UnBeatled

In 1967, John Lennon and his childhood friend, Pete Shotton, were diving into and reading a bag of fan mail that was lying around John's house. John pulled out a letter from a pupil at his former high school in Liverpool which said that teachers were now giving lessons on the content of his lyrics. Laughing at the absurdity of this, John went about writing a song that was utter nonsense exclaiming, "let the f**kers work that one out!" It was not initially accepted by George Martin but with Paul taking the lead, the song became one of their most...

Welcome to episode 24 of UnBeatled, a channel where we take a deep dive into every single song The Beatles ever recorded. In our discussion we unpick the music, the lyrics, the cultural context at the time, and the impact the song had on the band's success in the UK and the world.In 1966, The Beatles were stars at the forefront of music and culture, rubbing shoulders with other bright sparks from the worlds of literature, drama, photography, and fashion. A lot of them were also from working class backgrounds. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney's aunt has tasked him...

John Lennon's son, Julian, brought home a painting he had done at school that day and showed it to his dad. To say John was impressed is an understatement. He was immediately taken by the psychedelic painting of Julian's classmate flying in the sky surrounded by diamonds. To a drug addled John Lennon this was the inspiration he'd been waiting for. They completed the song in 24 hours with Paul McCartney taking the reins from an increasingly unmotivated John Lennon. The song would be the most overtly psychedelic track on their Summer of Love masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.<...

Paul McCartney leaped out of bed one morning with a tune in his head. He sat down at the piano and found the chords, drumming the melody into his memory with a canny rhyme. He couldn't believe he'd written it. After figuring out it was his doing, The Beatles' producer, George Martin, posed the question... should this be the first Paul McCartney solo record? It would have been a financially prudent move for Macca... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is sponsored by EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert. In IMAX Feb 20 / In cinemas everywhere Feb 27 https://www.epicmovie.co.ukWelcome to episode 21 of UnBeatled, a channel where we take a deep dive into every single song The Beatles ever recorded. In our discussion we unpick the music, the lyrics, the cultural context at the time, and the impact the song had on the band's success in the UK and the world.The Beatles convened on Abbey Road studios with a film crew to record a promotional video for their upcoming...

This episode is sponsored by EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert. In IMAX Feb 20 / In cinemas everywhere Feb 27 https://www.epicmovie.co.ukWelcome to episode 20 of UnBeatled, a channel where we take a deep dive into every single song The Beatles ever recorded. In our discussion we unpick the music, the lyrics, the cultural context at the time, and the impact the song had on the band's success in the UK and the world.Paul McCartney, or so it is to be believed, is burned out and is visited by his deceased mother...

Welcome to episode 19 of UnBeatled, a channel where we take a deep dive into every single song The Beatles ever recorded. In our discussion we unpick the music, the lyrics, the cultural context at the time, and the impact the song had on the band's success in the UK and the world.John Lennon, while feeling depressed and suffering from a bad case of writer's block, was sat up late into the night trying to write a song to be included on their upcoming album 'Rubber Soul'. After much self-criticism and introspection, inspiration struck! Nowhere Man...

Welcome to episode 18 of UnBeatled, a channel where we take a deep dive into every single song The Beatles ever recorded. In our discussion we unpick the music, the lyrics, the cultural context at the time, and the impact the song had on the band's success in the UK and the world.This episode we take a look at their 1963 song, All My Loving. Written while in a flurry of tours and growing success, the song was inspired by the band's roadie Mal Evans' promise to write home every day to his wife. In classic Beatles...

Welcome to episode 17 of UnBeatled, a channel where we take a deep dive into every single song The Beatles ever recorded. In our discussion we unpick the music, the lyrics, the cultural context at the time, and the impact the song had on the band's success in the UK and the world.This week we take a look at Golden Slumbers and Carry That Weight, the emotional climax of Abbey Road's medley. Written while looking through his step-sister's music book, the song is based on a 500 year old poem. However, Paul took the message and turned...

Welcome to episode 16 of UnBeatled, a channel where we take a deep dive into every single song The Beatles ever recorded. In our discussion we unpick the music, the lyrics, the cultural context at the time, and the impact the song had on the band's success in the UK and the world.This week David Bennett takes us through his favourite song of all time - the psychedelic masterpiece Strawberry Fields Forever. Written while filming How I Won The War in Spain, it became the first track The Beatles worked on as part of their 'Sgt...

This episode discusses And I Love Her, a song that was written for Paul McCartney's first true love - Jane Asher. Tune in to hear about the band's use of musical concepts such as key changes and the Picardy Third. Also, UnBeatled will discuss how living with Jane Asher opened Paul's eyes to arts and culture at the outset of swinging London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode delves into John's haunted nursery rhyme - Cry Baby Cry. The song was initially inspired by a TV advertisement before being finished while studying transcendental meditation in India. Tune in to hear discussion about John Lennon's childhood and the tensions while recording this track. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode discusses She's Leaving Home - a song that was inspired by a newspaper article about a runaway teenager. Tune in to hear about Mike Leander's arrangement and how it made Brian Wilson scrap an upcoming Beach Boys project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnBeatled breaks down the 1970 rocker 'I've Got A Feeling'. This song blended two unfinished tracks - one from McCartney and one from Lennon. This was the last time they collaborated in such a way. Tune in to hear about Billy Preston's keyboard contributions and discussion on why McCartney has chosen to continue including it in his current live setlists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnBeatled takes a look at Michelle from Rubber Soul. It began life as a song Paul used to play at parties while singing in a French accent. Tune in to hear about Nina Simon's influence on the track and how they sought the help of their friend's wife to finish the lyrics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnBeatled inspects Dear Prudence from The Beatles' self-titled album. It's a beautiful song written by John that utilises a guitar finger picking style that John learned from Donovan while studying transcendental meditation in India. Tune in to learn about Paul McCartney playing the flugelhorn and why Ringo did not play drums on this track. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnBeatled delves deep into She Said She Said - a song that was written after a memorable experience with the actor Peter Fonda. Tune in to hear how the song was written in the Mixolydian mode and changes time signature. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode looks at Eight Days A Week - a song that was just an album track in the UK but went on to be a big hit in America. It's an optimistic, feel-good track that's driven by jangly acoustic guitar and a classic McCartney walking bassline. Despite this, the band didn't highly regard the song and thought it was merely writing for the 'meat market'.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnBeatled breaks down Penny Lane - the song that Paul McCartney wrote as his response to Strawberry Fields Forever. Tune in to hear about the perfect piccolo trumpet solo and why this song encapsulated the confidence of the time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnBeatled examines Yellow Submarine - a song that was written as a children's rhyme. Listen in to stories about how Donovan helped with the lyrics and John tried to record his vocals underwater. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.