The Beatles Broken Down: "A Day in the Life"

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  • Опубліковано 21 гру 2024

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  • @ChristopherHolmgren
    @ChristopherHolmgren Рік тому +324

    Someone here HAS to be able to get Rick in a room with Paul. I can see Paul enjoying it - a win for everyone!

    • @darrellstyner0001
      @darrellstyner0001 Рік тому +26

      He's had Ringo's drummer on several times. I think it's time to sit down with Ringo, Paul, and, while we're at it, Joe Walsh.

    • @Alpha_7227
      @Alpha_7227 Рік тому +26

      Or George Martin's son to talk about production and engineering.

    • @jjk8417
      @jjk8417 Рік тому +6

      Amen

    • @findJLF
      @findJLF Рік тому +2

      Agreed

    • @snidelywhiplash
      @snidelywhiplash Рік тому +13

      No kidding - Rick asks questions nobody else seems to. Bet Paul would dig it.

  • @gdwinn1
    @gdwinn1 Рік тому +92

    Saw Paul McCartney in Melbourne Australia last Saturday night. His introductions to Beatles songs were priceless. He played for THREE hours, at 81 years old. The voice is still great, and he was very happy and funny, too. Love him.

    • @davidcaldwell3681
      @davidcaldwell3681 Рік тому

      Even though I live in Vic I had my one and only turn in life to see him way back in 1975 in Manchester. I'm sure it was a great experience in Melbourne last week.

    • @philgallagher1
      @philgallagher1 Рік тому +6

      ​@@gutgolf74Wait until you get to 81 and see how well you can sing! I'm 60 and I'm not convinced I could stand up for 3 hours, let alone perform! LOL!

    • @eskaytwo
      @eskaytwo Рік тому +3

      His voice was great. Saw him in Adelaide a few days before the Melbourne show.

    • @ruelitocayamanda8162
      @ruelitocayamanda8162 Рік тому

      ​@gutgolf74 He ought to tune down at least a half step. Problem is when he plays the piano. Maybe use a keyboard.

    • @gdwinn1
      @gdwinn1 Рік тому

      @@ruelitocayamanda8162 I'm sure he would take your advice - given your experience, not his 63 years of experience playing to an audience.

  • @Hodenkat
    @Hodenkat Рік тому +397

    I love Ringo's drumming on this song as well. As always, it's exactly what's needed. No more, no less.

    • @joedecker3900
      @joedecker3900 Рік тому +26

      But has tricks up his sleeve when needed, not boring at all.

    • @danielwoodard680
      @danielwoodard680 Рік тому +16

      I say the song almost has a lead drummer.. easily my favorite Beatles’ song.

    • @stracepipe
      @stracepipe Рік тому +31

      It's nice to hear Ringo getting props. The amount of stick he gets is ridiculous. His drumming always perfectly complements the song, not to mention his metronomic time keeping.

    • @CFCMahomet
      @CFCMahomet Рік тому +19

      Some of the greatest bands (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Stones) had drummers who did exactly what was needed and did it well.

    • @griffgames9538
      @griffgames9538 Рік тому +8

      Radiohead's Phil Selway comes to mind.
      Although his solo work shows he's quite multifaceted.

  • @TSSuppository
    @TSSuppository Рік тому +155

    What staggers me is that McCartney did some good songs after the Beatles; Lennon did some good songs after the Beatles - but when they were together, always competing, always trying to outdo one another, they were absolutely insurmountable, inexplicable, just sublime perfection. Their competition created auditory beauty that has yet to be (and may never be) surpassed. xx

    • @christopherw3490
      @christopherw3490 Рік тому +8

      I agree with your statement completely!

    • @manciano2009
      @manciano2009 Рік тому +14

      I would add that George Harrison made good music on his own, but when he had Paul and John and Ringo next to him the atmospheres (the Beatles atmosphere) was unsurpassed. The magic was provided by the group. Even at the time of sharing solo songs like Julia or Blackbird, there were still the bandmates to be accountable to: accountable for quality. If one imagines George's All Things Must Pass played by the Beatles, one swoons. And the same happens with McCartney or Plastic ono band. The magic was given by a truly magical balance of talents and personalities.

    • @nelsonpg2070
      @nelsonpg2070 Рік тому +4

      Very good explanations!pg from Brazil.

    • @monetfaversham6703
      @monetfaversham6703 5 місяців тому +2

      Don't they call this development as something greater than the sum of its parts

  • @koshersalaami
    @koshersalaami Рік тому +340

    January 1967. They recorded this in January 1967. This is less than four years after they released Please Please Me. I don’t know of musical evolution that fast, and not revolution but evolution, it’s demonstrably linear, anywhere in music. I don’t mean just rock. I’ve got experience in a lot of non-rock genres, I have a decent classical background that includes early music, but I’ve never seen evolution that far that fast anywhere. I don’t know if another example exists in human history.

    • @Khayyam-vg9fw
      @Khayyam-vg9fw Рік тому +11

      The nearest thing I can think of is the transition in the early 1940s from swing to bop.

    • @sweptinblack
      @sweptinblack Рік тому +28

      Great post. What's crazier to think of, is Love me Do to I am the Walrus. Insane level of evolution as you said, in similar amount of time. It's one thing to follow others, but to be the biggest musicians in the world and do it from nothing.

    • @comradeozzbug
      @comradeozzbug Рік тому +25

      I would actually describe it as a revolution. It was a paradigm shift. I think it can be comparable to the shift from Newtonian physics to Einsteinian physics.

    • @jodithomas9303
      @jodithomas9303 Рік тому +6

      Exactly. Perfectly articulated 🔥

    • @christopherw3490
      @christopherw3490 Рік тому +8

      As a classically trained musician, I have always been interested in artistic growth.

  • @DaveGava
    @DaveGava Рік тому +29

    A Day in the life changed popular music culture and inspired many . A true masterpiece!

  • @singlesideman
    @singlesideman Рік тому +209

    Ringo's drumming on this song (and on all of his recordings with The Beatles) is not just essential and elegant, not playing more than what was required, and serving the music perfectly, which is already the most anyone could hope for, but it's the most melodic and composed I've ever heard in popular music. Ringo's parts sound like orchestral percussion parts, but especially primal, direct and propulsive. He's a brilliant drummer.

    • @MartianTom
      @MartianTom Рік тому +5

      Absolutely. Even as a kid, when I first heard this song (and was over-awed by it), it was the drumming that especially caught my attention.

    • @takfam07
      @takfam07 Рік тому +7

      Orchestral percussion. You're right. A rock version of it. He influenced a LOT of drummers. Back when music was more...musical. (To my ears, anyway).

    • @TH-2024-SP
      @TH-2024-SP Рік тому +4

      I couldn't agree more. Absolutely perfect drumming.

    • @singlesideman
      @singlesideman Рік тому +4

      @@TH-2024-SP there's a video here on UA-cam of 'Rubber Soul' but it's just Paul and Ringo, and it has gotten over 300,000 views (listens) in only two weeks! I've listened to it more than once. 'The Word' and 'Wait' kick major 4$$.

    • @stevedrake360
      @stevedrake360 Рік тому +12

      Agreed. George Harrison once said Ringo always played just the right thing. Phil Collins once said that Ringo's playing in "A Day in the Life" was very complex. Coming from Phil Collins, one of the greatest drummers ever, is quite a statement. Ringo was an equal member of The Beatles, talent-wise- and contribution-wise.

  • @Kooky_Duzzfutz
    @Kooky_Duzzfutz Рік тому +16

    So many of John's chord progressions are just mind-bending and so beautiful. The dude was unique in so many ways: Unique conceptually, unique lyrically, unique musically - and, man, that voice. What a voice!

    • @Kooky_Duzzfutz
      @Kooky_Duzzfutz Рік тому +1

      @@gutgolf74 LOL

    • @daletwin1
      @daletwin1 2 місяці тому +1

      @@gutgolf74 sounds like John Lennon's voice to me. That has to be Lennon's voice and not Paul's.

    • @daletwin1
      @daletwin1 2 місяці тому +1

      @@gutgolf74 none of the notes in the Ah's are that high. I am a singer and I do Beatles' songs all the time. I sing many Lennon songs and he does higher notes in other songs including I Should Have Known Better. You can't go by the claim the notes are too high to sing, Lennon could hit higher notes than in there are in A Day In The Life.

    • @daletwin1
      @daletwin1 2 місяці тому

      @@gutgolf74 I can't prove you wrong because many people, including famous people, say it's John, and many other people say it's Paul. I wish Paul McCartney would say who it was and solve the mystery. (on a sidetone: Some high notes on I should Have Known Better are sung neither screaming or falsetto. When John sings: "Give me more. Hey Hey Hey give me more."
      Anyway, neither of us can prove definitely who it is. I just don't understand why Paul, to my knowledge, has never come out and said who it was that sang those notes. And, yes, I believe John is doing the falsetto notes in the background during the Ah's. However, there are songs The Beatles' have done where one person is also singing overdubs or backup vocals to their own vocals. So, it doesn''t necessarily prove it was John. By the way, my favorite Beatle is Paul so if it was him I am not upset about it. It is just that the vocals are so nasally it sounds like John to me.

    • @chrismarple
      @chrismarple Місяць тому

      @@gutgolf74dude that doesn’t sound like Paul. That’s a hundred percent John.

  • @renatocpjr5192
    @renatocpjr5192 Рік тому +8

    John's voice there is enough to bring a stoic to tears.

  • @860anthony
    @860anthony Рік тому +90

    Most influential, ground breaking band ever. I never tire of listening to their music

    • @petersheenan4482
      @petersheenan4482 Рік тому +1

      ditto for me

    • @Alpha_7227
      @Alpha_7227 Рік тому

      I think they had a massive influence on bands during the 90's, especially Brit Pop bands like Oasis and Blur. Ringo's drum parts, George's licks.

    • @mysticmerman
      @mysticmerman Рік тому

      ​@@Alpha_7227the studio techniques are massively influential!

    • @TheDivayenta
      @TheDivayenta Рік тому +1

      @@Alpha_7227and Nirvana! Kurt always claimed the Beatles were a major inspiration.

    • @staggerlee7301
      @staggerlee7301 Рік тому +1

      @@TheDivayentaKurt was basically a punk musician who wanted to write like Lennon, and it’s one of the things that makes Nirvana so special, in my opinion

  • @ColorfieldMedia
    @ColorfieldMedia Рік тому +8

    I worked with Shelly Yakus (John's engineer on "Imagine") and while working with him, I would pick his brain about Beatles stories. He told me, that John told him, this song was assembled over the phone with Paul. It was always two separate and different songs merged together. That's the story I was told.

  • @cafinario
    @cafinario Рік тому +7

    John’s voice here is out of this world.

  • @jamesnunn7181
    @jamesnunn7181 Рік тому +74

    John’s vocal- in performance and recording technique- is completely sublime. In isolation on a good system, it genuinely gives chills

    • @koshersalaami
      @koshersalaami Рік тому +4

      George Martin talks about John’s vocal performance. It isn’t from processing - John sang it like that.

    • @nintendianajones64
      @nintendianajones64 Рік тому +11

      ​@@gutgolf74George Martin confirmed many times it's JOHN LENNON

    • @W0oDy97
      @W0oDy97 Рік тому

      ​@@gutgolf74where did you find that out?

    • @hw343434
      @hw343434 Рік тому +2

      @@gutgolf74 who cares about the ahhh? We’re talking about the main vocal performance which is the essence of the song. George Martin himself said Lennon’s vocal gave him chills. Paul fanatics are so irrelevant 😄

    • @hw343434
      @hw343434 Рік тому +3

      @@gutgolf74 “A Day in the Life” is brilliant because of John Lennon. He brought in the song, not Paul. Paul was inspired by John after the fact. It’s much easier to write great parts when you have a genius like Lennon bringing in a brilliant chord progression, lyric and melody like this!!! It’s way more original and creative than “Yesterday”! I would be inspired too. Ringo was incredibly inspired too as was Paul. The fact that Paul has been trying to diminish John’s musical genius to benefit his own ego since John’s death is enough proof of what everybody knew while John was alive; that John was a visionary genius. His verse, chord progression and melody make this song. Whatever came afterwards emerged from this Lennon creation and is based on and inspired by that. Just like “We can Work it Out” is Paul’s original baby that inspired John to compose the great middle section. “A Day in the Life” is John’s baby all the way which inspired Paul. Paul never wrote a song like this. John was composing Strawberry Fields, Walrus and Lucy at the same time! Surrealist and most original chord progression Genius of the Beatles. End of story. Admitting John is a genius composer, singer, musician, artist should not be a threat to insecure Macca and his fans, yet it is. Go figure. I have no problem admitting Paul is a musical genius too. It’s just that he’s not a threat to John’s unique otherworldly genius.

  • @kennethmalecki7570
    @kennethmalecki7570 Рік тому +134

    A day in the life still sounds original even In 2023

  • @jimdukeproject
    @jimdukeproject 11 місяців тому +5

    I think the runs of passing notes by McCartney makes the song emphasize accents and gives a bit of dissidence that gives energy to the riff. Genius. And with Ringo's fills, intense. And then how the bass holds down the transition note through the orchestra to the second part.

  • @rickosound3184
    @rickosound3184 Рік тому +15

    This is the first song that blew my mind. I was 9/10 years old in '75/'76 at a friends house playing with lego or something, and Pepper on in the background. I was mesmerized and speechless until the end. I clearly recall after the last chord faded, asking "what was that?". "That's The Beatles, man, I told you they were cool". I was aware of some Beatles songs by then and Elton, Simon and Garfunkel, America, Sweet, etc. and had taken piano lessons since age six, but this transcended everything that came before in my consciousness related to music. I knew that music could be fun, or sad, or silly, but this song is like traveling through a dream that may or may not even be yours, but it's a fantastic journey none the less.
    Within a few months I was spending all my Xmas money on Beatle records and didn't stop until I had them all. Almost 50 years later and I still need to hear it just one more time before bed.

    • @Lennon6412
      @Lennon6412 Рік тому +1

      It's a great song to get people into the Beatles.
      Hearing this and Strawberry Fields in a long car journey got me completely hooked at the same age

  • @sn7miller
    @sn7miller Рік тому +49

    Love the way Rick breaks down the "what they're doing" "how they're doing it" & even "why they're doing it"...far better than most who instruct and/or breakdown the parts of a song

  • @DreamsongsProductions
    @DreamsongsProductions Рік тому +19

    Rick talking about The Beatles, my favorite group of all time. Doesn't get better than this....

  • @NYRloverXD
    @NYRloverXD Рік тому +37

    Probably the greatest song ever written.

  • @timhodson368
    @timhodson368 Рік тому +52

    Johns voice.. Just moving..there is just no one who could sing like him.

    • @TheDivayenta
      @TheDivayenta Рік тому +9

      “ Julia” and “ All Across the Universe” get me everytime.

    • @MrJMS814
      @MrJMS814 10 місяців тому +1

      Except Paul

    • @hw343434
      @hw343434 8 місяців тому +1

      @@MrJMS814nobody had the magical tone of John Lennon’s the signature voice of the Beatles

    • @dragonmummy1
      @dragonmummy1 6 місяців тому

      @@hw343434nah, it was Paul.

    • @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh
      @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh 2 місяці тому

      @@dragonmummy1 How do you get along in life when you're so obviously limited mentally?

  • @steve62301
    @steve62301 Рік тому +45

    I saw Paul McCartney live in Melbourne last night. The show was fantastic. If you can get a ticket for the rest of the tour you should do it! I can't say anything new about his talent, gift, genius that hasn't been said a hundred times before but I can say his emotional impact on my life has been huge. There's something in his music that has touched me for over 30 years as a solo artist, with Wings and The Beatles...he's just magical.

    • @Alpha_7227
      @Alpha_7227 Рік тому +7

      I was there as well. The set was mostly upbeat and rock like, which I loved. His voice in my opinion sounded so much better than on his last record. The band were fantastic. Drummer, keyboardist and guitarists - so good. They play like a real band not just a bunch of session musicians. I understand they have been together for a while it shows that they know exactly what the others are doing.

    • @steve62301
      @steve62301 Рік тому

      @@Alpha_7227 yes, I totally agree.

    • @chrissy1510
      @chrissy1510 Рік тому +5

      Loved reading this post! I’m seeing Paul in Sydney this Friday. I feel as if I’ve been waiting my entire life for this opportunity, and I already know it’s going to be a milestone by which I’ll measure the rest of my life.

    • @radiooz2420
      @radiooz2420 Рік тому +1

      @@Alpha_7227 the band has been together for 21 years. Definitely not just a bunch of session musos.

    • @Alpha_7227
      @Alpha_7227 Рік тому

      Pity then they don't have a name like 'Wings". Paul's ego getting in the way.@@radiooz2420

  • @Fuzcapp
    @Fuzcapp Рік тому +8

    Anyone else hear the intro chords to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in here ...? 🙂 (16:07) Also Pink Floyd (18:00) the opening of the Momentary Lapse of Reason album ... It's also all over Fool's Overture by Supertramp.

  • @highrhoads5
    @highrhoads5 7 місяців тому +3

    Rick you never cease to amaze me. Your ear for music is top tier and I always love watching you break down songs. No ego, never braggadocios, just your genuine love of music and always love how you compliment musicians for their skills.

    • @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh
      @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh 2 місяці тому

      @@gutgolf74 Said the driveling clown show gutgolf74.

    • @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh
      @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh 2 місяці тому

      @@gutgolf74 There are occasions where insults are clearly warranted - this is one of them. Clueless and ignorant define your entire being, however add in "obsessed" and it's your self-portrait.

  • @hw343434
    @hw343434 Рік тому +44

    Lennon’s Chord Progressions are surreal. “A Day in the Life”, “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “I am the Walrus”, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”… nobody was as original a composer in rock/pop in 1967

    • @zeljkofatzek3670
      @zeljkofatzek3670 Рік тому +1

      Yeah, nobody except Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Cpt Beefheart, Syd Barret, Arthur Lee, Lou Reed & couple of others I can't remember immediately...

    • @stephaniebradley4649
      @stephaniebradley4649 Рік тому +2

      Except for his bandmate, Paul McCartney. We are so lucky that those two met to make this incredible music!

    • @da_great_mogul
      @da_great_mogul Рік тому +5

      ​@@gutgolf74it wasn't, it was Lennon's verses. Lennon shocked and surprised with his choices and yet at the same time ensured they were seamless.

    • @da_great_mogul
      @da_great_mogul Рік тому +2

      @@gutgolf74 the verses were the best chords and melody. The middle 8 of Macca's was nice melody.

    • @da_great_mogul
      @da_great_mogul Рік тому +4

      @@gutgolf74 first of all, don't call me dude. Second, yes I did; Lennon wrote the greatest melodies combined with harmony.

  • @eddietucker3334
    @eddietucker3334 Рік тому +40

    Yet more evidence of the Beatles' brilliance. Thank you, Rick!

  • @victorfranca3057
    @victorfranca3057 Рік тому +7

    One of the most beautiful bass lines ever

  • @imyourgodmachine
    @imyourgodmachine Рік тому +8

    In my opinion, Easley one of the top five best songs ever written. The Beatles were pure magic that I don’t think will ever be matched again.

    • @latkagravas2967
      @latkagravas2967 Рік тому +3

      I mentioned above in another comment that in 100 or 1000 years, musicologists may call it the greatest song of its time. Weird to call it rock 'n roll; it's more than that, but I can't find the words to say what......

  • @fredo1070
    @fredo1070 Рік тому +13

    Probably the greatest use of recording equipment in the history of recording equipment. Every time I listen to this it still sends a chill up my spin.

  • @MSPEROS
    @MSPEROS Рік тому +46

    As my grandfather used to to say " They did not know the rules" He had his doctorate in music (played with the Oregon symphony for 60 years) they did not know what was right , they knew what sounded good. He also was blowen away with Zappa.

  • @wombleofwimbledon5442
    @wombleofwimbledon5442 Рік тому +7

    I perked up when you, Sting, and Dominic took a moment to mention this song during the interview. I'm glad to see you circle back.

  • @ianlomaxphotography6978
    @ianlomaxphotography6978 Рік тому +10

    Rick, one of the major influences on Lennon and McCartney was the 5th Beatle - Sir George Martin. An accomplished orchestral arranger he is bound to have had a significant influence on them in their earlier days in the studio and encouraged them to explore different chord progressions. You need to ask Paul himself for the inside story!

  • @JohnHancotte
    @JohnHancotte Рік тому +4

    Great point about that held E over the A (the 5th), then the E (tonic) and then back to the C (the 3rd). Dreamy, sublime, on point, and makes one take notice that the world is spinning around this man while he's stationary. It evokes a strong, thought-provoking feeling, which only the best song-writing is capable of doing.

  • @russell1603657
    @russell1603657 Рік тому +9

    When you listen to Day in the Life, you just know it’s a masterpiece, but to hear technically how good it is from Rick is the icing on the cake. Love your videos Rick!

  • @pcdude23
    @pcdude23 25 днів тому

    An absolute masterpiece and a timeless song, written by the two of the greatest singers and songwriters IMHO. I have come to appreciate it more when I recently listen to it on a headphones and I was blown away again how it sounds brilliant as it was 55 years ago. Thank you John and Paul for writing this song for us to enjoy and appreciate forever.

  • @jodithomas9303
    @jodithomas9303 Рік тому +3

    Thank you for this (and so many other enjoyable & fascinating videos)! 🫶 Best music channel on UA-cam, hands down! 🔥

  • @thebookreader287
    @thebookreader287 Рік тому +12

    People can have their opinion on The Beatles but for A Day In The Life really showed me how good the group was. And for someone who discovered them as a kid, this blew me away when i first listened to this yet out of their songs, this seems underrated? Not much "fans" and haters seem to know this track, at least from the people i came across so far.

    • @latkagravas2967
      @latkagravas2967 Рік тому +2

      Easier to be a "hater" of a group, or music genre, if a person doesn't grow up with it. Ok to not appreciate a band or genre, but to be a "hater" of Beatles songs reflects only ignorance.

  • @johndrowe5281
    @johndrowe5281 Рік тому +6

    One of the best “ear training“ bits I have seen on video with the Beatles is when John at piano and George on guitar are turning up to play John’s “oh my love“ during the Imagine sessions at his house studio in Weybridge… before electronic tuners! Lots of time together and in the studio.😊

  • @David-mo5jw
    @David-mo5jw 8 місяців тому +2

    its a tonal poem that shapes your emotional response but some things are beyond words feelings, nothing more than feelings.

    • @RussellMorash-m8w
      @RussellMorash-m8w 8 місяців тому +1

      John was a true artist and he could of excelled in any for poetry writing but all of us are so lucky that he chose music and met his alter ego at such and early age you couldn't ask for better collaborators one with the moody realistic look at the world from a window in Liverpool another a few miles away who could look out his window at the same city and be optimistic it makes you wond

    • @RussellMorash-m8w
      @RussellMorash-m8w 8 місяців тому +1

      If there is something guiding the universe either way there still giving millions of people happiness and I think a little of the other rub off on each other I saw a video last night a talk show the man was playing cords on a guitare quite complex I might add and sir Paul got all of them right that is a gift.

  • @jrusovich
    @jrusovich 5 місяців тому +5

    That E minor over B really makes this work so well. I tried playing it otherwise on piano as you're demonstrating it and it loses it's soul. The little things are huge!

  • @latkagravas2967
    @latkagravas2967 Рік тому +4

    At 11 years old, somehow I (along with hundreds of thousands of people around the world) knew that this song was the most special song on a unique and special album. Years later it was satisfying to learn that when Sgt. Peppers was released, John was mysteriously telling people how special this song was, without saying specifically why, despite the fact that he wasn't a bragging type. And the fact that A Day in the Life was "separated" from the rest of the album supported this, of course. Many would argue, but in a hundred or a thousand years, A Day in the Life may be called the greatest song of what was considered rock 'n roll.

  • @webexpertcharlie
    @webexpertcharlie Рік тому +33

    This is the greatest pop song ever written. Crazy that Rick isn’t even allowed to play it on youtube.

    • @Alpha_7227
      @Alpha_7227 Рік тому +9

      You are absolutely spot on. My thoughts exactly. If there were a countdown, this would be Numero Uno. There are so many parts to it that set it apart from anything ever written. The outro. Ringo's drums. Harmonies. The bridge. The orchestral part. It is a masterpiece in song writing and arrangement.

    • @latkagravas2967
      @latkagravas2967 Рік тому +1

      Soon after Sgt. Peppers was released, John was encouraging the press to pay close attention to A Day in the Life. To my (Beatles) knowledge, he never did that before or after that. He knew. I believe a hundred or a thousand years from now, music historians will agree with you.

    • @alisonsneed3707
      @alisonsneed3707 Рік тому

      I know. It’s so obvious it’s for teaching purposes.

  • @Alpha_7227
    @Alpha_7227 Рік тому +8

    For mine, this is the best piece of pop / rock music ever. We are still taking it apart, discussing it some 60 odd years later.

  • @jomppe2800
    @jomppe2800 6 місяців тому +4

    I think the surprising F chord is what makes the verse so melancholic and beautiful.

  • @worksbydandeprez
    @worksbydandeprez Рік тому +30

    What's really amazing to me is that this all came about just over three years after "She Loves You." No act in rock has advanced so far in such a short period of time (three years is usually the time between one album and another these days).

    • @alangil40
      @alangil40 Рік тому +1

      While true, all of music seemed to progress in this way during those incredible years, with bands feeding off each other's innovations. The Beatles perhaps led the way.

    • @jfo3000
      @jfo3000 Рік тому

      George Martin was always in the room.

  • @peterkuhn654
    @peterkuhn654 Рік тому +6

    This song sums up the Beatles in one 4 minute package. IMO the greatest rock song ever written

  • @valerieschoen7494
    @valerieschoen7494 Рік тому +15

    These breakdowns jack up my appreciation 100% for every song you analyze. Thank you!

  • @westfield90
    @westfield90 Рік тому +12

    Always makes me so happy when I see a Beatles song pop up on your channel

  • @j_e_hill
    @j_e_hill Рік тому +4

    Interesting to learn of a plagal progression. Elton John once said that he was taught if you ever need a hit just write a hymn. And I think that’s part of how that is explained, once you hear that and understand it a little better.

  • @johnlord1399
    @johnlord1399 Рік тому +14

    Rick, I’ve been following you for a few months now, and for most of my life, I’ve been happy to accompany myself singing with pretty basic chords. But late in life, I’m really interested in learning to play really well, just to see how far my talent can go in whatever time I have left. I have the Beato Bundle, and have already learned a bunch. So thanks. I’m starting to be able to pick out stuff by ear like crazy (and I haven’t even gone near the ear training course yet), and playing guitar is more fun than ever. Thanks for helping to make it so.

  • @MobiusBandwidth
    @MobiusBandwidth Рік тому +105

    cant wait for you to interview Paul so he can call off the dogs and let you play Beatles tunes here.

    • @jamesparr6840
      @jamesparr6840 Рік тому +3

      Hear, hear!

    • @Greg-om2hb
      @Greg-om2hb Рік тому +4

      I think Michael Jackson bought the entire Beatles’ catalog decades ago. Not sure who owns it now.

    • @elissaaleph
      @elissaaleph Рік тому +3

      It's rarely the individuals, it's the companies.

    • @foleycj
      @foleycj Рік тому +5

      @@Greg-om2hb, Paul & Sony own it.

    • @musamusashi
      @musamusashi Рік тому +2

      ​@@Greg-om2hbMichael sold them back to Paul some years after buyng them.

  • @shuroom57
    @shuroom57 Рік тому +5

    Rick, that series of descending chords you mentioned (C--G--D--A--E) that sounded like that of "Hey Joe" was (albeit transcribed) in the song "Hush" in C, by Joe South, by way of Deep Purple. After each verse the band plays Ab--Eb--Bb--F--C. Same vocal melody, only with "na-nas" instead of "ah-ahs".

  • @carlleeferrier3752
    @carlleeferrier3752 7 місяців тому +2

    The Sgt. Pepper album changed my life. I languished musically as a child in an essentially tuneless family environment. I was gifted musically and didn't even know it. At 14 yrs old, in our school library, I noticed this very cool looking album sitting amongst others on a coffee table with a small turntable and an early '70's headset. Having nothing better to do at the time, I put the album on, donned the headset and proceeded to have my mind blown. I read along with the music from the inside cover and by the end of the album I looked around in astonishment at others in the room as if to say "has anybody heard what I just heard"? It's like I'd been eating baloney all my life and someone suddenly put a bacon wrapped ribeye in front of me. I bought a guitar and the rest of my teen years were spent learning all things musical.

  • @danielwoodard680
    @danielwoodard680 Рік тому +5

    I have been waiting for you to disassemble this song for over 3 million subscribers ago. Thank you.

  • @djpangburn7505
    @djpangburn7505 11 місяців тому +1

    The first time I heard "A Day in the Life", as far as I can recall, was when I was 11 years old. It was summer and my family, including all of my cousins on my dad's side, were at a cabin on a Wisconsin northwoods lake. The both of us had been getting into The Beatles. Although of course we were raised on early Beatles songs, on this trip we got into their psychedelic era tunes. We played "A Day in the Life" in our room and were left completely speechless. It was a jaw-droppingly monumental moment. Even though I couldn't have articulated it at the time, hearing "A Day in the Life" was so life-changing that I was overcome with emotion. I had tears in my eyes and wanted to weep. To this day, it still makes me feel this way. It is an absolute miracle of songwriting and music production and recording.

  • @pureoutputproductions1009
    @pureoutputproductions1009 Рік тому +9

    Rumor has it that Steve Jobs being the huge beatles fan he was loved this song so much that the last “chord” of the song is the start up sound of The Apple Macintosh.

  • @rabukan5842
    @rabukan5842 Рік тому +10

    This has always been one of my favorite songs of any band since it first came out. I agree with you that this is the quintessential Beatle song as it was so completely different from anything else when it came out, and I cannot think of any other song that is anything like it, musically or lyrically - and especially singing wise; Lennon at his absolute finest.

  • @Phantombrother
    @Phantombrother Рік тому +9

    After this, McCartney increasingly became interested in pastiche songs. The whole second side of Abbey Road was a collection of song bits and pieces that he produced into a medley. Then with Wings he did it again with "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" and "Band on the Run".

    • @BeatPoet67
      @BeatPoet67 Рік тому +2

      The second side of Abbey Road is absolutely magnificent. I think, as a whole it's their best album.

  • @blueshawk5649
    @blueshawk5649 Рік тому +5

    It was always clear to me, that Lennon heard things like most of us did not. Look at Happiness is a Warm Gun, or his take on a blues song Yer Blues.... just a little off the norm. So brilliant. Still amazed after all these years.

    • @JoaoGabriel-lk9cv
      @JoaoGabriel-lk9cv Рік тому +3

      @@gutgolf74no one cares.

    • @latkagravas2967
      @latkagravas2967 Рік тому +1

      I was much more of a "John" fan back then, but that middle part still has a strong purpose in the song, if not for anything but contrast. And no evidence Paul even wrote it, unless he has claimed it.@@gutgolf74

    • @latkagravas2967
      @latkagravas2967 Рік тому

      Not trying to prove anyone "wrong". Just saying that only Paul can claim for certain that he wrote that middle three. Most of the time they sang what they wrote, but there were a few exceptions. Best to keep an open mind.@@gutgolf74

    • @hw343434
      @hw343434 8 місяців тому +1

      @@gutgolf74listen to Happiness is a Warm Gun and once you’ve studied the time signature changes there, and the key changes, come back and tell me you understand why that was Paul’s (and George’s) favorite song on the entire White album. “We’re all John Lennon fans”
      ~The Beatles

    • @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh
      @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh 2 місяці тому

      @@gutgolf74 Lennon created the song and original idea, musically and verses as quoted by PM "John brought the song" - you really have a PM obsession and attempt at every turn to belittle JL's creativity and obvious involvement all over these threads. Give up.

  • @johnmurzycki5148
    @johnmurzycki5148 Рік тому +8

    I woke up. Fell out of bed. Dragged a comb across my head. “ this line comes to me every morning

  • @kathowed
    @kathowed Рік тому +2

    As always, you've left me with a deeper appreciation of something I thought I knew inside out… and I thank you.
    Music being such a fluid and universal thing… at around the 13:00 mark, the pattern you played sounded (to my ear) like Vince Guaraldi. I was not expecting that!

  • @crjmoto
    @crjmoto Рік тому +12

    I believe it's Lennon's, the chorus after McCartney's "and I went into a dream..." gives me goosebumps every time. So deep after McC's lighthearted morning-routine section

    • @crjmoto
      @crjmoto Рік тому +4

      @@gutgolf74 regardless what you call it, it's very haunting and beautiful. I feel like a lot of other artists play off of it even to this day

    • @musamusashi
      @musamusashi Рік тому +5

      I always considered it a bridge in a chorus-less song.

    • @scottandrewbrass1931
      @scottandrewbrass1931 6 місяців тому +1

      ​@@gutgolf74There you go again. It's an unhealthy obsession 😂😂

    • @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh
      @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh 2 місяці тому +2

      @@scottandrewbrass1931 Yup gutgolf is everywhere spewing his obvious one-sided drivel. Such a clown show.

  • @dayokefentse8228
    @dayokefentse8228 Рік тому +1

    So glad to have been in New York to hear this breakdown live...AND be told by you that I asked the best question (which had nothing to do with the Beatles) of the night (yay!). Glad to hear a bit about how you are processing how your passion for music has taken off and this amazing legacy you have created. What a thrill - thank you for the opportunity. Can't wait to see you reach 4 million subscribers -- by next summer for sure!

  • @mburland
    @mburland Рік тому +55

    I was genuinely listening to this the other day thinking "I wonder what Beato thinks of this song"

    • @NytronX
      @NytronX Рік тому +4

      Same here lol

    • @wesleyAlan9179
      @wesleyAlan9179 Рік тому +3

      I think that whenever i hear any song, lol!! For real though 😂

    • @douglove2412
      @douglove2412 Рік тому +1

      Synchronicity!

  • @michaelbenenson
    @michaelbenenson Рік тому +24

    Wonderful how opposites creatively complement each other. I still reckon The Beatles are UNDERrated in spite of the clamour of books about them, but, Mr RB, you are an unwavering beacon on the hill - so pertinent, so lucid. Ta from the UK!

  • @samstevenson5328
    @samstevenson5328 Рік тому +4

    Has ALWAYS been my #1 favorite Beatles song!! One of the most brilliant and inspiring tunes ever laid to tape…

  • @jamesbagshaw8251
    @jamesbagshaw8251 Рік тому +8

    I was raised on the Beatles and I love most of their different sounds...this track along with Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane are for me the high watermark of their dream songs. You don't hear many covers of them as they are so richly realised

  • @danp4757
    @danp4757 7 місяців тому +2

    One of the greatest songs of all time

  • @MartianTom
    @MartianTom Рік тому +26

    I love this song. I'm fortunate enough to be able to work alone in large rooms during the day, so I sing all day. This is one of my regulars. People have told me I actually sound like Lennon. But then they've told me I sound like Barry Gibb, too. Maybe I have a career in singer impersonation! I think this song also has some great, understated drumming from Ringo. I especially love the fills in the final verse.

    • @MobiusBandwidth
      @MobiusBandwidth Рік тому +1

      that's where the money is!

    • @Kuzey457
      @Kuzey457 Рік тому

      Beatles songs covered by Barry Gibb.. perfect part time gig. Feel free to sing at my wedding

    • @latkagravas2967
      @latkagravas2967 Рік тому

      Karaoke. Just do it.

  • @keithroberts150
    @keithroberts150 Рік тому +10

    Lennon/McCartney, greatist song writing duo ever. John was the heart of the Beatles.

    • @anakina1
      @anakina1 Рік тому +3

      I think most would say Paul was the heart and soul of the group.

    • @petersheenan4482
      @petersheenan4482 Рік тому +2

      they were both amazing, that's the crux of the group"s amazing output. the whole was grater than the parts.

    • @DeflatingAtheism
      @DeflatingAtheism Рік тому +4

      I find in songwriting duos, you typically have the _artisté_ and the workhorse. The _artisté_ often gets over-credited due to the fact they manifest the Romantic artist-hero myth, but ironically, it is the workhorse who guides the sensibility and direction of the entire group. As well, it is likely it is the workhorse who rescued the artisté from a fate of plunking out their songs in his bedroom in perpetual obscurity.

    • @hw343434
      @hw343434 Рік тому +5

      @@anakina1 Lol no, most everybody at the time declared Lennon the heart and genius of the Beatles. McCartney and his fans have been desperately trying to revise history after John’s death to favor Paul but the other Beatles themselves preferred John over Paul’s music as did most of their peers at the time like The Rolling Stones, Bowie, Elton John, Queen and others who all bowed down to Lennon. That’s not a knock on Paul, he was equally as essential to the Beatles, as were George and Ringo.

    • @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh
      @bingohhhhhhhhhhhh 2 місяці тому

      @@hw343434 Agreed 100%. His songs truly stand the test of time.

  • @Enigma55-h7n
    @Enigma55-h7n Рік тому +5

    A song that seems to sum up the whole 20th century. Resentment, frustration, futility and acception of life in 5 minutes with impeccable lyrics, melodies and musical innovation. Could very well be the most important moment in all 20th century music

    • @latkagravas2967
      @latkagravas2967 Рік тому +1

      I love your impression and summary. Well conceived. There's a thesis there somewhere, or betting several have already been done.

  • @maetzchenmusik
    @maetzchenmusik Рік тому +1

    What about the relation between lyrics and music, between word and tone? That's when it starts getting interesting. The heavy delay on John's voice, its slow wandering across the stereo panorama, Ringo's nervous fill-ins, the 5 bars (twice) in the vocalise part and so on. 27:49

  • @maryvallas772
    @maryvallas772 Рік тому +6

    I love this song so much. Thank you, once again, for explaining why it's so beautiful!
    And now I have to go listen to it!

  • @accountabilitypartnerscomm7635
    @accountabilitypartnerscomm7635 Місяць тому

    The chord progression in the verse is beautiful. The descent in the verse kinda reminds me of Coltrane's tune 'Spiral'. It's cool how the chords are linked with common tones like a ballad. Perfect harmonic and guiding vehicle for the vocal melody and the bass.

  • @becknader2337
    @becknader2337 Рік тому +8

    Rick, your are a real master! I would love to watch you interviewing Sir Paul McCartney, this would be a milestone!

  • @wyattstevens8574
    @wyattstevens8574 Рік тому +1

    I've heard that the orchestral "tension modulation" (just building tension until anywhere would "be home") is the inspiration for the THX deep note- and I believe that!

  • @kendallparish5611
    @kendallparish5611 Рік тому +3

    The use of suspensions came out of the folk music craze in the late 50's and early 60's - I was a beginner guitarist at the time and any time a D major came up on the chart I would suspend it with the little finger - just like everyone else was doing. Suspensions were a chord progression fad back when the Beatles were learning to play. Listen to the song "needles and pins" - down the tracks example of common suspension use.

  • @rockturtleneck
    @rockturtleneck Рік тому +2

    Fascinating breakdown of the genius of The Beatles' greatest song. Would love to see a video about how the Beatles were able to progress from She Loves You to A Day in the Life in 3 1/2 years or so, basically the same amount of time since COVID started.

    • @jsmith8327
      @jsmith8327 Рік тому

      LSD maybe? Plus they were so young: growing.

  • @von_Apa
    @von_Apa Рік тому +3

    The chord movement downwards, sounds like the song - Go Now! Written by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett and made in a great version by the Moody Blues.

  • @daveschlom4033
    @daveschlom4033 Рік тому +2

    It's impossible to pick my favorite Beatles song. That said, this is likely the one. My daughter wrote a beautiful essay about it for her English class in the early 2000s. It's an incredible piece. Thank you for taking my non musician self inside the composition.

  • @bpabustan
    @bpabustan Рік тому +8

    We can discuss all the theory on the chords and melodies to this song and that's very cool.
    The irony is, none of the Beatles can analyze what they do. They simply just have great ears. They just know what sounds good!

  • @geminidreamno2
    @geminidreamno2 Рік тому +2

    Thank you Rick for covering a song by my favorite band.

  • @JohnBrokaw-g1j
    @JohnBrokaw-g1j Рік тому +4

    I believe the early Moody Blues tune "Go Now" uses a similar chord and bass progression

  • @allancerf9038
    @allancerf9038 Рік тому

    This kind of compositional analysis is by FAR the best thing Rick does or probably, on this channel, will ever do. Compliment intended...

    • @allancerf9038
      @allancerf9038 Рік тому

      @@gutgolf74 In what way, dude? Which Beatle do you think wrote the verses of ADITL?

  • @tanner_uncut
    @tanner_uncut Рік тому +6

    My favorite Beatles song. The Emaj7 (?) with lower 3rd (?) at the end is the BEST RECORDED CHORD OF ALL TIME. PERIOD.

  • @musamusashi
    @musamusashi Рік тому +2

    Definetly one my top 3 Beatles' songs: an absolute compositional masterpiece and one of their best performance, including by George Martin and the engineers.

  • @silverlicious2086
    @silverlicious2086 Рік тому +4

    Rick was living with "the knob finger" for 50 years and problem solved within one UA-cam comment. 🤣 Love the breakdown Rick!

  • @brucemoeller
    @brucemoeller 7 місяців тому +1

    And Ringo's touches on this song were perfect.

  • @stevenmiller184
    @stevenmiller184 Рік тому +4

    Every time I watch one of these videos I am left with this sense that I'm missing so much! There is so much more to all of this than I will ever grasp. There is almost a desperation to it... like being denied profound wisdom because you don't speak the language. It's like physics... trying to understand it with limited mathematics skills... there is something huge here... I can tell, but I'll never fully understand it. I may not know exactly why, but I do know that songs with musical complexity interest me, simple, predictable music does not... the difference between the Beatles and today's Pop music.

  • @23ofSeptember
    @23ofSeptember Рік тому +1

    One of my favorite Beatles' songs. I also like "Michelle", "Here comes the sun" "Let it be" and "Yesterday". So many great songs. Reminds me of my childhood. My father played the Beatles a lot when I was growing up. Lots of Moody Blues, John Lennon, Paul Simon and even Zamfir!

  • @majorlycunningham5439
    @majorlycunningham5439 Рік тому +6

    Like many here, ADITL is really a gem of songwriting, the quintessential work of the Fab Four. I hold it high regard in my personal repertoire of musical haunts I revisit from time to time.

  • @kachiyoungsoul9690
    @kachiyoungsoul9690 Рік тому +1

    I bought the bundle last night. I'm so excited to have beastly ears like McCartney and Lennon

  • @casualpiano5002
    @casualpiano5002 Рік тому +3

    That "hey joe" moment 7:25 chord progression also found on Deep Purple - Strange Kind Of Woman (1971) bridge, with almost identical melody to Beatles chorus here.

  • @hans-jochenwinkler6161
    @hans-jochenwinkler6161 Рік тому

    dear rick, thank you for your inspiration tonight in Berlin. I learned a lot and enjoyed your storytelling so much , your attitude and your humor! Dankeschön! liebe Grüsse best regards Hajo from Hamburg

  • @PatriciaGarcia-sp8ou
    @PatriciaGarcia-sp8ou Рік тому +14

    Friends who are cursory Beatles fans are always astonished that this is my absolute favorite Beatles song. Lennon's masterpiece.

    • @johndef5075
      @johndef5075 Рік тому +1

      I just saw this on a list of top 10 overrated albums. Couldn't agree less. Its a masterpiece.

    • @corinne_vintage
      @corinne_vintage Рік тому +1

      This is my fave too!!

  • @jeremyyarbrough6459
    @jeremyyarbrough6459 Рік тому +1

    So hey Rick, my son is a middle school student and they watch your videos in his music explorations class. Thank you for doing what you do.

  • @traverswright6115
    @traverswright6115 Рік тому +14

    Rick I notice you haven’t mentioned the song Julia ??? Surely one of the most unpredictable , mysterious sounding Beatles songs harmonically, melodically & also lyrically … love it if you are able to share an exploration of this 🐬✨
    Love your work

    • @swampashtele
      @swampashtele Рік тому +6

      Julia doesn't get enough attention.

  • @spacerockwizard
    @spacerockwizard 9 місяців тому

    I'm just recently having some fnger pain and issues but still rocking. Wishing you the best with that.

  • @Thorgrim247
    @Thorgrim247 Рік тому +6

    Love this type of melody analysis Rik. Composers need to be aware of these concepts. I wish I had you as a teacher years ago. I am learning so much. Cheers mate! 🥂🥂

  • @elisechapman5145
    @elisechapman5145 Рік тому +1

    Hello Rick. Wonderful breakdown of this song. Makes me appreciate it even more.

  • @vincognito
    @vincognito Рік тому +23

    Deep Purple's 'Hush' uses the two bar per chord version of the bridge's plagal cascade. In that case, I think it was an unconscious influence taken from A Day In The Life. By that time, everyone on the planet was immersed in the Sgt. Pepper record.

    • @johnyarusso4953
      @johnyarusso4953 Рік тому +4

      Yes and Deep Purple also uses the exact vocal notes contained in that section of A day in a life.

    • @georgesonm1774
      @georgesonm1774 Рік тому +2

      and they did cover "Hey Joe' as well :)

    • @siljeff2708
      @siljeff2708 Рік тому +2

      @@georgesonm1774same album too!

    • @davnroll
      @davnroll Рік тому +1

      😁

    • @davnroll
      @davnroll Рік тому +1

      yep i"m on the Hush's side too ;)