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Beatles forums => Songs => Topic started by: real01 on February 20, 2011, 05:21:24 PM

Title: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: real01 on February 20, 2011, 05:21:24 PM
John wrote it, but he brought the song to Paul before recording.

In his biography, McCartney recalls that Lennon had had a sudden inspiration for the song
and had suggested that the two of them should record it immediately, without waiting for
the other Beatles to return.[8] Reflecting this somewhat unusual situation, the session recordings
include the following exchange:


    Lennon (on guitar): "Go a bit faster, Ringo!"
    McCartney (on drums): "OK, George!"[8]


(Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_John_and_Yoko (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_John_and_Yoko)

Oh, well... I always loved their humor!
Title: Re: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: Ovi on February 23, 2011, 07:06:37 PM
Haha, that is hilarious ! :D  ha2ha
I've always liked the song.
Thanks for making my day. Great post !  ;yes
Title: Re: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: 7 of 13 on February 24, 2011, 06:23:36 PM
yeah that song is a floor rocker and a half. thanks for the information.
Title: Re: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: real01 on March 04, 2011, 05:47:33 PM
Haha, that is hilarious ! :D  ha2ha
I've always liked the song.
Thanks for making my day. Great post !  ;yes


Glad you liked it...
I recently read on the net about Billy Preston, who joined the Beatles
on Get Back/Let It Be project. John suggested that Billy would be
accepted as the fifth Beatle... but Paul responded
that it was bad enough with just four of them.  :o

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Preston (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Preston)
Title: Re: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: 7 of 13 on March 04, 2011, 09:16:01 PM
i like billy preston.

Billy Preston - Will it go Round in Circles 1973 live Midnight Special (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un63LEAN22E#)
Title: Re: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: real01 on March 05, 2011, 06:12:07 PM
Nice song from Billy.
Title: Re: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: real01 on March 05, 2011, 06:13:03 PM
Continuing with funny remarks...

Song Not a Second Time
inspired a musical analysis from William Mann of The Times, citing the "Aeolian cadence"
(Aeolian harmony) of Lennon's vocals as the song draws to a close, and noting that the same chord
progression appears at the end of Mahler's "Song of the Earth". Lennon, years later, remarked:
"To this day, I have no idea what [Aeolian cadences] are. They sound like exotic birds."  ;D
Title: Re: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: real01 on March 06, 2011, 01:37:41 PM
Interesting thing from the net about The Ballad:

...from 2:04 on, Paul sings harmony on every line and word, EXCEPT for "Christ"
Title: Re: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: real01 on March 07, 2011, 06:11:48 PM
About Lovely Rita:

The term "meter-maid" was largely unknown in the UK prior to the song's release.
It is American slang for a female traffic warden, now officially known by the gender-neutral
term parking attendant. According to some sources, the song emanates from when a female
traffic warden named Meta Davis issued a parking ticket to McCartney outside Abbey Road Studios.
Instead of becoming angry, he accepted it with good grace and expressed his feelings in song.
When asked why he had called her "Rita", McCartney replied, "Well, she looked like a Rita to me."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovely_Rita (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovely_Rita)
Title: Re: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: TomMo on June 04, 2012, 10:52:19 PM
Glad you liked it...
I recently read on the net about Billy Preston, who joined the Beatles
on Get Back/Let It Be project. John suggested that Billy would be
accepted as the fifth Beatle... but Paul responded
that it was bad enough with just four of them.  :o

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Preston[/url] ([url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Preston[/url])


Yes, this was discussed seriously. Whether Paul responded in those words at the time is unknown, or if he simply said that in hindsight, which is more likely.

Lots of little gems can be found from the transcripts of the Get Back/Let It Be sessions. At the point when they were still planning to do a live show, Paul suggested they REALLY "get back" and record a cover song. Paul seemed enthralled by the song, "Build Me Up, Buttercup", which was popular at that time. John's response: "I'm not even sure I want to record yours or George's songs."

It might have been interesting to hear the Lads cover Buttercup for a return to the old 'call and response' days.
Title: Re: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: KelMar on June 05, 2012, 05:13:49 AM
Paul seemed enthralled by the song, "Build Me Up, Buttercup", which was popular at that time.

Interesting. I remember getting a serious eyeroll from my big brother over that song but I've always liked it a lot. I feel better knowing Paul did too.  ;)
Title: Re: The Ballad of John & Yoko was done with a little help from Paul...
Post by: blmeanie on June 07, 2012, 11:52:30 PM
John's response: "I'm not even sure I want to record yours or George's songs."


Beautiful response!