#69: Ticket To Ride

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Released: April 9, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: John & Paul


"Ticket To Ride" is just a brilliant song, mostly by John, and starts the Beatles' middle period. HELP!, Rubber Soul and Revolver, along with the single sides issued during that period all have a distinct and similar feel that is nowhere else in the Beatles' catalog. The fact is that these songs are more serious and personal than any of the songs before or after. 
"Ticket To Ride" was released nearly five months before its LP appearance, giving listeners a great preview of what the Beatles were going to sound like until 1966. It was also their first single to go over three minutes. Can you imagine that? A single going over three minutes! In 1965, that was amazing. These are the days before "Good Vibrations", before FM radio and...definitely before "Hey Jude". 
I think the song itself is also the Beatles' first 'heavy' song. Paul lays the foundation for his out-of-this-world bass playing that defines the latter half of his Beatle career. Ringo's drumming is brilliant and John & Paul's harmony is great. George plays his 12-string on the song, but he really gets stuck taking a back seat. Paul actually plays lead guitar for the first time on the song and he's great. 
The song is an interesting love song where the singer is happy to get the girl out of his life and she's perfectly fine with it, too. It's not exactly the most positive subject for a single, but with the Beatles, always expect the unexpected.
Of course, the song was a #1 single on both sides of the Atlantic. When Capitol was assembling Beatles VI, they were actually interested in including the song, but since they knew it was going to be in HELP! it could only be released on the soundtrack for that film. Another bizarre note is that on the US 45, Capitol jumped the gun and printed on it that it was "taken from the film 'Eight Arms To Hold You'". This was just a working title for HELP! and this text was never taken off the 45, even on later pressings. In fact, I have a 1980's re-issue (the last time it was issued, I think) that has this under the song title!  

#68: Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

Written by: Carl Perkins
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: George

Carl Perkins makes another appearance on Beatles For Sale in the guise of "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby", the closing number on the album. Now, the original is a great song, but the Beatles performance is lacking a little power. I think part of that is that they used it as the closer after the powerhouse duo of "Money" and "Twist And Shout" and the brooding "I'll Be Back". This song just isn't the type of song that could have been the closer. Personally, I think "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" would have been better here than at the end of side one. 

I also think the Beatles were a little trigger-happy with the technical wizardry here. The double-tracking of George's vocal is just useless. It doesn't add anything to the song, which in reality is just a straight up rock song. If you want to hear the song without double-tracked vocals, there's a take of it on Live at the BBC that proves how great the song is without having to hear two George vocals at once. Considering how well George sings the song ("Well, they took some honey from a treeeeeeeee..." I love that part when he drags that line out towards the end), I can't figure out why they thought it was necessary. It's also kind of sad that the only thing they could find George to sing on Beatles For Sale is a cover that they'd been doing since Hamburg. 

In the US, it was used as the closer for Beatles '65 and was performed at the Shea Stadium show in 1965 (that performance is on Anthology 2). 

Next up: "Oh...she's got a ticked to ride, and she don't care!"   

#67: What You're Doing

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


Hear that drum into? That is the start of one unique Beatles song. 
"What You're Doing" is really the start of Paul's mean streak. His relationship with Jane Asher was already pretty much on the rocks, although they didn't officially break up until 1968. So, many of Paul's songs up to Revolver deal with loneliness and feeling apart from the girl in the song. This reaches an all-time high with "For No One", but "What You're Doing" is really just the start of this. This also allows for Paul to have more emotional songs. This one is very much like John's songs on the album and so it feels at home on Beatles For Sale.

As the last original, it is only bettered by the opening number on the album, "No Reply". 
Again, this one got held over until Beatles VI in the US. 

#66: I Don't Want To Spoil The Party

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


"I Don't Want To Spoil The Party" is like the reject of the opening trilogy of Beatles For Sale. It's a song about rejection, much like the first three songs on the record, but this time, it's in public and at a party. I always think that when something like that happens it public, it's more embarrassing. 
This song reflects that. 
The reason why it's placed so far removed from those songs, too, is pretty obvious. Could you imagine a Beatles record opening with four straight songs about rejection? Thankfully, the Beatles and George Martin were smart enough not to have us sit through that. (Not that it would be torture of course...I think we all agree that if the Beatles released a song of two-minutes of coughing, the Beatles would be coughing better than anyone else.)
Anyway, I like "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party", especially John's really subdued vocal. I mean, he just sounds disappointed. There's also a great harmony vocal by Paul. 
Also, as John's last song, this really represents the end of John's dominance as 'head' songwriter. From now on, Paul's contributions will be as important as - and as many as - John's. 


In the US, Capitol held the song back for Beatles VI and was first used as the B-Side to "Eight Days A Week" in the US.

#65: Every Little Thing

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


This blog's namesake is an interesting song, primarily because the writer of the song is not the lead vocal. Both John and Paul have said that the song is Paul's, but John sings lead, with Paul on harmonies. Why this decision was made was a mystery, but the song is fantastic. Ringo's use of a timpani is a great idea that makes the song unique. ("Every little thing she does....BUM-PUM!...She does for me, yeah!" What's not to like about that?)
While it is hardly one of the Beatles' most popular songs, it still works and is one of my favorite originals on the album.  It's kind of unfortunate that there's not much to say about it except that listening to it is a good way to spend two minutes. 


In the US, this was another track that got held-over for some reason until Beatles VI and was used as the closing number. 

#64: Honey Don't

Written by: Carl Perkins
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: Ringo


Back when I wrote about "Matchbox", I mentioned that it was one of two songs the Beatles recorded where they switched vocalists. "Honey Don't" is the other. John had been singing this Carl Perkins number (here's the awesome original) as late as August, 1963 when they recorded it for the BBC. This version featuring John is on 'Live At The BBC'. 
Since Ringo hadn't been given an original song to sing since "I Want To Be Your Man", John & Paul obviously felt that there was no reason to break Ringo's streak of covers. So, John gave up "Honey Don't" to Ringo. Of course, hearing John do it is great, but again, nobody sings rockabilly like Ringo. 
The song is a lot of fun and you can tell that they had fun making it. Ringo gets to yell "Rock on, George, for Ringo one time!" Still, it's impossible not to get that same feeling you get from all the other covers here - that they feel forced to do these old songs after an album full of originals. 


In the US, the song came up on Beatles '65. 
It's kind of funny how Ringo still does this at every single show he does. He also felt that it was necessary to do it at The Concert For George, even though it might have been classier for him to find another Perkins song to do.  

#63: Words Of Love

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



Despite their love of Buddy Holly, they had yet to cover the master until "Words Of Love". In fact, this is the only Holly cover they ever recorded in the studio for EMI. "That'll Be The Day", Holly's signature tune, was covered by them when they were still the Quarrymen and it appeared on their home-made 45 (that's currently in Paul's possession, as far as I know) that's on Anthology 1. 
The original version of "Words of Love" (heard here) was first released on Brunswick's Buddy Holly LP in 1958.  
Now, the interesting thing about the Beatles' version is that they copied Holly almost note-for-note. Ringo even went as far as playing a suitcase to get the sound of Holly's percussion right. This makes it a real rarity in the Beatles' catalog. Most of their covers add something unique, but here The Beatles copy an already perfect song. 
Sure, it's entirely possible that it was recorded because they needed to fill a slot on the LP...but, I like to think that it's the Beatles making sure that their single-most important influence is finally represented on one of their records.  

In the US, this was another song that got held over until Beatles VI, but it was not issued on a 45.