This is one of John’s most underrated lyrical masterpieces. Never again will there be a band whose “throwaway” songs are of this magnitude of quality. Great channel here!
@kfiralfiavideo since when was a song on the B side of a single classed as a throwaway?! And please don’t use the term underrated. Underrated by whom exactly??
@@20yearsagotoday1 B sides have always been the "lesser" song that no one cared about. Underrated as in no one ever says its their fave. Chill out though - you sound frantic.
You make us hear and learn so much about these songs that people like me have heard our entire lives. Another fantastic video. Bless you from the sad, tragic U.S.
I was 12 when PaperbackWriter/Rain hit the AM airwaves, and the B-side WAS weird to me... It was only after my first acid tests2 yrs later that the I grokked the weirder side of the Beatles, but then I grokked it indeed! Thanx Nancy. You always make the coming of the wkend even better.
Another solid and thoughtful analysis. May 1966 - The Beatles "Rain", June 1966 - The Kinks "Sunny Afternoon", July 1966 - The Lovin' Spoonful "Summer in the City", and Paul's "Good Day Sunshine" recorded on Revolver Apr-June 1966. It appears the weather was in the air. I've sometimes wondered if "Rain" was John's response to Paul's "Sunshine", or vice-versa.
At the end of RAIN, you hear a thin second bass sound. Because Paul's part moved around so much they wanted to make sure that the downbeat note of each measure would be emphasized so as to keep the bottom note from dropping out. The thin bass sound was the detuning of a guitar
I really respect your videos. There are so many bad videos on The Beatles on TH-cam. You put a lot of thought into your videos they are: informative, entertaining and demonstrative. You know your music and you do your research, you play extremely well. Thanks! So I was two years old when this came out and owned the single when I was four. Paperback Writer/Rain is my favorite Beatles single and right after that We Can Work it Out/Day Tripper. I also like the way that you included the engineering and production. I appreciated your comparisons to the other music that was going on at the time. A very well rounded video as all of your videos are. And yes I was only 14 days old when The Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, something got into my head.
Watching this was like drinking 3 cups of coffee...very quickly. When Beatles releases' were happening my band mates and I would draw straws for who had to go wait in line at the record store to get a copy. Then we would get together and listen to it as a group. It was the closest I ever came to a religious experience. Of course, we loved Paperback Writer. But, when we flipped the record over and heard Rain for the first time...well, that's where the religious part happened. Loved your detailed breakdown of this transformative track.
Always been one of my favorite Beatles songs. I first heard it on a trip to the UK in 1966. I was in a bar in Wales and they had “Top of the Pops’ on the telly and they played the “music video” of Rain. I was transfixed!!
Your vids are soo profound. At the age of almost 70yrs and Beatles fan as long as I remember, you make me discovering their songs completely new! Thank you so much for that 🙏 My favourite B-sides are 1. Don’t Let Me Down 2. Rain 3. You Know My Name (because of the absolute craziness 😂) Peter from Austria
I was also in my mid-teens when I first heard this. It was on a reel to reel tape (that my brother had been using for some reason) that Dad transferred to cassette and included a chunk of the Hey Jude compilation. While Paperback Writer sounded like the kind of energetic rock music I was discovering from the '60s, Rain seemed like its frowning cousin who didn't want to go on holiday. It had a dodgy balance between the crisp drums and gymnastic bass and the droning soup of the vocals and guitars. I knew it was The Beatles but I had trouble placing it the way I could with Octopus's Garden or Love Me Do (Hey Jude is notoriously eclectic as a comp). It was so loud and grinding and strangely mooded that it grew on me more profoundly than a hit on first listen. I didn't know the vocals in the fade were backwards. What I heard was: "I stare about my marriage (unintelligible)." When I got into testing everything for backwards content that one blew my mind. Great celebration of this towering track. Thanks :)
I really appreciate your understanding of the music. I was 14 when the Beatles came to America. It was in the shadow of the Kennedy assassination. The country was in a colossal funk. And the Beatles lifted the whole country with the joy and cheer they brought. Your videos kind of take me back, thanks.
You are a wonderful aficionado and teacher about the Beatles. I have been listening to them for 60 years, intoxicated by their melodies and lyrics and still in awe. Thank you very much for you insights.
I'm so glad I found your channel (yesterday it was actually). You have so much knowledge and spread fascinating details about Beatles song. As an old Beatles Fan (who was a teenager when "Rain" came out) and remembers how striking events that were each time a new Beatles record appeared, I'm now down in your rabbit hole and can't stop exploring your videos 😃👍 Thank you for your fantastic work 👌😊
"Beatlemaniacs of the Internet" - do we get a patch to wear or secret handshake to celebrate this identity? 🐞 And thank you for Thunderous Dreamy Sluggishness... your adjectival combos are intoxicating!
Wow... I thought I knew a lot about "Rain" but (as usual) Nancy expanded my horizon with new insights. I would love to have had a class in college focused on The Beatles as taught by Nancy. Next week is going to be awesome. I can't imagine culling my favorite Beatles moments into a Top 100 list.
That fancy Paul bass line sounds like the title line in the song, Day-O (The Banana Boat Song), by Harry Belafonte. No, really…😂😂😂 as always, I enjoyed your reaction. ❤
Do you mean what she plays at 14:38 to demonstrate the timbral differences between playing the same notes on different strings? Because at that point she is literally just playing the melody of the Banana Boat song, not any McCartney bassline.
Thank you again. As I recall, my reaction to Paperback Writer and Rain was: wow, love Paperback….and yeah, Rain was weird but I always thought it was underrated.
When this song first came out ... all those years ago ... I liked it right away. It didn't strike me as complicated, just a compelling feel to it - it definitely got in my head, so that I'd replay it in my mind, for a while. Great song. I liked Paperback Writer too, but Rain is the one that was the earworm.
It’s hard to think of a better, more in-depth video to cover a single song. Rain has to be one of the best ever B-sides and sounds great today. Recommended.
Beautifully articulated analysis of yet another ground breaking Beatles track. Hearing it at the time of release, it seemed to embody a secret knowledge of some philosophical door that they had opened and invited us to enter - Revolver turned out to be that new world!
Great stuff as always. There’s really nothing like Rain in their, or any other, discography. This is my favorite era because they are so sonically adventurous and forward, eg interweaving even here some of the Indian influence (there’s a raga feel to the guitar and the chorus vocals), but the key for me: there’s still a link to the harmonic pop rock roots/instrumentation in a way that would fade with full psychedelia. Those harmonies are insane! Agree with Ringo. This is my favorite rhythm section bit they did. John would stretch bars in uneven ways more often in the future - a happy accident of perhaps knowing (or caring?) less about perfect structure. Not to mention this being Opposite of Fathom, this was among the very first Beatles songs I ever heard (my dad had the brilliantly diverse Hey Jude comp).
First time watcher here, you presented the song in a very different way, I really enjoyed this and look forward to finding out what else you have done.
The algorithm brought me here and I'm very grateful 🙂 watched a couple of your videos and they are a breath of fresh air, thanks very much for making them, can see a lot of work goes into them
Rain is one of the songs I point to as illustrating the level of John's genius. George wrote some great songs (even genius -- lookin' at you, Something!), but when George approaches Indian music, like Within You, Without You, it sounds pretty much like Raga in a Western form with Western lyrics. But Rain sounds like Western music influenced heavily by Indian music; John is not just wearing his influences on his sleeve, he's creating an entirely different musical vocabulary. He does it again with She Said and Tomorrow Never Knows. It's miles (or kilometers) from it's influences. Genius. Paul is a genius too! I'm not a "John or Paul" :)
Excellent analysis, Nancy! I've always loved this song, and I appreciate your detailed explanation as to WHY it sounds both so unusual and so great. Also, this is a perfect example of what makes the Beatles unique and incomparable: although they were by far the most popular band in the world, they absolutely refused to stand still. They did NOT want to coast on their success by repeating a proven formula. They had no interest in doing that. Instead they were always pushing out in new directions. Good on them! 👏 PS - I can't wait for your Beatles 100 moments! And maybe better if you'd give us all 800 instead!!!
The "letter" in the handwritten lyric of Paperback Writer is signed by "Ian Iachimoe", the pseudonym under which Paul contributed a competition to Barry Miles's Long Hair Times in March 1966. There's a thematic link between the competion and a line or two in Paperback Writer. Anyway, the point is that "Ian Iachimoe" is an approximation of what you get if you record the words "Paul McCartney" and play the tape backwards. I don't think there's any way they could have successfully incorporated it into the song, but had the signature been included in Paperback Writer, both sides of this single would have finished with a backwards vocal.
Another great excursion into Beatleland. Rain has always been one of my favorites. I hope you don't mind, but I just sent a comment to the Ringo Starr channel, telling him about this video and your channel. I recommended that he watch it & told him to pass it on to Paul next time they talk. If all goes according to the great cosmic plan, you may actually have the 2 remaining Beatles subscribing to your channel. Wouldn't that be something?
Thanks FATHOM! That was a great review of Rain-- I love RAIN! I liked it better than the A side PaperBack Writer. My geek friend and I were huge outdoorsy types as teens; building tree houses, swamp stomping to find rare orchids, water snakes, ferns and virgin stands of tamarack trees. We dug the weather too, going outside to watch lightning, nearly getting struck by one bolt! And we camped and backpacked in the rockies & were pretty hard core ripped for the era--so rain was a type of weather that didn't bother us (in summer especially, it was refreshing). So the song's metaphorical, philosophical and social critique was right on for us! Wore that side out, made an iron-on T-Shirt with the key line, "When it rains or shines, it's just a state of mind"!
One of the things that I find fascinating about backwards vocals is that our brain tries to make sense out of the gibberish and turn it into actual words. Whenever I hear the end of Rain, to me it sounds like he's saying "spare a dime and nourish." So before I found out that it was backwards, I wondered what the intended meaning of that phrase was. I similarly hear the endlessly repeating (on the vinyl records) loop at the end of Sgt Pepper as "never could see any other way." I presume that others' brains come up with different phrases for these things. Regarding B sides, I think that Penny Lane has to be their best. (And yes, I know they marketed it as a double-A, but even so, all record sides have a serial number, from which you can tell which is the A side, and Strawberry Fields was the A side. Which I find surprising, because PL really sounds much more like an A side, with it's cheerful melodic ear candy, whereas SFF seems like classic B side in that it's kind of weird and not as immediately accessible. But once you get it, you get how deep it is). Revolution was pretty darn amazing as well.
I have some Beatles fanzines from this. Period, it is very interesting to see all the letters from the teenage girls writing in (and yes, in the fanzine, it’s almost all girls) and they are saying, “Parsons great, and it’s new sons are really fab! But John… But John… I’m worried about John songs, sound unhappy, and sick! “
Aways enjoy your analyses. I hadn't noticed the 9 bar structure of the song before, and I loved the photos of Paul you threw in. 🙂 Hearing your detailed discussion of Paperback Writer and Rain I was struck by the 'Paul/John' 'A-side/B-side' thing, and realized how similar the Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields release was in that respect. Definitely a sign of the times in terms of how the band was evolving according to individual interests. My memory in both cases was that Paul's side was generally considered the 'A-side' at the time, but I always felt John's side to be the more interesting and affecting. I have a clear memory of playing Strawberry Fields at least 3 times in a row on a juke box in a coffee bar at the time, in one of my moody teenage episodes. 🙂 One thing you mentioned about contemporary listeners probably thinking the song was 'strange' - I was 16 at the time and it was definitely strange in some respects but John's voice and Ringo's drumming were unmistakably the Beatles' sound (in some ways more than Paperback Writer), and therefore still accessible. If I had to pick one essential aspect of The Beatles' sound it would probably be John's voice and his writing style during those years. I wasn't a fan of much of his post-Beatles work, but some songs on the Double Fantasy album I think recapture that sound I so liked in his music.
I was 14 too when I got this record. In 1966. I immediately preferred "Rain" over "Paperback Writer" and I played it all the time on a mono record player that had beautifully rich bass response. I think this record was what first made me want to play bass.
I heard "Rain" for the first time in 1973... found the 45 in a box of used 45's.... played the hell out of it on my parents mid-mod RCA console stereo system.....
The Saints did their version of "Wild about You" - a song from that Missing Links album - on the "I'm Stranded" LP. Ed Keupper not only had Stooges LPs in Brisbane in the early 1970s but he also new about such obscure bands as the Links who were trying to move 60s R'nB into experimental directions.
Excellent video! I learned a lot! I have one small quibble: When you played some pre-"Rain" 1965 songs to contrast to some post-"Rain" 1967 songs, you included "My Generation" from 1965. But to my ears, "My Generation" (especially in its fadeout) was itself revolutionary. I consider it an early example of psychedelic rock.
FYI: I have 200 Beatles songs on a playlist, in order of my favorites at least when I made it: Paperback Writer is in the top 20 and Rain in the top 40.
Love the song and love your dissertation. The single that didn't top the charts in the U.S. That's OK, I bought it when it was released and played it continuously.
You were alive when Rain came out? I was. People just accepted and consumed whatever the Beatles put out, when they put it out. Me too. It was instantly appealing, and we only tried to figure out why after the fact.
For a minute, I was baffled because it sure seems like Nancy is not 70 years old! I believe she said she was 14 when she first heard the tune but definitely was not 14 in 1966, I'm guessing :-)
Yep. from the Revolver sessions, with the fine ' (trad Beatles ). Paperback writer. best LP of ' our' music' to me. real good / interesting job. I was in 11 th grade. full force Jr high school beatlemania. then coming home from store with ' revolver' in hand..... PS. for fun - check out the long guitar tune ' East West' from Butterfield Blues. about the same time as this, and kinda similar sonics - coming - 'Indian culture , summer of Love.
when you add up all you've had say about this song, they piled all those heavy elements onto a B side!!! it's not unreasonable to claim that ringo is the mvp of Rain.🌧️ best beatles b don't let me down. yes i think so. mm mm. and i'm not listening to any opinions (unless she's a woman is part of the conversation) see i snuck in another one. i love the song just as i love the rain. walking in it. staring at the rain falling into puddles. hearing it ( uncle Albert) in fact it's not just a state of mind it induces a state of ecstasy it... i've er, i've said too much haven't i. anyway, NEXT episode - exciting. don't forget you can get a tan from standing in the english rain if you're really lucky☂️
I didn't hear The Beatles music upon release as I was too young so 'Rain' didn't reach my ears until 1970 on release of the "Hey Jude" compilation in the U.S. It's a wonderful track, I like it more than the a-side. John was right about people who complain about the weather if it's raining or the sun is shining. It's just a state of mind.
Rain unlocking is a landmark, a canon event for a Beatles fan 😂 I like to imagine "unfinished genres" or "undeveloped geneses of possible genres" (e.g. pet sounds/smile) of bands and John's hard psych pop of Rain/She Said She Said is one of them. Alternate universe where they kicked Paul out for not taking lsd with them 😂(❤ u Pol)
My favorite B side from the early years is "She's A Woman". Very hard to not go with "Strawberry Fields Forever" as the best of their B sides. But... "Revolution" ranks way up there for me as well. And if "Come Together" is seen as the A side... then "Something" certainly deserves great consideration.
Rain is definitely a track that comes from that experimental momentum from those Tomorrow Never Knows sessions Simply rain pairs well with paperback writer because they’re both very different songs but yet they’re born from instrumental experimentation that came from their new influences
Another thing they did with Rain and Paperback Writer was to make it okay to write something besides a love song. There were so many songs that seemed to have some kind of deep philosophical meaning, but then a verse about love is thrown in because people didn't think a non-love song would sell.
You forgot to mention that jimi hendrix in 1967 on the song "are you experience?" used electric guitars solo in reverse. Even Queen on his song "Ogre Battle" on his Queen II album from 1974 used tapes in reverse. so Yeah, rain and tomorrow never knows were absolutely revolutionary.
My share post: The best analyses of Beatles catalog coming from this astute musician. Things I never noticed concerning songs I’ve loved lifelong. Can’t believe so few “likes” on her TH-cam!! Check it out!
You know what I think about the bass on the normal speed version. Can you really play that fast? Great that you gave an example in your video. She’s great, the bass correspondent! But I’m still not sure. But you’re the expert. Thanks for a great video, again. Looking forward to next week.
What's YOUR favourite Beatle B-side?
Well, you've got it right here
If I can only chose one... it has to be This Boy. I love the harmonies.
😮 trouble maker part III (?)
Either - Things We Said Today, I Am The Walrus, or Revolution. Tomorrow it may be 3 others.
Well, I think this is not only my favourite B-Side but also one my favourite songs by the Beatles at all.
This is one of John’s most underrated lyrical masterpieces. Never again will there be a band whose “throwaway” songs are of this magnitude of quality. Great channel here!
@kfiralfiavideo since when was a song on the B side of a single classed as a throwaway?! And please don’t use the term underrated. Underrated by whom exactly??
@@20yearsagotoday1 B sides have always been the "lesser" song that no one cared about. Underrated as in no one ever says its their fave. Chill out though - you sound frantic.
You make us hear and learn so much about these songs that people like me have heard our entire lives. Another fantastic video. Bless you from the sad, tragic U.S.
Some flattering pictures of Paul you dug up there
I was 12 when PaperbackWriter/Rain hit the AM airwaves, and the B-side WAS weird to me... It was only after my first acid tests2 yrs later that the I grokked the weirder side of the Beatles, but then I grokked it indeed!
Thanx Nancy. You always make the coming of the wkend even better.
Another solid and thoughtful analysis. May 1966 - The Beatles "Rain", June 1966 - The Kinks "Sunny Afternoon", July 1966 - The Lovin' Spoonful "Summer in the City", and Paul's "Good Day Sunshine" recorded on Revolver Apr-June 1966. It appears the weather was in the air. I've sometimes wondered if "Rain" was John's response to Paul's "Sunshine", or vice-versa.
you are absolutely right - Rain - changed the world of music all the best to you!
At the end of RAIN, you hear a thin second bass sound. Because Paul's part moved around so much they wanted to make sure that the downbeat note of each measure would be emphasized so as to keep the bottom note from dropping out. The thin bass sound was the detuning of a guitar
I really respect your videos. There are so many bad videos on The Beatles on TH-cam. You put a lot of thought into your videos they are: informative, entertaining and demonstrative. You know your music and you do your research, you play extremely well. Thanks! So I was two years old when this came out and owned the single when I was four. Paperback Writer/Rain is my favorite Beatles single and right after that We Can Work it Out/Day Tripper. I also like the way that you included the engineering and production. I appreciated your comparisons to the other music that was going on at the time. A very well rounded video as all of your videos are. And yes I was only 14 days old when The Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, something got into my head.
This song was them saying "Here's a preview of what our next album is going to be like"
And it was absolutely amazing!
Watching this was like drinking 3 cups of coffee...very quickly. When Beatles releases' were happening my band mates and I would draw straws for who had to go wait in line at the record store to get a copy. Then we would get together and listen to it as a group. It was the closest I ever came to a religious experience. Of course, we loved Paperback Writer. But, when we flipped the record over and heard Rain for the first time...well, that's where the religious part happened. Loved your detailed breakdown of this transformative track.
I LOVE RAIN, rhythm section goes off !! Paul and ringo are so united, especially in the outroOOO
Always been one of my favorite Beatles songs. I first heard it on a trip to the UK in 1966. I was in a bar in Wales and they had “Top of the Pops’ on the telly and they played the “music video” of Rain. I was transfixed!!
Your vids are soo profound. At the age of almost 70yrs and Beatles fan as long as I remember, you make me discovering their songs completely new! Thank you so much for that 🙏
My favourite B-sides are 1. Don’t Let Me Down 2. Rain 3. You Know My Name (because of the absolute craziness 😂)
Peter from Austria
I was also in my mid-teens when I first heard this. It was on a reel to reel tape (that my brother had been using for some reason) that Dad transferred to cassette and included a chunk of the Hey Jude compilation. While Paperback Writer sounded like the kind of energetic rock music I was discovering from the '60s, Rain seemed like its frowning cousin who didn't want to go on holiday. It had a dodgy balance between the crisp drums and gymnastic bass and the droning soup of the vocals and guitars. I knew it was The Beatles but I had trouble placing it the way I could with Octopus's Garden or Love Me Do (Hey Jude is notoriously eclectic as a comp). It was so loud and grinding and strangely mooded that it grew on me more profoundly than a hit on first listen. I didn't know the vocals in the fade were backwards. What I heard was: "I stare about my marriage (unintelligible)." When I got into testing everything for backwards content that one blew my mind. Great celebration of this towering track. Thanks :)
I used to cover this when I was working as a guitarist-singer at small clubs. "Rain" always seemed to get extra interest from the crowds.
I really appreciate your understanding of the music. I was 14 when the Beatles came to America. It was in the shadow of the Kennedy assassination. The country was in a colossal funk. And the Beatles lifted the whole country with the joy and cheer they brought. Your videos kind of take me back, thanks.
You are a wonderful aficionado and teacher about the Beatles. I have been listening to them for 60 years, intoxicated by their melodies and lyrics and still in awe. Thank you very much for you insights.
What a fantastic breakdown. You are an absolute gem. Major kudos for mentioning The Missing Links.
I'm so glad I found your channel (yesterday it was actually). You have so much knowledge and spread fascinating details about Beatles song. As an old Beatles Fan (who was a teenager when "Rain" came out) and remembers how striking events that were each time a new Beatles record appeared, I'm now down in your rabbit hole and can't stop exploring your videos 😃👍 Thank you for your fantastic work 👌😊
"Beatlemaniacs of the Internet" - do we get a patch to wear or secret handshake to celebrate this identity? 🐞 And thank you for Thunderous Dreamy Sluggishness... your adjectival combos are intoxicating!
One of my favorite Beatles songs.
Wow... I thought I knew a lot about "Rain" but (as usual) Nancy expanded my horizon with new insights. I would love to have had a class in college focused on The Beatles as taught by Nancy. Next week is going to be awesome. I can't imagine culling my favorite Beatles moments into a Top 100 list.
That fancy Paul bass line sounds like the title line in the song, Day-O (The Banana Boat Song), by Harry Belafonte. No, really…😂😂😂 as always, I enjoyed your reaction. ❤
Do you mean what she plays at 14:38 to demonstrate the timbral differences between playing the same notes on different strings? Because at that point she is literally just playing the melody of the Banana Boat song, not any McCartney bassline.
@ oh okay…I missed her saying that…thanks…but if it was intentional I missed it. I thought she was playing the bass line from Rain. Lol…
@@Beatles4Sale. And I thought you were being facetious! LOL
Cannot wait for your Beatles-100.
Fabulous Fatham ! Love love love listening to ya you keep it real and interesting.
Thank you again. As I recall, my reaction to Paperback Writer and Rain was: wow, love Paperback….and yeah, Rain was weird but I always thought it was underrated.
How?! You’ve been making videos for a few years and I have never heard of you!!! GREAT stuff! Enthusiastic sub!
When this song first came out ... all those years ago ... I liked it right away. It didn't strike me as complicated, just a compelling feel to it - it definitely got in my head, so that I'd replay it in my mind, for a while. Great song. I liked Paperback Writer too, but Rain is the one that was the earworm.
It’s hard to think of a better, more in-depth video to cover a single song. Rain has to be one of the best ever B-sides and sounds great today. Recommended.
Beautifully articulated analysis of yet another ground breaking Beatles track. Hearing it at the time of release, it seemed to embody a secret knowledge of some philosophical door that they had opened and invited us to enter - Revolver turned out to be that new world!
Great stuff as always.
There’s really nothing like Rain in their, or any other, discography. This is my favorite era because they are so sonically adventurous and forward, eg interweaving even here some of the Indian influence (there’s a raga feel to the guitar and the chorus vocals), but the key for me: there’s still a link to the harmonic pop rock roots/instrumentation in a way that would fade with full psychedelia. Those harmonies are insane!
Agree with Ringo. This is my favorite rhythm section bit they did.
John would stretch bars in uneven ways more often in the future - a happy accident of perhaps knowing (or caring?) less about perfect structure.
Not to mention this being
Opposite of Fathom, this was among the very first Beatles songs I ever heard (my dad had the brilliantly diverse Hey Jude comp).
First time watcher here, you presented the song in a very different way, I really enjoyed this and look forward to finding out what else you have done.
The algorithm brought me here and I'm very grateful 🙂 watched a couple of your videos and they are a breath of fresh air, thanks very much for making them, can see a lot of work goes into them
I knew this music since it came out....your youtubes have given me a new appreciation for this great music
Rain is one of the songs I point to as illustrating the level of John's genius. George wrote some great songs (even genius -- lookin' at you, Something!), but when George approaches Indian music, like Within You, Without You, it sounds pretty much like Raga in a Western form with Western lyrics. But Rain sounds like Western music influenced heavily by Indian music; John is not just wearing his influences on his sleeve, he's creating an entirely different musical vocabulary. He does it again with She Said and Tomorrow Never Knows. It's miles (or kilometers) from it's influences. Genius. Paul is a genius too! I'm not a "John or Paul" :)
Excellent analysis, Nancy! I've always loved this song, and I appreciate your detailed explanation as to WHY it sounds both so unusual and so great.
Also, this is a perfect example of what makes the Beatles unique and incomparable: although they were by far the most popular band in the world, they absolutely refused to stand still. They did NOT want to coast on their success by repeating a proven formula. They had no interest in doing that. Instead they were always pushing out in new directions. Good on them! 👏
PS - I can't wait for your Beatles 100 moments! And maybe better if you'd give us all 800 instead!!!
Another excellent breakdown of an understated song! Love it!
I was a tad when this came out. My name rhymes with Rain and I honestly thought they were singing my name when this song played on the radio. ☮️
The "letter" in the handwritten lyric of Paperback Writer is signed by "Ian Iachimoe", the pseudonym under which Paul contributed a competition to Barry Miles's Long Hair Times in March 1966. There's a thematic link between the competion and a line or two in Paperback Writer. Anyway, the point is that "Ian Iachimoe" is an approximation of what you get if you record the words "Paul McCartney" and play the tape backwards. I don't think there's any way they could have successfully incorporated it into the song, but had the signature been included in Paperback Writer, both sides of this single would have finished with a backwards vocal.
Another great excursion into Beatleland. Rain has always been one of my favorites. I hope you don't mind, but I just sent a comment to the Ringo Starr channel, telling him about this video and your channel. I recommended that he watch it & told him to pass it on to Paul next time they talk. If all goes according to the great cosmic plan, you may actually have the 2 remaining Beatles subscribing to your channel. Wouldn't that be something?
🎶 Thaaaat would be somethin' 🎶
@@fathommusicnz saw what you did there 😉 (meet 'cha in the fallin' rain, eh?)
Nice new title cards!
Looking foreword to your hundred favorite beatles catalog. Learning so much.
Can't wait for the next video!
So glad you popped up on my homepage. You make the exact kind of videos I love!
Wow, this was interesting, well-researched, insightful, and well executed. I loved it! Liking and subscribing.
Never thought much of Paperback Writer aside from the guitar riff but Rain has always been a favorite of mine. Thanks for the breakdown.
It seems appropriate that the clouds look like they are going in and out as you talk about the song Rain.
I've been waiting for this one
I'm sad to see this Odyssey end.
Thanks FATHOM! That was a great review of Rain-- I love RAIN! I liked it better than the A side PaperBack Writer. My geek friend and I were huge outdoorsy types as teens; building tree houses, swamp stomping to find rare orchids, water snakes, ferns and virgin stands of tamarack trees. We dug the weather too, going outside to watch lightning, nearly getting struck by one bolt! And we camped and backpacked in the rockies & were pretty hard core ripped for the era--so rain was a type of weather that didn't bother us (in summer especially, it was refreshing). So the song's metaphorical, philosophical and social critique was right on for us! Wore that side out, made an iron-on T-Shirt with the key line, "When it rains or shines, it's just a state of mind"!
I’ve loved this song since I first heard it back in the 80s. It’s a unique and interesting song with some of Paul’s and Ringo’s best work
One of the things that I find fascinating about backwards vocals is that our brain tries to make sense out of the gibberish and turn it into actual words. Whenever I hear the end of Rain, to me it sounds like he's saying "spare a dime and nourish." So before I found out that it was backwards, I wondered what the intended meaning of that phrase was. I similarly hear the endlessly repeating (on the vinyl records) loop at the end of Sgt Pepper as "never could see any other way." I presume that others' brains come up with different phrases for these things.
Regarding B sides, I think that Penny Lane has to be their best. (And yes, I know they marketed it as a double-A, but even so, all record sides have a serial number, from which you can tell which is the A side, and Strawberry Fields was the A side. Which I find surprising, because PL really sounds much more like an A side, with it's cheerful melodic ear candy, whereas SFF seems like classic B side in that it's kind of weird and not as immediately accessible. But once you get it, you get how deep it is). Revolution was pretty darn amazing as well.
Interesting, I hear "never could see any other one" or sometimes "little goosey every other one".
Who knew “Goofy Paul Pic Punctuation” was a thing?
I have some Beatles fanzines from this. Period, it is very interesting to see all the letters from the teenage girls writing in (and yes, in the fanzine, it’s almost all girls) and they are saying, “Parsons great, and it’s new sons are really fab! But John… But John… I’m worried about John songs, sound unhappy, and sick! “
RA-A-A︶AIIN ... a contender for your 'dramatic swoop' challenge in Livin' Thing/ ELO? Great video as always!
I love Ringo keithmooning in this song, playing fills while John is singing
Aways enjoy your analyses. I hadn't noticed the 9 bar structure of the song before, and I loved the photos of Paul you threw in. 🙂
Hearing your detailed discussion of Paperback Writer and Rain I was struck by the 'Paul/John' 'A-side/B-side' thing, and realized how similar the Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields release was in that respect. Definitely a sign of the times in terms of how the band was evolving according to individual interests. My memory in both cases was that Paul's side was generally considered the 'A-side' at the time, but I always felt John's side to be the more interesting and affecting. I have a clear memory of playing Strawberry Fields at least 3 times in a row on a juke box in a coffee bar at the time, in one of my moody teenage episodes. 🙂
One thing you mentioned about contemporary listeners probably thinking the song was 'strange' - I was 16 at the time and it was definitely strange in some respects but John's voice and Ringo's drumming were unmistakably the Beatles' sound (in some ways more than Paperback Writer), and therefore still accessible. If I had to pick one essential aspect of The Beatles' sound it would probably be John's voice and his writing style during those years. I wasn't a fan of much of his post-Beatles work, but some songs on the Double Fantasy album I think recapture that sound I so liked in his music.
I was 14 too when I got this record. In 1966. I immediately preferred "Rain" over "Paperback Writer" and I played it all the time on a mono record player that had beautifully rich bass response. I think this record was what first made me want to play bass.
I heard "Rain" for the first time in 1973... found the 45 in a box of used 45's.... played the hell out of it on my parents mid-mod RCA console stereo system.....
I received the Paperback Writer/Rain single for my 11th birthday (l’d asked for it) June ‘66, and I loved it! So … Good for me!
The Saints did their version of "Wild about You" - a song from that Missing Links album - on the "I'm Stranded" LP. Ed Keupper not only had Stooges LPs in Brisbane in the early 1970s but he also new about such obscure bands as the Links who were trying to move 60s R'nB into experimental directions.
Awesome! 😊
What a SONG!!!! Only Beatles could do it!
Awesome!
Excellent video! I learned a lot! I have one small quibble: When you played some pre-"Rain" 1965 songs to contrast to some post-"Rain" 1967 songs, you included "My Generation" from 1965. But to my ears, "My Generation" (especially in its fadeout) was itself revolutionary. I consider it an early example of psychedelic rock.
Interesting! I see it as more of a garage rock sound, more rough-and-ready than ornate and detailed.
I think John sings this "Raaaaaaain" part alone, singing the harmony with himself
FYI: I have 200 Beatles songs on a playlist, in order of my favorites at least when I made it: Paperback Writer is in the top 20 and Rain in the top 40.
Great info.
Subscribed! Great video
Great channel!
Thank you.
You're very welcome!
Love the song and love your dissertation. The single that didn't top the charts in the U.S. That's OK, I bought it when it was released and played it continuously.
that said, thank you for your amazing content!!!
The normal speed version on Revolver Super Deluxe is unbelievable. What a revelation to learn Paul played the lead guitar part. Who knew?
You were alive when Rain came out? I was. People just accepted and consumed whatever the Beatles put out, when they put it out. Me too. It was instantly appealing, and we only tried to figure out why after the fact.
For a minute, I was baffled because it sure seems like Nancy is not 70 years old! I believe she said she was 14 when she first heard the tune but definitely was not 14 in 1966, I'm guessing :-)
@@magsterz123 She also said it was probably the last song of theirs she heard and that it was on Past Masters II.
Most underrated Beatles song imo
Yep. from the Revolver sessions, with the fine ' (trad Beatles ). Paperback writer. best LP of ' our' music' to me. real good / interesting job. I was in 11 th grade. full force Jr high school beatlemania. then coming home from store with ' revolver' in hand..... PS. for fun - check out the long guitar tune ' East West' from Butterfield Blues. about the same time as this, and kinda similar sonics - coming - 'Indian culture , summer of Love.
RINGO is so Great!!!
Interesting video
To me, the drone section evokes Scottish bagpipes.
when you add up all you've had say about this song, they piled all those heavy elements onto a B side!!! it's not unreasonable to claim that ringo is the mvp of Rain.🌧️
best beatles b don't let me down. yes i think so. mm mm. and i'm not listening to any opinions (unless she's a woman is part of the conversation) see i snuck in another one.
i love the song just as i love the rain. walking in it. staring at the rain falling into puddles. hearing it ( uncle Albert) in fact it's not just a state of mind it induces a state of ecstasy it... i've er, i've said too much haven't i.
anyway, NEXT episode - exciting. don't forget you can get a tan from standing in the english rain if you're really lucky☂️
I'm seeing no love for "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" as yet, sadly.
@@fathommusicnz good evening and welcome to slaggers
@alanclayton9277 there it is!
The Rolling Stones Child of the Moon is similar to Rain ... maybe you like.
I didn't hear The Beatles music upon release as I was too young so 'Rain' didn't reach my ears until 1970 on release of the "Hey Jude" compilation in the U.S. It's a wonderful track, I like it more than the a-side. John was right about people who complain about the weather if it's raining or the sun is shining. It's just a state of mind.
Rain unlocking is a landmark, a canon event for a Beatles fan 😂 I like to imagine "unfinished genres" or "undeveloped geneses of possible genres" (e.g. pet sounds/smile) of bands and John's hard psych pop of Rain/She Said She Said is one of them. Alternate universe where they kicked Paul out for not taking lsd with them 😂(❤ u Pol)
🌴🌴< < < ANOTHER PHENOMENAL BREAKDOWN OF A CLASSIC BEATLES MASTERPIECE MISS FATHOM . WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHIN YOU AND WITHOUT YOU ? > > > 🌴🌴
My favorite B side from the early years is "She's A Woman".
Very hard to not go with "Strawberry Fields Forever" as the best of their B sides.
But... "Revolution" ranks way up there for me as well.
And if "Come Together" is seen as the A side... then "Something" certainly deserves great consideration.
Rain is definitely a track that comes from that experimental momentum from those Tomorrow Never Knows sessions
Simply rain pairs well with paperback writer because they’re both very different songs but yet they’re born from instrumental experimentation that came from their new influences
Another thing they did with Rain and Paperback Writer was to make it okay to write something besides a love song. There were so many songs that seemed to have some kind of deep philosophical meaning, but then a verse about love is thrown in because people didn't think a non-love song would sell.
You forgot to mention that jimi hendrix in 1967 on the song "are you experience?" used electric guitars solo in reverse. Even Queen on his song "Ogre Battle" on his Queen II album from 1974 used tapes in reverse. so Yeah, rain and tomorrow never knows were absolutely revolutionary.
Your Vids are extremely interesting. I think "Rain" was the precursor to "Strawberry Fields", but John actually wanted SF to be simpler
I always thought the chorus sounded like a bagpipe. Very British!
Yes George you guys invented the music video… except that Subterranean Homesick Blues already existed
My share post: The best analyses of Beatles catalog coming from this astute musician. Things I never noticed concerning songs I’ve loved lifelong. Can’t believe so few “likes” on her TH-cam!! Check it out!
You know what I think about the bass on the normal speed version. Can you really play that fast? Great that you gave an example in your video. She’s great, the bass correspondent! But I’m still not sure. But you’re the expert. Thanks for a great video, again. Looking forward to next week.
Well, I can definitely promise that the bass correspondent hasn't been sped up 😉
✌️❤️🍏
I get it… George and the influence of Indian classical. Why doesn’t anyone else hear bagpipes?
Paperback Writer aint too shabby..
i thought you might enjoy my compleat beatles remake documentary, in fact i know you would enjoy it.
I never ever skip Rain….a B side……beee side GOATs ….say no more