The Beatles, Michelle - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction / Excerpts

[@LeeKennison]

I absolutely loved the reaction to this true classic. As you pointed out that while it seems romantic on the surface, there is something humorous about it. Or maybe saying "these are words that go together well" in French is considered romantic.😉 I personally think this blend of the humorous with the romantic is a big part of what makes it charming. Perhaps this is why romantic comedy movies are so popular. Good analogy between poetry line meter and length, and how most songs have a typical phrase length of 4 bars with the 6 bar phrases here contributing to the unique feel. You had lots of other great observations and demonstrations. As you said, ordinary but unique. You really did justice to this great classic. Thanks.

[@billythedog-309]

There's deliberate humour in the song: I want you, I want you, I want you I think you know by now...

[@LeeKennison]

@@jaynyczak7999 Thanks! Well said!

[@mauri_gno2467]

the coda at the end, so beautiful.... and the guitar solo.... wonderful. Thanks so much Virgin Rock

[@louisme5411]

Thank you for helping me to understand why I am so charmed by this song

[@mauri_gno2467]

For me one of the most beautiful melodies ever written in modern music. Brian Wilson said he was inspired by this melody for his masperpiece Per Sounds.

[@douglasbarrera951]

For me this song is like comfort food. Takes me back to childhood on Saturday mornings after cartoons playing soccer with my friends on my street and one of the neighbors blaring The Beatles on a boombox from his garage while watching the game with other parents

[@thewizard6077]

I find myself smiling a lot through your analysis when it appears you enjoy a piece of music as much as I do. I'm loving the Beatles 150 series, but also looking forward to you revisiting Led Zeppelin. So many great songs to chose from, but I think maybe The Rain Song might be a good one to jump back into it with. Either way, loving your analysis of these Beatles classics! Peace

[@karmacamilleon1]

I agree with you regarding the humor of the song. For me it evokes young people with their friends out for fun on a French holiday doing some over the top flirting with the pretty girls they encounter along the way. Neither they nor the girls take it seriously and the melodrama is part of the humor and charm. The Michelle can giggle receptively or roll her eyes and either would be okay with the rambling boys.

[@richardfehlmann4593]

I enjoyed this reaction a lot again. Very nice description of the melody, it is so smooth 👌 To me such a beautiful melody 😀👍 It's a kind of art song, great observation that I never thaught of. Something kind of humorous about it, I think so too 😅 I want you I want you I want you, I think you know by now 😅 yes, but that is John's humour 😉 You really enjoyed the song, it's not sophisticated, just the right level to make it so enjoyable 😃👍 I'm happy about this reaction, looking forward to the next one 🤗

[@dalemcmillan7231]

Beautiful Beatles song written by Paul McCartney ❤❤

[@katznkittens]

Such a beautiful melody.

[@robertschneider1977]

This was one of my mother's favorite. Played it for her in the hospital not long before she passed.

[@joeterp5615]

I’d call it awkward, but naively sincere. Innocently sweet. The simple pretty melody matches the simple pure emotion.

[@rexdiamond]

The "plodding" intro brings imagery of strolling down a Paris street with his girlfriend. Spot on with the old world charm of the song.

[@flavoredwallpaper]

This has always been one of my favorites by the Beatles. A simple melody, but a lovely one!

[@refractionalimage]

"Michelle, ma belle"

[@Deebhoy]

Michelle is a classic example of what could have been an ordinary sing made extraordinary. The arrangement, production, vocal delivery and especially the backing vocals lift it to brilliance. All very well explained here. Great video Amy.

[@tonytjandra4798]

The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit consists of footage of The Beatles' first tour of the United States. Until they got off the plane at JFK airport, they had no idea how famous they were abroad. The documentary covers the Beatles' journey from NYC to Washington DC and down to Miami Beach. The documentary is full of press conferences, concert footage, as well as personal footage of their hotel room experiences. Thank's.

[@fredneecher1746]

I'm not sure I see the humorous aspect. What I get from this is pathos, basically the yearning for somebody who is out of his league (which, considering who is singing the song, is rather ironic!). That diminished note in the verse emphasises that aspect - rising up but not quite enough. It's the steady ebb and flow of the backing melody that ties this all together in my mind.

[@dago87able]

I think that rather subdued, but after Amy’s take I can certainly appreciate it.

[@lejoe48]

Totalmente de acuerdo. Es una canción apasionadamente amorosa (de adoración al ser amado) a la vez que sofisticada y bella, un milagro más de los Beatles. Si hay humor en ella, es como complemento a ese pathos.

[@coffee-xg6my]

Another of McCartney's many excellent melodies and superb love songs!

[@stuBdoc]

The only words he knows that she'll understand (in English) are "I love you".

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

A fine example of what we would call a “hot and bothered” song. Awkward and quirky but then it opens up with more confidence. Great analysis and insight to truly charming song.

[@charleskelly1887]

The descending line against a minor chord is a staple of Paul's writing. It's found in many of his compositions.

[@strathman7501]

"awkward, clunky, instruments chunking around, kind of pedantic, heavy-handed, angular lurching, awkward melody, quirky, mish-mash, hodge-podge" Good lord! Thankfully, after half an hour: Yes, she gets it. No "sophisticated" or Frenchified vocal delivery either necessary or desirable. "Understated" is the key word that unlocks the secret of this and so many melodic Beatles ballads: Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, She's Leaving Home, The Fool On the Hill etc. Paul is the perfected voice of Everyman.

[@katznkittens]

You forgot ‘ordinary.’ I think it’s a huge mistake for her to read up on the song before listening to it.

[@lejoe48]

@@katznkittens Exactly, you nailed.

[@lejoe48]

Sí, estoy de acuerdo contigo. Bien descrito. Esta es una canción apasionada y muy romántica en realidad, a la vez que sofisticada; sin embargo Amy insiste durante toda la primera media hora en el humor de la tonada (?). Todos esos adjetivos que citas, y que Amy ha usado, representan lo contrario de Michelle en mi opinión.

[@lejoe48]

Amy se deja distraer, otra vez, en exceso por la información previa que tiene de la canción (lo que lee antes de empezar) que quizá es necesaria para el análisis, pero que también la llena de prejuicios… y se deja influir por las declaraciones humorísticas y anecdóticas de Paul en este caso…y los premios que tiene la pieza etc.

[@lejoe48]

Hasta casi el final de video no se deja emocionar Amy por la bella sencillez de esta tonada romántica…Con rasgos que, en otras manos fuera de los Beatles serían clichés…Sin embargo ese “my beauty… I love you, i love you, i love you…THAT’S ALL I WANT TO SAY” con su excelente melodía en cadencia ascendente y descendente menor...es importante. Sobre todo en su forma sencilla y directa de comunicar su adoración a la amada…etc

Nothing better than singing in French to please the French audience. When I was a teen, I worked on this piece a lot on piano. Great memories!

[@heero17v83]

I think you're right, it's not dramatic musically but we can all feel the desperate feeling of the narrator, that's why it's such a good song, one of my favourite

[@stevencherny]

Paul is a tremendously skilled melodic bassist.

[@richardfehlmann4593]

Oooh ... I was waiting for this ... one of my favourites on Rubber Soul 👍🏻😃

[@rogerwitte]

I've always thought that this captures the awkwardness of adolescence not by description but by demonstration.

[@andymccabe6712]

Probably a good example of why you shouldn't have an opinion about a song ....until you hear ALL of it ....!! ...maybe two or three times .....

[@bobtaylor170]

When she started the channel, she would play the intro for a few seconds, then pause it, and analyze what she had heard!! It left me close to incredulous and speechless with anger. I made a comment that with a song, you have to listen to it all the way through AT LEAST once before you could begin to analyze it. Thank God, she finally figured this out.

[@brandonflorida1092]

Jan Vaughan was the wife of one of the Beatles' childhood friends, Ivan Vaughan, the man who introduced John and Paul.

[@Mike-l6u]

that was great I wish you would REVIEW !!!!! Carlos Santana His guitar playing can lift your SOLE and LOVE and and JOY in your HEART and maybe tears in your eyes just listen to Blues for Salvador - Song of the wind - Flame Sky - Europa he is such a great guitar player so much filling and soul. thank you !

[@jeanmarieboucherit7376]

I guess this is the first of a long series of pastiches by McCartney : 64, Lady Madonna,obladi , Back in the.., Honey Pie, Rocky Raccoon,The long and…., Oh Darling

[@lejoe48]

La parte de "I love you, i love you, i love you..." fue añadida a la composición por John (inspirado en una canción americana creo). Para mí es uno de los puntos más bellos de esta preciosa y emocionante canción de pop de cámara. Entre las cinco mejores de los Beatles a mi parecer. Gracias Amy y Vlad, ponéis alegría en mi vida.

[@dago87able]

@@binxbolling”I love this piece, it feels incredibly special (….) I feel that every part of it is just the right amount” -Amy

[@richardfehlmann4593]

The part "I love you I love you I love you" was inspired by a song by Nina Simone. John was inspired by her 👌😊

[@karmacamilleon1]

"Chamber Pop" is a wonderful expression!

[@Ck-zk3we]

"in my life" is the masterpiece on the album

[@menopausalmusician414]

My Favorite Group and My Favorite Channel! Peace

[@gregoryeatroff8608]

Paul took German and Spanish at school. His German came in handy in Hamburg. When he and John went on a two week vacation in 1961 they planned to stop off in Paris to visit a friend, then head on to Spain where Paul's schooling would be useful, but they loved Paris so much that they never went any further.

[@jeanmarieboucherit7376]

The I love you is John’s contribution

[@chicagotouch9319]

To listen to her is like time travelling back 140 years to get a reaction from a 19th century artist hearing iconic music from '60s onward. It's completely different from hearing someone like Leonard Bernstein praise the Beatles. I'm often reminded that Sravinsky lived long enough to discover the music of Cream and Hendrix. AND HE TOTALLY GOT IT. He was a fan of Cream!

[@calichamber]

Good analysis. Sometimes you don't know why you love a song. You can liten to it, analyze its melody, harmony...but there's something magic in it. It's simply there and maybe it's a three chord song...

[@robertballew7784]

Amy, the Beatles were in a constant effort to not repeat themselves in their writing and performing, and they were remarkably successful most of the time, but “Michelle” has the distinction of being totally unlike any Beatle song. Really, it’s like no other song I know of. I would have liked for you to talk a bit more about the haunting background voices which can bring chills.

[@thejoyofthemusicinmylife7897]

I love the fade out starting at 2:42 minutes with the guitar line that comes in. It has a bit of a lounge vibe to it.

[@9211goat]

I think that it's more about the expression of an innocent, rather than his clumsiness or awkwardness.

[@cgjunglemusic]

The melody in the coda alone transcends any barrier of style , genre or time. This is classical music, if the term means anything at all. Pure, timeless, infinitely meaningful.

[@dago87able]

While it makes total sense to associate it with 30’s, 40’s or 50’s french music, I also think it feels in tune with french music contemporary to it; I’m thinking for instance of Michel Legrand’s Les Parapluies de Cherbourg from 1964.

[@Bassman2353]

Recorded Wednesday, November 5, 1965. 2:30PM - 11:30PM. Not bad for a day's work. Fun fact: George Martin came up with the solo on piano and then had George Harrison learn it on guitar. As usual, his contribution was impeccable.

[@jonathanpoole5316]

Have you interviewed Brian May yet? I would wager you might even persuade Roger Taylor to engage. Great song, songwriter and composer, great review and reviewer and thanks for a good place to increase the modest awareness and knowledge I have of this universally powerful media.😊

[@steveleblanc7983]

There are certain songs that come along like Rogers and Hammerstein's "Edelweiss" that sound like they've always been around forever. "Michelle" is another one.

[@altair8598]

'Tis a mixture also of earnestness and insouciance. Bravo!

[@davegrant7819]

I think they could be John’s typically declamatory triplets, in the passage he co-wrote. ‘I - think - you - know - by - now’. They remind me of the similarly forceful triplets in the previous song The Word, which they also co-wrote.

[@anthonygriffin9275]

I can tell you really enjoyed this one!

[@XFLexiconMatt]

A real iconic track, he never recorded it, but I could have seen Frank Sinatra recording it. Great musicality with this.

[@richardfehlmann4593]

I believe her. Since she told us about her upbringing in the Amish community I consider this very plausible.

[@9211goat]

Matt... Don't you think that Sinatra was a bit too suave to pull this one off? I also don't think that Michelle was in Frank's key.

[@J0hnC0ltrane]

@@9211goatSinatra recorded Something but thought it was written by Lennon-McCartney.

[@charlesberton2581]

Love this song, Ann. Thank you. You may want to hear a similar & beautiful song by Emerson, Lake & Palmer called "C'est La Vie" which is just as popular for the same reasons.

[@marty48]

Apparently John wrote the "I love you/ I need you/ I want you" bridges. It sounds like him with those triplets.

[@richardfehlmann4593]

It's "I love you, I need TO (make you see), I want you"

[@marty48]

@@richardfehlmann4593 Disagree. I think in that passage he says "I need you, I need you, I need to... I need to make you see..."

[@richardfehlmann4593]

@@marty48 I disagree my friend, look up some lyrics sheet ... and I also think I can hear the "t" in I need to very clearly 🤔

[@marty48]

@@richardfehlmann4593 I think a "d" sound followed by "you" can be easily mistaken for "t". I'm not saying this is the case, but I hear that.

[@richardfehlmann4593]

@@marty48 Ok, interesting, the lyrics that I find on the Internet, however, also say "I need to". Well, funny, but nice to research on 😊

[@DaveReynolds-y3v]

Ok. I'm at 15:35 and have to comment. I think you need to refrain from commenting until more than 3 notes pass.

[@thomassharmer7127]

England and France are neighbouring countries separated by 22 miles of water and oceans of cultural difference. French is routinely taught in English secondary schools, but many of us are notoriously bad at learning other languages. What Paul did absorb was the sound and harmonic feel of French chansons. He clearly knew Edith Piaf.

[@stevencherny]

Please make sure to review for no one when you get to revolver. One of Paul’s most well written songs. Truly moving

[@fromchomleystreet]

It sounds like something you’d expect to hear a little old man in a small village in Provence playing on an accordion. So it fits in with the general folky vibe of the album as a whole. It pastiches a then current fad of French pop music which itself pastiches traditional French folk music.

[@marascusbomm]

John always said he wrote the "I love you I love you I love you" choruses for Michelle, and there are his signature triplets again.

[@yes_head]

Genre = Rock? Hardly. Maybe *folk* rock, but it's pretty much straight up pop (it's also clearly a follow up to "Yesterday".) I remember as a kid hearing this for the first time on the 1962-1966 compilation and it immediately struck me as a big leap forward from the Beatlemania-era stuff that came before. It just sounded really grown up, with all the nostalgia and Franco-pastiche-ness that was completely different to anything they'd done before. I agree that the footstep nature of the melody could have come off clunky in the hands of a different artist, but it actually works really well here. Lastly, "Michelle" always made me think of 'The Sound of Music' for some reason (which was a positive association IMO.) Credit also goes again to the Abbey Road production team for a clarity and depth that was really advanced for 1965.

[@andymccabe6712]

It's officially defined as 'pop rock' - that's it .... ....what ar you talking about...!?!?

[@MOLLOYALLOY]

John DID contribute part of the song. He suggested the “I love you I love you I love you” part- inspired by Nina Simone. I don’t think that’s the triplet part you were talking about, though.

[@danmayberry1185]

Best bit: solo guitar run with no treble, vs. a clichéd French accordion

[@EddieReischl]

This song has a lot of good stuff in it. What really sells it for me is the bass line and the backing vocals. That part where it ascends is beautiful and sets up the part that follows it that has more of a drone-like quality. It's also an excellent use of a fade out, and the fact that you can't be absolutely sure if it's D major or D minor that finishes the song. The melody line in the fade out: A B C# D E D D E F# G A Bb F E E F G C D D E F B C# B F D C# That is some first-rate melody writing, making that work. Tatyana Ryzhkova plays a version of this song on acoustic guitar (no singing) that I really like. Plus, she's easy on the eyes.

[@andymccabe6712]

Hey, that Tatyana's a bit good, isn't she .....!!!

[@EddieReischl]

@@andymccabe6712 Yeah, she's an example of the great thing about the internet, getting exposed to artists you would otherwise have never heard of.

[@mikedonoghues4018]

“The only thing making it bearable is…” Really?

[@wilhelmhagberg4897]

It’s interesting to hear your interpretation. I wonder if it’s your classical background that makes you focus more on the melody than the chords. To me, who plays pop/rock guitar, the greatness of this song is 90% the chord progression, the melody seems almost like an afterthought.

[@shadshowadradna]

I'd say the line, "I think you know by now" is the wink to tell us the song is not to be taken seriously. But the joke is made to seem cleverer because the song is performed more or less straight and is beautiful. George Martin clearly saw this as a potential single, as it's probably the best-sounding track on the album. I believe he also suggested the tune for the guitar solo. Paul got O-level French at school, so he may be underplaying his knowledge of the language, although I have O-level French and I'd still have asked a French teacher to check what I'd written if I were going to publish something in French and I had a French teacher on hand.

[@davidrauh8118]

My previous comment about John's contribution was the bridge, but in reality maybe it's considered the chorus. Regardless, they often helped each other finishing songs. Like Yellow Submarine or Baby, You're A Rich Man. Paul had the chorus for both and John had some verses and they meshed them together. Or they would also ask people sitting in the studio if they had a line whenever they got stuck. It's what collaboration is all about.

[@Merseyrock]

When they toured Paris at the height of Beatlemania: The Beatles were said to have been amused and dumbfounded as they noticed that, compared to other places that the had been prior the bulk of their fans were guys (outnumbering the girls), screaming, 'Les Beatles! Les Beatles!' and belting out verses from their songs, like She Loves You, and later on, Michelle... They were that popular there, and the guys took them as seriously as their female fans.

[@kenzeo]

I enjoy her analysis. She does well to illuminate that what feel but can't quite express in words. That being said, humans are pathetic. The comments show we can't be content without trying to prove we understand.

[@PartTimeBuddhist]

If I had to come up with two words to describe "Michelle," "clunky" and "awkward" would be pretty far down the list, but you probably wouldn't want to hear my harp playing, so what do I know?

[@bobtaylor170]

A lot, actually. You may not play harp as she does, but as far as this song goes, you get it, and I wonder if she does? I'm 3/4 of the way through the video, and she hasn't mentioned the gorgeous vocal harmonies.

[@PartTimeBuddhist]

@@bobtaylor170 It would appear that she has enjoyed it. And even if she didn't, I would want her to give her honest reaction regardless, because isn't that the point? It's just interesting to see where her head is at. I mean, if she listened to Talking Heads' "Born Under Punches (the Heat Goes On)" and called it clunky and awkward, that I would understand. Even if she called "Ticket to Ride" clunky and awkward, that would make more sense. But "Michelle"? Didn't see it coming, but that's OK.

[@RichardMDavis]

I think the words you're looking for are vignette and bagatelle. McCartney is a pasticheur par excellence.

[@colindebourg9012]

We have George Martin to thank for the arrangement and production of many of The Beatles songs, the so called fifth Beatle. Great reaction again, so much better than another reactor who claims to be a flautist, cellist, and piano player who attended a conservatoire of music but doesn't know what an aria is or how to say it,

[@Blisteryn]

Paul was the pop guy, John was the weird genius, i mean, they're all geniuses as far as i know.

[@anthonygriffin9275]

Another McCartney masterpiece!

[@1967PONTIACGTO]

Rubber Soul all day, every day!!!!!

[@davegrant7819]

Remember that before they made this album Paul said their new direction would be ‘comedy songs’!

[@phila3884]

Interesting to hear your first impressions. Imagine having heard this song, *hundreds* of times, like us out here. You will see the genius in all the clunkiness. All on purpose, btw.

[@vs5against1]

Now you should do “My Michelle”!

[@frankmitman3347]

I would love to hear your opinion and analysis of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well part one and two.

[@davidrauh8118]

It's my understanding that John wrote most of the bridge, lyrically. I find it odd that this wasn't discussed during your opening. Perhaps Paul doesn't want to own up to that fact. It's only got one verse, then it's repeated in French. But then Paul is responsible for the melody.

[@dago87able]

It’s MAINLY Paul’s song indeed, as acknowledged by John himself and as mentioned in the video; it had been a “french” tune that Paul had done for years, and John who suggested rescuing it and developing it for Rubber Soul.

[@hansaugustsson7288]

At least 3 out of the 4 beatles are humourists. Almost everything they make is for fun. Maybe George is an exception. In that way, this song is typical for them.

[@user-ky6vw5up9m]

The helpful French teacher was the wife of the mutual friend who had introduced Paul and John to each other years earlier.

[@peb2398]

Simple is incredibly complex.

[@andymccabe6712]

'clunky, plodding, awkward ... !?!?' ....Amy, Amy, Amy.....!

[@grichard1585]

You should hear the other "pop" songs from this time period, then you would know why people were bowled over by the Beatles. Nothing sounded like this. Songs were all "formulaic" written by professionals who handed off the songs to record labels who paired the songs to the singer/groups that were in the "stable". It was like a factory.

[@marcuspi999]

I could see Michelle playing in a Film Noir right before the main character gets offed by a stiletto.

[@Ozymandi_as]

In terms of genre, I want to say the song will lieder to chansons d'amour, ra-ta-tah-ta-tah. Actually, it belongs to the understandably limited cannon of 'le pop en franglais'. The only other song I can readily think of in this truncated tradition is Bill Wyman's minor 1981 hit _(Si si) Je suis un rock star_ which is more novelty than nice. I suspect Amy would not like it quite as much. Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin's steamily suggestive _Je t'aime, moi non plus_ briefly came into my mind: it doesn't really belong, but you know what men are like, I just couldn't help it. It is bilingual, though, the gasps, grunts and moans belonging to the lingua franca of lurve, a kind of erotic Esperanto that you wouldn't normally expect to hear on the radio. But it was massive in 69, so the memory _kinda lingers._

[@jrdlabs]

Paul was heavily influenced by more traditional music from the 30's and 40's, mainly because of his dad, who was also a musician. Songs like "Martha, My Dear", "Honey Pie", "When I'm Sixty-Four" and others , illustrate that fact. A bit of that influence may be in evidence in "Michelle", as you point out. That's quite an insightful observation on your part, by the way, especially considering that, you may not be aware of the thing about his dad. Wow! Regarding Paul's bass line, I'm sure it was all feel and musical intuition. He just played what he thought sounded good, 'composing' it, sort of, on the fly. Of course, I could be wrong. But, that's, generally, how they worked. I've always admired Paul's bass playing. He seems to have a knack for playing just the right bass line for the song, at the same time, laying down a solid foundation. In other words, his bass playing always serves the song. It just amazes me, having been a Beatles' fan from the very beginning, that Paul could write and sing rockers like "Helter Skelter" or "I Saw Her Standing There", then turn around and come up with "Yesterday", "Michelle" or "She's Leaving Home". That's just nuts! By the way, to this day, when I meet a Michelle, it eventually comes around to 'MEE-shell', much to the chagrin, I'm sure, of MEE-shelles around the world. (lol)

[@michaelsnelling2918]

Would love you to review the Beatles 'In my life' covered by Hose Feliciano … timeless

[@stuBdoc]

The intro wouldn't be the same without the bass line.

[@briangrigsby1842]

really taking it apart.

[@babyfacemichael1]

Bach would have loved it , you know i`m right.

[@GravinaAlexandre]

🇧🇷❤️😍

[@MichaelWarchol]

I have to disagree with you Amy. I don’t find this to be “ clunky “ at all. It’s my guest that this is exactly what the Beatles and George Martin were striving for. The Beatles were always attempting to expand and create. I think that with Michelle, they succeeded.

[@kentroskelley1389]

This is a song from a guys perspective who is infatuated with the beauty who is Michelle.

[@williamredding4448]

It doesn't matter the language - all women speak a different one.

[@TheNordicharps]

I don't see it as amusing at all. I suppose I am a naive clumsy awkward person.

[@cesarcorinthians]

When we will see you reacting to a Dream Theater son, Something like Metropolis 1, Panic Atttack, Octavarium....

[@derek91362]

She is pretty much saying it is amateurish and humorously so.

[@sherylkeib4993]

Geez, I wouldn't have listened if I had known you didn't even pay the song

[@michaelkittler9104]

How can you pretend to have never heard it?

[@BigSky1]

John suggested to Paul the I love you, I love you part.