EVERY LITTLE THING

Welcome to "Every Little Thing", a blog discussing all 214 songs released by the Beatles from 1962 to 1970....by Daniel Seth Levine.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

#124: Fixing A Hole

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: June 1, 1967
Appears on: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Lead vocal: Paul 



If Paul has one strength (among at least thousands) it is writing songs about people who are insane - or at least being driven to insanity. "Fixing A Hole" is one of those. The track is pretty simple and straightforward - the singer really can't stand all the people going to his home and annoying him, just like any rock star in the most famous band in the world should be. I love the bridge section: "And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong/I'm right/Where I belong, I'm right/Where I belong!" It just seems kind of perfect.  
One of the hidden gems of the song - in fact, probably of all of Sgt. Pepper, are the backing vocals by John and George. It took me a long time to notice them and the pop out pretty clearly on the remastered CD. Aside from George Martin's harpsichord and the fact that John plays no instruments on the track, it is very straightforward, compared even to "Getting Better". 
"Fixing A Hole" certainly is not one of the major pieces of Sgt. Pepper but it just would not feel right if it wasn't included. One has to admit that it makes a nice little link from "Getting Better" to the next, more serious track.
The release history for "Fixing A Hole" is slim. You can only find the track on Sgt. Pepper, although Paul continues to bring the song out on his shows.