Chapter 13 Listening Assignment

The first Beatles single for EMI was "Love Me Do" in 1962. Ringo, who had just joined the band, was expecting to play his first session as the permanent drummer with The Beatles, but was replaced at the last minute by a professional studio drummer, Andy White, because George Martin (the producer) wasn't confident that Ringo was good enough. Ringo still played on this recording, but he is playing percussion. Of the four percussion instruments listed below, identify what instrument Ringo is playing.

Tambourine

After John Lennon's death Paul McCartney wrote/edited some songs to pay tribute to his former songwriting partner. In the song "Here Today" Paul actually sings negative lyrics about John for breaking up The Beatles.

False

John Lennon's song "Working Class Hero" is a protest song influenced by his friendship with Bob Dylan and his own roots in Liverpool. The song was also covered more recently by Green Day. As you listen to the lyrics, determine if John is telling us that people should be ashamed to be part of the working class. (Yes = True, No = False)

False

In the 1980s and 1990s Paul McCartney was commissioned to write for several movies and TV shows. The song "Live and Let Die" was featured as the title song for the James Bond film of the same name and gave McCartney an opportunity to write for...

Full Orchestra

Ringo kept his fun attitude toward life with the songs he released after The Beatles break up. He was also the only Beatle to remain on good terms with his former bandmates and played on John, Paul and George's solo albums in 1970. In the song "You're 16, You're Beautiful and You're Mine" what toy instrument does Ringo feature in the solo sections?

Kazoo

Paul McCartney wrote the song "Hey Jude" for Julian Lennon to console him after John and Cynthia (his mum and dad) divorced in 1968. If you were an audience member at a performance of "Hey Jude" what lyric would you sing along with The Beatles?

Na, na na, na-na-na, na

The song "A Day in the Life" was originally two separate songs (the first part John Lennon's and the second Paul McCartney's) that The Beatles merged with an interesting transition. How do they make the transition from the first part of the song to the second?

A cacophony of noise and sound

The song "Get Back" was originally the title for the album Let it Be because The Beatles were going back to their roots and the blues with this album. When the band reached an impasse with the final songs for the album it was put aside to record Abbey Road and became Let it Be when they decided to break up. In "Get Back" Ringo doesn't play a "straight" rock 'n' roll drum beat. We call the beat a "march" feel in musical terms, but, which of the following analogies best represents the beat Ringo is playing?

A horse galloping

"Come Together" was originally a political campaign song given to Timothy Leary, who in 1969 had decided to run as governor of California against Ronald Reagan, the future US president. Musically, John Lennon reached the peak of his "nonsense" lyrics where the listener could create any scene they wished as they listened. In between the choruses of "Come Together" (come together, right now, over me), which instruments are featured?

Bass and drums

In the song "Revolution" there is a great bluesy rock 'n' roll feel and huge distorted guitar sound, but the lyrics tell us that "we all want to"...

Change the world

The Beatles album "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" introduced multi-tracking (the ability to layer many recorded tracks on top of one another) and the beginning of their psychedelic music phase. What lively special effect helps to keep the excitement of "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band"?

Check

The Beatles second movie "Help!" introduced a cleaner sound and a more refined style for The Beatles. Throughout the song, when The Beatles sing the lyric "help," what instrument plays the accompaniment?

Check

The Beatles often started their songs with the chorus so that their fans would remember and identify the songs right away as in the example "A Hard Days Night." "A Hard Days Night" was The Beatles first feature film and it was so popular that a wave of bands producing films was born from this venture. In the verses of "A Hard Days Night" identify the classic percussion instrument that is featured. (Clue: The only prescription is more...)

Cowbell

George Harrison's first solo album following The Beatles break up All Things Must Pass talked about letting go and his dedication to religion and the search for God. In the song "What is Life" the dominant theme is about...

Love

The song "I Am The Walrus" introduces what John Lennon referred to as his "gobble-de-gook" lyrics to deter fans from reading too much into The Beatles lyrics. He felt as if he was leading the fans away from thinking for themselves and was frustrated that they took Beatle lyrics too seriously and as a way of life. The song includes gibberish, but also references to James Joyce, Humpty Dumpty, C. S. Lewis' poetry and Shakespearean actors. What other Beatles song is referenced in the third verse of "I Am The Walrus"?

Lucy in the Sky (with Diamonds)

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was the first song that introduced The Beatles to the United States and the Billboard charts. The song was designed to portray The Beatles as innocent, fun and easy to fall in love with. In an attempt to win over the American audience, The Beatles manage to capture music and lyrics that express a happy relationship in this song.

True

Paul McCartney's "Let it Be" was inspired by his mother, Mary, who died when he was 14, although, many people thought "Mother Mary" was a biblical reference when they heard it. This was also the title track of The Beatles last album, which made it an appropriate statement about leaving problems behind and moving on in life. As you listen to "Let it Be," is it true that the only accompanying instrument to Paul McCartney's vocals in the first verse and chorus of "Let it Be" is piano?

True

The Beatles first #1 selling album was in 1963 with Please, Please Me. The single of the same name rose to #2 on the charts. The Beatles became known for their great ability to sing in harmony, which involves the members singing different pitches to each other to form a vocal chord to fill out the sound. Listen carefully to The Beatles in this song and determine if we could consider the singing in Please, Please Me "singing in harmony."

True

The song "Stawberry Fields" was written about a Salvation Army Children's Home just around the corner from John Lennon's childhood home. Upon listening to "Stawberry Fields" and the creativity and experimental elements of this song, would we place it among the psychedelic songs of the 1960s?

True

The Beatles do away with the standard rock 'n' roll instruments in "Eleanor Rigby" in an attempt to bridge the gap between rock and classical music. The supporting instruments in "Eleanor Rigby" are...

Violins, Violas, Cellos

Another of Ringo's solo career hit songs is "Back off Boogaloo." How does "Back off Boogaloo" begin?

With a march

After the break up of The Beatles in 1970 all four members released solo albums. John expressed his frustration at the time through some of the songs he recorded with the Plastic Ono Band. Listen carefully to the lyrics in the song "How Do You Sleep." John sends a not very nice message to Paul McCartney telling him that all he's ever done was...

Yesterday