#62: Eight Days A Week

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: John & Paul

When the time came for The Beatles to issue a 45 for the Christmas, 1964 season, "Eight Days A Week" was the obvious choice. However, John came up with "I Feel Fine", letting "Eight Days A Week" become a simple album track.

The title is another example of how John and Paul were always listening to the odd ball things that people say and looked for ways to incorporate them into songs. Paul says in the Anthology book that when they asked their chauffeur how he was doing, he commented that he had been working hard, like 'eight days a week'! So, that's where the title comes from.

The song is one of those interesting joint Lennon/McCartney numbers, where they actually worked together on the song. If you look at the song technically, it is the most difficult number on the album, from it's fade-in intro to the intricate vocal arrangement.

It's also the happiest original song on the record. Aside from the title, it is, lyrically, the simplest song. The singer loves the girl so much, that not even eight days a week would be enough to show it.

It's a good, fun song, especially when you can stop whatever you're doing to stamp your feet and clap when the song tells you to. That's another cool part - audience participation. The Beatles were certainly the best in that regard!

In the US, the song was issued as a single and hit #1 for just a week. Capitol issued the incredibly radio-friendly song on Beatles VI. The song just begged to be released as a single, so you really can't blame Capitol for that decision.


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#61: Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey

Written by: Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller [Kansas City]/Richard Penniman [Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey]

Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: Paul

"Kansas City" is probably one of the most well-known Leiber/Stoller songs they ever wrote. It was first written back in 1952, although no one would have a national hit with it until 1959. After that, the song became a rock standard.

"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" is a simple call-response chant that Little Richard wrote and recorded in 1956 as the B-Side to "Good Golly Miss Molly".

Of course, as a showman, Little Richard found that the best way to perform the two songs was to make them a medley. He performed it live and it obviously translated into a 45. (You can hear that here.)

The Beatles used to actually perform the entirety of "Kansas City" in the Cavern Club and in Hamburg. However, when the Beatles were required to do BBC shows, by then, they started just doing Little Richard's medley. Thus, this is what we have recorded on Beatles For Sale.

Since it's a Little Richard number, Paul takes the lead vocal. He does a wonderful job and, on an album where the covers really don't stick out that much, this is easily the best. It's also a fantastic Side One closer.

The Beatles recorded two takes, but like "Twist And Shout", the first take was the one that was issued. The second take is on Anthology 1, where it's used as the closer for that set. For some strange reason, Capitol used it as the opener for Beatles VI. So, the track was held over in the US, as Beatles VI was not released until June, 1966. It's a good song, but I think it works as a closer better. (Capitol was also stupid enough to just call the medley "Kansas City" and only gave credit to Leiber/Stoller, even on the label. It wasn't until the publisher's lawyer let them know that it was, in fact a medley, that they tried to change it. They never did change the title on the cover, but they did eventually on the label.)

As a side note, Paul did go back to the full "Kansas City" by recording it for Choba b CCCP - The Russian Album in 1988, showing that things do come full circle, especially in the Beatles universe.

#60: Mr. Moonlight

Written by: Roy Lee Johnson
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: John

"MIIISSSSSTTEEEERRRR MMMOOOOONLIGHT!!!!!"

From the start of their career, the Beatles made it pretty clear that even if the song wasn't a hit, they'd still cover it. "Mr. Moonlight" was originally recorded by Piano Red under the name "Dr. Feelgood And The Interns". It was released as a B-Side in 1962 and somehow, it quickly became a favorite of a certain group of Liverpudlian rockers.

I have no idea what made the Beatles want to actually record the song. It's cheesy beyond all reason, but their cover seems to make fun of that aspect. John seems to purposefully pull off the worst vocal of his career and Paul's organ solo seems to make the song sound older than it is. The song was only two years old when they covered it, but the Beatles make it sound as if it was written as a 1940's show-tune. In fact, if you go back and listen to Piano Red's original, it sounds like a silly, throwaway rock song.

It really is one of the worst covers the Beatles ever did and probably in the same class as "Devil In Her Heart", but through practically satirizing the song, the Beatles still keep it interesting.

The Beatles needed just four takes to get it right and an edit of Takes 1 and 4 is on Anthology 1. In the US, it was on Beatles '65.

#59: I'll Follow The Sun

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: Paul

I've always thought of "I'll Follow The Sun" as a dry run for "Yesterday". Although the song is hardly a solo track (John is featured prominently on backup vocals) the acoustic, somber nature of the track definitely allows itself to be compared to Paul's later masterpiece.

"I'll Follow The Sun" is Paul's first spotlight on the LP and shows The Beatles' growing desire to let their emotions hang out for all to see. However, Paul first wrote the song four years earlier (and a recording can actually be found on bootlegs and here). As you can probably hear in that recording, when The Quarrymen recorded it, they probably thought of the song as just another little 'rock thing', but when Paul resurrected it for Beatles For Sale, it became the quiet, delicate ballad that we all love today.

Like the majority of Beatles For Sale, it landed on the US LP Beatles '65 and (also like practically all of Beatles For Sale) has never appeared elsewhere. It's a shame, because if you could ever call a Beatles song 'underrated', "I'll Follow The Sun" is one of them.

#58: Rock And Roll Music

Written by: Chuck Berry

Released: December 4, 1964

Appears on: Beatles For Sale

Lead vocal: John

In 1957, Chuck Berry wrote the theme song for the genre of music he was defining. "Rock And Roll Music" is the one song that sums up Rock 'n' Roll in a way that no other single song does. Chuck Berry's original is as good as it gets.

Leave it to John Lennon to push it even further.

The Beatles' take is more raucous and it just goes to show how much rock 'n' roll evolved in just the seven years between the two recordings. However, later recordings of the song would show none of the evolution that rock went through after The Beatles. Maybe it just proves that once The Beatles defined what rock 'sounds' like, that rock stopped evolving and everyone just spent their time trying to be The Beatles. That's not true, obviously, but in the case of "Rock And Roll Music", no one ever did it better than the Beatles.

"Rock And Roll Music", as the first cover on Beatles For Sale proves that touring was really taking a toll on them. Despite all the covers on the album being really good, there's a sense of reluctance and almost boredom that runs through all of them. It's hard to believe that the Beatles were happy that they had to fall back on the old crutch of recording covers. It's also as clear as day on the cover that they needed more time before recording yet another album. The extra time would have allowed for more originals...but, of course, even as the most popular foursome in the world, anything less than two LPs and five to six 45s a year was unacceptable.

This particular cover appeared on Capitol's Beatles '65 in the US and acted as the title track to the superfluous compilation Rock And Roll Music in 1976.

#57: Baby's In Black

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney

Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: John, Paul & George

Harmony exercises were usually kept to B-Sides for the Beatles, but for the final part of John's opening trilogy, they chose to use probably their best three-part harmony as the closer. It's probably one of the most melancholy songs in the Beatles' catalog (aside from the song that proceeds it), but it certainly is a thing of beauty. Aside from the vocals on the track, put your ear's attention to George's clunky, sorrowful guitar, especially during the solo. It definitely optimizes the sadness that John's lyrics show. My favorite part is the bridge sequence. Sure, Paul sounds like he's straining his voice when they sing "Oh, how long will it take?", but the fact is that it shows the Beatles at the height of their harmonic powers.

The Beatles' harmonies in their early period is one of the reasons why I prefer to this time period to the latter years. The Beatles' three-part harmonies would get just two more great showcases, so I can't write an obituary for it just yet.

Where else can you find "Baby's In Black"? Well, as one of the best Beatles songs, it's surprising to know that the only release of the song, aside from it's appearance on Beatles For Sale, was on Capitol's Beatles '65. A live take was issued on the "Real Love" CD single, but that's it. Oh well...I don't need alternate versions to prove that this is one of the Beatles' best songs.

#56: I'm A Loser

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: John

It's kind of difficult to think that one of the most successful (and rich) men in the world at the time would call himself a loser, but that's exactly what John does with "I'm A Loser".

The song is the first instance of John's "Dylania", as Tony Barrow called it on the sleeve note for the Beatles For Sale EP. As we all know, Dylan was a huge influence on the Beatles, particularly John and George. However, at this point if you were told that one of the Beatles would be in a group with Dylan, you probably would guess John would be the one.

The two wrote remarkably similar love songs, even before the two finally met during the Beatles' first US tour. Both wrote songs about rejection and it's easy to see the parallels between "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" and "You Can't Do That", where both singers deal with wild girls who can't seem to control themselves within set boundaries.

With "I'm A Loser", though, John touches on the psyche, looking inwards to find reasons why a girl would be so mean to him. It's kind of like "It Ain't Me Babe", except in John's song, he admits to trying to be able to impress, but fails. In Dylan's song, the singer doesn't even make an attempt. He just brushes the girl away..."...But it ain't me babe. No, no, no, it ain't me you're lookin' for babe!" John's "I'm A Loser" features a guy who wants the girl, even though he knows that she'll just put him down. He knows that it ain't me, but he still goes after her, almost getting a high out of being turned down (OK, maybe that's going a little far, but you can see where I get that...I hope).

I always find part twos of any good trilogy to be the best parts and "I'm A Loser" is certainly the best of the opening trilogy.