Music Learning. Round 2: What You're Doing (Beatles' SONG, 1964)

"What You're Doing"

• is a song written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney),  one of eight originals of fourteen songs on the 1964 album Beatles for Sale (see 1964 in music) by the group; it also appeared on the 1965 American release Beatles VI (see 1965 in music).

 The overall effect is tense—a tightly arranged song performed very loosely—suiting the lyrical matter of confronting a lover over a crumbling relationship.

• The lyrics are generally believed to concern McCartney's relationship with Jane Asher.  
• [Mccartney vs. Lennon] Paul had typically been the more optimistic of the two when it came to songwriting.
• with this song he's expressing feelings of loneliness and doubt in his relationship a theme he would be forced to develop more over time as his relationship soured, with songs like I'm Looking Through You and You Won't See Me from Rubber Soul, and For No One from Revolver.

Throughout the song, McCartney adds an interesting touch to the rhyme scheme by combining a single, two-syllable word with two one-syllable words  

(i.e. "Look what you're doing, I'm feeling blue and runnin', and there's no fun in it...")

• "What You're Doing" was recorded on 29 September, 30 September, and 26 October 1964.   

John Lennon – acoustic guitar, harmony vocal 

Paul McCartney – bass, double-tracked lead vocal (!)

George Harrison – 12-string lead guitar, harmony vocal 

Ringo Starr – drums 

George Martin – piano

 - if you want it, here it is, come and get it - with love, from me to you - What You're Doing . MP3 -

look, john lennon - keep your hippie politics out of my christmas carols.

The White Christmas Album

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
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Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Mark Sanford

Look, John Lennon, keep your hippie politics out of Stephen's Christmas carols.
you don't hear me harmonizing my christian beliefs over the white album - UNTIL NOW.
I am calling for a mash-up of yuletide carols and the white album - called the white christmas album.
nation - somewhere out there do this mashup and post it on the internet - i'm gonna love while my reindeer gently weeps.
dangermouse - i know you watch."

Colbert - Know Your Beatle

Exclusive - Paul McCartney

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it took me some time to realize that he was talking about jon stewart
then it got EVEN funnier the second time round

party!

Beatles Font!

John Lennon's death announced during a football game. eerie.

this is beautiful/do you think he's on drugs? or just paul-scale emotions?

It's Paul, Batman!

Maxwell's Silver Hammer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Beatles - Maxwell's Silver Hammer [Early Mix]
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is my analogy for when something goes wrong out of the blue, as it so often does, as I was beginning to find out at that time in my life. I wanted something symbolic of that, so to me it was some fictitious character called Maxwell with a silver hammer. I don't know why it was silver, it just sounded better than Maxwell's hammer. It was needed for scanning. We still use that expression now when something unexpected happens."

• The silver hammer may thus be analogous to a silver bullet, a simple way of getting rid of a complex problem.

• McCartney referred to the song when talking about his 2005 album Chaos and Creation in the Backyard:
• "In the past I may have written tongue-in-cheek, like 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer', and dealt with matters of fate in a kind of comical, parody manner. It just so happens in this batch of songs I would look at these subjects and thought it was good for writing. If it's good enough to take to your psychiatrist, it's good enough to make a song of."

• According to Lennon, the band spent more money on that song than any other on Abbey Road, and he derided the song at the time as a prime example of McCartney's "granny-style" writing.

• George Harrison described it in 1969 as "one of those instant whistle-along tunes which some people hate, and other people really like. It's a fun song, but it's kind of a drag because Maxwell keeps on destroying everyone like his girlfriend then the school teacher, and then, finally, the judge." In 1977, Harrison would be less charitable, stating "I mean, my God, 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' was so fruity."[8]

• Even Ringo Starr recalled in an interview in early 2008: "The worst session ever was 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer.' It was the worst track we ever had to record. It went on for fucking weeks. I thought it was mad." [9] [10]

A Silver Hammer is used to strike a dead Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in the head, twice, to be sure he is dead before electing a new Pope.



i like how: each beatles' outlook on the matter pretty much summarizes their 'character' & role in the family (post-divorce, o f course)

1. "prime example of McCartney's 'granny-style'" - LENNON (dad: revolutionary: no time for mom's whimsy & attachment to the joy of a timeless ditty)

2. " one of those instant whistle-along tunes which some people hate, and other people really like." - HARRISON ('uncle': the peace-maker: unconditionally validates any creation without judgement, reminding mom and dad that all things are both beautiful and ugly - reminding the unaware son that it is this duality that gives ALL things a purpose, and should not be judged or discarded quickly.

3. "It was the worst track we ever had to record. It went on for fucking weeks. I thought it was mad." - RINGO (son: here because he has to be; follows instructions to get his allowance; impatient & -perhaps disillusioned from the rest of the family limiting his involvement, while forcing his participation - disinterested; begrudged, stubbornly unenlightened, feeling the need to pass juvenile (and as mom calls it 'negative nancy') judgement 'just to make his point-' being sure to throw in a curse word to REALLY stick it to mom, dad & wise uncle george.

end transmission.

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