The Beatles: Note By Note

In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, Kenyon argues that “That Means a Lot” is one of Paul McCartney’s strangest songs, sounding deeply like Paul and strangely unlike him at the same time as an apparently simple love song turns anxious, vulnerable, and hard to pin down. It makes you hear the song less as a minor castoff and more as a fascinating anomaly, where emotional need, uncertainty, and real musical ambition are all pulling in different directions.Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Beatles podcast episode, Mary Devlin joins us for a songwriter’s conversation about That Means a Lot, one of the more interesting Beatles deep cuts. As usual, there is more here than meets the eye, and we have a sharp discussion about songwriting, social media, and Beauty and the Beast.We cover:-How That Means a Lot could be Paul's response to Ticket to Ride-Is there a number of chords you need to have a good song?-PJ Proby’s version of the song-The Beatles’ multiple attempts to record the song, including a Beatles firstCheck out Mary's socials: https://hoo.be/beatledirtWebsite: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of our Beatles podcast, we take a song Peter barely knew and turn it into one of the most spirited conversations in the series. On Bad Boy, Note by Note brings in Jesse Pollack from All You Need Is Pod to talk about this iconic track, one of the last of its kind.We cover:-Larry Williams’ original versus the Beatles version and what changed in the arrangement-John Lennon’s vocal performance and the debate over where it ranks among Beatles covers-The emergency Help-era session, Beatles VI, and the rush to get the song to America-The Hohner Pianet C, the Studer tape machine, and a new recording techniqueCheck out All You Need Is Pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-you-need-is-pod/id1857843520Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Beatles Lecture Series, “Yes It Is” stops sounding like a simple warning about a color and starts sounding like grief masked as control, with the lecture arguing the real “it” is pride and the performance carries a ghost-like weight. You also get a guided listen through the three-part harmony, why it feels unusually crunchy and a little unstable, how it shifts between tight clusters and barbershop-like movement, and the question of how much George Martin may have shaped what we’re hearing.Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Beatles Lecture Series argues that Ticket to Ride is built on contradictions: the words keep flipping between heartbreak and irritation while the track itself feels bright enough to sound like a shrug. Once you hear how “not caring” can read like a mask instead of confidence, you’ll stop taking the song’s attitude at face value.Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this Beatles podcast, Note by Note goes deep on Yes It Is and why it lands like a private confession. We explore the emotional core, the craft behind the recording, and how this B-side fits into the bigger "cry for help" thread.We cover:-Storytime: Peter and Kenyon band history and origin story-Comparisons: Yes It Is next to This Boy and the A-side Ticket To Ride-Recording details: how the session evolved, including choices around vocals and takes-Music theory: harmony and chord movement, with a focus on why the chorus feels so intense]-Sound and texture: George’s volume pedal and how production shapes the moodWebsite: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 2 kicks off with Ticket To Ride on this Beatles podcast, and it turns into one of those conversations where the song keeps getting bigger the longer you sit with it. We jump through personal memories, the emotional push and pull of a happy-sad track, the feel of that unforgettable guitar line, and a few surprising detours that shed more light on this song's role in the Beatles canon.We cover:-How Ticket To Ride hits different as grown-ups-The rhythm, groove, and musical choices that give the track its tension and momentum-Lyrics, title meaning, and how our brains mishear songs we swear we know-A pop culture thread that unexpectedly preserves a piece of Beatles historyWebsite: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Beatles podcast where a “throwaway” closer turns into a full-on investigation with Dan Rivkin, the guy who went second-by-second through the Get Back Nagra tapes. If you’ve ever skipped “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” this episode is a serious attempt to make you hear why it matters.We cover:- Dan Rivkin’s Nagra-tape method and why it changed Get Back study- Beatles for Sale’s closer, George’s vocal, and what the song is doing as an ending- Rex Griffin vs Carl Perkins vs The Beatles: what’s actually shared and what’s not- October 18 session details: one take, overdubs, and early STEED echo on vocal- Storytime: the 1964 “Another Beatles Christmas Show” pantomime and the live setDan Rivkin's website: https://theymaybeparted.com/Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on our Beatles podcast, we bring in a fourth voice and it gets delightfully nerdy fast. Guest Raymond Schillinger from You Can’t Unhear This joins us to re-hear “What You’re Doing” like it is hiding in plain sight.We cover:- Why “What You’re Doing” feels like a throwaway song- The song’s girl group fingerprints in the call and response vocals- The bass fill at the end, maybe the first time the Beatles had one- Recording breakdown: the September 1964 sessions- Seltaeb, NEMS, Stramsact, the lawsuit, and the merch money falloutRaymond's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@YouCantUnhearThisWebsite: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, Kenyon argues that “What You’re Doing” is less a breakup complaint than a song about powerlessness, where the core question is not why it hurts, but what is even being done to you. You will start hearing how the lyric framing, the repeated phrasing, and even the band’s stylistic choices work together to make that confusion feel like the point.Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Beatles podcast episode, we argue “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party” only works because every Beatle leaves a crucial fingerprint. With special guest Dr. Terry Hamblin, we hear the song as a full-band fusion, not just a “John song.”We cover:- Songwriting origins on the 1964 North American tour and the country western frame- The September 29, 1964 session and the nine takes vs nineteen takes confusion- A debated vocal mystery and a Beatles first- Musical fingerprints: flat seven movement, the middle eight, Ringo’s toms, and George’s solo- Storytime on 1964 live TV performances, including Blackpool Night Out, Shindig, and Not Only...But AlsoWebsite: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, you’ll hear “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” as an early moment where Lennon’s usual hurt-and-retaliate script gets quietly rewritten into something more adult, centered on the blunt turn of “I still love her.” Kenyon argues the music backs that up by dodging the neat, satisfying landing you expect and letting a more confident lead line reshape the mood, so the whole song feels like a story that refuses to be finished.Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every Little Thing is a Paul McCartney song that could fool you into thinking it is a John song, especially with John’s voice so forward in the verses. In this Beatles podcast episode of Note By Note, Peter, Kenyon, Josh, and guest TJ Byrnes break down the timpani punch, the Anthology 4 takes, and why this deep cut never quite plays by pop rules.We cover:- Recording sessions, the redo, and what Anthology 4 reveals in takes 6–7- Timpani as a claimed Beatles first, the piano credit debate, and the AKG D19 C drum mic switch- How it gets compared to What You’re Doing and the shift to arranged guitar solos- 1964 UK tour storytime, including the mid-tour nine-hour EMI sessionTJ Byrnes Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaqdTns-CVdVUMSk7xBhhmwWebsite: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, Kenyon argues that Every Little Thing never fully settles, like it keeps dodging the clean landing you expect from a Beatles love song. You come away hearing the whole track as intentionally unresolved, both in the melody and the chord changes.Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this Beatles podcast episode of The Beatles Note by Note, we start with Honey Don’t and end up in some surprisingly detailed territory. If you like songwriting context, studio specifics, and a few 1964 detours that explain why certain songs stuck, this one is for you.We cover:- Where Honey Don’t came from, and how the Beatles folded it into their live set before giving it to Ringo- The last Beatles for Sale recording session and how quickly they put the track together- A version-by-version compare: Carl Perkins, the Beatles, and John’s Plastic Ono Band jam- Ringo’s 1964 tonsil surgery story and the strange press attention around it- The “Ringo for President” campaign and what it said about youth culture at the timeWebsite: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Buddy Holly deep cut turns into a surprisingly big conversation in this Beatles podcast episode. With guest Chris McGovern, also known as the Gen X Muse, we dig into why “Words of Love” hits so differently on Beatles for Sale.We cover:- What Buddy Holly meant to the Beatles- Who may or may not be singing- The packing case Ringo plays- The recording session details- A retrospective of Brian Epstein's youthThe Gen-X Muse: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/chris-h-mcgovernWebsite: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You would not expect a psychoanalyst to pick Eight Days a Week as the song to talk about, but once he explains why, it clicks. In this Beatles podcast episode, we dig into why their newest hit at the time still feels like an intentional throwback, with little “odd” details that make it more interesting the longer you listen.We cover:- Who actually wrote it, and where the title “Eight Days a Week” may have come from- The intro they could not get right, and why the released version fades in- The musical move that makes the song feel slightly unresolved (in a good way)- How and why it became a U.S. #1 single, plus the Beatles for Sale EP context- A quick Help! pre-production storytime: “Eight Arms to Hold You” and how the film got its final shapeWebsite: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eight Days a Week looks like a straightforward love lyric, but this lecture argues the real surprise is how many of the song’s rules quietly break at once, especially in the middle eight where the meter feels unbalanced, the harmony refuses to follow a clean pattern, and the time even drops out. You’ll also hear why the harmony moves works so well, and how the whole track can feel like a pivot point between early pop Beatles and what comes later.Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We recorded this one with our guest Augustín literally out at sea on a cruise ship, which somehow feels perfect for a high-energy cover like Kansas City. In this Beatles podcast episode, we talk Beatles landmarks, the messy songwriting history behind the tune, and why this performance hits the way it does on Beatles for Sale.We cover:- Guest interview with Augustin (Sound and Story), calling in from a cruise ship near Tenerife- Beatles landmarks: 7 Cavendish Avenue, Abbey Road, 57 Green Street, and 57 Wimpole Street- Song history: Lieber and Stoller, Little Richard’s “hey, hey, hey” section, and why credits get messy- Recording on Oct 18, 1964: live take, piano overdub, handclaps, and the fade-out choice- Storytime: the 1964 North American tour and the $150,000 Kansas City showWebsite: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people skip Mr Moonlight on Beatles For Sale, so on this Beatles podcast we put it on trial. Kenyon and Peter are joined by Nancy to settle it: is Mr Moonlight secretly great, or truly cursed?We cover:- Why Mr Moonlight is the most skipped track on Beatles For Sale- The song’s path back to Roy Lee Johnson and Dr Feelgood and the Interns- Version comparison: Star Club performance vs the Hollies version- Recording comparison: Anthology take with tremolo guitar vs the official release with Paul’s organ solo- Storytime: the 1964 North American tour and the night Bob Dylan got the Beatles properly highWebsite: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.