Beatles and Conversational Lyrics

[Casey H]

I'm dating myself... a lot.One of my favorite old Beatles songs is a slightly more obscure one (mainly John), "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party". Do you know the tune?What I love about it is the way some of John's lyrics are "conversational lyric heaven" in my book--- lines like "If she turns up while I'm gone please let me know" and "I think I'll take a walk and look for her".The middle sections of the song seem more "Paul" like- mushy and trite and I don't think very good. But I think the verses are a lesson in conversational lyrics.Anyone have any thoughts? CaseyI Don't Want To Spoil The Party - Lennon & McCartneyI don't want to spoil the party so I'll go,I would hate my disappointment to show,There's nothing for me hereSo I will disappearIf she turns up while I'm gone please let me know.I've had a drink or two and I don't care,There's no fun in what I do if she's not there,I wonder what went wrongI've waited far too long,I think I'll take a walk and look for her.(middle)Though tonight she's made me sad,I still love her,If I find her I'll be glad,I still love her.

[claire]

pick up the book "Hard Day's Write" - it's a how-it-was-written on all the Beatles songs. fascinating.

[davekershaw]

Aug 17, 2009, 6:44pm, hurowitz wrote:I'm dating myself... a lot.So you're in your thirties like me Casey! THE BEATLES! ... count me in!Don't know whether McCartney did contribute the "though tonight" section; his harmony is quite dominant, so maybe it just makes it sound more like his work.Don't know why, but after "there's nothing for me here" I always expect him to sing "so I'll just have a beer" I love Lennon's writing, always have! Very personal, and like you say Casey, conversational, like Norwegian Wood, Girl etc.Great stuff!

[king1042]

Being from Liverpool and this being written in the late fifties/early sixties (I don't know the song at all), John would never have used the expression "so I'll just have a beer". Having a beer as an expression is an Americanism that I remember first hearing in London around the early Eighties. Lennon would almost certainly have said: "so I'll just have a PINT"

[drew]

Here's an article I enjoyed:Thirty-nine years after the band called it quits, five of the 10 best-selling albums in the country are Beatles albums. The 60's never ended and they're sounding better than ever http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/....t he_same_list/

[heinsite]

thanks for that Drew--read the whole thing, man can "stats" be whatever we make of them, and can be very misleading....very glad to read that article, being a big fan--and where the hell IS dark side of the moon nowadays? even MY teens know it...all underground? don't think so.thanks again, the best,wh

[billg]

Casey, "Spoil The Party" is also a country song and through the years that's really been the genre where conversational lyrics always ruled. I think a good songwriter attempting a country song would write conversationally by instinct, but John and Paul may have also just been writing to their peers. Outside of the country market the other rule is youth . . . songs written by young artists (relative to their "writing years") tend to be conversational & therefore songs written by older people (who want hits!) are written for a younger market & are conversational. And there's always exceptions but generally songwriters get less coversational as their writing matures. Going back to The Beatles you could contrast "I Want To Hold Your Hand" with "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (which wouldn't have flown at all for the country market!)

[Casey H]

BillYou don't think Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds Who Took My Dog and Pickup Truck would have worked?

[billg]

Oct 7, 2009, 11:49am, hurowitz wrote:BillYou don't think Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds Who Took My Dog and Pickup Truck would have worked? Mmmm, maybe if she was drunk at the time . . . absolutely if she was drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon!

[Mark Kaufman]

Picture yourself wavin' Bye in my rearview....Nah.