Beatles – What's It All About?

The 10 Year Anniversary Countdown and The Friends “In My Life”

I think I may have lost all my followers as I’ve been less than prolific around here of late but I only have 15 posts to write before I get to a grand total of 500 in the bank, and with any luck I’m going to complete them just ahead of this blog’s 10th birthday at the start of 2026. I’ve had plenty of inspiration of late but once you lose momentum in the world of “web logging”, it’s hard to get started again. Only one way to find out just how hard…

Have you had a good summer? I certainly have and a lot to do with the effort I’ve put in to catching up with old friends. When I say old friends I really mean that, as some I hadn’t seen for over 40 years. I also did this back in 2015, the year before I started this blog, but back then I didn’t track down the more elusive ones, so this time I was going for broke. Since 2015, both my cousin and one of the old flatmates have died, so if you’re thinking of metaphorically picking up the phone anytime soon, don’t put it off a moment longer.

Some famous fictional groups of friends

I first went to Edinburgh to meet up with my old flatmate and her sister who always come up for the festival. She has featured here before, standing with me outside our first flat in Aberdeen, and as I also spent a week in The Silver City (it’s the radioactive granite that gives it that name!), I had a trip down our old street to see what had changed. The photography has got better, that’s what, plus the fence has gone. Weirdly, the cracked path is showing the same general pattern, it’s just got 45 more years of wear and tear. And, the door is now blue.

Number 18, 45 years on

But the meet-up that was the most long awaited was the one with the girl I sat beside for most subjects between the ages of 12 and 16. She was the smartest girl in our year and because of her smarts she was railroaded into doing Medicine at university. For two weeks we resided in the same hall of residence, but it was only two weeks because at the end of that time she realised that Medicine was definitely not for her and promptly left. After that I didn’t see much of her but she became a successful accountant and we continued to exchange Christmas cards from opposite ends of the country. Funnily enough she is one of the few people in the real world who know about this blog as every now and again we text each other if a Bay City Roller has died, or if something momentous has happened in the world of early ’70s pop music, as we had both been forensic in our approach to following the charts back in those days. Needless to say, the meet-up after 45 years apart was such a joy and all the old stories about our schooldays came tumbling out. We will do it again for sure.

But this is a music blog so what song should I share? I actually did a search for songs about friendships and this one, In My Life from 1965, jumped out at me. I particularly like the video showing the young whipper-snapper Beatles as the best of friends, something we sometimes forget. As it says in the website, The Forty Five, “With A Little Help From My Friends might be the obvious song in their canon about friendship, but the true tearjerker is this sepia-tinged offering that looks back at a life and those that have meant the most throughout it.“

In My Life by the Beatles:

I am loving my current life, but I’m so glad I still have all these friends from the past in my life too. This blog may be A Nostalgic Journey Through The Tracks Of My Years, but this post has definitely been A Nostalgic Journey Through The Friends Of My Years!

Until next time…

In My Life Lyrics
Song by Paul McCartney/John Lennon

There are places I’ll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain

All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I’ve loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new

Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

In my life I love you more

A Mini-Christmas Ramble and Praise For Octogenarians

As is traditional around here, I had fully intended to write a Christmas post in the run-up to the big day but blow me down, our internet went on the blink at the start of the week. The good news is that an engineer came to fix the problem a few hours ago so we are now up and running again and catching up with things that should have been done a few days ago.

Last month I had said that reading hour was going to be replaced by writing hour for the foreseeable, and that worked well in November. December is a really busy month however so my reading and writing has suffered over the last few weeks. A lot of this is because of the social whirl that comes with volunteering. I’ve mentioned before that I now volunteer in a charity shop, but not just any charity shop, our local hospice is funded partly by all the good work done in the 15 shops scattered around the Highlands and I’m based at our HQ, the massive warehouse that could rival Amazon’s where the good people of Inverness come to donate things they no longer need. There is a large shop attached to the warehouse where I now work two days a week and this month I’ve also worked in the pop-up Christmas Bazaar set up in our local shopping mall. I love it and have made loads of new friends – ladies of a certain age to be sure, but ladies who all have a bit of a spark to them and know how to enjoy life. Last Friday we had the Warehouse Christmas Party, I also had a bit of a do at the actual hospice itself (a very welcoming and cheerful place) and next month we have a fancy meal out. It’s like being back in the workplace again with all the benefits that brings but without the office politics, and the pay check!

Some of the shop windows

But here we are at Christmas Eve and I haven’t yet shared a festive song – lord knows they’ve been played enough on the radio over the last month. I’m inclined to go for something by Paul McCartney as I was chuffed to see footage of him sharing the stage this week with his old mate Ringo Starr. It had been the last night of Paul’s tour so Ringo obliged by joining him on the drums. Considering they are now aged 82 and 84 respectively it warms the soul to know they are still out there doing what they love. We have people who work for our charity shops at the same age so no need to slow down if you don’t have to.

It’s a bit twee this song, but it did well for Paul in the run-up to Christmas 1979 and was the first single he released after Wings came to an end. It peaked at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart and was accompanied by a very festive video of Paul and Linda having a Wonderful Christmastime.

Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney

I hope all my followers and blogging buddies have a wonderful Christmastime too. Someone who is missed on the blogs right now is our pal John from Are We There Yet? He’s a bit poorly at the moment so his Christmas will be severely challenged this year but we wish him all the best for a speedy recovery.

I will be going to DD’s for Christmas dinner this year. This is her first one in her new house so both ourselves and the in-laws have been invited along. No cooking for me tomorrow which is a big bonus. I shall enjoy being waited on by others – it’s payback time for all those years of having done it myself. Have a good one everyone.

Until next time…

Wonderful Christmastime Lyrics
(Song by Paul McCartney)

The mood is right
The spirit’s up
We’re here tonight
And that’s enough

Simply having a wonderful Christmastime
Simply having a wonderful Christmastime

The party’s on
The feeling’s here
That only comes
This time of year

Simply having a wonderful Christmastime
Simply having a wonderful Christmastime

The choir of children sing their song
Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo

Simply having a wonderful Christmastime
We’re simply having a wonderful Christmastime
Simply having a wonderful Christmastime

The word is out
About the town
To lift a glass
Oh, and don’t look down

Simply having a wonderful Christmastime
Simply having a wonderful Christmastime

Birthdays, Football Tournaments and Sweet Summer Songs

WIAA: You know what I’m about to say, Alyson, don’t you?

ALYSON: I do indeed, WIAA, and I’m sorry your pages have remained blank so far this month. I could say I’ve been really busy, but in truth it seems that I’m just prioritising other things at the moment – sorry about that. What can I do to redeem myself?

WIAA: Hmm… let me think. How about WRITING SOMETHING! Just let your fingers dance around the keyboard telling us what you’ve been up to?

ALYSON: Good plan WIAA.

The big news is that DD and the still relatively new Mr DD have bought their first house together. An exciting time for them but also a busy time, as it being a 10-year-old house there is a fair bit of DIY to be done to get it just the way they want it. Guess who’s been doing the DIY? To be fair, the lion’s share has been down to her dad who is flooring their loft as I type. There is method in this madness, however, as our own loft might finally get a decent clear out of all the stuff she accumulated during her teenage years/early twenties when she had more disposable cash but a childhood bedroom too small to hold it all. I have an awful feeling most will go to the recycling centre but now at least there will be options.

The House That Jack Built by Tracie

In other news, we’ve had a short caravan holiday on our favourite beach up in East Sutherland. I’ve written about such holidays before so I won’t go there again but it was very relaxing indeed. The weather was not kind but in three days we went to three folk museums and three coffee shops, had three walks along the beach (in between rainstorms) and three nice dinners. The first of these dinners was paella cooked by Mr WIAA to celebrate my birthday. The cards and flowers I’d received in the morning came on holiday with us and a lovely day was had, despite the fact a very age-specific Beatles song kept ringing in my ears. Suddenly the age mentioned in the song didn’t feel very old at all, but then you remember two of the Beatles didn’t even make it, so feeling blessed (especially after my stint in hospital last year) to be happy and healthy at this point in my life.

When I’m Sixty-Four by the Beatles:

It would be hard to miss the fact there is a big football tournament going on at the moment, the Euros, so lots of coverage on the main two television channels. I no longer follow club football but I do like the big tournaments as it’s a chance to see some of the world’s best players perform their magic on the pitch. From the 1970s on I’ve followed these biannual events and am lucky to have watched players such as Pele and Johan Cruyff as well as the more recent superstars such as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Tartan Army en route to a match

Sadly Scotland doesn’t have such superstars in their squad which might excuse them for their humiliating defeat last Friday night. I had to leave the room at one point as it was just so tough to watch after the big build up and following the antics of the 200,000 strong tartan army partying ahead of the match. It’s been 26 years since the tartan army had a chance to travel abroad for a tournament and they were certainly going to enjoy it. This song sums up their attitude I think, and despite the heavy defeat in their first match, optimism is high again ahead of their match tonight. (Don’t be misled by the still in this clip, it’s a very funny video.)

No Scotland No Party by Nick Morgan:

As this post is very much a web diary kind of affair what else have I been up to since the end of April? Many more hours of socialising with friends it seems. I really thought it would tail off once I’d been home from hospital for a while, but not a week passes without people getting in touch about going for walk, meeting up for coffee, organising a trip to the cinema… – I really am a very lucky lady and at no point over the last few months have I missed running the holiday hideaway. It was hard work and the standards I set myself were so high I was permanently exhausted and tied to my phone. Much better to do my weekly stint volunteering in the charity shop and continue to run our little online jewellery business. We’re definitely never going to make a fortune from it but it ticks over nicely and you just never know when a really interesting commission might come in.

As I mentioned the cinema above, our Film Club pick for last month was Bleeding Love starring one of my favourite actors, Ewan MacGregor. His real life daughter Clara plays his daughter in the movie. I always avoid reading the review for a film until after I’ve seen it so that I’m not predisposed to thinking a certain way about it. My friend and I both liked this story of the difficult road trip both characters went on, so were surprised when the reviews were less than favourable. Something else my friend and I liked was one of the songs on the soundtrack so we waited until all the credits rolled to see who it was by. As the words crept up the screen we eventually came to the songs. As soon as the names Bobby and Billy come up, I knew who it was going to be – yes, back in 1976 those Alessi brothers (of Oh Lori fame) wrote the sweet song Seabird which had now made it’s way into a MacGregor family offering 48 years later. They will be old men now just like I’m an old woman but having these songs in their back pocket is definitely something to impress the grandchildren with.

Seabird by Alessi:

Not much more to write about really as I’ve had a bit of an outpouring here. I no longer keep a paper diary so I like to use this blog as a reminder of what’s been going on in the world, and closer to home. Speaking of what’s going on in the world I didn’t mention the upcoming General Election, but that might be because I don’t watch much news nowadays and I know I’m not alone. Come the day I will turn out to vote but the electioneering is leaving me cold. What never leaves me cold however is a blogger’s meet-up and if all goes well there will be one next week. Looking forward to it very much and there will no doubt be stories to tell.

Until next time…

Seabird Lyrics
(Song by Bobby Alessi/Billy Alessi)

There’s a road I know I must go
Even though I tell myself
That road is closed

Listen, lonely seabird
You’ve been away from land too long
Aw, too long

I don’t listen to the news no more
Like an unwound clock
You just don’t seem to care
This world isn’t big enough
To keep me away from you
Oh, from you

Seabird, seabird
Fly home
Seabird, seabird
Fly home
Like a lonely seabird
You’ve been away from land too long
Oh, too long

Suddenly, you’re with me
I turn, and you’re not there
Like a ghost, you haunt me
You find warmth in a one-night bed

Sunsets, full moons
Don’t turn you on
Like an untied dog
You just had to run

Like a lonely seabird
You’ve been away from land too long
Oh, no, too long (so long, seabird)

Seabird, seabird
Fly home (like a lonely bird)
Seabird, seabird
Fly home

Seabird, seabird
Fly home (seabird, sea)
Seabird, seabird
Fly home

Worrywart Behaviour, Book Suggestions and British Invasions (Two of Them)

WIAA: Alyson, oh Alyson…?

ALYSON: Yep, still here WIAA, just not in the right headspace for blogging at the moment. Being a bit of a worrywart (understatement) I’m not sleeping very well. All down to what you would call First World problems, but try telling your head that at 3am.

WIAA: Sorry to hear that Alyson. Maybe a bit of light blogging would help.

ALYSON: You know what WIAA, I was just thinking that myself, so good on you for giving me a nudge. Maybe better to do a bit of blogging during the night, than fail miserably in getting some shut-eye (whoever devised counting sheep as an effective technique obviously wasn’t a worrywart). Also, the blogging community is always really supportive, so don’t think my lovely followers will judge me too harshly on whatever I come up with.

WIAA: Damn straight Alyson. Go for it.

ALYSON: Something I’ve been doing to while away the wee small hours, is read books on rock and pop nostalgia, and I have three by my bedside at the moment. I’ve discovered so many new bits and pieces hitherto unknown to me, so maybe worth sharing them with you WIAA, and whoever else drops by here.

Some recommended reading from Mark Radcliffe, Dylan Jones and David Hepworth

WIAA: Ah, I see another David Hepworth book there and I know you’ve shared some of his other works here before, so you must enjoy what he does.

ALYSON: I certainly do and as a writer I think he is exceptional. More words have been added to my “new words notebook” from his books than from any others of late. He doesn’t set out to be pretentiously clever, so when he uses a phrase like “a phalanx of fruggers” it describes a scene perfectly. (Essentially people dancing in formation, but soooo much more.)

WIAA: That’s a good title for his book Alyson, a fine play on words, and of course the subtitle says it all: How a Few Skinny Brits with Bad Teeth Rocked America.

ALYSON: It’s a great summing up of just what happened, starting with the British Invasion of 1964, led by the Beatles, and ending with the events of 1983 when a second British Invasion took place spearheaded by bands like Culture Club. Did you know WIAA, that in July 1983, there were 18 British-originated singles in the American Top 40? That was even more than the 14 back in June 1965 after Beatlemania had taken hold. All because of MTV apparently, where British music videos reigned supreme. For the record, here is a clip of that first live performance by the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, followed by Culture Club with their Karma Chameleon video. How things changed in just under a couple of decades. Such times.

I Want To Hold Your Hand by the Beatles:

That’s all for this time folks – just wanted to dip my toe back in the water and my blog usually does a good job of chivvying me up. I will return to my three favourite new books next time and pick something a bit more meaty to write about. Amazed considering my lack of sleep I got this far really but had to be done. Please bear with me.

Until next time…

I Want To Hold Your Hand Lyrics
(Song by John Lennon/Paul McCartney)

Oh yeah, I’ll tell you something
I think you’ll understand
When I say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

Oh please, say to me
You’ll let me be your man
And please, say to me
You’ll let me hold your hand
You’ll let me hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

And when I touch you I feel happy
Inside
It’s such a feeling that my love
I can’t hide
I can’t hide
I can’t hide

Yeah, you got that something
I think you’ll understand
When I say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

And when I touch you I feel happy
Inside
It’s such a feeling that my love
I can’t hide
I can’t hide
I can’t hide

Yeah, you got that something
I think you’ll understand
When I feel that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

That Revolving Door, A Return to the ‘60s and ‘Fool On The Hill’

WIAA: Alyson, oh Alyson…?

ALYSON: Yes, I am here WIAA, it’s just that I don’t even know how to start with this one. As I treat you as my web-diary as well as a place to share some of my favourite songs, I feel duty bound to pass comment on some of the political upheaval we’ve been faced with as a country over the last few weeks, but I’m sure everyone’s sick and tired of it by now.

WIAA: I have no idea what you’re talking about Alyson.

ALYSON: Ah, that would be because you’re a page on a blogging platform and as long as I can afford to keep paying your subscription fees, you needn’t worry your pretty little head over political infighting, leadership contests and the ‘crashing’ of the economy.

WIAA: It all sounds a bit worrying Alyson.

ALYSON: It’s more than that WIAA, it proves that the ‘systems’ we have in place are no longer fit for purpose and the new Prime Minister who will be in post by this time next week is quite possibly not going to make any better a fist of it than the previous four, yes four, we’ve had over the last six years. It’s all going horribly wrong WIAA, all over the world, and there are some REALLY big issues that need dealt with, but that involves REALLY big change which seems to be impossible to bring about.

WIAA: What about sharing a calming song, Alyson?

ALYSON: Good idea WIAA. Back when I was researching Sérgio Mendes for a previous post, I stumbled upon this cover from 1968. If you’re feeling a bit stressed and anxious by what’s going on in the world just listen to this, Fool on the Hill by Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66. I think I need to add it to my sidebar category ‘Balm For The Soul’, as it certainly acts as a balm for me. I just love the girls in this clip, their dresses, their hair, the way they carry themselves and that soft, understated style of delivery they have. Reminds me of the soundtracks to many a late ’60s film, such as The Graduate or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Fool On The Hill by Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66:

But of course, we all know that Fool on the Hill is a Lennon & MacCartney composition and just to be clear I didn’t choose the song because I was alluding to any particular ‘fool’ of today. I’m not that clever. It was a Paul song, and it probably related to a character such as the Beatles’ meditation teacher, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi – a solitary figure who was not understood by others but was actually quite wise, apparently. Let’s compare and contrast.

Fool on the Hill by the Beatles:

I seem to have shared more Beatles’ songs this year than in any other year since starting this blog. The Get Back documentary series that aired earlier this year made me fall in love with them all over again, after a good few years of deciding their music had become a bit over-familiar to my ears.

As for Sérgio’s sound, there is nothing like listening to Mas Que Nada on a cold and dreich Scottish Saturday (like today) to raise the mood. His version of Fool on the Hill is not so much a mood-raiser but a mood-calmer. Either way I have become a bit of a fan of the Brazilian maestro who is apparently still with us, so good for him. He is a contemporary of the Beatles but had a very different start in music, first training as a classical pianist at his local ‘conservatoire’. The Cavern Club and its ilk were not for him, but by 1968 here he was covering songs written by these Liverpool lads.

For any of my followers from outside the UK, no need to worry about what’s going on in our country. It’s all good, we know what we’re doing, and a new PM will be in place by this time next weekend sorting everything out. Britain is open for business and it’s all going to be grand. Yes… (big gulp), it’s all going to be grand.

Until next time…

The Fool On The Hill Lyrics
(Song by John Lennon/Paul McCartney)

Day after day, alone on a hill
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him
They can see that he’s just a fool
And he never gives an answer

But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning ’round

Well on the way, head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices talking perfectly loud
But nobody ever hears him
Or the sound he appears to make
And he never seems to notice

But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning ’round

And nobody seems to like him
They can tell what he wants to do
And he never shows his feelings

But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning ’round

He never listens to them
He knows that they’re the fools
They don’t like him

The fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning ’round

Glastonbury 2022, No Need to Feel Nervous for Sir Paul and ‘Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!’

I did say I wasn’t going to write any more Beatles-related posts for a while – as there have been many around here of late – but after watching the headline act perform at Glastonbury last weekend (on telly), it can’t be avoided. I don’t know how well-known the Glastonbury Festival is outwith the UK but I’m guessing most people who visit this place will have heard of it. It’s a massive event in the British cultural calendar and it all began in 1970, inspired by the hippie movement and the counterculture of the 1960s. Michael Eavis, a dairy-farmer from Pilton, Somerset, came up with the idea of the first festival, and since then it has become a behemoth of an event where between two and three hundred thousand people have been known to attend. After the last two years’ planned festivals had to be cancelled due to the pandemic, it seems this year’s festival-goers were really up for it, and I dipped into much of the excellent BBC coverage over the course of last weekend.

The ‘big one’ however is the act who will perform on the Pyramid Stage on the Saturday night and this year it was to be none other than Sir Paul McCartney. He was supposed to headline back in 2020, and then last year, but eventually things got back on track and he got his time on that most famous of stages. It aired an hour later on telly, starting at 10.30pm, but I was really curious as to how it would go and of course I was also a bit nervous for him. He had turned 80 only the week before – could he still cut it? In the end I stayed up late, watching his entire set (link here to BBC iPlayer) until just after 1am and I think most of us would agree, yes he could.

With such a back catalogue of songs to choose from he was spoilt for choice, but he trod a nice balance, covering early Beatles, late Beatles, Wings and solo material, in no particular chronological order. Made it a nice surprise to find out what would pop up next. The vocals at times were less than perfect, and there were some sound issues, but his band have been with him a long time and are the consummate professionals. The crowd didn’t seem to notice any of the sound issues at all and were just happy to witness one of the world’s first pop superstars in action. Mr WIAA went to bed about half way through, which is a shame I think, because it wasn’t until the second half that the truly memorable bits happened. Lovely stills on the big screen behind him of George Harrison, and of course there was the duet with John Lennon using footage from Peter Jackson’s recent Get Back documentary series. There were also the ‘surprise’ guest appearances by Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen which meant at one point we had two of the three richest people in music on stage at the same time (sorry Dave, it wasn’t you), not that their wealth would have mattered a jot to them at that precise moment.

But what meant more to me than the joy of listening to all those songs I know and love, was that it could happen at all. In my current life I find it hard to feel positive about the aging process. My mum has had dementia since before she turned 80 and is now in a care home, along with a lot of other people who also have dementia or who are just too physically infirm to look after themselves. Many of them are much younger than 80. Watching Glastonbury on Saturday night made me realise it’s not a given that this will happen to all of us. If we are lucky, and look after ourselves, there is a lot to be positive about as the years roll by. Paul was looking pretty good and very youthful for a man of his vintage I thought, and to have played and sang for over two and a half hours in such a setting was no mean feat. I’m sure he’s had a bit of ‘help’ along the way but he always was the baby-faced one amongst the Beatles and it seems to be holding him in good stead – that and being a serial monogamist and family man possibly?

I have added his setlist from Saturday night in the Postscript below, but which of all the many songs that were performed have resonated with me most since? I can’t believe I’m even admitting to this, as a very unlikely pick, but for the last five days I’ve had Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! going round and round in my head. It’s not even a Paul song but one written by John Lennon after he bought an old 19th century circus poster in an antiques shop in 1967. The song’s lyrics detail the entire evening’s program and of course it ended up on the Sgt. Pepper album, also made in 1967. How weird that it’s stayed with me all week but maybe because it’s one of the songs that hasn’t become over-familiar and I did enjoy how on the night, his drummer flamboyantly waved his arms around in a circular fashion, in the style of a circus performer. Quite a performance.

I can’t find YouTube footage of this song from his Glastonbury set, but here it is from earlier in the month performed elsewhere. See what I mean about the drummer, Abe Laboriel Jr., at 1:05 and 2:05? Below it you will find an audio clip of the original Beatles song recorded for Sgt. Pepper.

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! by the Beatles:

So, ‘What’s It All About?’ – Lots of enjoyment to be had from watching the reinstated festival this year, even if it was vicariously via the telly. I was nervous for Sir Paul, but I shouldn’t have been, as everyone accepted his vocals can’t quite be what they were back in the day and they were happy just to have this legend on the Pyramid Stage at last. His band was fantastic and what with his ‘surprise’ guests, and the audience participation towards the end, he must have been really pleased by how it went down. I might have quite a few poorly and infirm 80-year olds in my life, but some of these rock and pop heroes from the 1960s make me realise it doesn’t have to be that way. If you keep on working on new things and feel passionate about what you do, there is no reason to slow down or stop doing it.

As for those who were actually there, I am a tad jealous. Many of us have been home-based for an awful long time now, and post-covid, some of us will continue to live that way. Watching the crowd scenes at Glastonbury, of all those people who came together for a festival, it reminded me that we humans are by nature social animals and should live in communities, not alone, interacting with a computer screen. Last time I wrote about my get-together in Edinburgh with my blogging pals. It was a wonderful few days and it harked back to how I used to live, always surrounded by people, having a chat, having a bit of a laugh. Now, not so much. Will have to do better going forward.

To end I had better show a clip from the actual night itself, so how about this bit of amateur footage. As I said, very jealous. A celebration of 60 years of popular music, my era of popular music, and I wasn’t even there. Thank goodness for the BBC.

Until next time…

Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! Lyrics
(Song by John Lennon/Paul McCartney)

For the benefit of Mr. Kite,
There will be a show tonight
On trampoline.

The Hendersons will all be there.
Late of Pablo Fanque’s Fair.
What a scene!

Over men and horses, hoops and garters,
Lastly through a hogshead of real fire!
In this way
Mr. K.
Will challenge the world!

The celebrated Mr. K.
Performs his feat on Saturday
At Bishopsgate.

The Hendersons will dance and sing
As Mr. Kite flies through the ring.
Don’t be late!

Messrs. K. and H. assure the public
Their production will be second to none.
And of course
Henry The Horse
Dances the waltz!

The band begins at ten to six,
When Mr. K. performs his tricks
Without a sound.

And Mr. H. will demonstrate
Ten summersets he’ll undertake
On solid ground.

Having been some days in preparation,
A splendid time is guaranteed for all.
And tonight
Mr. Kite
Is topping the bill!

Postscript:

Paul McCartney’s Glastonbury setlist of 39 songs

Can’t Buy Me Love (The Beatles song)
Junior’s Farm (Wings song)
Letting Go (Wings song)
Got to Get You Into My Life (The Beatles song)
Come On to Me
Let Me Roll It (Wings song) (with “Foxy Lady” outro jam)
Getting Better (The Beatles song)
Let ‘Em In (Wings song) – apparently many people only know this song from the Postcode Lottery advert and were bemused by how it turned up on his setlist!
My Valentine
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (Wings song)
Maybe I’m Amazed
I’ve Just Seen a Face (The Beatles song)
In Spite of All the Danger (The Quarrymen song)
Love Me Do (The Beatles song)
Dance Tonight
Blackbird (The Beatles song)
Here Today
New
Lady Madonna (The Beatles song)
Fuh You
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (The Beatles song)
Something (The Beatles song
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (The Beatles song)
You Never Give Me Your Money (The Beatles song)
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (The Beatles song)
Get Back (The Beatles song)
I Saw Her Standing There (The Beatles song with Dave Grohl)
Band on the Run (Wings song with Dave Grohl)
Glory Days (Bruce Springsteen cover with Bruce Springsteen)
I Wanna Be Your Man (The Beatles song with Bruce Springsteen)
Let It Be (The Beatles song)
Live and Let Die (Wings song)
Hey Jude (The Beatles song)

Encore:
I’ve Got a Feeling (The Beatles song, virtual duet with John Lennon)
Helter Skelter (The Beatles song)
Golden Slumbers (The Beatles song)
Carry That Weight (The Beatles song)
The End (The Beatles song with Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen)

Yet More Beatles, ‘I Feel Fine’ and Words of Wisdom from Caitlin Moran

This blog has been a bit Beatles-heavy of late as after watching Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back mini-series on Disney+, I went on to watch some of the many other documentaries made about them, and kind of fell in love with them all over again. I admit to having been a bit too young for ‘Beatlemania’, but of course I knew of them, and in the early ’70s their films were often shown on telly during the school holidays. When the Red and Blue compilation albums were released in 1973, I somehow acquired them and loved pouring over the lyrics on the inner sleeves – what a songwriting journey between Love Me Do and The Long and Winding Road. (When I say I somehow acquired them, that’s because albums like this were really expensive in relation to what we received as pocket money back then, so I can only imagine there must have been a build up of birthday and Christmas money in my piggy bank.)

How great they were able to recreate the original picture all those years later. The EMI building now long since gone.

I mention the above because I am going to write one more Beatles-themed post before giving them (and you) a bit of a break. I have been making excuses of late as to why my blogging output has been falling short of normal – all valid excuses – but how to kick start things again once you’ve lost momentum? I decided to revert to one of the ideas I had when I first set up this place, simply pick a song at random, then challenge myself to write about it. When I opened the music app on this device the other night and pressed play, the song that burst forth was this one – I Feel Fine, a non-album single by the Beatles from 1964 (Paul goes over his ankle at 0:09 in this clip!).

I Feel Fine by the Beatles:

Most of us will already be really familiar with this simple but effective love song, but what made it a bit different, and a bit experimental, was that it starts with a single feedback note. It was apparently produced by accident when Paul plucked the A string on his bass, and John’s guitar, which was leaning against Paul’s bass amp, picked up feedback. The band loved that ‘Nnnnnnwahhhhh’ sound and asked George Martin if it could be edited onto the front of the record. It could, and the rest as they say, is history.

In the promotional clip for the song, made for a Top of the Pops round-up of the year’s biggest hits, the band are shown interacting with various items of gym equipment. George sang into a punch-ball whilst Ringo pedalled on an exercise bike. I recently shared a trailer for their film A Hard Day’s Night and although filmed just a year and a half later, the clip for I Feel Fine shows a band that is starting to morph into something else – the hair is longer, the clothes more casual and the attitude a bit more irreverent. Interestingly the Beatles only appeared on the live TOTP show once, which is really unusual for a British band from the ’60s, but then they were rarely available, and could it be that they got so big, so fast, that such a weekly chart show was a bit beneath them? Not sure, but few of the really big stars of music ever appeared, which led to the show becoming a bit MTV-ish for a time, especially in its final years.

But the main reason I was happy to have a song by the Beatles pop up as a random pick, was because I have been wanting to share an extract for some time from one of my favourite books, by one of my favourite authors. I don’t have many books by my bedside with little sticky tabs inserted to remind me of important passages, but two of them are by Caitlin Moran, whose writing I love. In her novel How To Be Famous, an entire chapter is dedicated to a letter, written by the main character to her friend John, who has suddenly become a big star in the world of music. The chapter/letter is too long to share in full, but here are what I think are the best bits, that sum up what she is trying to tell her friend:

There is one terrible weakness you can have if you amusedly and self-deprecatingly describe yourself as an artist, and become famous. One let-down if you become loved by millions, and your work is meaningful work. And that is if some of the millions who know, and love you, are teenage girls (…) the love of teenage girls is not merely substandard, or worthless – it is an active mortification to an artist. Oh you take those girls’ money and become elevated on their devotion, and enjoy them putting you at Number One – but you do not respect those girls.

Things that boys love are cooler than things girls love. That is a simple fact. Boys love clever things, cleverly. Girls love foolish things, foolishly. How awful it would be to love things like teenage girls do. How awful it would be to be the wrong kind of fan – a girl. A dumb, hysterical, screaming girl.

But bands need to be screamed at. In their hearts they know that. They know there is a power they will never attain until they have stood in the white-noise of a theatre of devotion and seen the girls down the front collapse in ecstatic tears. And this is true even when it’s the biggest scream in the world, even when the mythology is that the screaming was what killed your band.

Why did girls love the Beatles so much? Because the Beatles loved girls. They were saturated in girl culture – they loved black American girl groups; they had dandy outfits and uncomfortable pointy shoes, like girls. They went out of their way to write about girls in their songs – ‘She Loves You’ is the Beatles siding with a girl in love… acting as her sexy envoys. They grew their hair long, like girls: an act of alliance in a time when femininity was implicitly inferior.

How can you be as extraordinary as the Beatles? How can you change so much, in such a short space of time, with seemingly nothing – no capital, no contacts no education – on your side? By tapping into the cultural capital of humanity: girls. To be on the side of girls. To look girls in the eye, and declare yourself on our team. To copy girls, to acknowledge girls, to learn from girls.

The great pity of my lifetime is that still no one notices this is what happens. Girls are invisible. The power source goes unacknowledged. But not to other girls. I see you girls. I see you in history. And all anyone has to do – to have our impossible energy and love, given willingly, forever – is to say, ‘I see you too.’

Well said Caitlin.

Until next time…

I Feel Fine Lyrics
(Song by John Lennon/Paul McCartney)

Baby’s good to me, you know
She’s happy as can be, you know
She said so
I’m in love with her and I feel fine

Baby says she’s mine, you know
She tells me all the time, you know
She said so
I’m in love with her and I feel fine

I’m so glad that she’s my little girl
She’s so glad, she’s telling all the world

That her baby buys her things, you know
He buys her diamond rings, you know
She said so
She’s in love with me and I feel fine, mmm

Baby says she’s mine, you know
She tells me all the time, you know
She said so
I’m in love with her and I feel fine

I’m so glad that she’s my little girl
She’s so glad, she’s telling all the world

That her baby buys her things, you know
He buys her diamond rings, you know
She said so
She’s in love with me and I feel fine
She’s in love with me and I feel fine, mmm, mmm

The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night and ‘If I Fell’

Last time I mentioned that the hard graft part of my college course is now over, so to reward myself I indulged in a bit of a wallow in the distant past, revisiting old footage of the Beatles at the height of Beatlemania. This came about because I’d recently re-read my Christmas stocking book, Nothing Is Real: The Beatles Were Underrated And Other Sweeping Statements About Pop, by David Hepworth. A bit of non-fiction was needed as a foil to the very literary books I’ve had to dissect of late and there is nothing I enjoy more than a rock and pop anthology. The first section of the book contained essays on the Beatles, and yet again (I’ve mentioned some of David’s other books around here before), I learnt so much that was new to me.

I knew the Beatles had been in existence for some time before their breakthrough year 1963, but it wasn’t until Ringo Starr was recruited in September 1962 that they truly became a group (they weren’t called bands in those days). He was the best drummer in Liverpool at the time and the rest of the lads liked him, so once it was decided that Pete Best had to go, in those days before house telephones, Brian Epstein turned up at his family home in one of the less salubrious parts of that city to ask if he wanted to join the group. The rest as they say is history. Ringo was more than happy to change his slicked back hair to mop-top style, and wear the smart suits Brian had insisted the lads adopt. His unique style of drumming was pivotal in creating the Beatles’ sound and a lot of that was down to the fact he was born left-handed, but his superstitious grandmother wouldn’t let him use his left hand so he learned to play on a right-handed kit. It meant his route round the drum kit was a bit different to that of other drummers which is why other bands found it so hard to copy their sound exactly.

Anyway, I had enjoyed reading all these snippets in David’s book so much, I decided to search for moving images of the Beatles on some of the many avenues available to us on our tellies nowadays. It didn’t take long for me to find their 1964 film A Hard Day’s Night (on Amazon Prime), and what a joy it was to watch it again straight after reading the book, as there was so much more to look out for now that I knew more of the Fab Four backstories.

Within the first 10 seconds, both George and Ringo have fallen over!

The film has a plot of sorts, but it was essentially about Beatlemania and was a vehicle to showcase some of the songs written especially for the soundtrack. It was early reality television, where we saw the lads lark around in between rehearsals, exhibiting their individual personalities, but best of all they sang those simple (but not simple) love songs that were aimed at their young teenage market. Every time I watch the film I warm most to this song, If I Fell, possibly because it’s not one of the ones that’s become overfamiliar but also because we get to see them ‘at work’ interacting with each other whilst they rehearse for the show. I hadn’t noticed before but I also like how the beat to the song comes from Ringo simply tapping the metal side of the snare drum with his drumstick (0:32) – Maybe this is ‘a thing’ in the world of drumming, but I’d never taken heed of it before.

If I Fell by the Beatles:

It’s an accident of birth of course, but had I been born ten years earlier I would have been just the right demographic for Beatlemania, but I wasn’t, I only had Rollermania which was a pale imitation. What I noticed most about watching the film this week however, was just how much joy exuded from the screen. The Fab Four were still finding their feet as a band experiencing something that had never occurred before in the UK. Their fans adored them and they thought they were the luckiest guys in the world.

I knew if I looked hard enough I would find them, and I did. Here are seven of a series of 60 trading cards issued by A&BC, with chewing gum, back in 1964. I thought they might be worth something, but once I visited the ‘well-known online auction site’ I realised there are still many of them out there. I’m pretty sure they weren’t bought by me as there is no way my mum allowed me to have chewing gum at age four (‘if you swallow it it’ll stick to the inside of your tummy’), so I reckon they probably came via my older cousins who often came to stay in the summer holidays. Nice little bit of memorabilia though, and perfect for my wallow in all things Beatles-related this last week.

***Trading cards from a set issued by A&BC in 1964***

Until next time…

If I Fell
(Song by John Lennon/Paul McCartney)

If I fell in love with you
Would you promise to be true
And help me understand
Cause I’ve been in love before
And I found that love was more
Than just holding hands

If I give my heart to you
I must be sure
From the very start
That you would love me more than her

If I trust in you oh please
Don’t run and hide
If I love you too oh please
Don’t hurt my pride like her
Cause I couldn’t stand the pain
And I would be sad if our new love was in vain

So I hope you see that I
Would love to love you
And that she will cry
When she learns we are two
Cause I couldn’t stand the pain
And I would be sad if our new love was in vain

So I hope you see that I
Would love to love you
And that she will cry
When she learns we are two
If I fell in love with you

The Beatles, ‘Paperback Writer’ and Nearly At The Finish Line

WIAA: Alyson…, oh Alyson.

Alyson: I know, I know WIAA – It appears that I’ve gone quiet around here again, but all for a good reason. One final push and I think I’ll actually finish my course and get a qualification. I had a project to submit yesterday which took three weeks of hard graft – Doesn’t leave much time for blogging.

WIAA: Understandable then. It’s just that my pages were feeling a little unloved again.

Alyson: Sorry WIAA. It’s also not lost on me that just as we seemed to be finally getting back to normal after two years of pandemic-related anxiety and restrictions, the biggest, most scary scenario imaginable has actually come to pass. I can’t pretend to understand all the background detail to what’s going on, and it’s complicated, not black and white, but could the 21st century really get any worse?

WIAA: Again, understandable then that you’ve not been feeling ‘blogging inclined’.

Alyson: Here’s the irony WIAA. Exactly 40 years ago right now I was in the midst of studying for my finals, at University. Those stressful last few weeks were overshadowed by the fact our country went to war, with a large South American country. Some of our lecturers lost the will to tutor us, such was their dismay at what had happened. Rumours went round that young males (our boyfriends) would be conscripted. Of course that didn’t happen, and our lecturers did put the processes in place for us to sit our finals, but with only seven weeks left to go on my current course, I’m experiencing a terrible sense of déjà vu albeit on a far scarier level.

WIAA: How about sharing a song to take your mind off things?

Alyson: Always a joy WIAA, although not much time today for all the background research I like to include around here. As I’ve had to read so many books over the last few weeks (my chosen author for my project was the wonderfully clever Kate Atkinson), I think something about writers might be a good idea. Here is Paperback Writer by the Beatles, one of their non-album singles from 1966.

Paperback Writer by the Beatles:

Last month I spent the guts of a weekend watching Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back mini-series on Disney+, which documented their time making the Let It Be album, culminating in that rooftop performance in Central London. I loved it, and as others have said, because the footage has been so skilfully remastered, it looks as if it could have been made yesterday. All four Beatles were back in our lives and with eight hours of airtime, you got a real insight into how they were with each other at that time in early 1969. Not as bad as was always made out it seems.

Anyway, I have a copious amount of notes that I want to make into a Get Back blog post at some point, but I did also have one of those revelatory moments when watching it. Yoko Ono was permanently attached to John throughout the whole thing, never veering far from his side. How annoying for the rest of them I thought until I realised that 40 years ago, I too was that limpet. He doesn’t get mentioned around here often, as I’m not as anonymous as I used to be and don’t want to cause any upset, but the student boyfriend and I were rarely apart during those years which meant whenever he spent time with his male friends I was always there too, as I had done the unthinkable and dropped my female friends. In the library, in the bar, having lunch in the refectory, at the football pitch, yep, I was always there…

I was Yoko.

Although I have now lost touch with that entire group of young men, all these years later I can only apologise for my limpet-like behaviour. I’m still really glad you didn’t get conscripted, but instead got to the finish line and sat your finals. Let’s hope the same can be said for the class of ’22.

Until next time…

Paperback Writer
Song by John Lennon/Paul McCartney

Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?
It’s based on a novel by a man named Lear
And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer

It’s the dirty story of a dirty man
And his clinging wife doesn’t understand
His son is working for the Daily Mail
It’s a steady job but he wants to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer

Paperback writer

It’s a thousand pages, give or take a few
I’ll be writing more in a week or two
I can make it longer if you like the style
I can change it round and I want to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer

If you really like it you can have the rights
It could make a million for you overnight
If you must return it, you can send it here
But I need a break and I want to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer

Paperback writer

Paperback writer, paperback writer
Paperback writer, paperback writer
Paperback writer, paperback writer
Paperback writer, paperback writer (fade out)

Bonfire Night, More Bond Themes and ‘Live And Let Die’

Well, it’s Guy Fawkes Night, but there will be no big ‘town display’ tonight down at the municipal playing fields. There will probably be a few small displays in back gardens (look out for your pets folks), but nothing grander. Shame all these festivals, Halloween, Christmas and Bonfire Night, land during the coldest and wettest time of the year here in Scotland, as we’ve had a fair few soakings and frostbitten fingers over the years.

For those who are not from the UK, Guy Fawkes Night will mean nothing to you, so by way of explanation, here is an abbreviated version of the Wiki entry about the aforementioned chap:

Guy Fawkes (1570 – 1606), was a member of a group of English Catholics who was involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Fawkes had fought for Catholic Spain in the Eighty Years’ War against Protestant Dutch reformers. When he returned to England he was introduced to Robert Catesby, who planned to assassinate King James I, and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne.

The plotters leased an ‘undercroft’ (a cellar) beneath the House of Lords and Fawkes was placed in charge of the gunpowder they stockpiled there. An anonymous letter to the authorities prompted a search of Westminster Palace during the early hours of 5 November, and they found Fawkes with the explosives. After being tortured he confessed to wanting to blow up the House of Lords.

Fawkes was later sentenced to death but he became synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot, the failure of which has been commemorated in the UK as Guy Fawkes Night since 5 November 1605, when his effigy is traditionally burned on a bonfire, accompanied by fireworks.

Growing up, it was an exciting annual event, and as our back garden was joined to three others (we had the gable-end, prized in a terrace), the dads usually built a big communal bonfire. In the preceding couple of weeks, all the kids collected their fireworks. There were ‘selection boxes’, with a mix of all the usual suspects, Catherine wheels, bangers, and rockets, but also packets of sparklers and individual fireworks of the more spectacular nature.

Needless the say, over the years there were a fair amount of nasty accidents involving fireworks (none for us thankfully), so nowadays people are encouraged to attend well-supervised, organised displays. Let’s hope this year there won’t be a return to the past, as the dads, although well intentioned, just don’t have the training of our local Fire Officers.

The best display our town ever held was when they used Bond themes to choreograph the igniting of the fireworks. It was a dry night for once, with clear skies, so a pretty spectacular event. I’ve written about Bond themes this week already, so appropriate to share this song, as it’s often accompanied by stunning pyrotechnics even when it’s not Guy Fawkes night. I give you Live And Let Die by Wings from 1973.

Live And Let Die by Wings:

The song was written for the film of the same name, the eighth in the Bond series, this time starring Roger Moore. Paul McCartney, along with wife Linda, wrote the song and on this occasion George Martin wrote the film score, as John Barry was unavailable. Performed by their group Wings, it was the first ‘rock and roll’ song used to open a Bond film, and became a major success, reaching No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 2 in the US. It was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost out that year to The Way We Were.

Stay safe, as we keep saying nowadays, but tonight I mean beware of stray fireworks. No doubt we’ll still see a fair few light up our skies.

Until next time….

Live And Let Die Lyrics
(Song by Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney)

When you were young and your heart was an open book
You used to say live and let live
(you know you did, you know you did you know you did)
But if this ever changing world in which we’re living
Makes you give in and cry

Say live and let die
Live and let die
Live and let die
Live and let die

What does it matter to ya
When you got a job to do
You gotta do it well
You gotta give the other fellow hell

Say live and let die
Live and let die
Live and let die
Live and let die

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