The Beatles: Note By Note

In this Beatles lecture series, we are looking at Yesterday, a song built around the longing to return to a past that can’t be recovered. We examine how the lyrics move from a changed world, to a changed self, to a broken relationship, and how the music supports this emotional weight.We also explore the melody, harmony, form, and George Martin’s string arrangement and how they work together to create the song’s sense of nostalgia and loss. A new lecture series feature, we explore George Martin's handwritten score note by note to discover the subtle details that give Yesterday its character. 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.

Yesterday may be the most popular song The Beatles ever recorded, but it's surprising just how unusual its story really is. On this episode of our Beatles podcast, we are joined by Kenyon’s longtime friend and former songwriting partner Kyle Hopson. We look at the song as a piece of Beatles history and a case study in how songs actually come into the world.What makes Yesterday feel so universal? How did it expand the boundaries of what a Beatles record could be? Did Paul actually rewrite an earlier song?We cover:-Paul McCartney’s dream, Scrambled Eggs, and the long development of the song-John Lennon’s possible role in completing the song-Billy J. Kramer, Chris Farlowe, Brian Epstein, and whether Yesterday was always destined to be a Beatles song-Delia Derbyshire, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Ray Cathode, and Paul’s interest in an electronic arrangement-George Martin, the string quartet, and the original handwritten score-The recording session, detuned guitar, orchestral overdubs, and Paul’s solo performance-George Martin Orchestra arrangement of Yesterday-Possible connections to The Night Before, Georgia on My Mind, and Answer Me, My LoveWebsite: 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, we are looking at I’ve Just Seen a Face, a song that captures the head-spinning rush of love at first sight. We examine how Paul combines deceptively simple musical and lyrical materials to create the song’s breathless and frenetic energy. Beneath the surface, its overlapping patterns continually pull against one another, while rising and falling gestures mirror the exhilaration of suddenly being swept off balance by another person.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.

Have you ever realized that another person will change your life forever? Author Ian Leslie joins us to talk about I’ve Just Seen a Face and his book, John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs. Together, we use Paul’s breathless love song to explore chance, recognition, conflict and the mixture happiness and sadness that can exist in a single moment.Could this song tell us something about Paul in 1965 or maybe about what he saw in John Lennon years earlier?We cover:-Ian Leslie’s John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs-This song's origins-John and Paul’s creative and emotional relationship-Love at first sight, fate, and chance-The acoustic arrangement and rapid-fire vocal phrasing-Take 3 from Anthology 4-The opening of Rubber Soul-A legendary recording session, Paul's Event HorizonCheck out Ian Leslie:https://www.ian-leslie.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.

In this Beatles lecture series, we analyze Tell Me What You See. We look at the way the lyrics gradually reveal that this promise is actually an attempt of persuasion. Musically, we explore Paul’s melodic contours, the song’s recurring question-and-answer phrases, and how its simple harmony takes on a more modal character. We also compare blues-inflected and warmer pop sounds, and how the unusual instrumental middle section develops the song’s Latin-influenced character.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.