The Beatles: "If I Needed Someone" - Vinyl Friday #56
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- čas přidán 10. 01. 2024
- Oh no, folks! There's only one Rubber Soul episode left after this one! Let's not think about that too hard, because today we're checking out one of my favourite songs on the album!
In this episode: John and Paul give their all for their younger pal, we take a journey through the latter half of the 20th century, and Graham Nash has beef with our boy George.
For those of you with a burning desire to generally support what I do, I'm here to help you along in that journey: www.buymeacoffee.com/fathommu... (but no pressure, friends☺️)
Happy Friday, folks!
Want to look at pictures of what I'm working on? / fathommusicnz
Interested in purchasing music I've made? fathomnz.bandcamp.com
Fathom albums "The World to Breathe" and "Modern Reflections, Vol. 1" are also available on all streaming platforms. Tweed's album "High Brow Blues" is also ALSO available on all streaming platforms!
Thanks for your sharing your attention with me. :)
#thebeatles #beatles #rubbersoul #georgeharrison #vinyl #vinylcommunity
I feel George out-Byrded the Byrds... His playing is so clear and clean. Glorious!
Thanks for this wonderful break down of "If I Needed Someone" and appreciation of Rubbersoul and the Beatles. I've just enjoyed the music on all of its levels but never zeroed in on the harmonies as you are here- with such knowledgability!
I was 13 in 1970 and got my first portable turntable- the speakers closed it on top to carry!
I bought "Born On the Bayou", fabulous; then Santana's first record, so great.
Then- "Rubbersoul" (!) Can you imagine what that did to my teenage heart and mind, "Drive My Car" came on and the magic started. Of course I had already seen A Hard Days Night and Help!
And February 9, 1964 was my 7th birthday and Ed Sullivan gave me a present! 🎁 🎉
But Rubbersoul will always be that special one. I love it so much, like you do my friend.
We are blessed with this music and all music 🎶
Peace ✌️ ☮️ 🕊 and 🌎 🙏 ✨️ ❤️ love from my rubbersoul to yours!
("I'm Looking Through You"- really rocked my world 🌎)
1:10 "I believe it was a gift from Rickenbacker." That was a great marketing move by them to gift one to a Beatle. I'm sure sales must have jumped up from that move.
3:35 "All 3 Beatles, who were not drummers, are singing." The other 3 Beatles actually did drum... just not nearly as often as Ringo.
4:00 "BEATLES!" Your joy for the sound of 3 part harmony of John, Paul & George is so fun to see. And your description of what you love about it is lovely. 4:25 "But for some reason, when they all come together, it blends - and *it's magical*."
4:34 A short pause for the feline claws. Or.. a short pause for the feline cause. Or.. Everything's fine cause it's kitty time. He also wraps his tail around your arm.
4:46 Love your deep dive into the harmony vocals by John & Paul for the line: "If I had some more time to spend - then I guess I'd be with you my friend".
5:34 "See, it's *way* better the way that he sings it. Really nice! Good job, Paul McCartney!" Two thumbs up from Nancy... You can't do better than that, Sir Paul.
5:40 Your comments about how John & Paul do such a great job of supporting their younger bandmate with their great backing vocals - are spot on. Just think... George always had, not only two of the world's greatest song writers, but also two of the best singers... supporting him during his time as a Beatle. 5:54 "I don't know what it is - but there's something about that - that just warms the cockles of my heart." George was the only person on the planet who got to directly learn about song writing, vocal harmonies, musical arrangements, etc... from Lennon-McCartney. He was the only one lucky enough to be in that master class.
6:24 I enjoyed your comments about George having a difficult time to ever be seen as an equal to John & Paul. In my view, John & Paul became pretty much equals - as they started writing songs together back in 1957. This was a huge factor that bonded them together over anyone else. And they also had the huge bond of both losing their mothers as a teenager. Paul would bring George into the group after a few months... and the 3 of them are certainly the core of The Beatles (being together for 4 and a half years before Ringo joined). And while all 4 of them were very close... George could never truly break into the super tight "Lennon & McCartney duo" that was the song writing team who made the group world famous. George was the younger kid brother who played guitar. He and Ringo were great... but they weren't "John & Paul".
John Lennon said this about George: "I couldn’t be bothered with him when he first came around. He used to follow me around like a bloody kid, hanging around all the time. He was a kid who played guitar and he was a friend of Paul’s which made it easier. It took me years to come around to him, to start considering him as an equal." If George ever actually became seen as a equal by John & Paul... it would only have been after the great success of his two songs on the Abbey Road album. And by that time... the band was over.
Just for the record... Paul was 8 months and 1 week older than George (February 18th would be exactly 8 months - and George was born on February 25th). John was 20 months and 1 week older than Paul. So John was 28 and a half months older than George. George looked even younger than he was back in those early days. And Paul seemed older than he was, in John's eyes, because they were basically on even ground as song writers - and Paul was just as good a performer (or better) than John with his singing, playing guitar and piano. George was clearly the junior member of the three... and he could never fully escape that position.
7:50 "You get something that really beautifully anticipates 1966." I have to disagree with you on this, Nancy. I don't hear this song in that light. It has never seemed to me - as one of the tracks that foreshadows what is to come. I've always seen it firmly as a very 1965 sounding track. It doesn't sound like it fits in with the "psychedelic, head music, Revolver period" - to me.
10:28 Loved how your piano correspondent demonstrated the way the bass is playing in the key of A (which goes along with the A chord being played by the band)... and then "When the chord changes down a tone to a G - the bass continues to play the same riff... and that creates this glorious chord. Isn't that delectable."\
11:16 Timeless melody... I don't see it as being any more "timeless" than pretty much all of their songs. But... I loved the work you did on all of those different era songs (nice vocal work from the great Fathom) and that was some excellent photoshop work as well.
12:28 The lyrics... I agree with you - that the song is not all that romantic. "*Maybe* you will get a call from me." "If I had some more time to spend - then I *guess* I'd be with you *my friend*." "Maybe.".. "I guess"... "my friend". Hardly a passionate yearning for a lover... I always thought the lyrics were kind if clunky. And it sounds more like it is a message George would be telling to some groupie - than to the woman he would soon be engaged to.
Back in 1965, when I first heard this song, I wondered why George didn't use this slight change in the lyrics...
"Had you come some other day - it might not have been this way" (rather than "it might not have been like this").
With "Carve your number on my wall - and maybe you will get a call (from me)... George uses the rhyme this time.
I was surprised that you see this line as a "strong" lyric. It's just ok - to me. It's not something I'd point out as being a highlight. He could have used "write" or "jot" or "leave" or "paint" or "mark" or any number of words - and it would have worked as well.
13:22 The spiritual quality of the song... I don't see this song as being "spiritual" at all. It seems to be about George being able to pick up a babe whenever the mood hits him. He can take it or leave it. Just doesn't really matter. Give me your number... and maybe I'll call you sometime (if I'm horny - and I have nothing better to do).
14:17 For me - the music is far better than the lyrics.
14:30 I have a question for you. It sounds like your love for this song has a very strong connection to how performing it live made you feel (bonds you to your bandmates). Is that a major reason for why you love it so much..? Or did you love it long before you ever performed it live?
15:20 Rivalry... Feud between George Harrison and Graham Nash. I can see why George's comments hurt Graham's feelings... but I don't particularly like The Hollies version. The Hollies released their cover of the song on December 3rd, 1965 (the same day that "Rubber Soul" was released) and it peaked at #20 in the UK. That made it George Harrison's first song to ever make the charts. The Hollies had put out 7 consecutive singles that were top 10 hits in the UK... so Nash felt that their version of "If I Needed Someone" performed that poorly only because of the bad things that Harrison had said about it.
16:52 "File that under 376 reasons that I think Graham Nash is a bit of a prat". There MUST be some reason why that had come up again. We need to hear why he was talking about it.
17:38 Wow... a stop motion video of you and your sister.
18:07 Yay... bloopers.
Another really delightful deep dive into a Beatles song. Thanks for how much you put into these.
John still had his old and by now crappy 325 capri when Rickenbacker gave him a new black Jet glow guitar. I believe they didn't have that colour before. John's was maple and he had it paint' it black (😉 Rolling Stones reference there). And they gave him a special black 12 string. He played it on some gigs and some recordings on Beatles for Sale (Every little thing?) but gave it up because tuning was a drag. Lady Lennon😂😂😂
I love the way you describe Harrison as having the good fortune (double-edged sword, maybe!) of being taught songcraft from the masters themselves. Further cockle-warming.
It's fascinating to me that you don't hear the anticipation of psychedelia in this track! I love that you have a different take on this.
This might seem like a left-field argument, but hear me out: there's a band called Temples that put out a track called "Shelter Song" (czcams.com/video/vs4i41cOv0s/video.html) just over a decade ago - it borrows almost wholesale from the sound of "If I Needed Someone"/"Bells of Rhymney". They sort of made the sound their trademark. They are described on rateyourmusic.com as "Neo-Psychedelia, Psychedelic Pop, Psychedelic Rock". I believe the 12-string, drone-y sound trialed on "If I Needed Someone" came to be synonymous with psychedelia, musically. That's my take :)
One of all time favorite albums.
Long time watcher, first time commenter.
Some times it's nice to go out with a film camera, knowing you've only got 12 shots and not 1012. You think more carefully about your choice of shot. The same goes for a vinyl friday video. Instead of the track passing me by, I get to listen to it as if it was for the first time. And I think I've been guilty of not appreciating this track's beauty before. For me the melody, lyrics and vocal style all fit together for an almost melancholic,relaxed uninterested atmosphere - I can't quite find the right words. It feels like it was born from the same state of mind as Blue Jay Way (will be). I think that's why the Hollies version misses the target. They don't "feel" it.
"Less is more."
Intelligent, perceptive, erudite. Thank you
Lovely comment.
So insightful. Another wonderful episode 😊
GREAT mention of the Byrds riff. It was a friendly rivalry in those day. I never appreciated this song. But now, thanks to you, I've appreciated it anew. Thank you!
I definitely appreciate it more now. But it's still one of the weaker tracks on the LP for me.
You're correct! The Beatles didn't feel threatened by any band. Not because they thought they were the best, but because they were pure musicians and realised succes was temporary. By 1964 they had achieved everything they dreamed of, were okay with it all to end. I believe they met the Byrds when they visited the UK, praising them and genuinly paying respect. The Beatles were very self confident, but not arrogant
Oh my God ! You've done it again. The microscopic detail that you achieve is amazing. Even after hearing these songs hundreds of times, you always bring out new details for me to appreciate. Such a joy .Oh, and I agree with you about Gram Nash. I met him once, and Ya.
I'm so glad to hear my Graham Nash thoughts confirmed - nice to know I'm not trash-talking one of my favourite songwriters on the internet for nothing.
I agree with you about Gram Nash being a great song writer. I remember "Songs for Beginners" coming out when I was around 18 and had my first girlfriend and first love. It seemed to be the perfect album for that time.@@fathommusicnz
Another fine job of dissecting and enlightening us with the boys' songs. With this one you've caused me to enjoy a song of theirs that was never really one of my favorites. Thanks. =)
Biggest laugh in a long time! These videos are tremendously generous, witty, ear opening and informed.
Lovely comment.
I'm stunned by the boys leap from the teen themes of the past to knowing the dilemmas of the adult world here on Rubber Soul and later on Revolver, as particularly represented by Norwegian Wood. Has any other rock group written a song with this sort of personal interaction and mood? Unfortunately they didn't stay in this vain. They went East with George, into overly sweet with Paul, and to off beat psychedelia with John on their later albums, with few exceptions - e.g., A Day In The Life and Strawberry Fields. George Martin liked Rubber Soul and Revolver best.
The new mix was so cool, too!
(A great song to begin with as well)
I love The Hollies, but hoo boy, their version of If I Needed Someone is a stinker, isn't it? George and Graham were actually good friends for the most part (Graham was in the assembled All You Need Is Love throngs), but I think also Graham is a very sensitive fellow and can get cross about stuff. From most of what I've heard about him, he's actually extremely nice and approachable, but he's... passionate. Usually I agree with him - the footage of Graham tearing strips off Peter Noone for the latter's support of the Vietnam War is a thing of beauty!
From what I understand, John wasn't a Hollies fan and was known to needle them; quite possibly, the equally thin-skinned Lennon was still annoyed that Clarke and Nash beat Lennon, McCartney and Harrison in a teenage talent contest. For the most part, I have a lot of time for Graham; I love that when The Scaffold did a verse in Lily The Pink taking the mick of the The Hollies' single Jennifer Eccles, it's actually Nash who sings it on the record, affecting a Scouse accent...
I had completely forgotten about that talent contest! I suppose it's fair to say there's a good amount of ego going around in the industry, haha. But yeah, their version is "If I Needed Someone" really does feel a bit soulless. They're singing the right words and playing the right chords, but there's nothing behind it, I think!
@@fathommusicnz It's fun to think there was probably a bigger Beatles-Hollies rivalry than there was Beatles-Stones rivalry, if only for historic reasons. Graham is certainly a man not short of ego, though I still think he seems the most grounded out of CSNY.
Years ago a friend challenged me singing on their Beatles Rock Band video game. I was easily winning until If I Needed Someone cos evidently I'd been singing the harmony all these years instead of the tune. I still couldn't tell you which the melody is 🙂
I'm starting to think... and I could be wrong... but I'm really beginning to believe that... correct me if I'm mistaken... but I'm starting to suspect that you really, really like Rubber Soul.
george's songs on help are enjoyable with nice poppy tunes but he goes up quite a few notches on if i needed someone. the melody moves intelligently from line to line and yes the music has great positive feeling though the lyric is more ambiguous? he produces for the first time one of the highlights on a beatle platter. if you want to exhibit the qualities of a rickenbacker this will do it.
mccartney's top harmony is like he's climbing the ladder first and instead of turning round and maybe taking a couple of steps down to allow his bandmates to catch up he just stays there, soaring into space.
never followed george down the spiritual route but it was an individual take and a sincere one.
i've been reading nash's wild tales: it's good because the story is worth telling but I don't warm to him (I love his songs) and there's some cobblers being spouted in terms of their cover.
I don't think you could find 700 things to say about why you love this song. how could you possibly. er, i retract that, I forgot who we're dealing with :-) this was a cool eulogy to a damn good piece of music.
I absolutely agree with your point that he's now bringing to the table songs of a quality rivalling his peers. Awkward sentence, but hopefully the point comes across. Equally, never really jumped into the religious elements, but it produced some fantastic music, and for that I'm grateful ("The Inner Light", anyone?)
@@fathommusicnz heavily neglected b side
Lovely comment. Especially love your take on Paul's top harmony.
@@aBeatleFan4ever don't you think this was an especially good video from Fathom. the photo shopped George's were radical!!
The Hollies had some good songs although of course they can't compare. Any interview I've read from Graham Nash and he does come across as insuffereable.
I also love If I Needed Someone. Interesting point about the lyrics. I'm so used to hearing them withe the music that I've never thought about how they fit together. My quick take is that they work as they hint at the dichotomy in George's nature, whereby his spiritual mindset wasn't always matched by his actions.
Your reviews are really fun to watch , and as an older Beatles fan (older than you , there are older ones than me ) , i find your take on them as a fan, as a musician, very informative. I'm a Rickenbacker 12 string owner , i'll say it's not the tuning , but the restringing that's painful. Fortunately they're flat wounds and don't need changing often.
Oh man, I hadn't even considered the stringing! Despite what I said about not wanting one, I will admit that I am a little envious. Thanks for watching!
@@fathommusicnz You're very much welcome !!!
One more thing. One more bit of music intrigue. The Hollies released their version not long after the Beatles. The Hollies are from Manchester and the Beatles are Liverpool boys. The has always been a tremendous soccer rivalry between the two cities. There was a back and forth, in the press, with both Harrison and Lennon slagging off on the talents of the and Hollies and Graham Nash slagging off on Lennon, Harrison and the Beatles. Now it gets interesting. ...... A few years after that a new group formed in a friends living room - "Crosby, Stills and Nash". They already had a group of amazing songs and incandescent harmonies. They were all seasoned veterans of other successful groups - Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds and... the Hollies. This new super-group went shopping for a record label. At the same time the Beatles created Apple - a company designed to bring new art to the world. So, CSN came knocking on their door. They auditioned for, you guessed it, George Harrison. Guess what. They were rejected.
I'd heard that story for years but never knew if it was really true. ......Then, not long ago, I happened upon a McCartney interview - on video. The journalist asked about that story and Paul just laughed a small laugh. "Well," Paul said, " I guess George was having a bad day.". But I think it was that old Beatles/Hollies ill will that popped up. Just my supposition.
Haha, I've read in interviews that CSN were shocked and a bit hurt at being refused by Apple. I genuinely think that was a bit of pettiness on George's part (but I'm biased, as CSN is one of my favourite bands!)
@@fathommusicnz - Yeah - George was so spiritual but still just a human.
Such a gorgeous song. One of my Harrison favourites.
Another thoroughly enjoyable&educational vid Nancy.
As another commenter notes more eloquently, I totally related to the lyrics of the songs upon its release cuz I fully felt that LOVE today could (and would) be gone tomorrow, and then (now) I wish I'd kept that other "bird's number"!
I luv your NZ Music Month tee! Thanx again.
I always hear similarities between If I Needed Someone and Only A Northern Song - mainly in the meter of the verse melody. Like OANS is a slower, weirder version of IINS… I guess he just wrote it like that :)
This hadn't occurred to me at all, but I played that back in my head and you're right! I think I prefer the instrumentation on the former over the latter, though.
@@fathommusicnz Me too 😀 I’m sure I read a John Lennon quote years ago, in which he said something like “every songwriter only ever writes three songs” and everything else they write is a version of one of those three. Not sure I entirely agree with that but you can definitely tell OANS and IINS were written by the same person.
@@fathommusicnz You’ve got me thinking about this now! I’m scanning through George’s songs in my mind and I feel like he had a tendency to write melodies where the majority of the notes don’t fall on a quarter note - which makes them quite languid feeling. In some cases, he switches up to hitting more of the quarter beats in a chorus melody which makes it feel more punchy and impactful. It’s only a theory, based on no research other than a bit of humming and finger clicking through a few tunes.. just thought I’d share it as it might appeal to your inner nerd!
Reminds me of seeing Paul talk about "that jangly thing" from the Byrds in the 20th anniversary Sgt. Pepper documentary:
czcams.com/video/HWriMsTALF4/video.html
I kinda relate to the ambiguously matter of fact lyrics, as they are a fairly accurate depiction of young love for a certain kind of people with a certain kind of sensibility. It’s like, yes I’m in love with you at this moment - but who knows what will happen in the future? It’s a sold, realistic perspective of being in love that some of us who kinda scoff at the all-in, maybe I’m amazed gushy, flowery type of lyrics of Paul’s silly love songs. I find if I needed someone’s lyrics to be very George Harrison.
get your first point which you made well. maybe I'm amazed has it's own take on being in love which includes the element of uncertainty and a little fear too. if your overall take on maybe i'm amazed is that it's somehow shallow music, 'maybe' we have diametrically opposed opinions.
@@alanclayton9277 I know MCCartneys silly love songs are easy targets. I try not to knock that stuff, but at the same time, I don’t find anything lyrically to warrant much interest. McCartneys lyrics are like the lyrics in thousands of other love songs, kinda cliche, nostalgic, sentimental cheese, etc. whereas Harrison’s are much more relatable to me, which makes them more real, more authentic. Lyrically he was much better than McCartney - not just in regard to love songs. He actually pushed the envelope regarding subject matters of songs. I mean how many pop songs are their about a tax man? Before George, how many pop songs used ‘hare Krishna’ as inspiration? I don’t think he gets enough credit for the boundaries he pushed regarding his lyrics and subject matter. Off the top of my head I can’t think of many songs where McCartney was that adventurous, other than some jokey songs.
@@edvonblue ok a full response. thanks. I'll leave you with a few thoughts
blackbird civil rights
penny lane surrealism
fool on the hill a secular spirituality
helter skelter metaphysics LoL
the wild and windy night
@@alanclayton9277 I forgot about blackbird. It’s certainly an outlier in his cannon. Fine lyrics there - but these kinds of ‘topical’ songs (civil rights/social issue type songs) were very much in fashion in 1968.
Also, Penny Lane is one of the hundreds of nostalgic songs that were stuffing the charts during that period - the lyrics seem like pale copies of what the kinks were up to back then.
Lyrically, Helter Skelter was the same - based on a carnival ride. What elevates that song was the approach the Beatles took in delivering it: hard, fast, loud.
Fool on the Hill is one of MCCartneys better Beatles songs lyrically. Some of my favorite McCartnt Beatles songs is when he taps into that kind of melancholy vibe that also is displayed in Fixin a Hole, Shes Leaving Home, Yesterday, Eleanore Rigby…
Fool on the hill is especially interesting though and very evocative. It makes me wonder who the fool is - it could be MCartney referring to himself (in third person) or the self he used to be, that he has evolved from. Sorta the opposite from ‘yesterday’ as he was half the man he used to be. Or the song could be about someone specific - or some general type of person - that he doesn’t want to be like.
Either way, I agree, those are some of his best lyrics. Still though, I rank him third among the Beatles when it comes to lyric writing.
According to Paul, he was writing about the Maharishi, but I always thought the "fool" was self-referential. Especially "sees the sun going down, and the eyes in his head see the world spinning 'round". I may be reading too much into this, but to me it sounds like someone who recognises that the chaotic heyday of their career is over. Interestingly, they began recording about a week after Brian Epstein (who essentially coordinated that heyday) died. It must have been so rough putting together Magical Mystery Tour.
Of this song, John said "Another good lyric. Shows he’s capable of writing complete songs."
When you mentioned tuning pianos, I remembered that we gave Ken Eng our old piano...then I started wondering if you trained with Kenny back in the day? czcams.com/video/n1XCCGOdi4Q/video.html who knew you were both so musical!
I think George was just trying to be nice to Patty, and claimed it was a love song to her. And obviously, it's not a spiritual hymn to the creator, since it's still 1965, and he was still in his early stage of spiritual awakening. To really understand the lyrics, you have to look at it in the context of the other Harrisong on Rubber Soul, Think For Yourself. Both songs are about Beatle groupies. Think For Yourself is about a groupie who's totally insincere & just wants him for the fame power money, not interested in him as a human being, in other words, a gold-digger, which is a polite way of phrasing it. He can't stand her because she worships him like some kinda God, it turns him off, and so he dismisses her. Although your mind's opaque, try thinking more if just for your own sake...and the chorus reemphasizes his disdain for her: think for yourself cause I won't be there with you. The nasty fuzz bass by Paul re-emphasizes the negative feelings towards her. Now on if I needed someone, the groupie he's singing about is much more sincere, and really wants to know him as a human being, she actually wants to talk to him and get to know him, and is not out to get a piece of his fortune. So the tentative lyrics are basically a lovesong to this groupie, if I needed someone to love, you're the one that I'd be thinking of. If I had some more time to spend then I guess I'd be with you my friend. Then the bridge reveals: had you come some other day then, it might not have been like this, but you see now I'm too much in love. In other words if circumstances had been different she'd be the love of his life, but it's not meant to be, cause he's in love with Patty. Then he says carve your number on my wall and maybe you will get a call from me. He's giving her the hope that if things don't work out with Patty, he'll keep her in mind, and call her if he had her number. Remember when George was being interviewed about the song, he probably was too stoned and lazy to elaborate. Remember, if ,guess, might not been, & maybe are not words you would use to serenade the woman you're committing to. Hope my comment helps you understand this song better.