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Author Topic: Songs under a microscope......Ticket To Ride.  (Read 3606 times)

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nimrod

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Songs under a microscope......Ticket To Ride.
« on: August 08, 2011, 01:17:25 PM »

or Ticket To Ryde ?
I have visited the Isle of Wight several times and some people are very confident that this song was written about a town on the island called Ryde, A ticket to Ryde does make sense but who knows the truth......I know Paul has said it was about a girl going to Ryde. McCartney's cousin Bett and her husband Mike Robbins owned a pub on Union Street in Ryde, on the south coast of the Isle of Wight. In the early 1960s Lennon and McCartney hitch-hiked to stay with them, and several years later the journey inspired a pun on the phrase 'ticket to Ryde' in the song.

Anyway, "Ticket to Ride" was released as a single on 9 April 1965 in the United Kingdom and 19 April in the United States with "Yes It Is" as its B-side, topping the Hot 100 for a week in the US and the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in the UK. The American single's label declared that the song was from the United Artists release Eight Arms to Hold You. This was the original title of the Beatles' second movie; the title changed to Help! after the single was initially released. The song was also included on the Help! album released on 6 August in the UK and on 13 August in the US.

Music critics Richie Unterberger of allmusic and Ian MacDonald both describe "Ticket to Ride" as an important milestone in the evolution of the musical style of the Beatles. Unterberger said, "the rhythm parts on 'Ticket to Ride' were harder and heavier than they had been on any previous Beatles outing, particularly in Ringo Starr's stormy stutters and rolls." MacDonald described it as "psychologically deeper than anything the Beatles had recorded before ... extraordinary for its time — massive with chiming electric guitars, weighty rhythm, and rumbling floor tom-toms. Macdonald also notes that the track uses the Indian basis of drone which might have influenced the Kinks' "See My Friends"
Ticket To Ride was The Beatles' first song to feature Paul McCartney on lead guitar. He played the lines, which can be heard in the fade-out, on an Epiphone Casino semi-acoustic. Lennon played a 12-string Rickenbacker 325, and it is likely that George Harrison played a Rickenbacker 360 12-string.

The songs verses are of course based around a figure or riff taken from its home chord of A major (a posher name for this figure is an ostinato) and Ringo played a syncopated (that is not regular) beat over the riff, whilst it is in a 4/4 beat he plays on the 4th beat and also the 'and' beat between  the 4 and next 1 beat, this of course changes to a more familiar 4/4 pattern on the 2 Bridge sections (I Dont Know Why She's Riding So High..).........note this song had no chorus's as such.
There is some difference of opinion about the song, John has said it was all his whereas Paul said its about 60% John but it was a collaboration between them.

McCartney also explained how he was particularly proud of Ticket To Ride's double-time coda:
I think the interesting thing was a crazy ending: instead of ending like the previous verse, we changed the tempo. We picked up one of the lines, 'My baby don't care', but completely altered the melody. We almost invented the idea of a new bit of a song on the fade-out with this song; it was something specially written for the fade-out, which was very effective but it was quite cheeky and we did a fast ending. It was quite radical at the time.

John always liked the song and said he was proud of it;
Ticket To Ride was slightly a new sound at the time. It was pretty f***ing heavy for then, if you go and look in the charts for what other music people were making. You hear it now and it doesn't sound too bad; but it'd make me cringe. If you give me the A track and I remix it, I'll show you what it is really, but you can hear it there. It's a heavy record and the drums are heavy too. That's why I like it.

Personally I think it was a big return to form after the slightly lack lustre Beatles For Sale and the song definatly had an edge to it, it sounded fresh and very strong way back then and it erased any doubts the world had that The Beatles had lost any of that edge.
Great song, great sound, great band.

Beatles - Ticket To Ride (1965) from "HELP!"

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blmeanie

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Re: Songs under a microscope......Ticket To Ride.
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2011, 12:17:20 AM »

I've always enjoyed this song a lot but back in the days of cassettes it didn't always make the cut on a "mix"

Love the boys laughing while they ride down on the sled in the movie
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tkitna

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Re: Songs under a microscope......Ticket To Ride.
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2011, 01:02:17 AM »

Nice review.

It is a good song, but its never been one of those that really knocked me over. I'm not too keen on the lead guitar tone for one thing and I think that the drum beat is the most interesting part of the tune. Speaking of the drum beat, i've always believed or read somewhere that Paul showed Ringo what he wanted and there you have it. If thats true, its kind of a bummer for me. I want Ringo to get credit for the innovative playing, but to be honest, I really dont know the truth. I'm to lazy to go and look it up.

Once again, good song, but it doesnt scratch my list of favorites.

KelMar

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Re: Songs under a microscope......Ticket To Ride.
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2011, 03:26:47 AM »

Love the boys laughing while they ride down on the sled in the movie

That is a great clip. I like it even better since I saw John's coat at the Hall of Fame.  :)
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blmeanie

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Re: Songs under a microscope......Ticket To Ride.
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2011, 12:02:36 PM »

watched the attached video, hadn't seen that in a while.  Really like the part at 2:34 when Paul is on the horse coming into view over the snow crest.  The change in vocals right as he starts to come into view is cool.
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Hombre_de_ningun_lugar

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Re: Songs under a microscope......Ticket To Ride.
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2011, 08:06:22 PM »

or Ticket To Ryde ?
I have visited the Isle of Wight several times and some people are very confident that this song was written about a town on the island called Ryde, A ticket to Ryde does make sense but who knows the truth......I know Paul has said it was about a girl going to Ryde. McCartney's cousin Bett and her husband Mike Robbins owned a pub on Union Street in Ryde, on the south coast of the Isle of Wight. In the early 1960s Lennon and McCartney hitch-hiked to stay with them, and several years later the journey inspired a pun on the phrase 'ticket to Ryde' in the song.

I've also heard that "ride" could also have a sexual meaning, and that having a "ticket to ride" could be interpreted as a legal permission for prostitution. Weird.
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nimrod

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Re: Songs under a microscope......Ticket To Ride.
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2011, 10:29:19 PM »

I've also heard that "ride" could also have a sexual meaning, and that having a "ticket to ride" could be interpreted as a legal permission for prostitution. Weird.

Yes, I think John said that, it meant a hooker in Hamburg had a clean bill of health  ha2ha
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Ovi

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Re: Songs under a microscope......Ticket To Ride.
« Reply #7 on: August 15, 2011, 03:12:26 PM »

Probably my favourite Beatles song. I love every bit of it. The lyrics, John's voice, the lead guitar, the drums, just about everything. Always puts me in a good mood, and if anyone asks me to suggest them a Beatles song, I always go for this one. My father always mentions this one as one of his all time favourite songs, oh well, like father, like son I guess.  :)
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RICKENBACKER325

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Re: Songs under a microscope......Ticket To Ride.
« Reply #8 on: August 17, 2011, 03:32:42 AM »

If you listen to Greendays Wake me when September ends you clearly hear a complete rip off or tribute(its all how you look at it) to Ticket to ride. i like the song so i will say tribute.
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