The Beatles, I Feel Fine - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction / Excerpts

#thebeatles #johnlennon #paulmccartney #georgeharrison #ringostarr
What a great way to wrap up my exploration of this album! A fun listening experience with some sonic surprises… especially the opening! Is that another historical moment of innovation?
Here’s the link to the original song by The Beatles:
• The Beatles - I Feel Fine
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by The Beatles
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[@Mrvictorfernandes]

"I Feel Fine" is the first song to successfully use guitar feedback on a major pop record, coupled with Ringo's ingenious Latin drum groove over John's guitar riff... John expressed a great deal of pride in this accomplishment in the 1980 Playboy interview regarding the feedback: "['I Feel Fine' is] me completely, including the guitar lick with the first feedback anywhere. I defy anybody to find a record - unless it is some old blues record from 1922 - that uses feedback that way... So I claim it for the Beatles. Before Hendrix, before the Who, before anybody. The first feedback on any record."

[@B.R.0101]

You mean a bass Guitar

[@oliverbird6914]

The riff is not a bass guitar...the intro is feedback from John's guitar and then straight into the riff

[@garyfletcher844]

It was an accident

[@garyfletcher844]

It was an accident. You are overanalyzing it.

[@joshpauley289]

@@garyfletcher844most things like that are accidents that geniuses made something out of. Your attempt to belittle it is creepy bro

[@bluetrane69]

This channel is a lot of fun. People who love music unite. Subscribed

[@johnsilva9139]

I think it's amazing that Amy realized immediately that the few seconds of feedback at the beginning was something of a historical moment in pop music. The first use of feedback intentionally left on a recording, which led to a whole era of guitarists utilizing feedback in their recordings and live performances.

[@marysweeney7370]

That's why I am so glad she is taking the time to listen to the Beatles catalogue, Her comments and insights are so much more valuable for this reason. It is like gold to a Beatles fan to have a professional musician who has no familiarity with the Beatles and rock evaluating their music. I really hope she becomes a Beatles fan. Whom will she prefer Paul or John 🤔 lol

[@Bipbop66]

​@@marysweeney7370This Beatles series is so good!🎉😂😂

[@louispadron5858]

Any time you hear a dog barking like at the end of I Feel Fine, at the end of Hey Bulldog, or a scene in A Hard Day's Night where they go off looking for Ringo, it's Paul McCartney doing the barking.

[@WayneKitching]

The Beatles' song "I Feel Fine" (1964) begins with a single, percussive feedback note. The note is produced by Paul McCartney plucking the A string on his bass while John Lennon's guitar picks up feedback from an amplifier that's leaning against McCartney's bass amp. en.wikipedia.org

[@jnagarya519]

The feedback at the beginning was the first deliberate use of feedback in a recording. And both John and George are playing the same riff.

[@thewizard6077]

I've heard this song a 1001 times, and played the guitar along with it for a majority of those times, but I never, and I mean never heard a dog barking on it until you mentioned it, lol. I pulled up the song, cranked up the volume, played the last bit, and voila! A dog barking! lol. That was really astute of you picking that out! Amazing! And why the sound of a dog barking would somehow make it unto the final mix is baffling, but so cool of the Beatles for leaving it there. Peace

[@Anthony77739]

Really enjoying your videos and the way you explane what you hear.

[@richardfehlmann4593]

Awesome 👌😀 I'm so happy to watch this video now 🤞😊

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

I agree with your take on this song, it’s like an early Beatle song but also a progressive song and yet it’s pure sunshine. I think they worked hard to get the Guitars etc work so intricately, while keeping that rollicking clunky Beatle rock and roll rhythm going. Fun with a capital F. Really interesting to hear your commentary and listen to examples on the harp. A very well rounded video. Thank you Virgin Rock

[@ricardo_miguel13]

I also think on the singles they thought they had to keep the youthful energetic early Beatles sound a bit longer (it stayed there until Paperback Writer, altough thats also a very complex song)

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

@@ricardo_miguel13 that’s possible. They had to keep those singles coming. It’s still an innovative recording , retrospective and progressive. Cool little number

[@yes_head]

Yes, this supposedly the first use of feedback in a pop or rock recording. Another landmark is this is John’s first great riff (btw, his next great riff is coming soon with the next album. 😉) Lastly, this is about the time the Beatles started smoking weed (gee, thanks Mr. Dylan!), which opened the Beatles’ ears to more experimental sounds and ideas. Psychedelia was still a bit further in the future, but it’s now closer with this song. Re: that drum rhythm, Ringo lifted it from Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say”.

[@WMWMW0MWMWMW]

I am not a musician but i love music and the Beatles. 😊

[@IwasInThe60s]

After avoiding the pestilence throughout the pandemic, I have now contracted Covid-19.😞 Having watched this, I do not feel quite fine yet, but at least a whole lot less miserable!

[@William_Hada]

Were you vaccinated?

[@Katt-._.7.]

Get well soon!

[@bobtaylor170]

So for you, it's "I'll Feel Fine." Maybe the evil COVID-19 leave you soon.

[@ricardo_miguel13]

@@William_Hada vaccinations help against a bad course of the disease not against the virus itself

[@William_Hada]

@@ricardo_miguel13 You didn't answer my question. Were YOU vaccinated?

[@alanarakelian5021]

My favorite Beatles song. And not an easy task to choose. Such simple and uplifting lyrics, as well as early garage-y instrumentation.

[@EddieReischl]

Probably one of the first riffs I taught myself on the guitar when I was a kid, after learning riffs like "Pretty Woman" and other 50s and 60s songs from my dad. It's a good up-tempo song for playing live and trying to get the audience amped up. The Beatles were great introductory teachers to fundamentals and ear/proper pitch training.

[@richardfehlmann4593]

Again a very enjoyable reaction to a Beatles song 👍😀 I love to hear you playing the riff on the harp. Nice to describe the song as a sort of a party, such a beautifully imagined picture 👌 Really a fun song with a more refined musical approach 😊 BTW, I think the use of feedback in the intro was a first in recording industry, and last not least ... this song was actually not on the Beatles For Sale album but released together with She's a Woman as accompagnying single. The Beatles gave the teenagers at that time 14 brandnew songs on each album without repeating their hit singles on it. The fans got some worth for their money.

[@kovie9162]

Yet another notable feature of this song is how the drumming closely resembles and was clearly influenced by the drumming in Ray Charles' song What'd I Say, released around six year prior to this song, which to my ears almost sounds like a really fast Samba beat. It was hugely influential not only in the R&B world but also in the Soul & Rock worlds, with the Beatles playing it every night during their Hamburg gigs and some rock musicians claiming that it helped to develop riff-based rock songs.

[@labajadaman]

George became interested in the sitar during the filming of the film Help in 1965 which eventually got him interested in Indian philosophy. I Feel Fine was recorded in 1964, so it is coincidental that the feedback intro sounds like it has an Indian influence.

[@kenchristie9214]

George spotted a sitar in the Abbey Road studio when they were recording the album Help!.

[@colindebourg9012]

Classic early Beatles harmonies, we had never heard anything like it.

[@dennismason3740]

I Feel Fine was the first popular song to feature guitar feedback (opening note). I worked this song for hours yesterday to produce an interpretation that fits me. I'm close to the version I want. I've been wanting to perform this song since 1964 - sometimes these things take awhile. The song starts with suspended four on the fifth, then on the fourth, then to the one (suspended 4ths throughout). The bridge drops down to the 6th (classic rock move).

[@WastrelWay]

Not a word about Ringo's off-beat drum riff in the middle. It was shocking and woke up some classical and jazz musicians, who said, "Maybe there's something to this rock-and roll after all." My dad grunted when he heard it. It is in fact based on the samba/bossa nova rhythm, so you are not far off when you say "Latin". The beat was more or less created by João Gilberto in the late 1950s. Incorporating that off-center drumbeat into rock-and-roll was genius.

[@kenchristie9214]

Before he joined The Beatles, Ringo was regarded as the best off-beat drummer in Britain.

[@1967PONTIACGTO]

it's great watching them perform this live... the syncopated drum at the start sounds challenging (I am not a musician), and it's fun to watch Ringo nail it

[@Uetti]

You should have covered What You're Doing as well from this album, a very ingenious leap forward in terms of instrumental arrangement

[@ricardo_miguel13]

also Babys In Black, interesting waltz rhythm and great harmonies

[@hardyvonwinterstein5445]

I knew it was great back then, when I was twelve. Without having to analyze anything. I must be a genius.

[@andymccabe6712]

......I seriously doubt it .......!!

[@z0n0ph0ne]

Great reaction. This song was released as a single in the UK and was not on the Beatles for Sale album.

[@labajadaman]

I Feel Fine was released as a single, not on Beatles For Sale.

[@Dekoherence-ii8pw]

Yeah it kind of goes with that album, purely in terms of era-wise. That's the closest album to it, chronologically. But yeah it's not on the album.

[@user-pi8it9um7q]

Love your analytical view of the Beatles. Understandably "they sing a lot of silly" love songs. But with all due respect so many of us were just kids. I was 14 in 1964, they were still kids in many ways. They were not singing to my parents or grandparents. I have no doubt that every generation thought they were superior when it came to feelings or how one felt about love or relationships. WE, my generation just loved the lads and they kept turning out hit after hit. Sometimes hearing comments about our songs there is a smug attitude towards our naveta. We grew up to be as sophisticated than Y'all. I guess that's why there so many types of music. Keep up the good work.

[@marysweeney7370]

My niece 14 and nephew 18 LOVE the Beatles. Their magic can still attract young listeners.

[@robertalfonso850]

Amy, you shouldn't let rock 'n' roll sheet music confuse/deceive you! This song is NOT in the key of D. It is a blues in G, using the dominant 7th I, IV, and V chords -- G7, C7, and D7. The song and the riff start on the V (D7), then go to the IV (C7) and then to the I (G7) where the verse/vocal begins. The riff is especially cool and Lennonesque because it is straight major, not the minor pentatonic (blues) scale one would expect. The bridge is in plain old G (G - Bm - C - D), and it is also glorious. :-) Cheers!

[@jean-baptisteledent5202]

Amy was told many times that her scores of Beatles songs contained gross errors and no harmonic subtlety. In vain...

[@robertalfonso850]

@@jean-baptisteledent5202 It's sad, isn't it? I am fascinated by "reaction" videos, most of which are made by people who aren't musicians and, worse, know absolutely nothing about music, and worse still, don't care enough to learn. But Amy is an actual musician.... Maybe I should contact her directly. I'm only a few hours away. I could help her navigate guitar-based pop and rock 'n' roll music. The first Beatles music book I opened, as a kid learning guitar in the early '70s, was so obviously wrong I never looked at one again.

[@johnbyrnes7912]

​@@jean-baptisteledent5202jean we forgave her for missing them famous Aeolian cadences in Not A Second Time but we may have to be more strict on this point ! Eh? ❤🎉😅

[@andymccabe6712]

@@johnbyrnes7912 ha!....like it's any of your business ....!!!

[@johnbyrnes7912]

​@@andymccabe6712 What an odd remark and so out of place. It's everyone's business to flow in be it humerous like mine or critical like the other's. I hope we haven't triggered another little internet nerd here. 🤡

[@gergsar]

Lennon was a certified genius, not just in music, but in life...

[@peterolbrisch8970]

Then explain that whole heroin thing.

[@gergsar]

@@peterolbrisch8970 one doesn't have anything to do with the other...

[@peterolbrisch8970]

@@gergsar Some people go really overboard with the hero worship.

[@davidrauh8118]

Of course I was a fan from the start, and when I first heard I Feel Fine, I thought it was their best up until that point. Yea the lyrics aren't much but the music was very catchy. John and leaned his guitar against his amp before turning it off and he heard that feedback. So he thought it was great and decided to incorporate it into the song. The first use of feedback on a "rock n roll" record.

[@brianprager8050]

Their most exuberant music.

[@netuno60]

Great video Amy. I liked this song since the beginning when it came out. And it was a single, not as part of Beatles for Sale. But that's ok. The feedback was an accident that was included in the song in the proper way for that time.

[@adlermeni]

Vlad, what does it mean 'the last song of BFS session'? Are you really going to skip She's a Woman?!?! "The very first use of feedback on a commercial rock record is the introduction of the song I Feel Fine by the Beatles, recorded in 1964" Where would rock and roll be without feedback? (David Gilmour)

[@johnbyrnes7912]

Well they're missing all Live At The BBC and much more so whinge away ! 🤡

[@andymccabe6712]

..... remember..this channel isn't called 'Virgin Beatles'.....it's called 'Virgin Rock'.... ......lotta music out there........!!!

[@Accam570]

She's a Woman wasn't on BFS, it was the B-side to I Feel Fine.

[@johnbyrnes7912]

​@@andymccabe6712Boy so negative! As there's so many genres and styles Amy will be covering you should expect much feedback on choices , omissions and yes minutiae ! Loosen up Andy ! 🤡

[@JoesTheBestInTheWorl]

Fun, they had fun, you had fun, I had fun. In 64 that fun was so subversive it change the world, for me as a 6 years old at least.

[@zzzaphod8507]

In the linked video, Ringo is apparently doing the percussion part while riding an exercise bike, talented indeed!

[@alonenjersey]

Hello there. I honestly hope to see and hear you playing your Harp at a Beatles convention in the very near future. I suspect even those who aren't fans of classical music (Nobody's perfect) would get a kick out of you.

[@lejoe48]

Una genialidad que marca una época y el catálogo de los Beatles, ni más ni menos es I Feel Fine. Los singles de éxito que ahora se publican, por ejemplo en el hip hop o en el llamado pop, no llegan a esta altura espectacular, dinámica, melódica, de número de erotismo (la textura de la voz de John) de complejidad que sin embargo el público de la época recibía como sencillez... GENIAL. Realmente una adorable canción.

[@letsgomets002]

You definitely can play a little more of the song without copyright infringement, because you're using it as a teaching event...DON'T BE SO SCARED....OTHER PLAY MUCH MORE THAN YOU.

[@pablolara797]

Yes, yes, yes!

[@davidrauh8118]

Well you should also react to the flipside of this record, She's A Woman, as well. Unfortunately the next album, HELP!, is no major shift from what you've heard so far. Although there are a couple of stand out tracks. But after that, things begin to change with Rubber Soul and even more so with Revolver. But you'll discover that soon enough.

[@marysweeney7370]

I am hoping she reacts to We Can Work it Out. I think it was just a single. If she is going album to album, some of the singles not on any album (till One) might be overlooked??

[@makeadifference4all]

I disagree. The roots of "Rubber Soul" are clear on this album, which has many tracks unlike anything they did before.

[@alansmith1989]

"I Feel Fine" Made No 1 on UK charts by `New Musical Express` `Melody Maker` `Disc and Music Echo` For SIX weeks on each. It topped the BBC `Pick of the Pops` chart for SIX weeks as well.

[@stevenhiscoe7717]

Can I suggest that at the end of Help, the next album, you review the Beatles progress up to that point? because their progression from that moment on is pretty remarkable.

[@tele789]

The opening riff is a 5-4-1 movement

[@matthewkeene561]

Loving the channel though I should say. Very interesting as an untrained rock music lover.

[@frankylaseure2641]

Another call for the song "Travel" by The Gathering, the TG25 live version. "I wish you knew your music was to stay forever".

[@nickmcginley4570]

It was definitely the first use of feedback on a rock record! It was famous for that.

[@bookmakers]

Yes, that´s right. Lennon claimed they were the first ones to use feedback in a studio recording, "before Hendrix and before The Who.".

[@brianprager8050]

I found myself wishing someone had played you the Ray Charles original record of "What'd I Say" for the reference point of the hard-swinging "latin" drumming.

[@tee4452]

New here and love this channel! Does anyone know what those great looking headphones Amy uses are? I guess they're Bluetooth but I can't figure out what brand and model.

[@markriney5223]

At 26:21 your video needs help because it goes haywire - black screen for a second or two then visuals disconnected from the soundtrack until it all comes back together again just at the close. Still another brilliant and sweet offering even with one glitch added. Thanks!

[@dirtyburd71]

Wait till you get to "It's All Too Much." 😉

[@johnbyrnes7912]

Yes but what if Vlad is not adroit or savvy to choose it ? Hmmn he'll then have to be seen too! 😎

[@andymccabe6712]

....the Steve Hillage version........!!!?

[@ErikMCMLXV]

The feedback at the beginning was accidental. It was originally going to be removed from he recording, but they liked he way it sounded so they kept it in

[@johnbyrnes7912]

John loved it the moment he did it and at that moment wanted to keep it which they did but them silly yanks thought it was a mistake and cut it out. What a laugh. Now later on down under when we got the deliberately distorted Don't Let Me Down would you believe they returned it for "a proper one" You wouldn't think record execs would be so conservative and dull would ya?! Have fun. 🤡

[@peterolbrisch8970]

This song is not on Beatles for sale, it's a single.

[@alansmith1989]

It was never on `Beatles For Sale` in the UK and was a separate single. In US there was no `Beatles For Sale` album as Capitol was split into `Beatles 65` and `Beatles V!` And here, it `was` included- but never on any album titled `Beatles For Sale`. Why some youtube sites still give out ill researched data like this is most perplexing indeed!

[@kenchristie9214]

Capitol records really screwed the American Beatle fans.

[@roystonsbailey]

my only criticism of this otherwise wonderful channel is that they give out incorrect information about the Beatles quite often (I don't know other acts as well so I can't comment on them), and never bother to correct it in the description.

[@thomassharmer7127]

The lyrics and vocals are still a bit mop-top teenage love pop, which is probably why John wasn't so fond of it to begin with, but the guitar riff is hinting at more sophisticated rock stylings. It's a transitional song to finish their transitional album. What follows gets more creative and experimental with some truly inspired songwriting, then the album after that sees them seriously maturing as artists ... I posted this before getting to the end of the video. It's good to know I agree with your expert analysis 😊.

[@zzzaphod8507]

Instruments entering in layers reminds me of the beginning of Beethoven's 9th (1st movement).

[@Bullfrog1968]

What about "Baby's in black" and "What you're doing"?

[@Pjaypt]

almost but not quite 😉 it's not help me help you, it's Help me, ooh

[@letsgomets002]

She never mentions the middle 8

[@michavandam]

1. It's a hate fact that The Beatles more or less stole this guitar riff and the 'exotic' song arrangement from Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step": kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHSchp-Lh9B6gqs 2. It's amazing how Amy is starting to use the words "cool" and "soulful" more and more during her journey through Rock. I think you can't really avoid terms like those when discussing Rock, since that's what this genre is so much about. But I wonder if she could also explicitely define those terms. 3. 22:56 Amy keeps belittling down on "She Loves You", while that is still a complex song. A lot is going on there. The chords are not obvious (most guitarists wouldn't be able to just play the right chords of that song without some chord scheme in front of them). The singing, the lyrical ideas, the rhythms and the ending are interesting as well.

[@ristovirtanen6396]

The verses follow the abbreviated standard 12 bar blues formula chord progression and the riff follows the chords with sevenths included.✌️No more and no less.🤔👌

[@babyfacemichael1]

distortion- great riff kicks in- great drums kick in- if you dont like this then, there`s just something wrong with you, and that`s kinda just the way it is. I had a sing off, with a young guy, at a karaoke once, he sang 90s,00s songs ,the old riffs kicked the ass of the young riffs, yup, just did LOl

[@GlennErikMathisen]

I really like the bicycle on this...

[@BigSky1]

You mean the Promo

[@marysweeney7370]

Yes, I'm hoping she will get to see some of their "music videos".

[@GlennErikMathisen]

@@BigSky1 yup. Ringo plays a mean bike. If we listen really close we might be able to hear him peddaling😉

[@johnbyrnes7912]

​@@GlennErikMathisenYes it good to see someone with a sense of humour rather than a nit picking troll like bigsly! 🤡

[@johnbyrnes7912]

​@@GlennErikMathisenYeah tis good to see a sense of humour on the retorts ! Tis a pity so many try to be negative with unnecessary pointless or patronising remarks in the first place. 🌈🤡

[@jenscee7679]

As much as I like the early Beatles, they are almost doodles compared to what is coming.

[@Dekoherence-ii8pw]

"I think I know what's going on here - playing around with feedback in the amps and mics". Yep. First ever recorded use of deliberate feedback. EDIT: "I kind of wonder if this was a historical first". YEP. YOU'RE ON THE MONEY!

[@matthewkeene561]

Dude! Play the song. Stuck on the first 5 secs for like 12 mins!?!?

[@julian65886]

Underneath "I Feel Fine" one finds a bit of blues which Amy cannot see.

[@stertim]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHSchp-Lh9B6gqs Pre-"I Feel Fine".

[@tjdomerny4847]

The feedback was a lucky accident, not an experiment.

[@mateusdoria2487]

Pretty sad that we cannot listen to the music here… i kinda of lost interest tbh

[@andymccabe6712]

.....just play the song on KZbin on a DIFFERENT device, FFS.... ....It ain't rocket science.....!!!

[@johnbyrnes7912]

​@@andymccabe6712Mr McCabe it's natural to hear it together to get the best of the breakdown so naturally many are disappointed particularly as they are very short and you can get so much more on other channels. For complete songs and albums of the Beatles I recommend Welp Here We Are On KZbin ! 🤡

[@markoliver630]

It would have been nice to hear the song more. Probably not your fault. Too many little pieces.

[@keith1222]

A really irritating review of the song. Let it play for more than .5 of a second before stopping it and talking for 2 minutes.

[@buchro111]

She'd love to but google and beatles lawyers won't allow it.

[@Hollingsworth2781]

these videos are not as good without the music.

[@BigSky1]

I Feel Fine was not on Beatles For Sale Vlad.

[@johnbyrnes7912]

Ya right once ! 🤡

[@johnbyrnes7912]

But as usual a pointless remark at first bigsly👁️

[@geraldlovenguth9364]

I enjoyed your video on "I feel fine" After you experience a Beatle song for the 1st time and do a video on it, check out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWXMZYx7aLSboc0

[@chriseames9063]

U talk to MUCH!!!!!

[@BigSky1]

You are rude and it’s (too) btw.

[@letsgomets002]

No its to

[@BigSky1]

@@letsgomets002 Too much is correct. Look it up in English grammar. Example ‘It’s All Too Much’ ‘Too many People’

[@pauloarraes4449]

Delete this please

[@GlennErikMathisen]

It's also YOU. only two of the words are spelled correctly. I wouldn't worry TOO much about this guys opinion :)

[@frankylaseure2641]

Another call for the song "Travel" by The Gathering, the TG25 live version. "I wish you knew your music was to stay forever".