Across The Universe LET IT BE 5/ 8/70	...a track from the LET IT BE album that, like about everything on that album, was released months after it had been recorded. In this case, over two years passed from its original recording date of February 4, 1968.
	...a song that John Lennon started composing while lying in bed with his first wife, Cynthia. John said Cynthia was talking on and on and the words to this song started floating into his head. He couldn't sleep, got out of bed and wrote as much as he could. [5 other items about 'Across the Universe' are in the ROCK HISTORY REFERENCE GUIDE- Volume 1]
All You Need Is Love SINGLE 7/17/67 MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR 11/27/67	...a song that the Beatles wrote specifically for a performance in a worldwide satellite broadcast. Entitled OUR WORLD, it was the first ever global satellite telecast, beamed to 24 countries and watched by about 400 million people.
	...a Beatles track that, when it was premiered on a global satellite broadcast, ran over six minutes long. The Beatles sang their live vocals over a backing track that they had previously recorded. What was done live were Paul's bass, Ringo's drums, part of George's guitar solo, the orchestra, and all the vocals.
	...a Beatles song that, in its fade-out, includes some Bach, the traditional 'Greensleeves,' and Glenn Miller's 'In the Mood.' Producer George Martin arranged the fade-out and to keep the Miller clip in the mix, the Beatles had to pay a royalty fee
	...a Beatles song, written mostly by John Lennon, for a special worldwide satellite broadcast. In 1967, Paul McCartney said when the band knew it would have the chance to address 400 million people, they had to come up with a message that called for more love in the world. [6 more items about 'All You Need Is Love' appear in the ROCK HISTORY REFERENCE GUIDE- Volume 1]
Baby You're A Rich Man SINGLE 7/17/67 MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR 11/27/67	...a song that was a true collaboration by Lennon and McCartney while most were not. John contributed the 'one of the beautiful people' sections, while McCartney was responsible for the other parts.
	...a track that was written to be held for the film 'Yellow Submarine' but went instead issued on the flip side of 'All You Need Is Love' in July of 1967.
	...a Beatles track that popularized another new instrument in rock music. John Lennon plays a clavioline at the beginning of the song. It's a keyboard instrument that amplifies one note played at a time. [2 more items on 'Baby You're a Rich Man' appear in the ROCK HISTORY REFERENCE GUIDE- Volume 1]
Back In The U.S.S.R. WHITE ALBUM 11/25/68	...a significant song in Beatles' history that was one of the few recorded without Ringo Starr, who had quit the group in a huff during the work on the WHITE ALBUM. Paul played the drums on this 3-Beatle tune.
	...a Paul McCartney tune that he said had two major inspirations. Paul used Chuck Berry's 'Back in the U.S.A.' and the Beach Boys' 'California Girls' to come up with 'Back in the U.S.S.R.' [4 other items on 'Back in the U.S.S.R. appear in the ROCK HISTORY REFERENCE GUIDE- Volume 1]
Can't Buy Me Love SINGLE 3/16/64 A HARD DAY'S NIGHT 6/26/64	...a Beatles hit with an unconventional start. Producer George Martin suggested that the band start the song with the chorus instead of the first verse as was normally done.
	...a song that might have ended with a toilet flush had the Beatles had their way. There is a story that the Beatles first recorded this song in their dressing room while George was in the washroom. As the song finishes, the sound of a toilet flushing can be heard. The Beatles wanted to release that version but George Martin prevailed upon them to record it again in the studio.
	...one of the Beatles top selling records...it only took them four takes and about an hour to record it. [6 other items on 'Can't Buy Me Love' appear in the ROCK HISTORY REFERENCE GUIDE- Volume 1]
Come Together ABBEY ROAD 10/ 1/69	...a song that was John Lennon's effort at writing a campaign song. Lennon's 'Come Together' was written to be given to Timothy Leary who, at the time, was mulling over a race for Governor of California.
	...a Beatles track that resulted in a promise between John and his idol Chuck Berry. Lennon had used a couple of lines from Chuck's 'You Can't Catch Me' for the song 'Come Together.' When Berry's publishing company called asking for royalties, John avoided the court case by offering to cut a couple of Berry's songs on a future album. It finally happened in '75 when John put the songs on his solo ROCK 'N' ROLL LP. [5 other items on 'Come Together' appear in the ROCK HISTORY REFERENCE GUIDE- Volume 1]
(A) Day In The Life SGT.PEPPER 6/ 2/69	...a song whose line, 'he blew his mind out in a car,' has been said to be about Tara Guinness, heir to the Guinness brewery, who died in a car accident in 1967.
	...a track from the first rock album to include a complete set of song lyrics. Although it seems common-place now, it was new when the Beatles went for it on the back of the SGT. PEPPER album jacket.
	...a classic Beatles track that was as fresh as the headlines in the daily news. In fact, John Lennon wrote his part of the song after perusing the newspapers and reading about a car accident that killed a friend of the Beatles (see above) and about a report that had counted 4,000 potholes in Blackburn, Lancashire.
	...a SGT. PEPPER track that combined unfinished music from both John and Paul to make for one of the Beatles most famous songs. John wrote the opening segment and the finale, Paul came up with the line 'I'd love to turn you on...' as well as the section about getting up and catching the bus. [18 other items on 'Day In The Life' appear in the ROCK HISTORY REFERENCE GUIDE- Volume 1]
Eleanor Rigby REVOLVER 8/ 8/66	...a famous Beatles song that, had it survived in its original written version, might have been called 'Miss Daisy Hawkins.' That's the name Paul McCartney said he first plugged into the tune that turned into 'Eleanor Rigby.'
	...the Beatles song with a primary character whose name came from two diverse sources. Paul McCartney remembers that the 'Eleanor' came from Eleanor Bron, an actress from the Beatles film HELP! and 'Rigby' came from the name of a shop. Put them together and you have one of the Beatles' most famous tunes.
	...a Beatles tune that Paul almost wrote his father into. When doing 'Eleanor Rigby,' the priest in the story started out as 'Father McCartney' but Paul thought better of putting his dad into such a lonely song and changed it to 'McKenzie.' [6 other items on 'Eleanor Rigby' appear in the ROCK HISTORY REFERENCE GUIDE- Volume 1]
Get Back SINGLE ( on PAST MASTERS II) 5/ 5/69 LET IT BE 5/18/70	...one of the Beatles most famous tunes that originally had some unusual lyrics about immigrant Pakistanis. Bootleg recordings exist with the lyrics and its not really known if they were just rehearsal nonsense or were ever seriously considered for the song's final version.
	...the only Beatles song to give label credit to an outside musician. Billy Preston, who was brought in to the session by George Harrison, played the keyboard solo on both the single and album version of the song and was noted on the single - 'The Beatles (With Billy Preston).'
	...the song whose title was supposed to represent the Beatles' philosophy of recording at the time. 'Get Back' was meant to mean 'get back to the roots.' The single was released with an ad in the trade papers announcing 'The Beatles As Nature Intended...a Beatle record as live as it can be in this electronic age.' The song was recorded without extra overdubbing. [5 other items on 'Get Back' appear in the ROCK HISTORY REFERENCE GUIDE- Volume 1]
(A) Hard Day's Night HARD DAYS NIGHT 6/26/64	...the title song from the Beatles first movie, inspired by something that Ringo once said after a long hard session. He said it had been 'a hard day,' then, noticing it was night already, he tacked on 's night.'
	...one of the Beatles' best that went from writing to final recording in just more than 24 hours. The decision was made to give the Beatles' first movie the title 'A Hard Day's Night' from an expression that Ringo had used. Paul and John had to take the title and come up with a song. It was the first time they had to come up with a song on demand. [6 other items on 'A Hard Day's Night' appear in the ROCK HISTORY REFERENCE GUIDE- Volume 1]

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