The Clarion

Issue date: 2/24/10 Section: Entertainment

"Cry Baby Cry" ("The White Album") - John Lennon was great at writing songs about old childhood nursery rhymes and this one is an underrated classic. The song paints a picture of people sitting around listening to music and hanging out with kings and queens. Lennon would call this song trash later in his life, but it hits a homerun.

"You've Got to Hide your Love Away" ("Help!") - This song is either about Lennon's infidelity against Cynthia, or Brian Epstein's male lover. Bob Dylan's introspective lyrics mixed with Lennon's personal insecurities with relationships are evident in this tune. The album itself was a real turning point for the "Fab Four," and this song is a subtle prelude to Lennon's later work.

"I Me Mine" ("Let it Be") - George Harrison, the guy who took a hold of everything that eastern thought had to offer, produced a tune that was exceptionally conceited. Harrison proved in this song that while he was a worldly thinker, he knew his western mindset still existed. This song is a great gem from an underrated album.

"Rain" (B-side to "Paperback Writer" single) - This song was a first, in that it presented listeners with a taste of backward tracking. It was supposedly used to prove that Lennon was dead on Abbey Road. A somewhat hazy and trippy tune, sitting in the shade and sipping lemonade became an analogy for being on LSD.

"Hey Bulldog" ("Yellow Submarine" Soundtrack) - A little known hard rock classic from the animated opus released in 1968. Lennon used the same type of songwriting in this feature that he used in "I am the Walrus." By creating images through words, listeners don't get many deep meanings, but a look inside one of the greatest creative minds of all time.

"Getting Better" ("Sgt Peppers") - Paul McCartney has been considered the least liked Beatle (it was him that was a factor for the break-up), but this song proves his ability to be just as a creative as Lennon. His take on how life is only getting better expresses the side of rock that is seldom seen today. These types of upbeat affirmative songs are just as good as their rebellious counterparts.

"Run for Your Life" ("Rubber Soul") - This album has some of the cruelest love songs in the Beatle's catalog. Wanting a girl dead rather than her be with another man is unlike Lennon (he claimed this as his least favorite song years later), but it expresses his loneliness and a needed outlet for emotions.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools