Monday, April 05, 2004

NOT ONE BAND BUT THREE. OR MAYBE FOUR.

I've been listening to the Beatles again, 'cause my tapes came back from California in the last of the boxes to be unpacked.
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What amazes me is how different the voices of the Beatles are. It's as if there are three bands, not one. John writes angry depressive love songs:

You know that I'm a wicked guy and I was born with a jealous mind
and I can spend my whole life trying just to make you toe the line
You better run for your life if you can little girl
hide your head in the sand little girl
catch you with another man, that's the end, little girl.

Paul writes things like:

I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
I've got something I can laugh about...
She feels good
She know she's looking fine
I'm so proud to know that she is mine.

And George almost never writes a love song:

We were talking
about the space between us all...
and the people who hide themselves behind a wall
of illusion,
never glimpse the truth,
till it's far too late,
and they pass away...

It's not surprising the Beatles broke up, it's amazing they stayed together for so long. They're really into different headspaces, you should pardon the expression.

The other odd thing is how Paul comes across as a sloppy sentimentalist who writes goopy catchy songs. But he's the only one who came out with a really decent solo album, Band on the Run. John had one, maybe two great songs after the Beatles ("Imagine" and, arguably, "Starting Over"). I can't think of a memorable George song after the band broke up.

Well, that's artistic collaborating for ya. You can't tell who's doing what. The genesis of the John songs may have been John, and you can't really see the Paul in them for the most part, but without Paul most of them probably wouldn't have been much to listen to.

10:48 PM

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