Every Moment Has A Song

Quora: Why didn’t Paul and John attend the Bangladesh benefit concert that George Harrison put together at Madison Square Garden in 1971?

21 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags: beatles, george harrison, john lennon, paul mccartney, yoko ono

(Answered by Gene Popa)

George asked both of them. Paul said he would participate, but only if the other three Beatles agreed to legally dissolve their partnership (which is what McCartney was at that point suing in court to achieve). George declined.

John actually showed up at the rehearsal, but when he asked what Yoko’s role in the concert would be (obviously expecting she would get a solo set of her own), George replied, “I would like her to enjoy the show.” In a huff, John and Yoko stalked out and did not perform.

John and Yoko did attend the film’s premiere in New York City, and he seemed to be enjoying himself by clapping and cheering the performances on the screen. However, during Bob Dylan’s performance segment, John and Yoko suddenly stood up and left the theater without explanation.

Quora: What was Paul McCartney’s most intricate bassline in ‘The Beatles’?

20 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags: beatles, george harrison, paul mccartney, something

(Answered by Thomas Luton)

Paul McCartney was arguably the most musically gifted out of all 4 Beatles. As the groups bassist, he used this ability to create wonderfully intricate and melodic bass lines.

Perhaps his most intricate bass lines are found on the last Beatles album ‘Abbey Road’. You have to remember that by this point in 1969, the Beatles were at the absolute pinnacle of their musical ability after producing several incredible albums.

Abbey Road is a masterwork of production and musicality and Paul’s bass lines reflect his abilities as a bassist. I think this is reflected in the song ‘Something’, maybe George Harrison’s magnum opus.

An incredibly written love song , ‘Something’ is a beautiful ode to love and commitment. Although the song was written by Harrison, I would recommend listening to Paul McCartney’s incredibly melodic and interesting bass line.

Busy and richly melodic, this bass line emerges as one of the most prominent features of the track. Although accused of some, including Harrison himself, of being too busy, I think it clearly reflects Paul’s incredible creativity and ability as a bassist.

Songs You May Have Missed #742

18 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: janelle monae, turntables

Janelle Monae: “Turntables” (2020)

“What is a revolution without a song?”, pondered Jenelle Monae after she was asked to provide one for the documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy.

The film deals with Georgia’s 2018 gubernatorial race in which Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s actions–incompetence or outright voter suppression, or a combination thereof–resulted in 300,000 Georgians being incorrectly deemed ineligible to vote.

When the film was in production, and co-producer Stacey Abrams asked Monae for a song, it roused her from an uninspired period, creatively speaking, at the height of Covid.

“Turntables” was just the anthem the film required. And (unfortunately) it feels no less required in the present moment.