Oh That Magic Feeling
@beatles208.bsky.social
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Discussing every Beatles song from 1 to 208, one per day. All posts by @olneyce
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Is there really anything new to say about the Beatles? The most famous, most scrutinized, most discussed musical act in history? I think there is. A lot more. Join me while I spend 2026 discussing each and every Beatles song.
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
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Celebrating the Beatles, from #208 to #1
Join me as I spend 2026 taking a song-by-song journey through the Beatles catalog
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/celebrating-the-beatles-208-1?r=55vb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
4 months ago
1
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Everyone's favorite song to hate is actually just a good song, and an important part of the greater
#Beatles
lore
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
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136. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Everyone hates this song. And they have some good reasons. But they're still wrong
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/136-maxwells-silver-hammer?r=1znc09&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
1 day ago
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What You're Doing is one of the rare
#Beatles
tracks that doesn't really 'work' on the terms that they set out for themselves. But that's part of what makes it so fascinating
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137. What You're Doing
A wall of sound track that's missing the wall of sound, but which still manages to feel pretty great
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/137-what-youre-doing?r=1znc09&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
2 days ago
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I'm a Loser is an important step in John Lennon's journey toward the sort of personal (often confessional) songwriting that would soon come to define him
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138. I'm a Loser
One of their first forays into 'serious' songwriting, with a delightful country & western tone
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/138-im-a-loser?r=1znc09&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
3 days ago
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Blue Jay Way might be the definitive work for the
#Beatles
psychedelic period. To listen to it is to be transported directly into a woozy dream of 1967
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139. Blue Jay Way
Possibly the perfect example of the Beatles' psychedelic era, for better and for worse
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/139-blue-jay-way?r=1znc09&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
4 days ago
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There's no shame in enjoying a delightful singalong, especially not when it rips this hard
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140. All Together Now
A throwaway song recorded to fill a contractual obligation, which sounds like sunshine and happiness
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/140-all-together-now?r=1znc09&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
7 days ago
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It was maybe a little overdetermined that George's first solo song would be a misanthropic anthem to being left alone. Good tune, though
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141. Don't Bother Me
George's first solo composition is far better than anyone could have reasonably expected
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/141-dont-bother-me?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
9 days ago
1
1
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The
#Beatles
only released one official Goffin/King cover, but it was a doozy. I think Chains flies a but under the radar but itās a fantastic song
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142. Chains
An unfairly maligned cover, which shows off George at his winsome best
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/142-chains?r=55vb&utm_medium=ios
10 days ago
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This Boy is a gorgeous song, and a signature moment in the development of the early
#Beatles
qua Beatles
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143. This Boy
The Beatles imitate Smokey Robinson, and deliver some of their most intricate harmonies
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/143-this-boy?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
11 days ago
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I was initially pretty skeptical that Now and Then had justified its existence. I'm now convinced, though it will never be one of my absolute favorites
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144. Now and Then
The last Beatles song trades heavily in nostalgia, for better and for worse
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/144-now-and-then?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
15 days ago
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Only a Northern Song is without question the best song about the economics of 60s pop music publishing
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145. Only a Northern Song
George has more complaints about being a millionaire. But the thing is...he's kind of right
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/145-only-a-northern-song?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
15 days ago
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I Donāt Want To Spoil The Party is a wonderful early example of John Lennon's investigations into embarrassment and self-abnegation
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146. I Donāt Want To Spoil The Party
A deeply personal song about depression disguised as a bit of standard pop
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/146-i-dont-want-to-spoil-the-party?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
16 days ago
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Their first single, and a (rather surprising) #1 in the US, Love Me Do is a foundational text for the
#Beatles
story, even if it's not exactly their best song
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147. Love Me Do
Their first single contains tiny but meaningful hints of what was to come
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/147-love-me-do?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
16 days ago
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With apologies to
@wilmcmillen.bsky.social
Mr. Moonlight comes in at #149 on the list
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149. Mr. Moonlight
This delightfully weird cover track gets a lot of criticism that's pretty understandable (but also wrong)
https://beatles208.substack.com/p/149-mr-moonlight
22 days ago
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My number #150 song is You're Going to Lose That Girl, which means there are still, amazingly, 149 songs that I like even more than this one
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150. You're Going to Lose That Girl
Perhaps the apotheosis of the British Invasion
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/150-youre-going-to-lose-that-girl?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
24 days ago
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The
#Beatles
wrote a lot of songs about love and the burdens of distance. Wait is one of the darkest, and most interesting
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151. Wait
The definition of a filler track, which still manages to do some pretty interesting things
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/151-wait?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
25 days ago
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Inspired by
@personalbeatles.bsky.social
, and in commemoration of my father's recent passing, some reflections on my life with the
#Beatles
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My personal Beatles
How I discovered, and then fell in love with, the Beatles
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/my-personal-beatles?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
28 days ago
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You Like Me Too Much is a decent song being being performed by the
#Beatles
circa 1965. Which can paper over a lot of cracks
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152. You Like Me Too Much
George's second song is (unsurprisingly) a little sophomoric
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/152-you-like-me-too-much?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
29 days ago
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The
#Beatles
probably played Long Tall Sally a thousand times. The recording we ended up with is good, but can never fully capture the experience of actually hearing them play it
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153. Long Tall Sally
The Beatles performed this song more than any other. The studio recording captures some of what made it so exciting, but only some
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/153-long-tall-sally?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
30 days ago
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Good Night is the perfect palate cleanser for the chaotic wonder that is the White Album
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154. Good Night
It's not a perfect song, or particularly close to being one, but it is the perfect closer for the White Album
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/154-good-night?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 1 month ago
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I Call Your Name was a resurrected early Lennon composition, rejected for inclusion in A Hard Days Night, and eventually consigned to an obscure EP. Which just shows that even the
#Beatles
throwaway material was exceptional
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155. I Call Your Name
A pleasant rendition of a very old Lennon composition, that's begging to be ridded of its turbulent cowbell
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/155-i-call-your-name?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 1 month ago
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The Night Before is the
#Beatles
getting nostalgic for the old days. And by 'the old days' I mean 'twelve months prior.' As they say on
@beatlespod.bsky.social
time works differently in the Beatles universe
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156. The Night Before
Either a perfect culmination of the bluesy-pop style that defines their early period, or an awkward bit of nostalgia for the same
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/156-the-night-before?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 1 month ago
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A lovely early George Harrison song, that I wish was either a little more or a little less atmospheric
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157. I Need You
I Need You is surprisingly beautiful, but a little unsure about what kind of song it's supposed to be
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/157-i-need-you?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 1 month ago
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George Harrison put it best when he said "mainly, itās Paul shouting"
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158. Oh! Darling!
A towering vocal performance from Paul, which sadly kind of overshadows the song for me
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/158-oh-darling?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 1 month ago
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Incredible harmonies, killer bridge, peculiar subject matter. An interesting illustration of their post-Beatlemania development as composers
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159. Baby's in Black
How dare this woman allow her personal trauma interfere with my desire to love her
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/159-babys-in-black?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 1 month ago
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New Paul song: itās lovely, and one of the most immediately affecting songs from him in a while. I do still feel (as I have about a lot of Paulās solo work in recent decades) that it might be even better if it were shorter.
about 1 month ago
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Whether or not you like Honey Pie, it's an extremely *successful* song, both in conception and execution
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160. Honey Pie
The White Album is a great album not in spite of fluff like this, but because of it
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/160-honey-pie?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 1 month ago
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Peter Jackson's Get Back dispelled the myth of crisis and catastrophe in the Jan. 1969 sessions. But as a testament to the silliness and joy they still found in recording together, Dig It has always been with us, hiding in plain sight
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161. Dig It
One of the best jam sessions tracks ever pressed to vinyl. Which is not a very high bar TBF
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/161-dig-it?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 1 month ago
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Call it pandering if you like, but songs like Thank You Girl show that the early
#Beatles
genuinely understood what it means to fall in love with and through music
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X. Thank You Girl
A quintessential early Beatles song, written to and for the listener
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/162-thank-you-girl?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 1 month ago
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Is Yer Blues supposed to be an authentic blues song? A parody of an authentic blues song? Something in between? It's all a little unclear
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X. Yer Blues
It's not entirely clear how serious we're supposed to take this one. Sure is loud, though.
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/163-yer-blues?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
about 2 months ago
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I sometimes think that John Lennon revealed more about his inner psyche in the days when he was churning out pop songs than he ever managed in his later confessional era
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164. You Can't Do That
A great performance, but ultimately it's still an ode to toxic masculinity
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/164-you-cant-do-that?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 2 months ago
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George Harrison cared deeply about many things. One of the things he cared deeply about was paying less in tax
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165. Taxman
A rip-roaring testament to George's lifelong distaste for paying taxes
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/165-taxman?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 2 months ago
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A masterful piece of songwriting, Not a Second Time uses odd chord progressions and unnerving key changes to keep the listener in a state of uncanny discomfort
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166. Not a Second Time
A typically kinetic early Beatles performance, which quite deliberately refuses to resolve the tension it creates
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/166-not-a-second-time?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 2 months ago
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Listening to Money offers a hint of what it might have been like to hear the
#Beatles
in the Before times. Sadly, you canāt bottle that feeling. You can only hear it in the echoes
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167. Money
This song almost (but sadly not quite) makes you feel what it would have been like to see The Beatles before they were **THE BEATLES**
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/167-money?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 2 months ago
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Pretentious garbage? Avant-garde genius? A waste of everyone's time? Revolution 9 might be the single most controversial
#Beatles
track. And whether you like it or detest it, there's something incredible about its existence
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
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168. Revolution 9
What if you put an eight-minute musique concrete composition into the hands of tens of millions of listeners
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/168-revolution-9?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 2 months ago
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Drive My Car has all the bones of a great Motown track and is right up there as one of the funkiest songs the
#Beatles
ever wrote. Itās a legitimate jam. So why don't I love it more?
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169. Drive My Car
A killer rhythm track with some more questionable choices elsewhere
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/169-drive-my-car?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 2 months ago
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A relatively mediocre song, rescued by a luminous bridge
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170. When I Get Home
The least consequential song from A Hard Day's Night, but still has plenty to justify its existence
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/170-when-i-get-home?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
about 2 months ago
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It's a great vocal performance from Paul, but sadly there's something a little bit lost in the recording of I'm Down
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171. I'm Down
Paul set out to write a replacement for Long Tall Sally, and mostly succeeded
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/171-im-down?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
2 months ago
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The
#Beatles
tried to recapture the feeling of being the world's best bar band with One After 909. And mostly succeeded
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172. One After 909
The Get Back project was an interesting idea, and you can absolutely understand why they wanted to do it.
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/172-one-after-909?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
2 months ago
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A very rare
#Beatles
song that's built around a riff, Birthday is a fun bit of rock and roll ephemera
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173. Birthday
Imagine writing and recording a song in a single afternoon and then have people listen to it hundreds of millions of times
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/173-birthday?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
2 months ago
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An extremely faithful cover of a good Buddy Holly song, Words of Love is a nice piece of the
#Beatles
story, but doesn't do much to advance the argument
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174. Words of Love
It's a nice song, but doesn't really pass the 'why not just listen to the original' test
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/174-words-of-love?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
2 months ago
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Savoy Truffle isn't one of the great George Harrison songs, but it plants the seeds for songs that ARE among his very best
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175. Savoy Truffle
George's return to rock and roll, and a stepping stone toward some of his greatest work
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/175-savoy-truffle?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
2 months ago
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Doctor Robert is probably the worst song on Revolver, which is a pretty stunning endorsement for Revolver
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176. Doctor Robert
It's moderately funny to do a drug song, but it doesn't have quite enough going on musically to stick the landing
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/176-doctor-robert?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
2 months ago
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It's one the most trifling
#Beatles
songs, but there's a lot to love even when they're still finding their feet
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177. Ask Me Why
A song inspired by Smokey Robinson, which more or less rises to the challenge
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/177-ask-me-why?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
2 months ago
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Critics often like to dismiss George's 'preachy' songs, but they are generally pretty interesting. I Me Mine is a good example
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178. I Me Mine
A fairly slight George track spliced together to make a full song, which brings just enough beauty to justify itself
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/x-i-me-mine?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
2 months ago
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Roll Over Beethoven is the sound of rock and roll inventing its own mythology. It's good and right that we have a
#Beatles
cover of it
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179. Roll Over Beethoven
Chuck Berry wanted to turn rock and roll into myth; of course The Beatles would want to grab the baton and run with it
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/179-roll-over-beethoven?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
2 months ago
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Bungalow Bill is a pretty silly song. And it could never have appeared on any other
#Beatles
album. But itās the opposite of āfillerā
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180. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
It's impossible to argue that the world āneededā to hear Bungalow Bill, but sometimes the greatest gifts are the ones you didnāt need, or even particularly want
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/180-the-continuing-story-of-bungalow?r=55vb&utm_medium=ios
3 months ago
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It might be their schmaltziest song, but I still have a lot of time for Till There Was You. Especially the guitar solo
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181. Till There Was You
It's 'slightly to the left and the right of rock and roll,' and plays an important part in the story of the early Beatles
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/181-till-there-was-you?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
3 months ago
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Do You Want to Know a Secret is an imitation of earnestness, which can be a little hard to take seriously. But the underlying nervousness about being loved rings true
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182. Do You Want to Know a Secret
It's a bit too precious and a bit too simple, but the underlying sincerity of the performance ensures that it still ends up as something special
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/182-do-you-want-to-know-a-secret?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
3 months ago
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The
#Beatles
ā origin as a skiffle band isnāt something that shows up all that clearly in their more famous work, but itās nice to have one clear reference to that history on the record
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183. Maggie Mae
An old skiffle tune included to lighten the mood, which it more than manages to do
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/181-maggie-mae?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
3 months ago
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One of the many delightful pieces of early
#Beatles
lore is the fact that they were far more aware of obscure American R&B records than kids who actually grew up in America
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184. Devil In Her Heart
How did an obscure song that never charted anywhere end up on a multi-Platinum Beatles record?
https://open.substack.com/pub/beatles208/p/184-devil-in-her-heart?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
3 months ago
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