I find that most Beatles albums favor either Lennon or McCartney. Although they share songwriting credit on all their songs the true author of each is well-known, and whether by design or accident their best work seemed to come in clumps.
Of course I’m talking about matters of degree here, as both John and Paul had classic songs on every Beatles album. Also, my favorites might not be everybody’s favorites and some people no doubt think of my “Paul” albums as “John” albums and vice versa. So sound off in the comments if you think I’m nuts.
Revolver is a fantastic album start to finish, but I consider it primarily Paul’s triumph. He wrote six of the album’s 14 tracks — ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ ‘Got to Get You Into My Life,’ ‘Good Day Sunshine,’ ‘For No One,’ ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ and ‘Yellow Submarine.’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ is a trifle, although an endearingly catchy one, but the rest are among the finest pop songs ever written. And they were written by one guy on one album!
‘Here, There and Everywhere’ is one of the sweetest love songs I know. It also reminds me of my early Beatles fanaticism. Back in high school, in a bout of obsession the sort of which I still fall victim to on occasion, I decided to transcribe all of The Beatles’ lyrics into book form. This was pre-Internet and pre-personal computer (for me, at least) so I went about the task by listening to each song on headphones and typing the lyrics on an electric typewriter.
This song reminds me of that task because I recall mishearing the line “I want her everywhere” as “I wander everywhere.” I still think my lyric makes just as much sense.
Here, making each day of the year
Changing my life with a wave of her hand
Nobody can deny that there’s something there
There, running my hands through her hair
Both of us thinking how good it can be
Someone is speaking but she doesn’t know he’s there
I want her everywhere and if she’s beside me
I know I need never care
But to love her is to need her everywhere
Knowing that love is to share
Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I’m always there
I want her everywhere and if she’s beside me
I know I need never care
But to love her is to need her everywhere
Knowing that love is to share
Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I’m always there
I will be there and everywhere
Here, there and everywhere
Meet Me In Montauk 
On occasion? 😉
Yeah, that “task” remains the single most impressive things I’ve ever heard of any fan doing. Sure, there are fans who follow their favorite band, watching them night after night in town after town, but that seems to be as much for their own desire to live in a constant fog of the concert atmosphere as to demonstrate their loyalty. Typing every Beatles lyric? That’s just straight up devotion.
Speaking of devotion… listening to this song this morning makes me so sad. Not everyone has such an attitude about love, so why does the one who sweetly sings, “if she’s beside me I know I need never care” have to lose her? Paul and Linda should have been like Paul and Joanne or Hume and Jessica, a couple that got to grow old together. Not that I’m suggesting some people are more deserving to die than others. Just that it’s sad that one who has the sensibility that leads to writing a song such as this one should find his life partner only to lose her. 😦
And, yes, it’s one of the most simple and most enduring love songs ever.
I would have to agree that Revolver is more of a Paul album as it does feature some of his best work. For me, though, Lennon’s best work is better than Paul’s best work, which is why I tend to favor Rubber Soul over Revolver. And, even on Revolver, I find “And Your Bird Can Sing” and “She Said She Said” to be amongst the highlights of the album, though I am not suggesting that they are better than the outstanding “Eleanor Rigby” or today’s SOTD.
This is such a beautiful love song. I seem to remember that your dedication to the Beatles by transcribing all their lyrics was done instead of going to classes at UF, do I remember correctly? 🙂
ha – when she comments, she COMMENTS!
Ooh, that’s harsh! 🙂 No, I actually did that during the summer before I started college. So there!
Dana, not to start a Beatles war, but having listened to the albums a lot these past few weeks, I have to say my opinion of Rubber Soul has diminished a bit. There’s a lot of filler (comparatively speaking) in the middle of that album. It’s not as consistent as several other albums in their catalog, though it does get mega-points for containing ‘In My Life,’ possibly my favorite Beatles song ever.
I’d rather just combine the two albums, leaving out the odd “Michelle” and “Yellow Submarine.”
To me, the only total miss on Rubber Soul is “Michelle”–but I probably could live without the country-ish “What Goes On” sung by Ringo as well. Other than those, I pretty much love everything else on the album–the first five songs are just about as strong as anything the Beatles have ever done, and then you have the highlight of the record, and perhaps the Beatles’ whole career with “In My Life.”
Now, having said that, Revolver is, no doubt, a strong contender for best Beatles album. It needs to lose the insufferable “Yellow Submarine.” And I must admit that I have to really be in the right kind of mood to listen to “Love You To” and, to a lesser extent, “Tomorrow Never Knows.”
Perhaps I give the nod to Rubber Soul because it was, as I recall, my entry point to the Beatles–it was the first one I bought when their discography came out on CD and I have very distinct and fond memories from my high school days of playing it while driving around the neighborhood. Was Revolver your entry point?
I apologize for my mistake 🙂
I’d put ‘The Word,’ ‘Michelle,’ ‘What Goes On’ and ‘Run For Your Life’ — nearly a third of the album — in the good-not-great category. And George’s two contributions — ‘Think For Yourself’ and ‘If I Needed Someone’ — aren’t as strong as his best work. But I agree that the first four tracks plus ‘Girl and especially ‘In My Life’ are The Beatles at their best.
I’m not really sure what my entry point album was. I was aware of their music from greatest hits and just generally living in the world, but when I started picking up albums I don’t remember the order. I’m guessing Rubber Soul, Revolver and Abbey Road were among the first I owned.
Come to think of it, Sgt. Pepper might have been the first one. But that’s definitely not my favorite album of theirs. A Hard Day’s Night is my favorite, but I don’t remember when I owned it in relation to the others.
Revolver=one of the best albums of all time. “Here, There, and Everywhere” is absolutely beautiful. I just love the “Ooh, ooh” harmonies of the other guys in the background.