What Makes This Song Great? The Beatles

[@RickBeato]

🎉 AVAILABLE NOW: Music Theory for Songwriting (50% off through Cyber Monday): ⇢ songwriters.co

[@rjkmusicmedia]

The chorus E chord the sceond line you can here a slight flat 7 making it a dominant sound too!

[@kellyldavis100]

Rick, if you ever do get Paul on the show, PLEASE, make it at least 2 hours, or 2-3 parts, also, I got a feeling Paul would enjoy it as well, once he knows how in to it you are. Won’t you please, please, please all of us.

[@kevdmiller]

I'm sure he'd sit with him as long as he can, but with someone on Paul's level, you take what you can get! But yeah I would LOVE to dive into a long discussion!

[@billiswillis8293]

Anytime at all!!! I think he can work it out. Ils seraient des mots qui vont trés bien ensemble.

[@Jojo-bm4tb]

😎🤘

[@o.fortuna657]

Believe me, “I’ve gotta feeling” as well!

[@thelowprofile9767]

@@billiswillis8293 It might be a long and winding road to get paul.

[@adam-yk6yd]

The true genius of this song is the depth of empathy and understanding that a pair of lads from Liverpool in their mid-20s had for all of this song’s protagonists: the daughter and the parent’s journey’s and perspectives beautifully and heartbreakingly communicated in a sincere and deeply moving way that has no precedent in pop music. There’s no reason that they should have understood and communicated this story so well, and yet they were moved to do so in a beautiful piece of work.

[@NVRAMboi]

The Source for such writing was incredibly strong with those guys - especially when they wrote together. Magic.

[@7colliemac]

Very well said, Nowhere Man & Elenor Rigby also show maturity & depth well beyond their years, they weren’t shallow pop writers anymore, they wanted to move people emotionally & mentally. This song is pure genius painting word pictures like Picasso, pulling at your heart strings.

[@AllThePiecesMatter_]

That's lovely, I applaud you.

[@karagi101]

Today’s 20 somethings are like yesterday’s teen somethings.

[@alukuhito]

I guess it's a far cry from the society you live in? Why wouldn't someone be able to empathize with someone else?

[@axnyslie]

Another reminder that the Beatles wild popularity was not a fluke accident. They were genuinely brilliant songwriters.

[@Seekandtune]

They also didn't have any competition.

[@markstevens1729]

Yeah, and they weren't just blowing your mind with that, they were also performing with incredible energy, solid beat/rhythm, tasty lead breaks and those layered voices! Strength after strength. Nobody like 'em.

[@john26660]

@@Seekandtune It wouldn't have mattered.

[@PincoPallino-zh8wm]

@@Seekandtune Yours is pretty much a compliment. You don't have competition when you are the inventor. The Beatles created the competition for everyone that came after and pretty much copied their formula (and still do today)

[@mrb7094]

@@Seekandtune Oh. They did. It was an era of fabulous song writers actually. From Brian Wilson, to Bob Dylan, to Joni Mitchell, to Pete Townsend, to Carol King, to Neil Young. But, you knew that already.

[@AllThePiecesMatter_]

Astonishing to think that in the space of roughly twelve months, The Beatles recorded Eleanor Rigby, Here There and Everywhere, She Said She Said, Tomorrow Never Knows, Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane, A Day in the Life, Within You Without You and She's Leaving Home. Not to mention everything else that makes up Revolver and Sgt Pepper. Astonishing period of creativity for them that to this day remains unsurpassed.

[@gregsmith7949]

You will always get these bozos that try to claim the Beatles are overrated. They obviously know nothing about the Beatles and the volume of incredible music they created in such a short span of time.

[@AllThePiecesMatter_]

@gregsmith7949 true. What they achieved in a little over six years as recording artists has proved beyond anyone recording since.

[@ThaiThom]

Two words: George Martin.

[@o.fortuna657]

Add this: For no One.

[@RuggeroBelloni]

@@ThaiThom True, but as John once said "Play me a song by George Martin from before or after he worked with us". I might add, how come his magic shone only with them?

[@Eric-ff4bf]

To me it's not only one of the most beautiful songs of the Sgt. Peppers album, it's one of the most beautiful songs of the entire Beatles discography.

[@Total1Now]

subscribers to this channel might not realise quite how lucky they are to have a music teacher like Rick to tune into on the regular. As an older dude in his 60s. . . back in the day it was quite the job to learn the little bits and pieces from friends, records and when I could afford it the occasional music lesson. Rick's turorial videos, unpacking and discussions are a priceless treasure. . just sayin

[@jesusislukeskywalker4294]

☝️ great comment

[@robrussell5329]

Seems to me he's just playing the song back and finding things to talk about.

[@steveprudell9976]

ido

[@keithreck6567]

I am still amazed that Paul created something so beautiful and reflective of a deep understanding of life and love and grief -- at only 25 years old.

[@martifingers]

A side note... the lyrics to this song were used in a panel game on BBC TV in 1967 where eminent literary experts had to guess the source of various quotations read out by an actor. One academic had no idea where it came from but considered it the work of a very fine poet. It was a delicious moment for me as a young fan.

[@banba317]

Even more astonishing is the revelation by both Paul and John that most often, lyrics came secondary to the overall 'sound' of their songs, especially after they "retired" from touring. You can see it on full display in the Get Back Documentary, where Paul starts with the simplistic rhythm and progression of Get Back without much thought for the lyrics until the basic arrangement is in place. Same holds for Harrison's Master Work, Something! And yet many of their songs would hold up perfectly well as serious and seriously beautiful poetry.

[@thorkhammer]

I don't think people today truly understand the impact The Beatles had on the world back then. I was 16 years old when SPLHCB was first played on the airwaves of America. Our local radio station, I believe it was KFXM though it might have been KMEN (my 74 year old mind is a bit foggy on which), must have had a program manager and/or DJ with balls because someone thought it important enough to air the entire album non-stop...no commercial breaks, from beginning to end. Which they did, after giving us promos they would be doing so for 3 days in advance. I recall that night, in the back yard of a friend, listening to the entire album on a (believe it or not) transistor radio. Laying on the grass on a mild spring night in 1967 hearing it, was like being on another world, amidst all the turmoil happening on our planet at the time (Viet Nam). Thank you, Rick, for doing this, and letting younger generations know our musical past. Your channel should be standard viewing in every music class across the country.

[@robrussell5329]

Sgt. Pepper wasn't even a big seller.... The impact was "She Loves You" and "Yesterday." (etc. etc.)

[@steveprudell9976]

Same

[@PotrzebieConolly]

@@robrussell5329 It was the #1 album in the U.S. for 15 weeks. After Sgt. Pepper, the sales of albums in general started climbing until they peaked around the year 2000 and the Internet making everything available. So the best selling albums of later years sold more copies than Sgt. Pepper. But it definitely was a big seller.

[@PotrzebieConolly]

Yeah, Top 40 WLOF in Orlando played the entire album also. They had been playing "A Day in the Life" for a couple of weeks before that. After hearing the album, I called my friends and they had listened to it too,

[@stephicath]

As a fifteen year old kid, this song made me weep. The lyric "how could she treat =us= so thoughtlessly/how could she do this to =me=" was a gobsmacker. as was john's "something inside that was always denied for so many years". The music is extraordinary. The lyrics caught a moment.

[@thehanker5347]

Yes, that us/me shift is so mature and experienced. you can’t believe that a young musician writes those lines.

[@albertschepis]

I was 13 in 1967, just discovering love and empathy... Made me cry then and 57 years later still does.

[@douglaswaite9574]

I was born in '67, so my reaction was obviously delayed. But I can tell you that some point when I heard it on AOR radio in the early/mid 70s, it shook me to hear a song with such real and heavy lyrics. Poignant. This song, and then Seasons in the Sun proved to me that there was more to rock and roll than just girlfriends, sex and drugs. And then there was Sky Pilot by the Animals... and then Fearless by PInk Floyd. ...and then there was...

[@StarmanSuper00]

"Something inside..." was a graceful way of resuming the lyric's seriousness too; I always thought "Fun is the one thing that money can't buy" (the line that precedes it) was somewhat flippant and out of place phrasing. The finality of a child coming of age and leaving the nest is a much more profound symbol than running off for a bit of fun - but the song is so masterful overall that I can forgive it. Other examples of wisdom beyond their years - Things We Said Today, Eleanor Rigby, For No One. Even 'When I'm Sixty Four' in all of its jocular sentimentality conveys real appreciation for lifelong love fully blossomed in older age.

[@banba317]

@@StarmanSuper00 That line about 'fun,' always gave me the feeling the parents in this story were older than average when the girl was born and so they had trouble relating from an early age. It also could be a revisionist take on their earlier advice that love was the thing that money couldn't buy!

[@michaelfrieze]

I hope you get to interview Paul McCartney some day.

[@michaelfrieze]

Maybe interview Bob Weir as well, before it's too late.

[@cherbutler85]

That’s probably why he did this one. I say,…keep doing them until he does do it. I always figured Paul would be an easier get than David Gilmour.

[@michaelfrieze]

@@cherbutler85 Getting Paul would be my favorite interview ever. He must be one of the best song writers of all time.

[@uidentity]

I suspect Rick wanted to retire some time ago and multiple times, but kept going in hope to get Paul. THEN he can retire! 😅

[@Mr.H0LLYW00D]

I don't think paul would want to go, as in Beatos questions might destroy the mythos of the beatles. It would be amazing though😊

[@brianpeart7267]

7:18 There's another clever thing here. When mother reads the note and cries "Daddy, our baby's gone", Rick mentions the violins in syncopation, but this sounds like a TV news broadcast theme as well. She's not only telling Daddy, she's telling the world! Brilliant.

[@jaapsch2]

It certainly sounds like a morse code signal, almost a distress signal, which is clearly a deliberate, and yes many news themes are (or were) based on that telegraph sound.

[@tonyroma7599]

Nice catch. The Beatles were always doing things like that. Which shows their genius

[@NVRAMboi]

@@jaapsch2 Absolutely. Or a "breaking news" alert for very important events. It really makes sense.

[@myotheruncle4744]

"Breaking News," sure, and it also sounds like she's trying to talk while she's also crying.

[@tockita]

That's my favorite part of the song! I just love those strings when the mother says to the husband "our baby is gone". It haunts you!

[@thomasweir2834]

Every time i take a break from the Beatles, 6 months later i come back and i hear new things. It’s the same experience for decades now.

[@pauljnight8620]

Thank you once again Rick for reminding me how great the Beatles were. I grew up with them (I’m 66) and still listen to their albums and still hear new things!

[@steveprudell9976]

Exactly .one of Rick'S best

[@salparadise8581]

MCcartney's ear for melody is a joy to behold and the wonderful Lennon counterpoint reminds me of an earlier song off Beatle's for sale "I'll follow the sun"....their productivity is as always forever mind blowing

[@albertschepis]

Yeah... Slow that down and add some strings and dissonance and it's in the same ballpark. Nice catch. Paul wrote that at age 16, btw.

[@pnichols6500]

Always one of my favorite early Beatles and never thought it got the respect it deserves.

[@steveprudell9976]

Chem of two great minds

[@brokl26]

Rick, I didn’t think I would ever be loving the Beatles more than I already did. But I was wrong. I may not be able to follow everything you tell us, but I do hear the moments in the song that you bring our attention to. This means I hear songs more complete than I ever have.

[@Thedondurrett]

Those of us that were lucky enough to grow up during the Beatles era were blessed with so many master pieces. Now and then I need a subtle reminder just how great they were.

[@stephenbowden2929]

Not me I don't need a reminder I listen to them all the time since 1963

[@disneyscott98]

Rick finally (somehow) being able to use Beatles music in a WMTSG is fantastic and I hope we can see so many more.

[@markdemeritt601]

Absolutely,I was shocked when I saw the picture and tag line!🎉

[@johns6795]

How did this happen? What changed? Do restriction that affect being able to monetize a video affect just that one video or whole channel? If just one video, decided to do a freebie. If whole channel, Beatles relaxing usage rights, or outright approval from high up?

[@viewoftheaskew]

@@johns6795 Maybe he just demonetized it?

[@Shooter_FPV]

As soon as I saw this in my feed I watched it right away, just in case it did get pulled... lol... still strange that it's still up. Probably demonetized as @johns6795 said

[@jamielawrence2515]

Right on!

[@EddieFunkowitz]

I read that Paul played this song on the piano for Brian Wilson and his wife during a brief visit to LA during the SMiLE sessions in early '67. The music was so beautiful and the lyrics were so moving that it brought them to tears. Wish we had a recording of that!

[@danerd8978]

Brian himself has confirmed that.

[@ChristopherHolmgren]

Wouldn't that have been a collaboration!

[@ChristopherHolmgren]

Not too late!

[@DaleBaker-e3u]

Utterly amazing, just beyond words, just beyond genius. Well that the beatles for you.

[@bingohhhhhhhhhhhh]

@@ChristopherHolmgren Yes, wouldn't it have been nice.

[@micatnight2010]

My mom was a Bing Crosby fan, but she grew to appreciate The Beatles - in no small part due to my enthusiasm for the band. When my sister, who was five years my senior, left home to move in with her boyfriend in Miami (60 miles away) I foolishly played this song for my mom, who tearfully asked me to turn it off. I'm reminded of that day every time I hear "She's Leaving Home."

[@tomallen5837]

D'oh!

[@TheFutureMike]

My friends home was underwater in Chalmette 19 years ago. I played him When The Levee Breaks. Not a good idea.

[@flydeluxe]

@@TheFutureMike Ouch!

[@tomallen5837]

double D'oh!

[@rome8180]

These are some of the Beatles best lyrics, imo. They have the quality of a great short story. They use point of view to paint a complex picture where no one is the villain or hero. The daughter leaves home because she longs for freedom and adventure. Her parents feel it's an indictment of them. Both perspectives are relatable. The use of the parentheticals in the chorus to present these contrasting points of view is both brilliant and heartbreaking. If John really did write the chorus -- which you can never be sure of when it comes to Lennon-McCartney compositions -- it was a wonderful addition to the song that took it to the next level.

[@Suggsonbass]

"Leaving the letter she hoped would say more"

[@Glehost]

Gorgeous

[@Htheorphanarian]

I feel John didn't write this, it falls into the 'sappy stuff' that Paul would usually write, and John probably hated.

[@MrTolandMusic]

I think John might have written the counterpoint parent-perspective bits . Usually they sang what they wrote.

[@malakaisilverman9913]

@@HtheorphanarianI absolutely agree. This is soooo Paul it’s got be at the very least, mostly Paul.

[@psychomilt]

I hadn't heard this song for a long time. When I was young it felt like an uplifting tale of a daughter finally getting out from under her sappy parents. Listening to it just now as a parent, the emotional weight of it is just crushing. I guess you do learn a few things as you get older.

[@bluedingo1186]

See Rick + Beatles and I click

[@whydoeslife2750]

See Beatles I click

[@thethirdrail8397]

While buddy holleys. crickets were chirping - true fact buddy hollys real name was Chales Hardin Holley

[@generaljj71]

Ditto

[@carminone]

Inevitably

[@elponchex]

It was probably Tano Romano's right hand and its tireless chugging that made the song what it is. Rick always seems to forget about this inconvenient fact.🤔

[@mickmcsherry5916]

Love this channel. Love, love, love The Beatles. This album came out when I was in grammar school. The song made me weep every time I heard it. It’s the only song that ever had such an effect on me. When I play it now, no tears, but sometimes I feel a few nostalgic butterflies fluttering inside. Great song, great album, and a great band. Love, love, love them!

[@abc456f]

I was ten years old when Pepper came out, and this song always hit me hard. I'm surprised Rick didn't analyze the ending. The way it resolves with the lyrics, "Bye, bye." A perfect song indeed.

[@KevinSheedy10]

I listened to it as a kid. I listen to it now as a parent with my own young daughters hoping they never feel like this towards me. The Beatles are timeless

[@billg3356]

Paul and Rick need to meet.

[@caio_fabeni]

it would be the best video of all the internet

[@alessandroarcuri209]

@@caio_fabeni yeah, we could shut down the internet after that.

[@fabrizio3711]

Love this song! Is this video an anticipation of the greatest Rick interview?

[@BrianthatiscalledBrian]

Maybe Paul ok'd the video. 🤞😀

[@simes205]

Rick needs to find an angle to get him in that no one else has interviewed him about.........

[@lanceleslie5165]

I can vividly remember the '67 summer of Sgt. Pepper's. It was everywhere, on every transistor radio, every car radio, and record players in my home and in all of my friend's homes. It was so unlike any record that had come before it, even by the Beatles! This song has always played to a complete, and completely British, movie in my mind. It is compositional perfection. Great analysis, Rick!

[@clairwaucaush7225]

It was everywhere. AND if I remember right, they didn't even release a single from it! The Platinum Record award was created because of Sgt. Pepper!

[@thiswillprobhrt]

Sgt pepper and Are you experienced in the same year. What a time to be alive (I bet)

[@roberthunt1540]

Even Johnny Rivers said in a song "And the jukebox kept on playin' Seargent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band."

[@robrussell5329]

Are you talking the U.S.? I was 14, listened to the radio all day, and don't remember any of that at all. Progressive FM radio was just starting out, but nobody listened to that on transistor radios. Sgt. Pepper had no singles, the album didn't sell well in the early years, and Joe Cocker introduced (and made famous) "A Little Help from My Friends" at Woodstock.

[@TheGreatConstantini]

There are so many comments to make yet I really am lost for one. The Beatles changed my life as they did many. I became a songwriter, not very successfully, but at 63 I’m still writing, because of their music. They influenced an unfathomable amount of young musicians. They touched the souls of countless humans of all ages and backgrounds. So I guess my point is, I could have been born at any time, but I fell fortunate and blessed to have been around to hear this incredible music.

[@louiesimon5292]

Same. I'm also 63. Bought every single when it came out from around 65 forward. Changed my life. I'm a pro drummer because of them. Yes, I started collecting records at age 5. The Batman tv theme was my first one!

[@rubenaroca]

Ned Rorem, a composer, described the Beatles' song "She's Leaving Home" as "equal to any song that Schubert ever wrote" (Time. 22 September 1967)

[@fayesouthall6604]

It sounds classical

[@davidclaycomb5496]

I have that Time article in my scrapbook.

[@99tonnes]

What's your favourite Schubert song?

[@douglasmijangos3327]

“Standing alone at the top of the stairs, she breaks down and cries to her husband “Daddy our Baby’s gone” that line always gives me the chills.. I’ve shed a tear many times to this song.. thinking about a Mother’s pain and suffering is so sad.. I know musically this song I amazing but the Story and Lyrics are also nothing less than genius ❤

[@zorglub76]

Paul being 25 at the time he wrote these lyrics makes me expect... idk... Sabrina Carpenter (who's 25 now) to come up with lyrics (made by herself, and not by her writers) on the same level as this. Imagine a girl or a boy, pop star at the age of 25 writing...... good lyrics nowadays..

[@K9Weddings]

Just one of a number of songs that show that The Beatles were so much more than a great rock group. They could write music in any style as an album like The White Album illustrates. Probably the most versatile artists ever. Others can write music in different styles but few can come up with such catchy songs in so many styles.

[@jozefzvala]

She's Leaving Home,Eleanor Rigby and In My Life are songs I will never be tired of listening to again and again.The Beatles❤

[@spaghettisauce445]

Any song off of revolver, rubber soul, and sgt are songs i’ll listen to for the rest of my life they are gold

[@jasek911]

I would add Penny Lane.

[@kineahora8736]

Yeah I thought this and Eleanor were linked because of the bowed strings. But there are earlier things too that grip me-just this morning in the bath suddenly I had “Hey you’ve got to hide your love away” come through my mind randomly… really don’t know why…

[@NVRAMboi]

@jozefzvala: Good post. At the risk of overstating it; I'd suggest all of those tracks transcend generations. Another (to me) w/likely be "Across The Universe". You're not going to be able to "buy those (songs) off-the-shelf" anywhere. Even now.

[@kineahora8736]

@ lol yuck “across the universe”, never liked that Lennon crap. These pseudo-utopian lyrics were not relatable in the least🤣

[@flash001USA]

It's amazing how the voices of Paul and John even make the music arrangement played by the orchestra itself sound 100% Beatles.

[@deanallen927]

Sheila Bromberg played the harp on this. There's a cool video of her talking about it. She died in 2021.

[@paulmartinson875]

Yes! I love her!!

[@Tracylindilou]

Blessed Be

[@NVRAMboi]

Indeed. RIP.

[@johntiggleman4686]

@deanallen927 I saw that recently. Very nice.

[@deanallen927]

In fourth grade ('70 - '71 school season), my friend's high school age sister gave me her copy of Pepper's. I instantly fell in love with it. It isn't just a record, it is an amazing journey; every song is a pitstop into the life of another character. it is like no other record before or since. The morning you spend with the girl in the song, then her parents, is and always has been so clear in my mind. The music here is the delivery system that allows the words to do that. There is no other album that achieves that so vividly, song after song.

[@Ivartshiva]

they were filmwriters

[@brooos]

Aside from being a great piece of music, the lyrics were so relevant and powerful. For those not alive at the time, literally thousands of kids ran away, many to become hippies in CA and elsewhere. Some eventually returned and reconciled with their families while many others were never heard from again.

[@DavyRayVideo]

I remember watching a news show in 1967 about Haight-Ashbury and the kids there. I wanted to go. Really bad. I was 13. I almost walked out the door right then. Many left. Many who stayed wanted to drop out. It was the times.

[@blutey]

@@DavyRayVideo _Turn on, tune in, drop out..._

[@robrussell5329]

Of course they were relevant - they were true! Paul wrote the song after reading about the girl in the newspaper. Years later, upon realizing it was about herself, she identified herself.

[@matslindeberg]

Paul was only 25 when he wrote this very sophisticated and evocative short story in 3 acts. Brilliant on multiple levels. There are several “First reaction” clips on KZbin where people listen to She’s Coming Home without knowing anything about it and are literally moved to tears by the beauty and melancholy.

[@mastjamal]

Actually 24 wouldn't turn 25 till July

[@822nivla]

@@mastjamal Paul's birthday is June 18

[@evanjazzista]

Except it's She's _Leaving_ Home.

[@matslindeberg]

Geez. She’s LEAVING home, obviously. Ugh :)

[@raindrops21_9]

I can't wrap my head around what these guys achieved as such a young age. The musical and emotional maturity it took to bring these complex ideas to life.

[@nickkoutsoukis]

I've always thought this song was one of their best. The emotion builds until the very last word. Paul narrates the story and John is the inner voice of the parents. At the end of each chorus John steps on Paul's last line with his, "bye bye," and the chorus never resolves. After the last revealing chorus, and the last interruption, Paul restates the stark reality without interruption, "She's leaving home," on a resolving plagal cadence, and then John, having waited, and having listened - closes... "bye bye." It's amazingly good songwriting.

[@robrussell5329]

"Their"? It's a McCartney song with Lennon singing backup.

[@Uetti]

@@robrussell5329 Their as of The Beatles, I guess

[@sammybeck7794]

There's a reason that the Beatles surpassed all bands that came along during the British Invasion. They have all come and gone in one way or another but the Beatles have extreme staying power. Their songwriting skills were top-notch

[@J.Blogsblues-ns4to]

The Beatles had a natural gift that has remained unsurpassed in nearly 60 years since. Talent like this can't be taught.

[@marc-yv7cu]

Thank you for demonstrating evidence of an extraordinary talent. There are still people who think I’m an obsessed fan when I mention the real genius of Paul McCartney. The depth of his nuances in composition, singing but also as a bassist (Beatles & Wings), while my ears of old musician hear so well the unique expressiveness of this insuperable îcone ...

[@malcolmclark4137]

Grew up with them and love to play their compositions on the piano to this day, as one of the Woodstock generation. Still the most amazing musicians and songwriters. Found sheet music that has proper Bass Lines so the music sounds proper. Thank You Rick, for opening up the eyes of so many up and coming musicians. Reading sheet music with both Bass and Treble Clef should be addressed by instrumentalists that are used to reading only one or the other. It's amazing how many people would flunk the first year of music theory in college because they had not exposed themselves to the other clef.

[@malcolmclark4137]

Paul's probably one of the best rock vocalists of my lifetime, such versatility and melodic sense

[@TedlinksChannel]

Rick, if you’re ever so fortunate to be able to interview Paul, it would be great to ask about the writing of this song, among others. And the collaboration with John on this one on the chorus.

[@brent3760]

The Beatles are why I am musician. Fell in love with their creations from a baby and still love them at 40 years old.

[@seanslavin1974]

The Beatles were firing on so many different levels it takes one almost a lifetime just to scratch the surface and begin to grasp just how unbelievably brilliant they were. No matter how many times I’ve listened to the Beatles I always hear something I’ve never heard before when listening to one of their songs. And that’s after forty years of daily listening.

[@GBPaddling]

Cannot believe you didn't mention the ending Rick....😮 Surely a contender for the best ending of ANY pop song, THE best in my opinion, just absolute perfection. 🥰

[@TheTralfaz]

it wraps the song up in a neat little bow

[@fz3nft]

It is perfection! Bye Bye. Now that I am a parent of a teenager who has ran away multiple times it really hits me hard.

[@johnstahrstartcleanfitwell1051]

I'm SO HAPPY you did THIS song Rick... I just turned 60 & haven't heard this song in probably 30-40 years & you love me when you remember this melody that is sunk deep in my brain that is absolutely incredibly gorgeous!! Thank you!

[@stamatiskon3049]

There's an interview of the harpist from 2011, I think it was BBC, that's very enlightening about the way this song was recorded and how involved Paul was in the process. It's interesting because she said that he was not happy with the recording at all and kept mumbling "that's not what I want, I want something...". It's amazing that they created such an incredible body of work with the "primitive musical tools", as John once said, that they had...

[@techtipsuk]

Yeah I remember this a female player

[@paulmartinson875]

Yes, she was wonderful, Ringo was also on that show, so cool...

[@JohnnyCameo]

Fortunately their “primitive musical tools” were wielded by the two finest songwriters in the history of popular music

[@stamatiskon3049]

@@JohnnyCameo John was talking about their inability to express their musical ideas. The fortunate thing here was that these two had Geroge Martin and Geoff Emerick to interpret and execute them. The unfortunate part is that so many of those ideas could never be translated. You should watch that clip, it's here on youtube, it will make you appreciate them even more!

[@JohnnyCameo]

@@stamatiskon3049 I could not possibly appreciate the Beatles any more than I already do

[@manariwa]

A songwriting book analyzes the lyric of this great song and highlights the storytelling technique used, especially the exact and suggested progression of time and drama (check out "By the Time I Get to Phoenix"): Wed. 5 AM, stepping outside, father snores, picks up the letter, Friday 9 AM, she is far away . . . . All that physical and emotional transit of a lonely soul is wrapped in the equally-poignant contrapuntal questioning of her distraught parents. It's even more heartbreaking than E. Rigby. John closes the tension with a somewhat tragicomical "bye-bye" behind Paul's driving title-chorus "She's leaving home". Note that the song ends with the same harp arpeggio intro that sounds like diamond crystals dropping into a silent pond of tears. Excellent craftsmanship!

[@willzimjohn]

And the icing on the cake, you don't get the true IV chord (A major) until the final "bye bye". That plagal cadence, the final acceptance that she's gone, is such a release from that hanging F#7 and the jumping melody and chord changes.

[@zzzaphod8507]

Amen

[@loontil]

Plagal plagal plagal alert!

[@rosspearlstone2439]

The genius of the Beatles wasn't in just writing pop songs but in writing beautiful, sophisticated music evoking deep emotional responses long after we're all gone.

[@georgetowle8903]

Thank you for bringing this series back it is great

[@911heroesandme]

Ever since I was 12 years old and was exploring my dad's vinyl collection I have absolutely loved this song. I have no idea why it seems to rub many fans the wrong way. Fantastic and moving all the way through.

[@dallasgraham2813]

The final sigh...Bye bye..is SO touching...omg

[@chrisgrech3121]

I used to work with the son of the harp player on this Sheila Bromberg, he is also a musician and music teacher in London. He had a few stories about this song and the session. She had a very successful career but playing on the greatest album of all time must have been one of the highlights.

[@edgardobravo7351]

I've been listening to the Beatles since the 60s and every time I do it I like them even more. They were highly talented alchemists creating wonders.

[@jacksimpsoncl]

Rick Beato + Beatles = Musical perfection

[@obviousalias9506]

The Beatoles? 🙂

[@kenikos744]

I was in my teens when The Beatles were putting out new music. Each album was like a beautiful gift from the gods of music who lived on a Mt. Olympus of their own on an island far away from my dull little world in the Midwest of America. I miss the joy of receiving those gifts now and then, and Sgt. Pepper's was my favorite.

[@j.p.mosoff1783]

This is the reason that watching the little screen and the scourge of the internet is of such importance and pleasure! Thank you Rick!

[@TES-541]

This is the Beatles song that means the most to me. When I was about 4 or 5 in the early 90s, my parents played tons of music for me and my brother who I’m not close with. We became music obsessives and I used to sit in front of the record player playing this album constantly. And this is the song I remember most from that time. ❤

[@midiwhale]

Love these songwriting workshop breakdowns ;-)

[@TheseusStorm]

On this album, Paul surpasses everybody in the songwriting department, with leaps and bounds. John is certainly there in some amazing moments, but Paul is soaring. "She's Leaving Home" is one of several reasons why this is my favorite Beatles album. As a cohesive statement and a mystical, transcendent work of art, the album stands alone.

[@albertschepis]

Nicely said.

[@bodowen]

Fixing A Hole speaks to me.

[@gettinhungrig2]

@@albertschepis Badly said. John has the best songs here: A Day In The Life, Lucy, Mr Kite, Good Morning Good Morning (love GM, GM) and had a big hand in She's Leaving Home, Getting Better, A Little Help (contributed music and lyrics to all 3). That leaves Paul with Rita, Fixing A Hole, Pepper (John sings lead on the superior reprise incidentally), and When I'm 64 which shouldn't have made the album. I put "Within You, Without You" above any of those. It's insane too that 'Strawberry Fields" wasn't included for 64. The first song recorded, It set the tone for the album as admitted by George Martin. An early take like we heard on Anthology would've fit perfectly.

[@Uetti]

@@gettinhungrig2 What about the big hand Paul had in A Day In The Life? What a coincidence you forgot to mention that… And since when John is singing lead in the Reprise of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band? It's a three-part harmony all the way through, until Paul yells in the end. So no real lead vocals on that song. You overestimate John's input on She's Leaving Home and Getting Better as both lyrical and musical when in both cases John only supplied lyrics. It's an important contribution, still, but not that overbearing. The nature of the composition of With A Little Help From My Friends has never been totally clarified, so I won't enter that territory.

[@A_Long_Musk]

I remember the first time I heard this song. I was about 10 or 11 years old and meant to be playing soldiers with my next door neighbours kid and his parents had this album - I remembered She Loves You, Yeah and I Want to Hold Your Hand on the radio all the time a couple of years before - and asked for it to be played. I was blown away by the whole album, but this song, arrangement and the beauty and sadness of it got to me.

[@rd-um4sp]

it is impressive that when you listen to so much beatles you can have a pretty good guess to who wrote each part. The identity of each composer is imprinted in both harmony and melody. and the song? still goosebumps and that lump in your throat even after decades of listening

[@shalomshalom735]

Finally!! What makes this song great again. Please make many more of these episodes.

[@TEN-ve8mp]

Ditto.

[@dannyholloway2007]

This is not only one of the most beautiful songs on Sgt. Pepper, it is one of The Beatles' most beautiful songs period, and one of the most beautiful songs of all time.

[@graybeard2569]

And the lyrics too! Small details that resonate, the different points of view, the way that large chunks of the story are left up to the listener to imagine. Beautiful all round.

[@DansAm76]

This was great. I always felt bad for the family unit being broken in the song yet understood that the only way the young woman could be free to live her life was to leave. It's a very beautiful but sad song. Beatles at their best.

[@mariposagoldenboy1]

Love this! I did this song actually the entire Sergeant Pepper’s album and the entire Abby Road album with a group of kids from the School Of Rock and we really had fun doing this one with keyboards playing the cello and Harp parts

[@matthewbartlett3442]

Link?!

[@matthewbartlett3442]

Link?!

[@mariposagoldenboy1]

@@matthewbartlett3442 I only took a couple of iPhone videos. Let me see if I can post one

[@mariposagoldenboy1]

I’ve got a few good clips of this show. A really nice performance of something and fixing a hole and Maxwell’s silver hammer.

[@JeffCN-gk7zf]

Dear Prudence = Perfect For No One = Perfect

[@frednerk8366]

My sister emigrated to Canada when the album was released, so this song always has had a special meaning for me,

[@l.coelho7049]

My favorite Beatles song. Never thought Rick would mention it. Happy surprise!

[@rowbags3017]

It's a perfect illustration of the combined strength of Lennon and McCartney - contrasting and complementing each other wonderfully.

[@Kevin-xj6cf]

The beatles weren't a band...they were a miracle...Dave Gilmour.

[@boomitchell989]

Terrific analysis, Rick! It's no surprise that Rolling Stone for decades ranked Sgt. Pepper's as the greatest album of all time because they turned rock into an art form.

[@toonswap8511]

Having Paul here would be the most incredible show ever and probably the highlight of your interviewing career. I would sit down for 4 hours straight for that and be all ears. While your at it... have Ringo on at the same time and make it a 2 part series. Should for the stars!

[@m_i_c_h_a_e_l]

The most amazing thing about this video is that it's up on KZbin. Has Rick got clearance for The Beatles now?

[@Stephen_Lafferty]

He knows that it will be demonetised, even if it is for educational purposes.

[@btlzu2]

I can only only Hope this means Apple (the Beatles Apple) and the Beatles cleared this. Which also means?

[@gfriedman99]

What makes it great is how well the melody drives the lyrics home so you feel it in your soul.

[@coastercook]

When do we get the Paul McCartney interview? I'd be happy with just a Ringo interview.

[@vintage76vipergreenBeetle]

We want to see both interviews. Hopefully soon.

[@nostromo7928]

"Just" a Ringo interview? ?

[@paulmartinson875]

​@@nostromo7928I think Ringo would be a better interview

[@duncan.vincent]

Beautiful song Rick, it’s art at its finest. I’ve covered this with my song writer friend and it was beautiful, wholesome and fun . I love how you take us through the song as a journey.

[@JB_Eckl]

Where does this version come from? It's different from the album.

[@bernardjharmsen304]

5:18 I haven't heard this vocal harmony before....

[@bettyparker3317]

My ears are not good, and most of Ricks analysis is beyond me. But even I can hear what I’d call significant differences in the early vinyl records, and the remastered versions released in recent years.

[@semiinstrumentalist]

Sometime in the late 2000s, multi-track recordings of four songs from Sgt. Pepper began circulating on the Internet. This one, the title track, With A Little Help From My Friends, and A Day in the Life. Each song had four separate tracks, each with a separate instrument or group of instruments on it. There's a lot on those 'raw' tracks that was mixed out on the final album. The KZbin channel "Beatlepuzzle" has a good video showcasing the title track.

[@brettmorris4789]

need an answer to this. this contains john harmonies i’ve never heard in any version

[@greg19561]

Not one of my favourite Beatles songs, however… the fact that The Beatles wrote over 200 songs in only 6 years is a staggering accomplishment. And they recorded virtually their entire canon of music before turning 29 years old. Also of note is that their musical growth was tremendous, from “Love Me Do” in 1962 to “Tomorrow Never Knows” in 1966, and “The Long and Winding Road” in 1969. Absolutely amazing.

[@aj.s...]

Probably my favorite Beatles song... which puts in the running for one of my favorite songs, period.

[@zyzzyvacation]

Fun fact: The harp intro was played by Sheila Bromberg (1928-2021), the first female to feature prominently on a Beatles recording. Bromberg was paid £9 Sterling for her services in 1967.

[@paulmartinson875]

Played for Spike Milligan, was lowered to stage on a grand piano, with a leopard leotard ❤

[@neilbertuk1]

@@paulmartinson875Loved that.

[@myotheruncle4744]

I think that's comparable to about £100 these days, but I could be wrong, and of course, it's still not huge.

[@paulmartinson875]

@myotheruncle4744 Ringo said she was overpaid.....

[@bdguy99]

Rick- I’m so grateful to have met you at my local supermarket. Hope to see you again there someday. Two things I think are overlooked in this song that add to the intrigue of Sg. Peppers as a whole. #1 The plagal cadence to the major key at the end suggests that the parents lamenting losing their child in this song have accepted their loss at the end, and #2, the possibility that the protagonist in this song actually left to join the circus (the next sold is For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite). Just shows the whimsical nature of this masterpiece of an album.

[@RichSad45]

this song gives me goosebumps every time.

[@KatieReadsKoziesAndMore]

I saved up my lunch money to buy this album. Not a bad tune on the entire record. But this one tore up my young teen heart. Back then I looked at as the child leaving home. Now, I see it from the parent’s point-of-view. Every single note of this masterpiece still captures my imagination. And the music, every single note, envelopes my soul. Written by two men who couldn’t read music. Much credit needs to go to sir George Martin. He truly was the fifth Beatle. She’s leaving home. Bye bye.

[@kft590]

As beautiful as the verse is the sadness of the chorus elevates the entire song. They capture the feelings of both the mother and daughter juxtaposing the sadness and hope of each in the same song.

[@paulclarke7571]

Could this be a precursor to our best Christmas present ever? The long overdue interview of Paul by Rick?

[@e.castlerock8454]

I don't understand most of what you're talking about, but I do know that I have always loved this sad, melancholy song. So beautiful.

[@barrakouta]

Thank you, Rick for another wonderful WMTSG. I'd have liked this one to go another 5 mins or so, but hey, I'll take it!

[@kennethlamb378]

I was returning to Liverpool on the underground after watching my team, Tranmere Rovers, play a soccer match on a Saturday afternoon a few seasons ago. I got talking to a couple of the other team's supporters who I could tell were quite young, about sixteen or seventeen. They had booked to stay the night in Liverpool before going down south the following day. I asked if they would be going to Mathew Street and got some puzzled looks. I said Mathew Street . . where The Beatles played and both asked who the Beatles were. I thought at first they were joking but quickly realised they hadn't heard of them. Talking to my brother that night we realised that young people now live in their own World. They don't watch TV or listen to the radio so have never been exposed to this music. There are probably millions of youngsters who will find out about the marvellous music of the Beatles only if one of their songs appears on a Netflix show.

[@ShelterDogs]

I'll be honest, I used to skip over this track most times when I got heavily into The Beatles in my teens. I didn't understand it. As an adult, I totally get it and appreciate the song much more now. Especially with Rick here to break it down.

[@chrisbodi6470]

Rick… you always have a knack for choosing a long held favorite song of mine and this one is no exception….♥️🎶 Exquisitely beautiful!

[@BeeWhistler]

I love these deep dives because they help freshen up songs that I’ve known for so long that they’ve become white noise. It gives me a new chance to appreciate them better.

[@rockers2rockers616]

Rick needs to interview Paul. For his own sake as much as ours ; )

[@blockingthesunmusic]

This song got me through a rough period of my life as a teen. My mom was always out partying or with boyfriends, and every couple months she’d miss paying bills and there would be no power. There was never any food at home either. Moving out when i turned 17 was really hard, but this song was there for me. Thank you, Rick, for covering this important piece of beatles and music history!

[@kevinpierce5574]

The Beatles will never stop being relevant.

[@Stratsafact]

Born in ‘54. By ‘64 old enough to appreciate the taste. At 70 mature enough to recognize the ingredients with the guidance of maestro Beato. Thank you.

[@EixtremeDrummer]

Nobody wrote so beautiful melodies like them.

[@muddyexport5639]

Fav since release of Sgt. Peppers and lying on the floor with the speakers on either side of my head...