Right! So now its time for Part 2 of my pick of the top 10 most underrated songs by The Beatles and without any further ado let's dive in and take a look and finish this list of....
5. Things we said today (from A Hard Day's Night)
OK so to kick off the top 5 we have this underrated gem of a song taken from A Hard Day's Night, which was written and sung by Paul and it is a more melancholy song than usual from Paul's work up to this point. The song was actually written by Paul while he was on a cruise with his then girlfriend, actress, Jane Asher in 1964.
The song itself is nicely structured with the A minor chord playing mostly throughout and Paul's sombre lyrics work well in the song "You say you will love me, if I have to go. You'll be thinking of me, somehow I will know. Someday when I'm lonely, wishing you weren't so far away, then I will remember things we said today". And the song's bridge is also quite impressive as it moves from a minor to major key and Paul sings "Me, I'm just the lucky kind, love to hear you say that love is luck. And though we may be blind love is here to stay and that's enough to make you mine girl, be the only one". The song also makes good use of guitar where John plays ryhthm guitar and plays a strident A minor chord at certain points and ends with that chord ringing out as the song fades.
Overall, Things we said today is a nice change of tack from Paul and it shows that the band were just starting to look beyond writing songs about diamond rings and holding hands, combined with the fact is pretty damn good track so that's why its on here at 5.
4. Rain (B side from Paperback writer single)
At No.4 we have Rain, which is another Lennon song which is the B-side to Paperback writer and it was unique in that it was the first song by the band to feature a promotional video which in a future prompted a sarcastic comment by George Harrison who said "So I suppose, in a way we invented MTV!".
The song itself is excellent and it features again a new feel to the band's music and it was an indicator for what was just around the corner when Revolver was released not long after. It also features some excellent percussion work from Ringo who plays some complex fills and beats throughout the song and Paul notably also provided some creative bass work also. And this is also where the band started their interest in experimenting with using different sounds in the studio and this is evident in the song where towards the end John's voice is heard in reverse as he sings one of the verses.
As for the song's lyrics, John apparently wrote the song after coming off a plane for one gig in Australia only to find heavy rain greeting them on their arrival. John's lyrics also have a pretty cynical feel to them as he later explained it appeared to be more about people who complain about the weather. And the song's opening lyrics are definitely memorable "If the rain comes they run and hide their heads, they might as well be dead, if the rain comes, if the rain comes". The song also has a very catchy chorus where John sings "Rain, I don't mind. Shine, the weather's fine".
So Rain definitely its place on here as it really is one of the great underrated tracks which itself has been considered the greatest ever B side and its easy to hear just why.
3. What you're doing (from Beatles for Sale)
At No.3 is this catchy little song written by Paul that featured on the underrated album in itself that is Beatles for sale and straight away its a quaint little song that grabs your attention.
It also was said to be written by Paul about his then girlfriend, Jane Asher and it gives off the vibe of the concern of how his relationship was going at the time (or so it says on Wikipedia) and the doubts he was feeling. Despite this it still has a rather upbeat sound to it but it is tinged with a kind of melancholy aswell which actually helps make it a really good song also as it adds an extra dimension to it.
The song itself starts with a drum intro for a change and is followed by a guitar section and then Paul comes in singing "Look what you're doing, I'm feeling blue and lonely, would
it be too much to ask you what you're doing to me?". And then he follows singing "You got me running and there's no fun in it, why should
it be so much to ask of you what you're doing to me?". And the bridge section lyrics "I've been waiting here for you wondering what you're
gonna do, should you need a love that's true it's me".
It does also have a playful sounding piano play underneath the mid section that also provides the song with a lighter touch that perhaps does detract a little from the rest of the song but not too much given the rest of is really good.
Anyways despite that What you're doing is very much an underrated Beatles track and its well worth a place on here.
2. Savoy Truffle (from The Beatles a.k.a The White Album)
At No.2 is another George song and this is one off the White Album and it really is a song that stands out on it, yet at the same time it feels like a song that probably doesn't quite get the recognition it might deserve.
Regardless of that though its a song that is well worth putting on here and it features really good vocal performance from George and some good lyrics aswell and probably even more importantly its one of the songs where you really started to see George emerge as a songwriter in his own right.
The lyrics are quite playful and are in fact inspired by George's friendship with fellow guitarist, Eric Clapton's love for chocolate and the song's almost brash brass section really also adds to the song. And the opening lyrics are what provide the song's hook "Creme tangerine and montelimat, a ginger sling with a
pineapple hear, a coffee dessert, yes, you know it's good news. But you'll have to have them all pulled out after
the Savoy truffle".
And ths song even appears to be a bit of a dig toward Paul as at the time of the recording of the album, tensions in the band were pretty high. And George hints at his unrest in the lyrics "You know that what you eat you are but what is sweet now,
turns so sour. We all know
Ob-La-Di-Bla-Da but can you show me, where you are?" which might add a bittersweet touch to the song itself (no pun intended!).
But that aside Savoy Truffle is a catchy and very underrated track that again showed off George's continued growing in his confidence as a songwriter and so it deserves it place on the list.
And the No.1 most underrated track by The Beatles is......
(We need a Ringo drum roll!)
......
1. No Reply (from Beatles for Sale)
So at No.1 is the first track off the band's fourth album, Beatles for Sale and it really is an underrated cracker of a song sung and written by John Lennon. As a song it also marks John's growing maturity as a songwriter as the song itself is primarily about a man who suspects his girlfriend is cheating on him and again it moves away from the holding hands songs that the band previously were known for before.
The song also get's off to a great start with John bringing in the track singing "This happened once before, when I came to your door, no reply. They said it wasn't you but I saw you peep through your window". And then it get's to one of the song's hook lines "I saw the lie, I saw the lie" and John continues "I know you see me as I looked up to see your face". And John in the next verse continues "I tried to telephone, they said you were not home, that's a lie, cause I know where you've been, I saw you walk in your door". And in gets to the same hook line except this time John sings "I nearly died, I nearly died, cause you walked hand in hand with another man in my place".
And then the song get's it to its chorus line where John sings out "If I were you I'd realize that I love you more than any
other guy. And I'll forgive the lies
that I heard before when you gave me no reply". And as the song finishes with John singing "No reply" again it ends with a great chord from George Martin on the piano, which is C6/9 (not too familiar with that one but it sounds great).
And its a song that saw again the band turn a little corner in the style of their songwriting as they were starting to become a bit more introspective and mature and for me No Reply is the best of their underrated songs and it more than deserves the top spot on the list.
Right so that's it for now and I will be back again (ha! that's another Beatles song! ;)) with yet another post.
Until the next one its bye for now.
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