The Beatles: Single By Single

No, it was supposed to be We Can Work It Out as the A side, everyone agreed- except Lennon who insisted Day Tripper be the A side, he was unhappy that his answer to all the great Riff singles of the past 12 months was not going to be the plug side. So a compromise was reached where it would be the first single to be released and promoted as a double A side.
Read all about it in Tune In Vol2, definitely due to be published this decade.
I'm Down - one of the most underrated Beatles songs
Discussion: John Lennon as musician.

 

John was biased but correct both are top notch & deserving of the A side

IIRC in the US "We Can Work It Out" made #1 while "Day Tripper" made #5

 

Indeed you are correct, that's why I said 'riffing on' and not 'blatantly ripping off'

 

'Day Tripper':

It sounds to me like George is playing the lead riff that runs throughout the song, plus the volume swells in the 'lead guitar' section (before the 'solo' overdub), and John plays rhythm. No doubt Lennon wrote the main guitar riff and most of the song, but it sounds like George is handling the lead guitar duties. Lennon quotes do address the guitar parts, but seem to indicate that he wrote the riff and the gauntlet section where the short guitar solo takes place (a modal technique that is also ascending in effect) rather than played the riff and solo on the recording.

Like 'I Feel Fine', 'Ticket To Ride', and 'The Last Time' (and unlike 'You Can't Do That' or 'Satisfaction'), the main riff runs throughout the verses, forming the backbone of the tune. I don't think Lennon gave himself enough credit, because - though the riffs might be based on inspirations from other songs - his are even more distinct, have more notes, and I find 'I Feel Fine' and 'Day Tripper' to be overall more sophisticated and 'mod' sounding than the earlier efforts of others they may be based on. Maybe he was just being humble.

 

Heavy 'Day Tripper' - Candlestick Park, 1966:

 

DT / WCWIO or WCWIO / DT take your pick

So, here we are, about half way through, and we arrive at a record which might be the best Beatles single ever.
Which makes it possibly the best single ever.

Looking back at the singles, both sides of course, so far, my vote for best yet is:

I can't choose one. Too many candidates.

 

What about the ‘Live At The BBC’ single that preceded them (Baby It’s You/I’ll Follow The Sun)?

 

Beatlemania all over...

 

Hmmm... as I've said before, I can't include songs that were recorded in a previous decade (besides the Let It Be singles since they were released very close to 1969)

Anyways...
Michelle


Single Released: February 1966 (Norway Only)
B-side: Girl

The instrumental music of "Michelle" originated separately from the lyrical concept. The words and style of "Michelle" have their origins in the popularity of Parisian Left Bank culture during McCartney's Liverpool days. In his description, "it was at the time of people like Juliette Greco, the French bohemian thing."[6] McCartney had gone to a party of art students where a student with a goatee and a striped T-shirt was singing a French song. He soon wrote a farcical imitation to entertain his friends that involved French-sounding groaning instead of real words. The song remained a party piece until 1965, when John Lennon suggested he rework it into a proper song for inclusion on Rubber Soul.[3]

McCartney asked Jan Vaughan, a French teacher and the wife of his old friend Ivan Vaughan, to come up with a French name and a phrase that rhymed with it. McCartney said: "It was because I'd always thought that the song sounded French that I stuck with it. I can't speak French properly so that's why I needed help in sorting out the actual words."[3]

Vaughan came up with "Michelle, ma belle", and a few days later McCartney asked for a translation of "these are words that go together well", rendered incorrectly as : sont les mots qui vont très bien ensemble.[3] When McCartney played the song for Lennon, Lennon suggested the "I love you" bridge. Lennon was inspired by a song he heard the previous evening, Nina Simone's version of "I Put a Spell on You", which used the same phrase but with the emphasis on the last word, "I love you".[3][4]

References: Wikipedia

 

I've always seen "Michelle" as the spiritual successor to "And I Love Her" and in some ways, it's almost as good.

 

I’ll Follow The Sun:
Always loved this one.
It sounds very South European in some way and it’s very gentle. I get a summery vibe out of it.
I can hear that the songwriting pre-dated the recording by some years in it’s simplicity, but it’s all handled in a tasteful, professional way and it’s also one of my favourite Paul lead vocals on a Beatles song.

 

Day Tripper was an instant classic, and remains a classic to this day. I honestly can’t understand thinking it should have been the B side to We Can Work It Out.

I’m not a John or Paul guy, I’m a John and Paul guy. And I love We Can Work It Out. But, man, Day Tripper is just such an obvious rock and roll single.

 

Day Tripper:
Oh yeah, let’s rip it up!!!
As if the Help!/I’m Down single didn’t give any foresight: The original Masters Of Power Pop have upped the ante once more with a riproaring double sider!! Awesome, awesome riffing coupled with edgy lyrics, delivered in edgy fashion. Classic, right here!!!

We Can Work It Out:
One of those ultimate Paul Pop Pearls, delivered with a newfound gusto. It’s positive, but forward-thinking and sophisticated at the same time.

—————

Michelle:
Got to be in the mood for this one.
It sounds a little bit like a throwback to the likes of And I Love Her, etc., but (there I go again) more sophisticated, more layered... Not a favourite, but as part of the Rubber Soul album it works well.

 

Oh, was just wondering since at the time Live At The BBC was the first significant Beatles release since the 1987 cd campaign.

 

Michelle must have been a single in France too, non?

 

Non!
The French didn't do singles until 1967.
However they did do EPs and this was of course a hit EP in 1966:

 

Michelle - my favorite part of this beautiful recording is the "I love you" bridge. It's one of those pieces of music that sound like it always existed. Sublime.

 

Yes. It almost sounds like something from the dark ages

 

Yeah this is HEAVY ROCK, hope the live material from 66 gets an official release one day!

 

Michelle was covered by David and Jonathan, who added spiffy harmonies, and by the Overlanders, who added some oomph to the song. You wouldn't suspect the Fabs to come off third-best on their own composition, but they just might have in this case ...

 

I find it mildly amusing that they followed a gentle love song with "Run For Your Life"

"Michelle" is one of the highlights of Rubber Soul & for what it's worth Michael Stipe once remarked it's the one Beatles song that he likes

 

Not bad!! In fact pretty good! This should be officially released.

 

The Dec. 25, 1965 issue of Billboard magazine features an ad for that version, plus another by The Spokesmen. The Beatles' own version had only come out on Rubber Soul at the beginning of the month.

 

I have an LP by the Spokesmen, the one where they famously (?) "replied" to Barry McGuire's Eve of Destruction with Dawn of Correction. I wonder if Michelle is on it ...

Aaaaand here it is!



I don't think the style change (a real rhythm, horns etc.) really suits the song, but whatever

 

Artists back then must have been all over new Beatles albums looking for potential hits