For those of you thinking I skipped the second chord Bm I did! It’s not on the lead sheet that I was relying on for the lyrics. Sorry! The Bm is the vi chord and Lennon sings the C# (9th) against it. So beautiful 🙏🏻
@@danidaniel866 For Rick, the translation because it's an excellent idea. "And I would have more if videos like this were subtitled and people like me who don't speak English could understand it."
“Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns. It calls me on and on Across the Universe”❤ some of the most beautiful Lyrics ever written
Yes it was a true gift to the music world. I’m utterly greatful. George remembers everything! And his stories. He managed to take me with him, going up the stairs, to see Coltrane! I was right there with him. Fantastic story teller, and one of the greatest guitarist and singers ever!
I miss your "What makes this song great" series. Glad to hear you're bringing it back! Reviews are entertaining, but noone can break down a song like you do. Love this. 🙏
And that's the most wonderful thing with songs written by authentic writers using little influence from other songwriters. You get all of their life experience built in to the crafting of the song. With Lennon, all that Beatles experience, the India experience, the loss the romance, the love etc etc etc, is all in the songs. You are not just listening to tunes. You are listening to his soul played out through a song using musical instruments and vocals.
John's 'Working Class Hero' for me, has to be his most viscerally powerful song of them all. Every nuance of the piece seems to be channelling such ancestral pain and with such plaintive basic Am chords with that wonderful vamping to the fore.
@@earlgrey691 I just HAPPENED to have just listened to WCH....and you're absolutely right, what a brooding but delectable accompaniment from the guitar!!!....one of my favourite ever songs, never fails to touch me ❤
I'm always stunned by the raw acoustic beauty of the Beatles' songs. Although the studio productions are so layered and brilliant in their own right, hearing Rick just play the chords always surprises me with how literally beautiful the chord transitions are. Man. I just don’t think there will ever be anyone like John, Paul, George and Ringo again.
I still miss John. Of all artists, I think John cast the longest shadow on me. I can't even imagine how I would perceive art and music without him. Thankfully, I was literally raised with the Beatles playing often and loudly. I was no more than a few days old the first time I heard them. I've never known a reality without John Lennon in it And I wouldn't want to experience that reality either.
Re the simplicity of She Loves You, Please, Please Me, From Me to You etc, they were still absolutely ground breaking pop songs at the time. No one before The Beatles sounded like The Beatles.
No small part of the magic were the harmonies. For example... take a listen to No Reply again... Paul would come in at sporadic moments with an upper harmony that sent the song through the roof.
Hey Rick! I just realized that I haven’t thanked you for all that you do! AND! I just realized ALL that you do, and do it so we can have all of it for free on here! So THANK YOU!!! Very much! For all that you do, doing and will continue to do for a VERY long time! I agree, it would’ve been AWESOME to have YT and a channel like yours back in the ‘90’s and early aughts when I was learning guitar! So on behalf of all the musical community, Thank You, again! You’re a National Treasure, and should be treated as such, because you’re also a bit of a historian. With every interview that you do, you preserve musical history. How great it would’ve been to have interviews from the likes of Hendrix, Freddie Mercury,Duane Allman, Janis Joplin, among many others, I could be here all day listing names!lol God Bless, Rick!!!
It's the best show on UA-cam not just because of the topics, interviews, and expert knowledge - Rick puts a lot of work into this. Perhaps "the hardest working man in" or on UA-cam
Lennon was an amazing and naturally gifted musician and for him to hook up with someone as equally talented as Paul Mc was just simply meant to be. I don't read music, but I have followed their progression through their first collaborations right up to their final works, analysing and picking all their stuff up by ear. Now I find myself listening to you filling in some vital parts of my lazy listening through what you tell me on your fantastic song analysees...you do have gifted ears and for you to feel you need to pass on what you have deduced over decades of listening and in depth analysis is just brilliant. I don't have your Beato Book or ear training course, mainly because I probably don't need them but for you to take the time to put this stuff together for those who may benefit from them is simply amazing. You are amazing - please keep up the good work and look out for my ear training course purchase, soley because this is a brilliant idea and is well worth supporting. Come on you guys out there - let's keep this utterly brillian individual going - pitch up! Rick, you Rock!
I like the focus on the music not so much the "music business". you have done a wonderful job on that already. Regardless Thank You for all of it. One of a kind. Excellent Excellent channel for those who are interested.
@@acousticsong-guitarco964 The Bm is there. Listen to the Let It Be Naked version. Once John starts singing you hear a very clear Bm as the second chord
Lennon´s chord progressions, melodies and rythm fascinate me. Lately I´ve been listening to 'Just Like Starting Over', and I´m obsessed with his modulation from the verse (A Major) to the bridge (G Major). He´s ending the verse with a G, which creates tension since it´s not in A major, and it hints to a modulation to C major. BUT instead he goes to the 2-5-1 of the G Major instead. The 2 of G major being the tonic of the parallell minor (A minor) of the key of the verse. I just love that feint and the release it creates. Lennon had one of the most interesting minds in music history. I think he could´ve been an artist in any field, it just happened to be music. I think his thinking was groundbreaking in nature, he was very creative and had a gift for creating beauty. Like a modern day Leonardo Da Vinci.
He always made interesting choices. As Sting put it in his interview with Rick, he want to be "surprised" by what the music does. And John Lennon did that quite well.
It's really helpful to learn how to listen to the chords.+ before listening to this I had this melody line in my head "nothings going to change my world..." - it's so epic
The melody, chord substitutions, and arrangement are what makes these songs memorable and unique. Thank you Rick. Very enlightening. Love these song breakdowns and melody explanations.
Love this stuff and love The Beatles . I think the answer to “how did they come up with these melodies?” is simple - they had BIG imaginations and they let their ears explore until they found something that sounded awesome to them .
When Rick says ‘who comes up with these melodies?’. Well John Lennon, he was a musical genius and his style set him apart from everyone else. It’s sad to think the world has missed out on over 40 years of him and his music because of a stupid man.
I’ve been struggling with this exact thought for more than forty years now. This genius pushed the envelope more than anyone else and in so many different directions. The variety of his work is simply unmatched.
There's no " genius" involved. It's just being human. If y😮ou are thinking Lennon constructed the song as an engineer or a physicist you need look into art deeper.
To the question from the neurologist, asking how can you enjoy it when you understand it so well. I know a guy who is one of the best windsurfing instructors in the world. He can see someone doing the most amazing trick. He can watch, understand it completely, and teach it back, step by step. If you ask the guy who did the trick, he’s like “I don’t know, I just do it.” He, like you Rick, have the teachers gift. Amazing!
I'm contemplating this track, and what occurred to me is that Lennon - as opposed to McCartney - is never sentimental. He had a great sense for lyrical absurdity, and there's something lyrically absurd in how he turns ritualistic chanting into a poetic verse. Yes, it's somewhat Bach-like in that he points one hand to the sky and the other to the ground - and yet his vest is unbuttoned. :) Great channel, great stuff!
His musical abilities were beyond this world, as if he had a divine force helping him. Incredible talent,and just think he had 3 more people with out of this world incredible talent with him. What are the chances of this ever happening.
Ive said for years they're the greatest song writers in rock n roll history. And im no contemporary with that era. For context my favorite band is Rush. And Alice n Chains, Soundgarden also top my list.
My dad was always playing The Beatles when i was a kid.. as a result, I'm a beatles fanatic myself!! I distinctly remember hearing this song for the first time on a car drive with my dad, i was sitting in the front seat, and he was going to the hardware store or something.. i thought i had heard every beatles song up until that point.. he had a beatles cd playing (which was and still is a thing my dad does on car rides lol) Accross the universe came on, and it blew my mind, the melody, the lyrics, the emotions it gave me all in one! Even at the young age of maybe 9 or 10, i still remember feeling overwhelmed by this song.. It remains a favourite of mine to this day! Accross the Universe is a true masterpiece
You know what Rick, I can't tell you enough just how much joy I experience by what you bring to us constantly through both of your UA-cam channels. I never know what GOLD is going to come through in any interview (Christopher Cross, Billy Corgan, Michael Macdonald etc.). What you do, brother, enriches my life and I can't thank you enough! Shalom man!
Rick, also include how John changed his time signatures more than any other Beatle to fit the song - particularly the lyric. Keep on doing these things. You are fabulous to listen to. That Andy Summers interview was incredible as well.
The "they slither while they pass" line, which Rick stumbled over, is visible on the printed sheet music in the video, and was recently noted in this channel's comments section. That's actually not what John Lennon sang, but it's what ended up on the Blue Album's lyrics notes, and has been perpetuated by countless people since then, including Fiona Apple, and the folks at AZ Lyrics, and alas including me, on a new cover version of ATU that I've set up to be released on Spotify this coming Thursday. I feel like a chump now after recognizing that it should have been "slither wildly as they slip away". I loved observing the places in the song where it's 5/4, to help the song breathe and make the singing easier. Also, like others here, I notice that the sheet music is missing the second chord (Bm) in the verse sequence. On my cover, I actually played and sang this in B (G with capo 4 on the guitar, C transposed -1 on the keyboard).
It reminds me of people thinking Paul sings “In this world in which we live in” in “Live and Let Die,” when he’s actually singing “In this world in which we’re living.” I’ve seen a few reviewers remarking on his supposedly poor grammar. :)
hey, Rick.... just wanna say THANK YOU again for that Benson interview. he's been one of my personal jazz heroes since the early 80s...along with the late great Al Jarreau.
I might be wrong but this sounds like changing the tonal center within a song (secondary Dominant) and then jumping back to the original Tonic. Brian Wilson, btw, is a master at it.
I usually prefer McCartney’s Melodies, but you can hear in this Lennon stuff, the sound that attracted the counter cultural fans, pulling in these more exploratory, more challenging sounds. The ears of all 4, pulling in EVERYTHING they heard at the time, were second to none.
Best video for an education in songwriting. Very natural manner of speaking and teaching, singing along was a big help even though we know it wasn’t a vocal lesson. As far as She Loves You, from the opening notes and Ringo playing the floor tom under the chorus which jump starts the song it just gets your heart beating in excitement. The lyrics were somewhat simple but appropriate to the story which we all could relate to. Again- great guitar playing on a fabulous video!👍
I don’t play any instruments but love music. I cannot believe how informative your interviews, your lessons, your analysis and love to learn the complexity and simplicity of music. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and it’s inspiring to know there are so many talented people like yourself out there, thank you for what you do ❤✨❤️
Congrats Rick on 4 million. Keep up the various things you do, all of them. Many of us out here enjoy everything you do, even if some of it goes over our heads, it's all very interesting. Thank you
The best & my favorite Beatle , Lennon a complex & multi talented individual. I love this informative piece you put together here, as well a fan of your channels ☮️ ❤ MPH
I also wish there was UA-cam when I was a kid and I am a lot older than you Rick. It always frustrated me that the information that was available on say Rolling Stone or Creem Magazine were apparently written by people that never played an instrument. They never asked anything that could help those of us who did. Thank you for your interviews that actually ask the question musicians want to know. 'Across the Universe' is an absolutely amazing song by my favorite Beatle. He was flawed as hell but there was never ever anyone cooler in the room.
Thank you Rick for diving deep to break down some of the greatest music ever written by some of the most interesting and brilliant people to just go with it and be spontaneous. Taking the spark of early Rock-n-Roll and adding to the canvas of great music. Doesn't get much better than John Lennon and the Beatles. I have the ear and have figured out how to play much. I just don't know what is going on theory wise. It's always a pleasure to watch you.
Thank you. I've been a fan for a while. My 15 year old stepdaughter is, as well. I am in Nova Scotia. I have been a musician for all my life, until I got sick and had to sell my PRS and Ibenez Artist. Miss them. My stepdaughter plays guitar, an incredible visual artist, and (!) writing a novel that, so far, is incredible. Her favourite band is Rush. Teaching Alex Lifeson parts to her is a joy. She's 15 now, and now likes Yes, King Crimson, even Spirit of Christmas (Canadian prog band before Rush). Again, she loves your channel. As a descendant of Schubert's brother, all the best to you, Rick. You deserve the accolades.
Rick, I could listen to you for literally hours... like no joke. You're so talented I've learned so much from your song breakdowns to your interviews. Just wanted to say thank you for doing so much for sharing..
I'm glad you're getting back to this kind of video. The music industry stuff is fascinating is documentary material, but this is more relatable and educational.
I couldn't resist. I had to break down and purchase that entire course. I don't know anything about music, I'm self-teaching bass guitar on my days off and look forward to the ear training course. I'm 63 years old. So ... here we go!😂
I really can’t express how happy it makes me when I see rick really enjoying and appreciating a well crafted piece of music him enjoying Lennon really makes it all worth it. We really might have lived through a period of peak, pop, song writing in our lifetime.
Rick, your ear is SO much better than mine and your musical knowledge far outstrips what I know ... so I'm surprised you missed that the second chord of the verse is the relative minor of the first. Or maybe you fixed this later in the video (I only watched the beginning of your analysis). Otherwise, I really enjoy your vids and have learned so much since coming across your channel a year or so ago. Keep up the (almost entirely) good work!
we love hearing you sing and explain and enjoy music, rick. don't listen to the comments about your voice. every time a new video is up, i stop everything i do and watch it right away and it makes my day. 🙂
Rick's interviews and musical analysis are priceless. Thank you. He's all about the music, like all of us. Plus, he could care less about his less than stellare voice, like we could care less. Ride on, Rick!
I’m about 6-months younger than you Rick and I grew up in the Finger Lakes in Skaneateles and Auburn. As a young kid I met John Lennon and Yoko first in Cayuga at a farmers market and then later the same year by the original location of the Bridge Market. Super nice people. My younger brother and I were huge Beatles fans, practically wearing out our favorite 45s, singing along!
Love it - Rick just brilliantly oozing Beatles genius (and flogging his course...absolutely - it doesn't cost nothing). Rick, love your channel mate. 👍
How often do you think songs written by artists like Beatles were thought of in terms of music theory while writing them? Like for example: “oh I think adding a melody note that sounds dissonant here will sound great etc.” Or do you think they just didn’t think about it and were just writing a song and that’s how things came out?
I forget the name of the guy that traveled the south and interviewed and recorded the artists their. Someone said that you are the contemporary soul doing that now! You're making magic for the world 🌎 ✨️ forever! All of the most outstanding artist musicians of our times- music history of the twentieth and twenty- first century. Incredible Rick. 🕉
That sounds a bit like Bascom Lunsford. The only reason I know about him is the UA-cam algorithm that suggested a couple of videos. David Hoffman did a documentary about him that's on YT.
One Of my favorite Beatles songs is I’m Only Sleeping. I think the marriage of the lyrics and melody is brilliant. Please break down the song. Also, every time I play Here There and Everywhere on the piano i am in awe.
One of John Lennon's exposure to music, growing up was when they met in large groups, in theaters etc , singing "classics" , popular folksongs. Very popular at the time. Some of his style in writing songs is influenced by these folk songs. I learned from my professor. Not taking anything away from Lennon's genius.🙂
CJ Vanston. Just recorded with Mc Donald and Luke. Doing Spinal tap 2. Behind the scene genious. Always with Skunk too. Perfect guest and so genuine and polite. Always treated me so nice. Treats everyone that way. Played for Dali Lama. Great story.
Also, in the end of the refrain, when he sings Nothing’s gonna change my world, he sings the notes D and also C# over the G major chord, which makes it a G Lydian mode, before singing the note F# over the D chord, very memorable and pretty.
... I caught this earlier when it was live with you kind of ranting on what I took to be a response to a comment about your reasons for doing what you do on this platform. You're the best mate. Keep on keeping on Rick.!!!
Maynard lives in one of my fave towns, Jerome, Arizona. That is where his latest restaurant is; he has Cadeuceus wineries at Page Springs nearby just outside of Sedona, Arizona. He was instrumental-sorry for that pun in starting the wine growing area outside of Sedona and in the Verde Valley.
This channel's content gives me such joy and hope amid a world of chaos and an emphasis on instant gratification and meaningless veneer. Also, regarding some sophisticated music accompanied by beautiful written lyrics, four artists I'd love to see considered for interviews in the future are Imogen Heap, Tori Amos, Jose Gonzales, and Peter Gabriel.
Great stuff Rick! I think you might want a vi (b minor) chord on beat 3 of measure 1. And if not there, definitely on beat 3 of measure 5 ('waves of joy'). Just listened to the studio version of this tune and measure 1 is up for debate. But thereafter (measure 5 and beyond), it's quite apparent. At least to my ears. Love your channel!
I respect you greatly, with your mastery of the guitar and your great ear for music. I've been playing guitar for 50 years and writing original songs and singing them for 30 years. My comment on this analysis you've done is this: You should do a breakdown of the Beatle's song "Nowhere Man". I'm sure you know this was written as a criticism of some jerk of an academic in England praising the Beatles for their naive understanding of things like the mixolydian or dorian scales.
Thank you for the inspiring video. As mentioned it is even more sophisticated, with the Bm chord in the first bar. That chord is the parallell minor to D major.
It’s the creative imagination and influence from past experiences from these amazing guys when writing tunes when they don’t know much or any theory to be able to come up with this stuff or as some would say its channeled into them from and unknown cosmic source possibly both
Rick, your enthusiasm is infectious. Love your stuff on The Beatles and Steely Dan. I saw the Beatles in 63 at the Hammersmith Odeon. London. I was 10. Lots of girls screaming but oh my one of the highlights of my life😊 Rick please check out John Martin's "Solid Air" Album from 1973. Listen to it twice.......... you'll be hooked forever. Simply mesmerising. Martyn was a highly respected musician guitarist and songwriter, loved by Collins, Clapton, Beck and many others in the industry. Honestly you won't regret it.😊
I love your channel, i am reconnecting with the songs of my youth (60s, 70s and 80s). Oh man, I wish you were around when I was playing guitar it would have been so much easier. Great listening and congrats on hitting 4M subscribers. 🎉
Nice breakdown Rick. My three favorite Lennon's are Help, Hide Your Love Away, and Nowhere Man. 2 Prophetic songs and one is just beautiful. I really enjoy playing Hide Your Love on my acoustic, but after the whole song I need to give my fingers a rest......
the gm chord is called an "altered minor". Altered minor chords resolve a fourth down. Their function is similar to altered major 7th chords which resolve a fourth up.
Great breakdown, great song...I'd just like to point out that even the early Beatles had a certain level of sophistication that was unusual for their time...She Loves You, for all of it's lyrical simplicity, it also borrows the 4 minor chord (C minor in G major) and ends on a G6 chord...it was always there, they just upped their game as they went and never stopped nor repeated themselves in the process!!!
Hey Rick - great video. Across The Universe one of my fav Lennon / Beatles songs. Nice to see you break it down on the guitar like that - brilliant. Lennon was a genius, I think all the Beatles were - we'll never see the likes of them ever again, and I am so grateful for being around during their rise to fame from the mid 60's onwards. Sadly I cant read music and its probably to late for me. I can read tablature and I love playing my guitar, but hats off to you for developing your tutorial books. You're doing a wonderful job Rick - keep up the good work. Cheers Doug (from Down Under)
What I loved so much about John Lennon's tunes......not one song of his sounds a thing alike. But, most of his songs started on the same chord. John was truly amazing as a lyrics writer and tune maker.
More playing and song breakdown- great. Always nice to hear your insights into music as well as your beautiful playing. Muchas gracious 🎉 "Across the Universe" masterpiece ✨️ John and Paul love to utilize half steps in different ways. Sometimes half steps four in a row. It is always beautiful just hearing the notes next to each other, simple. Maybe John in particular, the beauty of his melodies. Bach, yes. Interval jumps- that's great. It's his ear, and his feeling- natural to him. Movement is interesting!
I had a music professor when I studied music at Malmö music university. He has done large research into the influences that shaped John Lennon and Paul McCartney songwriting. He also arranged Beatles songs for Symphony Orchestra where George Martin was involved culminating in concerts performed by Malmö Symphony Orchestra. It would be interesting to have him on the show I think. 🙂
For those of you thinking I skipped the second chord Bm I did! It’s not on the lead sheet that I was relying on for the lyrics. Sorry! The Bm is the vi chord and Lennon sings the C# (9th) against it. So beautiful 🙏🏻
Congrats Rick on the Rochester Music Hall of Fame!!
Unacceptable, do it over.
LOL, I just logged in to mention the vi chord with the add9 in the vox, and you already addressed it. You're always on top of it, bro.
We’ll let it slide this time, Beato.
Rick, there are modern artists also killing it pls take modern requests for niche artists for this forum or interviews. Thank you 😂
I just noticed Rick hit 4 million subscribers. Sweet! Congrats!!
Yep! Congrats
Yes, he was asking for it - I remember!
Much deserved 👏 🙌 ❤ 😊
What's next? 5M? 🤔
Y tendría más si videos como éste estuvieran subtitulados y personas como yo que no dominan el inglés pudiéramos entenderlo.
@@danidaniel866 For Rick, the translation because it's an excellent idea. "And I would have more if videos like this were subtitled and people like me who don't speak English could understand it."
I see it as "4.04M" Poor Rick, he's 404...
I know it’s difficult but please more Beatles, Rick! I want you to interview Paul and Ringo so bad
That would be awesome for all involved.
Rick, have you done a breakdown of Free as a bird/ Real love?
“Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns. It calls me on and on Across the Universe”❤ some of the most beautiful Lyrics ever written
John had the knack for saying the most profound statements in very simple language.
He's not known as a genius for nothing!.
Peace.
It's a line that Mr Harrison must have appreciated, isn't it?
He knew where he was going. I’m pretty sure he’s there now.
The interview with George Benson was brilliant.
He's a great storyteller.
yes it was
@@electricurinal he often used a pick made of stone.
I loved every minute! 🫶🏼
Yes it was a true gift to the music world. I’m utterly greatful. George remembers everything! And his stories. He managed to take me with him, going up the stairs, to see Coltrane! I was right there with him. Fantastic story teller, and one of the greatest guitarist and singers ever!
I miss your "What makes this song great" series. Glad to hear you're bringing it back!
Reviews are entertaining, but noone can break down a song like you do. Love this. 🙏
Across The Universe is the first Lennon tune I fell in love with as I was starting to learn guitar at age 13. Now I'm 44 and loves it still.
I watched the 1st TV The Beatles did on Ed Sullivan!! I was 8 yrs old!
@@revvyhevvy I really envy you first generation Beatle fans!
Beato can everything but not sing. Ist terrible
50 or even 100 years from now the music of the Beatles will still be listened to, analyzed and performed!
just like Rick’s Bach discussions, there will be a new Rick in 100 years discussing Lennon.
Nah, they will be pouring over Ed Sheeran!
@@patricksmith4424Hey dude
@@patricksmith4424 ha, they're not even talking about Sheeran now.
And that's the most wonderful thing with songs written by authentic writers using little influence from other songwriters. You get all of their life experience built in to the crafting of the song. With Lennon, all that Beatles experience, the India experience, the loss the romance, the love etc etc etc, is all in the songs. You are not just listening to tunes. You are listening to his soul played out through a song using musical instruments and vocals.
John's 'Working Class Hero' for me, has to be his most viscerally powerful song of them all. Every nuance of the piece seems to be channelling such ancestral pain and with such plaintive basic Am chords with that wonderful vamping to the fore.
Very well put.
@@earlgrey691 I just HAPPENED to have just listened to WCH....and you're absolutely right, what a brooding but delectable accompaniment from the guitar!!!....one of my favourite ever songs, never fails to touch me ❤
Would that modern songwriters were so creative and authentic 😔.....
I'm always stunned by the raw acoustic beauty of the Beatles' songs. Although the studio productions are so layered and brilliant in their own right, hearing Rick just play the chords always surprises me with how literally beautiful the chord transitions are. Man. I just don’t think there will ever be anyone like John, Paul, George and Ringo again.
I still miss John.
Of all artists, I think John cast the longest shadow on me. I can't even imagine how I would perceive art and music without him.
Thankfully, I was literally raised with the Beatles playing often and loudly. I was no more than a few days old the first time I heard them. I've never known a reality without John Lennon in it And I wouldn't want to experience that reality either.
"John Lennon used to pee out of the hotel window onto pedestrians."
~ 'Little Miss Dynamite' by Brenda Lee
'Around the World', chapter 11, page 167
@@D-FensDogG and I bet your mom loved it every time....
Good God, that escalated quickly!!! 😮
@@BugRib'keep moving, nothing to see here, but finish watching the post, k!
@@voodoochild1975az Oh, real good one! But you'll need to up your game when you get to the sixth grade!
Re the simplicity of She Loves You, Please, Please Me, From Me to You etc, they were still absolutely ground breaking pop songs at the time. No one before The Beatles sounded like The Beatles.
All those songs have at least one ‘spicy’ chord that just elevates the whole thing. Love it
100%!
Genius level bridges.
No small part of the magic were the harmonies. For example... take a listen to No Reply again... Paul would come in at sporadic moments with an upper harmony that sent the song through the roof.
Hey Rick! I just realized that I haven’t thanked you for all that you do! AND! I just realized ALL that you do, and do it so we can have all of it for free on here! So THANK YOU!!! Very much! For all that you do, doing and will continue to do for a VERY long time! I agree, it would’ve been AWESOME to have YT and a channel like yours back in the ‘90’s and early aughts when I was learning guitar! So on behalf of all the musical community, Thank You, again! You’re a National Treasure, and should be treated as such, because you’re also a bit of a historian. With every interview that you do, you preserve musical history. How great it would’ve been to have interviews from the likes of Hendrix, Freddie Mercury,Duane Allman, Janis Joplin, among many others, I could be here all day listing names!lol God Bless, Rick!!!
It's the best show on UA-cam not just because of the topics, interviews, and expert knowledge - Rick puts a lot of work into this. Perhaps "the hardest working man in" or on UA-cam
Lennon was an amazing and naturally gifted musician and for him to hook up with someone as equally talented as Paul Mc was just simply meant to be. I don't read music, but I have followed their progression through their first collaborations right up to their final works, analysing and picking all their stuff up by ear. Now I find myself listening to you filling in some vital parts of my lazy listening through what you tell me on your fantastic song analysees...you do have gifted ears and for you to feel you need to pass on what you have deduced over decades of listening and in depth analysis is just brilliant. I don't have your Beato Book or ear training course, mainly because I probably don't need them but for you to take the time to put this stuff together for those who may benefit from them is simply amazing. You are amazing - please keep up the good work and look out for my ear training course purchase, soley because this is a brilliant idea and is well worth supporting. Come on you guys out there - let's keep this utterly brillian individual going - pitch up! Rick, you Rock!
I like the focus on the music not so much the "music business". you have done a wonderful job on that already. Regardless Thank You for all of it. One of a kind. Excellent Excellent channel for those who are interested.
I appreciate that!
At the start is there not a B minor after the opening d??
Yes, and it's driving me crazy...ha ha!
Exactly what I thought
I’ve just checked the original song, there’s no Bm there. If there is another chord it would be a DM7
Depends on the bass note -- could be a Bm (with a mildly dissonant C# in the melody line) or a DMaj7.
@@acousticsong-guitarco964 The Bm is there. Listen to the Let It Be Naked version. Once John starts singing you hear a very clear Bm as the second chord
Lennon´s chord progressions, melodies and rythm fascinate me. Lately I´ve been listening to 'Just Like Starting Over', and I´m obsessed with his modulation from the verse (A Major) to the bridge (G Major). He´s ending the verse with a G, which creates tension since it´s not in A major, and it hints to a modulation to C major. BUT instead he goes to the 2-5-1 of the G Major instead. The 2 of G major being the tonic of the parallell minor (A minor) of the key of the verse. I just love that feint and the release it creates.
Lennon had one of the most interesting minds in music history. I think he could´ve been an artist in any field, it just happened to be music. I think his thinking was groundbreaking in nature, he was very creative and had a gift for creating beauty. Like a modern day Leonardo Da Vinci.
He always made interesting choices. As Sting put it in his interview with Rick, he want to be "surprised" by what the music does. And John Lennon did that quite well.
Oh yes, this song is my second favorite of all time. It seems that he was inspired by the Beach Boys "Don't Worry Baby"
Starting Over intro is pure Buddy Holly inspired ( Well I Guess it Doesn’t Matter Anymore’) 😊
Glad to return to What makes es this song great!!
It's really helpful to learn how to listen to the chords.+ before listening to this I had this melody line in my head "nothings going to change my world..." - it's so epic
The melody, chord substitutions, and arrangement are what makes these songs memorable and unique. Thank you Rick. Very enlightening. Love these song breakdowns and melody explanations.
Love this stuff and love The Beatles . I think the answer to “how did they come up with these melodies?” is simple - they had BIG imaginations and they let their ears explore until they found something that sounded awesome to them .
When Rick says ‘who comes up with these melodies?’. Well John Lennon, he was a musical genius and his style set him apart from everyone else. It’s sad to think the world has missed out on over 40 years of him and his music because of a stupid man.
Why do u think he’s saying who comes up with these Melodie’s… cause he’s saying no one would but him
I’ve been struggling with this exact thought for more than forty years now. This genius pushed the envelope more than anyone else and in so many different directions. The variety of his work is simply unmatched.
There's no " genius" involved. It's just being human. If y😮ou are thinking Lennon constructed the song as an engineer or a physicist you need look into art deeper.
It was a rhetorical question
As if Rivers Cuomo doesn’t exist.
To the question from the neurologist, asking how can you enjoy it when you understand it so well. I know a guy who is one of the best windsurfing instructors in the world. He can see someone doing the most amazing trick. He can watch, understand it completely, and teach it back, step by step. If you ask the guy who did the trick, he’s like “I don’t know, I just do it.”
He, like you Rick, have the teachers gift. Amazing!
One of my all time favorite songs. Great analysis, Mr Beato!
Please, call him Rick, Mr Beato is Rick's dad!!
@@revvyhevvy Once that hair went silver, he became a Mr for sure!
I'm contemplating this track, and what occurred to me is that Lennon - as opposed to McCartney - is never sentimental. He had a great sense for lyrical absurdity, and there's something lyrically absurd in how he turns ritualistic chanting into a poetic verse. Yes, it's somewhat Bach-like in that he points one hand to the sky and the other to the ground - and yet his vest is unbuttoned. :) Great channel, great stuff!
Strawberry Fields Forever would be another one
“Jealous Guy” too
Interesting, but in some songs John was very sentimental. Just listen to Julia.
Rick gets so excited. It is infectious.
Geddy Lee or Alex interview?
How about both at the same time?
They are hilarious together.
YES!!!!
I was watching NCCA basketball but this is worlds better....🎸
Good choice, swish!
His musical abilities were beyond this world, as if he had a divine force helping him. Incredible talent,and just think he had 3 more people with out of this world incredible talent with him. What are the chances of this ever happening.
Divine force? Lennon was an Atheist. What are you talking about?
IF there is such thing as a divine force, it may at times help atheists, as an effort to try and get them to believe.
@@martygras378 Just listen to "Imagine"..."no heaven above us...no hell below us...
@@foureyedchick Are you saying Satan was helping him?
@@ltaylor2238 Wasn't it John Lennon who said: "I am more popular than Jesus Christ"...
Beatles are still top shelf regarding writing. Hell even Ringo wrote a few damn good tunes.
Yeah, Don’t pass me by is underrated
Ive said for years they're the greatest song writers in rock n roll history. And im no contemporary with that era. For context my favorite band is Rush. And Alice n Chains, Soundgarden also top my list.
@@temp-secI like 'Octopuses Garden!'
And Ringo can sing while drumming. A band where every member can sing while playing.
"Even Ringo?"
I bet Rick could score a Paul McCartney interview
My dad was always playing The Beatles when i was a kid.. as a result, I'm a beatles fanatic myself!! I distinctly remember hearing this song for the first time on a car drive with my dad, i was sitting in the front seat, and he was going to the hardware store or something.. i thought i had heard every beatles song up until that point.. he had a beatles cd playing (which was and still is a thing my dad does on car rides lol)
Accross the universe came on, and it blew my mind, the melody, the lyrics, the emotions it gave me all in one! Even at the young age of maybe 9 or 10, i still remember feeling overwhelmed by this song..
It remains a favourite of mine to this day! Accross the Universe is a true masterpiece
You know what Rick, I can't tell you enough just how much joy I experience by what you bring to us constantly through both of your UA-cam channels. I never know what GOLD is going to come through in any interview (Christopher Cross, Billy Corgan, Michael Macdonald etc.). What you do, brother, enriches my life and I can't thank you enough! Shalom man!
I love the way you love the Beatles music. Pure passion… thank you for all your knowledge to us.
Simply you’re the best. Your videos are addictive I feel like I never get tired of watching them!!
Rick, also include how John changed his time signatures more than any other Beatle to fit the song - particularly the lyric. Keep on doing these things. You are fabulous to listen to. That Andy Summers interview was incredible as well.
The "they slither while they pass" line, which Rick stumbled over, is visible on the printed sheet music in the video, and was recently noted in this channel's comments section. That's actually not what John Lennon sang, but it's what ended up on the Blue Album's lyrics notes, and has been perpetuated by countless people since then, including Fiona Apple, and the folks at AZ Lyrics, and alas including me, on a new cover version of ATU that I've set up to be released on Spotify this coming Thursday. I feel like a chump now after recognizing that it should have been "slither wildly as they slip away".
I loved observing the places in the song where it's 5/4, to help the song breathe and make the singing easier.
Also, like others here, I notice that the sheet music is missing the second chord (Bm) in the verse sequence. On my cover, I actually played and sang this in B (G with capo 4 on the guitar, C transposed -1 on the keyboard).
It reminds me of people thinking Paul sings “In this world in which we live in” in “Live and Let Die,” when he’s actually singing “In this world in which we’re living.” I’ve seen a few reviewers remarking on his supposedly poor grammar. :)
@@michelepaccione8806 I just learned something else!
hey, Rick.... just wanna say THANK YOU again for that Benson interview.
he's been one of my personal jazz heroes since the early 80s...along with the late great Al Jarreau.
This has always been my favorite Beatles song. Can’t wait to listen to this one!
I might be wrong but this sounds like changing the tonal center within a song (secondary Dominant) and then jumping back to the original Tonic. Brian Wilson, btw, is a master at it.
I usually prefer McCartney’s Melodies, but you can hear in this Lennon stuff, the sound that attracted the counter cultural fans, pulling in these more exploratory, more challenging sounds. The ears of all 4, pulling in EVERYTHING they heard at the time, were second to none.
What a beautiful song. One of my favorites. Nice breakdown. Thank you.
Wow 4 million . More than the population of my country Wales . Such an incredible resource and super friendly. Thank you 🙏 x
Best video for an education in songwriting. Very natural manner of speaking and teaching, singing along was a big help even though we know it wasn’t a vocal lesson.
As far as She Loves You, from the opening notes and Ringo playing the floor tom under the chorus which jump starts the song it just gets your heart beating in excitement. The lyrics were somewhat simple but appropriate to the story which we all could relate to.
Again- great guitar playing on a fabulous video!👍
Yes!!! What makes this song great is what brought me to Rick. Want more of that
I don’t play any instruments but love music. I cannot believe how informative your interviews, your lessons, your analysis and love to learn the complexity and simplicity of music. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and it’s inspiring to know there are so many talented people like yourself out there, thank you for what you do ❤✨❤️
I always played that song with a Bm after the root D
Congrats Rick on 4 million.
Keep up the various things you do, all of them.
Many of us out here enjoy everything you do, even if some of it goes over our heads, it's all very interesting.
Thank you
The best & my favorite Beatle , Lennon a complex & multi talented individual. I love this informative piece you put together here, as well a fan of your channels
☮️ ❤
MPH
I also wish there was UA-cam when I was a kid and I am a lot older than you Rick. It always frustrated me that the information that was available on say Rolling Stone or Creem Magazine were apparently written by people that never played an instrument. They never asked anything that could help those of us who did. Thank you for your interviews that actually ask the question musicians want to know.
'Across the Universe' is an absolutely amazing song by my favorite Beatle. He was flawed as hell but there was never ever anyone cooler in the room.
Thank you Rick for diving deep to break down some of the greatest music ever written by some of the most interesting and brilliant people to just go with it and be spontaneous. Taking the spark of early Rock-n-Roll and adding to the canvas of great music. Doesn't get much better than John Lennon and the Beatles. I have the ear and have figured out how to play much. I just don't know what is going on theory wise. It's always a pleasure to watch you.
Thank you. I've been a fan for a while. My 15 year old stepdaughter is, as well. I am in Nova Scotia. I have been a musician for all my life, until I got sick and had to sell my PRS and Ibenez Artist. Miss them. My stepdaughter plays guitar, an incredible visual artist, and (!) writing a novel that, so far, is incredible. Her favourite band is Rush. Teaching Alex Lifeson parts to her is a joy. She's 15 now, and now likes Yes, King Crimson, even Spirit of Christmas (Canadian prog band before Rush). Again, she loves your channel.
As a descendant of Schubert's brother, all the best to you, Rick. You deserve the accolades.
Rick, I could listen to you for literally hours... like no joke. You're so talented I've learned so much from your song breakdowns to your interviews. Just wanted to say thank you for doing so much for sharing..
I'm glad you're getting back to this kind of video. The music industry stuff is fascinating is documentary material, but this is more relatable and educational.
I couldn't resist. I had to break down and purchase that entire course. I don't know anything about music, I'm self-teaching bass guitar on my days off and look forward to the ear training course. I'm 63 years old. So ... here we go!😂
That’s awesome man just keep practicing!
You go...uh...grampa or gramma....
I really can’t express how happy it makes me when I see rick really enjoying and appreciating a well crafted piece of music him enjoying Lennon really makes it all worth it. We really might have lived through a period of peak, pop, song writing in our lifetime.
Rick, your ear is SO much better than mine and your musical knowledge far outstrips what I know ... so I'm surprised you missed that the second chord of the verse is the relative minor of the first. Or maybe you fixed this later in the video (I only watched the beginning of your analysis).
Otherwise, I really enjoy your vids and have learned so much since coming across your channel a year or so ago. Keep up the (almost entirely) good work!
we love hearing you sing and explain and enjoy music, rick. don't listen to the comments about your voice. every time a new video is up, i stop everything i do and watch it right away and it makes my day. 🙂
Rick's interviews and musical analysis are priceless. Thank you. He's all about the music, like all of us. Plus, he could care less about his less than stellare voice, like we could care less. Ride on, Rick!
I’m about 6-months younger than you Rick and I grew up in the Finger Lakes in Skaneateles and Auburn. As a young kid I met John Lennon and Yoko first in Cayuga at a farmers market and then later the same year by the original location of the Bridge Market. Super nice people. My younger brother and I were huge Beatles fans, practically wearing out our favorite 45s, singing along!
Love it - Rick just brilliantly oozing Beatles genius (and flogging his course...absolutely - it doesn't cost nothing). Rick, love your channel mate. 👍
28:07
You obviously have the numbers to know you're doing a great thing!
Glad to support your efforts.
That's the way Rick... Back to playing music and helping us all to improve our own playing... Your song breakdowns are the bomb!!!
Great to have you back, Rick! More Beatles, more Beach Boys, more “What Makes This Song Great”!!
Please analyze a Talk Talk song!!
Great call. Talk Talk’s last 3 albums are pure genius.
How often do you think songs written by artists like Beatles were thought of in terms of music theory while writing them? Like for example: “oh I think adding a melody note that sounds dissonant here will sound great etc.” Or do you think they just didn’t think about it and were just writing a song and that’s how things came out?
Couldn’t agree w you more Rick!!! We love it all. The breakdowns, what makes this song great, interviews !!!
I forget the name of the guy that traveled the south and interviewed and recorded the artists their.
Someone said that you are the contemporary soul doing that now!
You're making magic for the world 🌎 ✨️ forever!
All of the most outstanding artist musicians of our times- music history of the twentieth and twenty- first century.
Incredible Rick. 🕉
Alan Lomax. Exactly odo Quasimodo, Rick is the contemporary Alan Lomax.
That sounds a bit like Bascom Lunsford. The only reason I know about him is the UA-cam algorithm that suggested a couple of videos. David Hoffman did a documentary about him that's on YT.
Hey Rick you can also include In My Life, Strawberry Fields Forever and A Day In The Life with some of John's greatest melodies.
One Of my favorite Beatles songs is I’m Only Sleeping. I think the marriage of the lyrics and melody is brilliant. Please break down the song. Also, every time I play Here There and Everywhere on the piano i am in awe.
Talking about lyrics, song structure, chord progression, etc. would be interested in hearing your thoughts about Syd Barrett✨ Piper and solo albums
Would love you to do some of his solo work - Oh My Love being my personal suggestion but I’m sure others will have plenty of good ones!🙏
Oh my love. Listen to cécile mclorin salvant version. Amazing
#9 Dream, Watching the Wheels
One of John Lennon's exposure to music, growing up was when they met in large groups, in theaters etc , singing "classics" , popular folksongs. Very popular at the time. Some of his style in writing songs is influenced by these folk songs. I learned from my professor. Not taking anything away from Lennon's genius.🙂
Looking at the thumbnail there was a millisecond where I thought: The John Lennon Interview with Rick Beato. Imagine!
Imaagen
Your comment is so beautiful; it immediately brought me to tears. RIP John Lennon
I would flip out if he gets to interview Paul.
Oh yeah, just '(crowd sings out) IMAGINE!
BTW I see what you did there.....just sayn....
@@wewin_inonogoh, man! Wouldn't it be nice. (Brian Wilson)
CJ Vanston. Just recorded with Mc Donald and Luke. Doing Spinal tap 2. Behind the scene genious. Always with Skunk too.
Perfect guest and so genuine and polite. Always treated me so nice. Treats everyone that way. Played for Dali Lama. Great story.
Also, in the end of the refrain, when he sings Nothing’s gonna change my world, he sings the notes D and also C# over the G major chord, which makes it a G Lydian mode, before singing the note F# over the D chord, very memorable and pretty.
... I caught this earlier when it was live with you kind of ranting on what I took to be a response to a comment about your reasons for doing what you do on this platform. You're the best mate. Keep on keeping on Rick.!!!
Maynard lives in one of my fave towns, Jerome, Arizona. That is where his latest restaurant is; he has Cadeuceus wineries at Page Springs nearby just outside of Sedona, Arizona. He was instrumental-sorry for that pun in starting the wine growing area outside of Sedona and in the Verde Valley.
I've been obsessed with Hey Bulldog lately. Another incredible example of what you're talking about.
This channel's content gives me such joy and hope amid a world of chaos and an emphasis on instant gratification and meaningless veneer. Also, regarding some sophisticated music accompanied by beautiful written lyrics, four artists I'd love to see considered for interviews in the future are Imogen Heap, Tori Amos, Jose Gonzales, and Peter Gabriel.
Great stuff Rick! I think you might want a vi (b minor) chord on beat 3 of measure 1. And if not there, definitely on beat 3 of measure 5 ('waves of joy'). Just listened to the studio version of this tune and measure 1 is up for debate. But thereafter (measure 5 and beyond), it's quite apparent. At least to my ears. Love your channel!
Doh! No sooner had I posted this comment when I saw your earlier comment on this topic ('for those of you thinking I skipped the 2nd chord Bm...') 🙂
Glad to hear there will be more focus on song breakdowns and ‘what makes this song great’ again.
I respect you greatly, with your mastery of the guitar and your great ear for music. I've been playing guitar for 50 years and writing original songs and singing them for 30 years. My comment on this analysis you've done is this: You should do a breakdown of the Beatle's song "Nowhere Man". I'm sure you know this was written as a criticism of some jerk of an academic in England praising the Beatles for their naive understanding of things like the mixolydian or dorian scales.
Has Rick ever covered Norwegian wood? Such a great song about having blue balls
Number 9 Dream would be interesting
Lennon's best song post the Imagine album by a country mile
Epic song
Totally agree.
We are learning because of you Rick and we keep coming back for more because it's important TO US ! Huge Thank you .
Thank you for the inspiring video. As mentioned it is even more sophisticated, with the Bm chord in the first bar. That chord is the parallell minor to D major.
It’s the creative imagination and influence from past experiences from these amazing guys when writing tunes when they don’t know much or any theory to be able to come up with this stuff or as some would say its channeled into them from and unknown cosmic source possibly both
“Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox “…. One of my favorite lyric lines of all time!
Pure poetry
Rick, your enthusiasm is infectious. Love your stuff on The Beatles and Steely Dan. I saw the Beatles in 63 at the Hammersmith Odeon. London. I was 10. Lots of girls screaming but oh my one of the highlights of my life😊 Rick please check out John Martin's "Solid Air" Album from 1973. Listen to it twice.......... you'll be hooked forever. Simply mesmerising. Martyn was a highly respected musician guitarist and songwriter, loved by Collins, Clapton, Beck and many others in the industry. Honestly you won't regret it.😊
I love your channel, i am reconnecting with the songs of my youth (60s, 70s and 80s). Oh man, I wish you were around when I was playing guitar it would have been so much easier. Great listening and congrats on hitting 4M subscribers. 🎉
Nice breakdown Rick. My three favorite Lennon's are Help, Hide Your Love Away, and Nowhere Man. 2 Prophetic songs and one is just beautiful. I really enjoy playing Hide Your Love on my acoustic, but after the whole song I need to give my fingers a rest......
First one I have seen of these! Loved it! Well done Rick!! 🇨🇦👍🏻 John is a legend! Great choice! 😎
the gm chord is called an "altered minor". Altered minor chords resolve a fourth down. Their function is similar to altered major 7th chords which resolve a fourth up.
Across The Universe is for me the most beautifully crafted lyrics and harmony from John Lennon. My TOP 1 song to go to. Always.
Great breakdown, great song...I'd just like to point out that even the early Beatles had a certain level of sophistication that was unusual for their time...She Loves You, for all of it's lyrical simplicity, it also borrows the 4 minor chord (C minor in G major) and ends on a G6 chord...it was always there, they just upped their game as they went and never stopped nor repeated themselves in the process!!!
Rick
You are CRUCIAL.
You make my life better!
Thank you...
Hey Rick - great video. Across The Universe one of my fav Lennon / Beatles songs. Nice to see you break it down on the guitar like that - brilliant. Lennon was a genius, I think all the Beatles were - we'll never see the likes of them ever again, and I am so grateful for being around during their rise to fame from the mid 60's onwards. Sadly I cant read music and its probably to late for me. I can read tablature and I love playing my guitar, but hats off to you for developing your tutorial books. You're doing a wonderful job Rick - keep up the good work. Cheers Doug (from Down Under)
What I loved so much about John Lennon's tunes......not one song of his sounds a thing alike.
But, most of his songs started on the same chord.
John was truly amazing as a lyrics writer and tune maker.
More playing and song breakdown- great. Always nice to hear your insights into music as well as your beautiful playing.
Muchas gracious 🎉
"Across the Universe" masterpiece ✨️
John and Paul love to utilize half steps in different ways. Sometimes half steps four in a row. It is always beautiful just hearing the notes next to each other, simple.
Maybe John in particular, the beauty of his melodies.
Bach, yes.
Interval jumps- that's great. It's his ear, and his feeling- natural to him.
Movement is interesting!
Danny is the best!!! Favorite drummer going today by far, soo talented🙌🏼
I had a music professor when I studied music at Malmö music university. He has done large research into the influences that shaped John Lennon and Paul McCartney songwriting. He also arranged Beatles songs for Symphony Orchestra where George Martin was involved culminating in concerts performed by Malmö Symphony Orchestra. It would be interesting to have him on the show I think. 🙂