The series, in order — Notes on … the Beatles

1–28

The first 28 song analyses

Pollack started his series with choosing 28 songs more or less arbitrarily from the songbook of the Beatles. These articles are especially interesting, because Pollack spices his analyses with some lucid explanations of his musicological insights and knowledge. If you are unknown in musicological territory, the best you can do is to read these pieces in numerical order. You’ll find the index here down below. From the left to the right in the columns you’ll see Pollack’s number of the song, the title of the song, the year of publication and the number of the song in Ian MacDonald’s book Revolution in the Head , as this last book gives some usefull information for those who want to know more about it than just the musicological aspects.

1 We Can Work It Out 1989, rev. 2000
2 Eight Days A Week 1989, rev. 2000
3 And I Love Her 1989, rev. 2000
4 Day Tripper 1989, rev. 2000
5 She Loves You 1989, rev. 2000
6 Help! 1989, rev. 2000
7 You’re Going To Lose That Girl 1989, rev. 2000
8 No Reply 1989, rev. 2000
9 You Won’t See Me 1989, rev. 2000
10 It Won’t Be Long 1989, rev. 2000
11 Good Day Sunshine 1989, rev. 2000
12 She Said She Said 1989, rev. 2000
13 You Never Give Me Your Money 1989, rev. 2000
14 Hey Jude 1990, rev. 2000
15 I Should Have Known Better 1990, rev. 2000
16 Thank You Girl 1990, rev. 2000
17 Any Time At All 1990, rev. 2000
18 You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away 1990, rev. 2000
19 I’ll Be Back 1990, rev. 2000
20 Birthday 1990, rev. 2000
21 Love Me Do 1990, rev. 2000
22 Please Please Me 1990, rev. 2000
23 Intro to ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ 1990, rev. 2000
24 Things We Said Today 1991, rev. 2001
25 While My Guitar Gently Weeps 1991, rev. 2001
26 I Saw Her Standing There 1991, rev. 2001
27 All My Loving 1991, rev. 2001
28 From Me To You 1991, rev. 2001

29–64

Beatlemania (1962-1964)

At the end of 1962 the Beatles released their first single Love Me Do / P.S. I Love You . It was followed shortly in January 1963 by their second one Please Please Me / Ask Me Why . Then, in April From Me To You / Thank You Girl appeared. The same month saw their first album: Please Please Me . It was followed in August by the single She Loves You / I’ll Get You . Next in November the public could buy both the single I Want To Hold Your Hand / This Boy and the album With The Beatles . It started the Beatlemania, that reigned high in 1964. That year the group released the single Can’t Buy Me Love / You Can’t Do That in February, followed in June by the EP Long Tall Sally with the original I Call Your Name and three cover songs. One month later, in July, already the single A Hard Day’s Night / Things We Said Today and the album A Hard Day’s Night were available to the public. In November of the same year the single I Feel Fine / She’s A Woman and the album Beatles For Sale were released. All in all this output totals to eight singles, one EP and four albums, of which the songs are analyzed here by Alan W. Pollack.

29 Misery 1991, rev. 2001
30 P.S. I Love You 1991, rev. 2001
31 There’s A Place 1991, rev. 2001
32 Do You Want To Know A Secret 1991, rev. 2001
33 Ask Me Why 1991, rev. 2001
34 I’ll Get You 1991, rev. 2001
35 Cover Songs on ‘Please Please Me’ 1991
36 All I’ve Got To Do 1991
37 Don’t Bother Me 1991
38 Little Child 1991
39 Hold Me Tight 1991
40 I Wanna Be Your Man 1991
41 Not A Second Time 1991
42 Cover Songs on ‘With The Beatles’ 1991
43 I Want To Hold Your Hand 1991
44 This Boy 1991
45 Can’t Buy Me Love 1992
46 You Can’t Do That 1992
47 I Call Your Name 1992
48 Cover Songs on ‘Long Tall Sally’ 1992
49 A Hard Day’s Night 1992
50 If I Fell 1992
51 I’m Happy Just To Dance With You 1992
52 Tell Me Why 1992
53 I’ll Cry Instead 1992
54 When I Get Home 1992
55 I Feel Fine 1992
56 She’s A Woman 1992
57 I’m A Loser 1992
58 Notes on the ‘Notes on ...’ Series 1993
59 Baby’s In Black 1992
60 I’ll Follow The Sun 1992
61 Every Little Thing 1992
62 I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party 1992
63 What You’re Doing 1992
64 Cover Songs on ‘Beatles For Sale’ 1992

65–103

Becoming artists (1965-1966)

In the middle of the sixties rock musicians began to see themselves as artists. The Beatles stood at the front of this movement, treating their music as an artistic expression of their emotions and a serious reflection of their feelings. The Beatles already departed from their image as teenage stars with their first single of the year 1965 Ticket To Ride / Yes It Is , which appeared in April. This tendency became stronger in their summer single Help! / I’m Down , released in July, and the sound tracks on on the album with the same name, released in August. December saw the album Rubber Soul and the single Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out . The Beatles started late in 1966. In July they released the single Paperback Writer / Rain . One month later, in August, the album Revolver followed step. As Pollack shows in his analyses the development of the group in these years is ruled by a growing independency from their musical roots.

65 Ticket To Ride 1992
66 Yes It Is 1992
67 Tell Me What You See 1992
68 You Like Me Too Much 1992
69 I’m Down 1992
70 The Night Before 1992
71 I Need You 1992
72 Another Girl 1992
73 It’s Only Love 1993
74 I’ve Just Seen A Face 1993
75 Yesterday 1993
76 Cover Songs on ‘Help!’ and ‘Beatles VI’ 1993
77 Drive My Car 1993, rev. 2001
78 Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) 1993
79 Nowhere Man 1993
80 Think For Yourself 1993
81 The Word 1993
82 Michelle 1993
83 What Goes On 1993
84 Girl 1993
85 I’m Looking Through You 1993
86 In My Life 1993
87 Wait 1993
88 If I Needed Someone 1993
89 Run For Your Life 1993
90 Frequently Asked Questions About the ‘Notes on...’ Series 1993
91 ‘Paperback Writer’ and ‘Rain’ 1993
92 Taxman 1994
93 Eleanor Rigby 1994
94 I’m Only Sleeping 1994
95 Love You To 1994
96 Here, There, and Everywhere 1994
97 Yellow Submarine 1994
98 And Your Bird Can Sing 1995
99 For No One 1995
100 Doctor Robert 1995
101 I Want To Tell You 1995
102 Got To Get You Into My Life 1995
103 Tomorrow Never Knows 1995

104–160

The studio years (1967-1968)

In 1967 the Beatles withdrew in the recording studio. Because of this the years 1967 and 1968 have become known as their studio years. The output was as psychedelic in content as impressive from a musical perspective. In February 1967 the group released the single Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever ; followed in June by the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band . Next in July the public got the surprise of the single All You Need Is Love / Baby You’re A Rich Man . Then in November the single Hello Goodbye / I’m The Walrus was released, which already in December was followed by the double EP Magical Mystery Tour . March 1968 saw the single Lady Madonna / The Inner Light and the last days of August Hey Jude / Revolution . In July the cartoon movie Yellow Submarine made its way into the theaters (the songs were released on album in January 1969). The lack of albums that year was filled up in November with the White Album .

104 Penny Lane 1995
105 Strawberry Fields Forever 1995
106 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 1995
107 With A Little Help From My Friends 1995
108 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds 1995
109 Getting Better 1995
110 Fixing A Hole 1996
111 She’s Leaving Home 1996
112 Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite 1996
113 Within You Without You 1996
114 When I’m Sixty-Four 1996
115 Lovely Rita 1996
116 Good Morning, Good Morning 1996
117 ‘Reprise’ and ‘A Day In The Life’ 1996
118 All You Need Is Love 1996
119 Baby You’re A Rich Man 1996
120 Hello Goodbye 1996
121 I Am The Walrus 1996
122 Magical Mystery Tour 1996
123 The Fool On The Hill 1996
124 Flying 1996
125 Blue Jay Way 1997
126 Your Mother Should Know 1997
127 Lady Madonna 1997
128 The Inner Light 1997
129 ‘Revolution’ and ‘Revolution 1’ 1997
130 Back In The USSR 1997
131 Dear Prudence 1997
132 Glass Onion 1997
133 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 1997
134 Wild Honey Pie 1997
135 The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill 1997
136 Happiness Is A Warm Gun 1997
137 Martha My Dear 1997
138 I’m So Tired 1997
139 Blackbird 1997
140 Piggies 1998
141 Rocky Raccoon 1998
142 Don’t Pass Me By 1998
143 Why Don’t We Do It In The Road 1998
144 I Will 1998
145 Julia 1998
146 Yer Blues 1998
147 Mother Nature’s Son 1998
148 Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey 1998
149 Sexy Sadie 1998
150 Helter Skelter 1998
151 Long, Long, Long 1998
152 Honey Pie 1998
153 Savoy Truffle 1998
154 Cry Baby Cry 1998
155 Revolution #9 1998
156 Good Night 1998
157 Only A Northern Song 1998
158 All Together Now 1998
159 Hey Bulldog 1998
160 It’s All Too Much 1998

161–195

Get back (1969-1970)

In the last years of their career the final split of the group already became visible in the growing number of solo projects. As an antidote to their conflicts in January 1969 the Beatles initiated their Get Back project at the Twickenham Film Studios in London. In April they released the single Get Back / Don’t Let Me Down , followed in May by The Ballad Of John And Yoko / Old Brown Shoe . Some of the other results of this tribute to their roots are collected on the album Abbey Road (September 1969), the single Let It Be / You Know My Name (March 1970) and the last album Let It Be (May 1970). To his analyses of these songs Pollack adds his views on the two original songs on the recent Anthology CD’s: Free As A Bird and Real Love .

161 Get Back 1999
162 Don’t Let Me Down 1999
163 The Ballad Of John And Yoko 1999
164 Old Brown Shoe 1999
165 Let It Be 1999
166 You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) 1999
167 Two Of Us 1999
168 Dig A Pony 1999
169 Across The Universe 1999
170 I Me Mine 1999
171 Dig It 1999
172 Maggie Mae 1999
173 I’ve Got A Feeling 1999
174 One After 909 1999
175 The Long And Winding Road 1999
176 For You Blue 1999
177 Come Together 1999
178 Something 1999
179 Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 1999
180 Oh! Darling 1999
181 Octopus’s Garden 1999
182 I Want You (She’s So Heavy) 1999
183 Here Comes The Sun 1999
184 Because 1999
185 Sun King 1999
186 Mean Mr Mustard 1999
187 Polythene Pam 1999
188 She Came In Through The Bathroom Window 2000
189 Golden Slumbers 2000
190 Carry That Weight 2000
191 The End 2000
192 The “Abbey Road” Medley 2000
193 Her Majesty 2000
194 Free As A Bird 1995
195 Real Love 1995
196 Ian Hammond Interviews Alan W. Pollack 2000
197 Quarrymen Sessions 2000
198 Can You Take Me Back 2001
199 Percy Phillips Shellac 2001
200 Notes on Three Simple Songs That Didn’t Make It 2001

196–200

Extras

After finishing the canon, Pollack added notes on recordings outside it, and looked back on the project in an interview.