and how the song comes across differently when they play it live. And this episode storytime is John Lennon’s second book, A Spaniard in the Works.
We cover:
-Larry Williams' version and René Hall’s original guitar riff
-King Size Taylor and the Dominoes and the Beatles’ early stage repertoire
-Capitol’s request for more material and the May 10, 1965 “Larry Williams session”
-George Harrison’s doubled, repeating guitar line and our "axe to grind" theory
-The Beatles’ 1965 Atlanta performance
-The Beatles’ final BBC session, The Beatles Invite You to Take a Ticket to Ride
-The two-night Hollywood Bowl composite and John Lennon’s later Toronto performance with Eric Clapton
-Would another song have been a better closer for Help!
-John Lennon’s second book, A Spaniard in the Works
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In this Beatles lecture series, we are looking at Yesterday, a song built around the longing to return to a past that can’t be recovered. We examine how the lyrics move from a changed world, to a changed self, to a broken relationship, and how the music supports this emotional weight.
We also explore the melody, harmony, form, and George Martin’s string arrangement and how they work together to create the song’s sense of nostalgia and loss. A new lecture series feature, we explore George Martin's handwritten score note by note to discover the subtle details that give Yesterday its character.
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Yesterday may be the most popular song The Beatles ever recorded, but it's surprising just how unusual its story really is. On this episode of our Beatles podcast, we are joined by Kenyon’s longtime friend and former songwriting partner Kyle Hopson. We look at the song as a piece of Beatles history and a case study in how songs actually come into the world.
What makes Yesterday feel so universal? How did it expand the boundaries of what a Beatles record could be? Did Paul actually rewrite an earlier song?
We cover:
-Paul McCartney’s dream, Scrambled Eggs, and the long development of the song
-John Lennon’s possible role in completing the song
-Billy J. Kramer, Chris Farlowe, Brian Epstein, and whether Yesterday was always destined to be a Beatles song
-Delia Derbyshire, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Ray Cathode, and Paul’s interest in an electronic arrangement
-George Martin, the string quartet, and the original handwritten score
-The recording session, detuned guitar, orchestral overdubs, and Paul’s solo performance
-George Martin Orchestra arrangement of Yesterday
-Possible connections to The Night Before, Georgia on My Mind, and Answer Me, My Love
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In this Beatles lecture series, we are looking at I’ve Just Seen a Face, a song that captures the head-spinning rush of love at first sight. We examine how Paul combines deceptively simple musical and lyrical materials to create the song’s breathless and frenetic energy. Beneath the surface, its overlapping patterns continually pull against one another, while rising and falling gestures mirror the exhilaration of suddenly being swept off balance by another person.
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Have you ever realized that another person will change your life forever? Author Ian Leslie joins us to talk about I’ve Just Seen a Face and his book, John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs. Together, we use Paul’s breathless love song to explore chance, recognition, conflict and the mixture happiness and sadness that can exist in a single moment.
Could this song tell us something about Paul in 1965 or maybe about what he saw in John Lennon years earlier?
We cover:
-Ian Leslie’s John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs
-This song's origins
-John and Paul’s creative and emotional relationship
-Love at first sight, fate, and chance
-The acoustic arrangement and rapid-fire vocal phrasing
-Take 3 from Anthology 4
-The opening of Rubber Soul
-A legendary recording session, Paul's Event Horizon
Check out Ian Leslie:
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In this Beatles lecture series, we analyze Tell Me What You See. We look at the way the lyrics gradually reveal that this promise is actually an attempt of persuasion. Musically, we explore Paul’s melodic contours, the song’s recurring question-and-answer phrases, and how its simple harmony takes on a more modal character. We also compare blues-inflected and warmer pop sounds, and how the unusual instrumental middle section develops the song’s Latin-influenced character.
Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries
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