Arty Calls

Oh boys - read the news but don't dwell on it

The unseen story behind the music is a good read for anyone that appreciates the music of the Beatles - and don't ever trust anyone who doesn't like the Beatles, especially those that say they were more of Rolling Stones sort of a person. 

Hunter Davies' analysis of the Beatles lyrics in 'I read the news today, oh boy' shouldn't work and in many ways it doesn't. Hunter warns us not to over-analyse the Beatles lyrics and this is self-evident. It's the music that counts and without it the book is starved of it's real oxygen. Fortunately I had pretty much every song in my head and by reading the lyrics could hear it play in my memory. Then there's the lyrics. Most of the early stuff is pretty much 'I love you baby - yeah, yeah, yeah'. There's nothing wrong with that because, like early Motown, the music is great and the lyrics incidental.

Then John goes and gets all poetical on us. It's no good blaming LSD. They were always fond of puns, wordplay and visual imagery. Some of the later lyrics are really interesting and I don't just mean the surreal ones but both John and Paul's take on everyday characters. But they were all put together pretty hastily and if the words scanned into the overall rhymes and rhythm then they didn't bother to polish it or dwell on it. George wrote some of the best Beatles tracks but his lyrics tended to be more devotional and emotional than the others. I don't count Ringo. He was my favourite character from the films but his artistic contribution brings back one of John's throwaway comments that he wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles. Some say that's apocryphal. Welcome to the world of urban mythology.

What's great about this book is that Hunter was there, hanging out with the Beatles when many of these songs were created. So his memory of things that triggered ideas and songs is priceless. But his insight into events is not matched by his literary analysis. Simple things like going into the deep psychological meaning of INTO written on the beginning of a lyric sheet when it is obvious that it is just a lazy writing of INTRO or just refers to a musical link. Other interpretations are ambiguous to say the least. One of the fun things about song lyrics is being able to interpret them at a personal level in ways that the artist didn't originally intend. I've even heard Paul McCartney do this with his own lyrics where he has enhanced the meaning in interviews beyond what was originally there. So long live the Beatles - in music and cultural history. If you want pop inspired poetry of the time and place try Adrian Henri, Brian Patten or Roger McGough.