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Song Of The Week - Every Little Thing

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Hello Goodbye:
Every Little Thing

Every Little Thing was written by Paul McCartney at the Asher home at 57 Wimpole Street where he had taken up residence while dating Jane Asher.  He hoped it would be released as a single to follow the very successful song A Hard Day's Night and played it for Brian Epstein during The Beatles 1964 American tour.  During the Beatles For Sale sessions, there was much debate as to what their next single would be and ultimately John's I Feel Fine was selected.
 
Every Little Thing was recorded in nine takes on 29-30 September 1964 and released in the UK on 4 December 1964 on the Beatles For Sale LP...
 

The Beatles - Every Little Thing [Mono] (Beatles For Sale)


Here in the US, we had to wait until 14 June 1965 to hear it when it was released as the last track on the Beatles VI LP... 

The Beatles - Every Little Thing - LP - Original Mono Mix



All through the year 1964, we had become used to George's distinctive-sounding Rickenbacker 360/12, the twelve-string electric guitar we heard and saw him play in A Hard Day's Night.  But if you listen to the opening riffs of Every Little Thing you can hear that the twelve-string guitar being played differs in tone from the guitar we had become familiar with.  John Lennon asked Rickenbacker to make a custom 12-string version of his solid-body Rickenbacker 325 6-string electric guitar.  So that's John playing lead on his 1964 Rickenbacker 325/12 on Every Little Thing, the only time it would ever appear on a Beatles recording.  George Harrison is playing rhythm guitar on his 1962 Gibson J-160E.






Paul is playing his Hofner 500/1 bass guitar, his bass work being intricate where necessary and loud enough in the mix to be noticed.  And for the first time in a Beatles song we hear two bass parts played simultaneously, something that would become more common in later years.  Paul is playing bass notes on a Steinway upright piano...






Ringo plays timpani to add punctuating one-two flourishes to the refrains...

Moogmodule:
A great song this one. I think it would have made a worthy single, although I Feel Fine probably had the edge from a commercial standpoint. This one might have just been a bit too laid back.

But I love how it all fits together. The chiming guitar, piano underneath, nice bass and subtle but effective drums. As well as the seductive verse melody beautifully sung by John.

Klang:

Nice, but not a big fave of mine. Glad that 'I Feel Fine' made the cut. Probably my fave Fab single.

 :)

tkitna:
Love the song.  Probably a top 20 of mine and a definite bright spot on 'Beatles For Sale', which was a pretty lackluster album all in all.

Mr Mustard:
They crafted a little bit of extra magic with this precious little gem, the best track on "Beatles For Sale" and certainly within my Beatles top twenty - maybe even top ten.

I just love everything about it; John's affectionate, vulnerable yet optimistic lead vocal, Paul's confident piano work and vocal harmony, the crisp, twinkling guitar solo, the prominent bass and of course Ringo's dramatic timpani bom-boom all combine to deepen this lyrically charming, romantic love song with a wonderfully brooding, dark-clouded emotional backdrop. It's the musical equivalent of sunshine gleaming through a thundery shower; a beautifully layered piece greatly enhanced by the care and attention to detail given to it.

Supposedly written by McCartney, though I don't recall seeing its authorship claimed in any interviews? I'd love to hear Paul's recollections of this track - specifically why he handed the lead vocal to John?

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