In THEIR words about their songs!

[real01]

See the link:
http://www.geocities.com/~beatleboy1/dbsongs.html

It's interesting and informative. For example:
PIGGIES
JOHN 1980: "I gave George a couple of lines about forks and knives and eating bacon."
(So, did you know that? A little piece of information, if John didn't reveal that - we wouldn't know since it is George's song).


ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

(Lennon/McCartney)

JOHN 1972: "One of my best songs. Not one of the best recordings, but I like the lyrics."

THE END
(Lennon/McCartney)

JOHN 1980: "That's Paul again, the unfinished song, right? Just a piece at the end. He had a line in it, (sings) 'And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make,' which is a very cosmic, philosophical line-- which again proves that if he wants to, he can think."


PAUL 1988: "Ringo would never do drum solos. He hated drummers who did lengthy drum solos. We all did. And when he joined the Beatles we said, 'Ah, what about drum solos then?' and he said, 'I hate 'em!' We said, 'Great! We love you!' And so he would never do them. But because of this medley I said, 'Well, a token solo?' and he really dug his heels in and didn't want to do it. But after a little bit of gentle persuasion I said, '...it wouldn't be Buddy Rich gone mad,' because I think that's what he didn't want to do. ... anyway we came to this compromise, it was a kind of a solo. I don't think he's done one since."


PAUL 1994: "We were looking for the end to an album, and 'In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make' just came into my head. I just recognized that would be a good end to an album. And it's a good little thing to say-- now and for all time, I think. I can't think of anything much better as a philosophy, because all you need IS love. It still is what you need. There aint nothin' better. So, you know, I'm very proud to be in the band that did that song, and that thought those thoughts, and encouraged other people to think them to help them get through little problems here and there. So uhh... We done good!!"

BACK IN THE USSR
(Lennon/McCartney)

PAUL 1968: "Chuck Berry once did a song called 'Back In The USA,' which is very American, very Chuck Berry. Very sort of, uhh... you know, you're serving in the army, and when I get back home I'm gonna kiss the ground. And you know-- Can't wait to get back to the States. And it's a very American sort of thing, I've always thought. So this one is like about... In my mind it's just about a spy who's been in America a long long time, you know, and he's picked up... And he's very American. But he gets back to the USSR, you know, and he's sort of saying, 'Leave it till tomorrow, honey, to disconnect the phone,' and all that. And 'Come here honey,' but with Russian women. It concerns the attributes of Russian women."


HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN
(Lennon/McCartney)

PAUL 1968: "The idea of 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun' is from an advert in an American paper. It said, Happiness is a warm gun, and it was 'Get ready for the long hot summer with a rifle,' you know, 'Come and buy them now!' It was an advert in a gun magazine. And it was so sick, you know, the idea of 'Come and buy your killing weapons,' and 'Come and get it.' But it's just such a great line, 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun' that John sort of took that and used that as a chorus. And the rest of the words... I think they're great words, you know. It's a poem. And he finishes off, 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun, yes it is.' It's just good poetry."


JOHN 1972: "They all said it was about drugs, but it was more about rock 'n roll than drugs. It's sort of a history of rock 'n roll... I don't know why people said it was about the needle in heroin. I've only seen somebody do something with a needle once, and I don't like to see it at all."


JOHN 1980: "A gun magazine was sitting around and the cover was the picture of a smoking gun. The title of the article, which I never read, was 'Happiness Is a Warm Gun.' I took it right from there. I took it as the idea of happiness after having shot somebody. Or some animal."

etc.

[Kaleidoscope_Eyes]

PIGGIES
JOHN 1980: "I gave George a couple of lines about forks and knives and eating bacon."
(So, did you know that? A little piece of information, if John didn't reveal that - we wouldn't know since it is George's song).

Funny, I always thought Geroge's mother helped him with this song.

HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN
(Lennon/McCartney)

JOHN 1980: "A gun magazine was sitting around and the cover was the picture of a smoking gun. The title of the article, which I never read, was 'Happiness Is a Warm Gun.' I took it right from there. I took it as the idea of happiness after having shot somebody. Or some animal."

Oh, he didn't really mean that? Hey i just noticed the irony...  

By the way great info real01! I see you are new to the forums... Welcome!

[harihead]

Funny, I always thought Geroge's mother helped him with this song.

His mother added the line "damn good whacking"-- and I wish she hadn't!  

You can find John's and Paul's takes on their songs in the Playboy interviews:

John: http://www.geocities.com/~Beatleboy1/dbjypb.int1.html

Paul: http://www.geocities.com/~Beatleboy1/dbpm.int2.html

George: Everything before 1980 is in his book "I, Me, Mine".


Yes, welcome, real01!  

[Kaleidoscope_Eyes]

Thanks for the info Harihead.... I should have known that as i have I Me Mine... got slightly confuddled