Category Archives: Beatles

Book Review:  The Lyrics:  1956 to Present by Paul McCartney – The Beginning

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First, fair warning:  this is going to be a series of posts.  There is simply too much material, and the entire premise of the project means too much to me.  Before I get into the meat of the book, it is better if readers understand the background.  While John gave me a beautiful hardcover version for Christmas 2021, I am just now reading it.  I knew that I will get sucked in, and I wanted to give it the time and attention it deserves.  The entire idea of this massive memoir grabbed my imagination as soon as it was announced.

In his introduction, Paul McCartney discusses how he has been approached several times to write a memoir or autobiography.  With this idea rolling around for years, his former brother-in-law, Lee Eastman (the late Linda McCartney’s brother), gave him the idea to write a memoir using his song lyrics, explaining their backgrounds and inspirations.  Frankly, it is a brilliant idea.  In creating The Lyrics, Paul McCartney sat down with renowned poet Paul Muldoon to discuss the poetry behind the lyrics.  Paul Muldoon also served as editor.

I may be only through songs starting with C, but I am thoroughly enjoying the book.  The entire organization of the book is unique.  The Lyrics, of course, covers some of the earliest Beatles songs (back to the Quarrymen, actually) to Paul’s latest solo efforts, with Wings in between.  It truly covers 65 years of some of the best pop music ever written.  Some songs written were given to other bands or acts, such as Peter and Gordon and Badfinger.  The book is not in chronological order, but it is instead arranged by song title.  Throughout the book are dozens of historic photographs from McCartney’s personal archives.  Throughout, he explains his song writing process and inspirations.  Another cool feature of the book is that someone took the time to create a Spotify playlist that includes all of the songs in The Lyrics in order that they appear in the book.  You can listen along as you read.  In my opinion, it doesn’t get much better than that.

I look forwarding to sharing more about The Lyrics once I finish the book.  It may a bit, but it will be well worth it in the end.  As a writer, music lover, and avid Beatles’ fan, especially Paul McCartney, I’m obviously the target audience.  Yet, I feel as though there is something for everyone in the book.  Now in his 80s, Paul McCartney is still touring, still writing music, and still out there.  Supposedly, his shows are right around three hours long, without a break.  His work ethic, his passion for performing and songwriting, and deep appreciation for his fans is the only explanation.

The Beatles – Now and Then (2023)

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The Beatles – Now and Then (2023) (Official Video) (Lyrics) (Documentary)

(Written December 4, 2023)

When I started The Mixtapes project on Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde, I knew that I would eventually have to address my love of the Beatles.  Where to begin?  As a result, I let nearly a year go by.  Now, the decision has been made for me.  We will start at the end.

I never dreamed that I would get the opportunity to write about a “new” Beatles release.  Here I am, almost a month after the fact, doing just that.  As a girl born a few days after John Lennon’s untimely death, a fan who witnessed the release of the Anthology Project during her high school years, it feels a fitting conclusion to all that the Beatles have achieved over the decades.  Over the last month, I’ve watched as the reactions to “Now and Then” itself, the music video, and the mini-documentary came rolling in.  Unsurprisingly, there is no consensus.

My only criticism of the “Now and Then” project: the lackluster design for the single.
However, considering the rerelease of the “Red” and “Blue” compilation albums,
it somewhat makes sense.

Beatles fans appear to be solidly in two camps.  The first group is dismissive, stating that “Now and Then” will never rank among their greatest hits.  Of course it won’t!  How could it?  That is not the point.  Advances in technology aside, they state that it never should have been made.  I’ve also heard “fans” (I purposely use that term loosely) complain that video clips of John and George used in the official video are too “irreverent.”  I still have a hard time understanding that criticism from self-professed fans.

My response is simply this:  Did you understand the Beatles – the band and the then young men who created it – at all?  Their humor is a huge part of what made them so great.  Their humor still holds up today.  They simply would not have been the Beatles if you took humor out of the equation.  I love that I can laugh at images of two men who are long gone and dearly missed in a newly released music video.

Then there is my favorite:  “Now and Then” sounds too much like John Lennon’s solo work from the late 1970s.  Of course it does.  That is exactly what “Now and Then” represents, if only a demo.  John did record it in the 70s, and as the Beatles disbanded in 1970, he likely meant for it to be a solo effort.  However, that is only part of the story.  

“Now and Then” is also one of a handful of unfinished demos that Yoko Ono gave to Paul McCartney upon John’s death.  During the Anthology Project, Paul, George, and Ringo completed two of the other demos, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.”  At the time, both songs climbed the charts and introduced the Beatles to an entirely new generation of fans.  By the way, both songs, along with their music videos, still hold up – even if some fans are now calling for them to be “cleaned up” as well.

Even though I didn’t think about it at the time, it makes sense that there was supposed to be a third song released with the Anthology Project.  It was released in three parts after all.  That third song?  “Now and Then.”  It just took a few decades, Peter Jackson, and new technology lovingly called “MAL” for it to come to fruition.

Personally, I don’t think that the Beatles could have ended on a better note.  It is nostalgic, almost timeless, and with its humor, the video is even better.  It is a true love letter from Paul and Ringo to George and John – not to mention all of us, the fans.  So, to Sirs Paul and Ringo, thank you!  Once again, the Beatles will be rediscovered by an entirely new generation of music junkies.

On a sidenote, even the 5th Beatle, George Martin, was there in a sense.  In his absence, his son Giles Martin, who just happened to play a huge role in the orchestration of “Love,” helped put those finishing touches on “Now and Then.”

The Ronettes – Be My Baby (1963)

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The Ronettes – Be My Baby (1963) (Video) (Lyrics)

(Written January 23, 2023)

If you stick around long enough, you’ll realize just how much I adore the Motown girl groups of the early ‘60s.  Yet, Be My Baby by the Ronettes is perhaps my favorite.  There is something downright haunting about the song and Ronnie Spector’s voice.  In fact, some of my favorite Christmas songs are versions sung by the Ronettes as well.

Be My Baby demonstrates Phil Spector’s wall of sound so well.  In fact, I can’t imagine the Ronettes sound without it.  Yet, here I am probably the only person on the planet under the age of 50 to know what Phil Spector’s wall of sound is or who Phil Spector was.  The funny thing is that it didn’t always work so well.  I normally love it in the girl group music he helped produce, and yet, The Long and Winding Road and most of the Let It Be (1970) album is overproduced.  I actually understood why the Beatles, led by Paul McCartney, released a stripped down version called Let It Be… Naked (2003) decades later, reimagining the entire album without Spector’s wall of sound.  I actually prefer Naked.

Sadly, Ronnie, who happened to have befriended the Beatles at the height of their (and her) fame, passed away in January 2022.  Her legacy lives on, and frankly, I can’t imagine a time when Be My Baby won’t be considered an absolute pop gem.

Across the Universe (2007)

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Liverpool Docks
“Liverpool Docks” by wwarby is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

I’ve wanted to write about Across the Universe (2007) ever since I first watched it several months ago.  It is one of those movies that grabs you, not letting you go.  Just when you think you have it figured out, you start back at the beginning.  I’m afraid I won’t do it justice.

Let’s start with the facts.  First, it was a given that I would enjoy Across the Universe (2007) for the music and subject matter alone.  A musical using new renditions of Beatles’ songs that encompasses many of the major themes of the 1960s?  What isn’t there to like?  Never mind the actual film.  It was either going to be wonderful or something never to speak of again.

Next, the music itself is exceptional.  When it comes to Beatles’ music, I am normally skeptical when it comes to covers (with the exception of Joe Cocker, of course).  In this case, Evan Rachel Wood (Lucy), Jim Sturgess (Jude), and Dana Fuchs (Sadie) forced me to look at some of the Beatles catalog in a new way.  Not an easy feat.  There are several examples of this, but some of the ones that come to mind immediately are “It Won’t Be Long” (Evan Rachel Wood), “I’ve Just Seen A Face” (Jim Sturgess), and “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” (Dana Fuchs).  That is just for starters. The use of “Let It Be” (Carol Woods & Timothy T. Mitchum) as a hymn fits the scene(s) perfectly.

My feelings on the song “Across the Universe” have evolved as result.  While I’ve always liked “Across the Universe,” I would be hard pressed to even rank it among my top 25 or possibly 50 Beatles’ songs.  No joke.  The movie made me reevaluate.  While I enjoy the movie version of “Across the Universe,” the cover by the band Evanescence is now one of favorite songs.  It is haunting in the best possible way, not easily replicated.

Fortunately for us, the music is only the beginning.  All the principals not only can act and sing, but dance as well.  The choreography in Across the Universe (2007) is second to none and, along with superb costume and set design, make the movie.  It enhances the music in a way that is unforgettable.  The bowling scene that takes place during “I’ve Just Seen A Face” is so much fun and over the top.  While the first part of the movie is just that – fun and over the top – the choreography and music work together to tell a much darker story as the movie progresses.

While I won’t give away the plot, it is the plot itself that keeps me guessing, keeps me coming back to the movie.  When I finished watching Across the Universe (2007) for the first time, my first thought was:

What the heck just happened?  What did I just watch?

Frankly, its plot, or lack thereof, is both its strength and weakness.  While it isn’t as though it doesn’t have a plot at all, there are large swaths of the movie that leave you asking so many questions.  Much can explained away by implied drug use.  Now might be a good time to mention that Across the Universe (2007) earned every bit of its PG-13 rating.  Personally, I believe it should be more in the R category considering the violence, implied drug use, and sexual references/implications.

Implied drug use can explain away much of the plot issues in the movie, but it doesn’t explain everything.  For example, there are certain characters (namely Prudence, Sadie, and Jo-Jo) that I want to know more about.  They are that interesting, considering what we know of them.  However, I have yet to figure out the purpose of Prudence’s character.  She seems to just show up.

While it is easy to see all of these things as “flaws” with the plot, I have to wonder if it wasn’t intentional.  I’m not quite sure how the movie could have captured as much of the history of the ‘60s as it did without leaving so much to the viewer’s imagination.
As a Beatles fan, that is what is so fun about this movie.  There are so many references for fans.  My personal favorite is the Brigitte Bardot poster.  Supposedly all the Beatles had a huge crush on her.  Then, there are the characters themselves.  Jude, played by Jim Sturgess, looks an awful lot like a young Paul McCartney.  His character is even from Liverpool.  With some characters, it is obvious:  Jo-Jo is somehow a stand-in for Jimi Hendrix.  Others, it isn’t so clear.  For example, I want to peg Sadie as Janis Joplin, and yet, it doesn’t feel quite right.  In the end, the music, the choreography, the confusing plot, and the Easter eggs geared towards Beatles fans will keep me coming back.  If you like the Beatles at all, it is a must-see.  If I ever have the opportunity to see it on the big screen, I am there.  I’m not sure how I missed Across the Universe (2007) when it was first released.