The Beatles - Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (1965)

In George Harrison’s autobiography, I Me Mine, Harrison mentions that although he played the sitar on “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),” adding the sitar to the song was more of an after-thought and the song hadn’t really been written with the sitar in mind. Regardless, the inclusion of the sitar (and The Beatles’ immense, global popularity at the time) resulted in widely introducing Indian instruments to all of Western society. After “Norwegian Wood” had been released on The Beatles’ Rubber Soul in 1965, Indian and other Eastern instruments soon started appearing in music by other mainstream acts such as The Byrds, The Rolling Stones, and Donovan. By the following year, “raga rock” was common and the inclusion of Eastern instruments remained popular until it eventually faded out of popularity in the very late 1960s.

The song below was credited to Lennon-McCartney, but the majority of the song is believed to have been written by John Lennon. The lyrics tell an autobiographical story of Lennon having an extra-marital affair behind the back of his then-wife Cynthia Lennon née Powell. When Paul McCartney was asked for his interpretation of the lyrics, he said that the Norwegian wood mentioned in the song was the wood paneling found on the walls of homes, which was popular at the time, and that the last line, “So, I lit a fire // Isn’t it good Norwegian wood?” indicated that the singer set the house on fire as an act of revenge.



The Beatles - Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (1965)

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Lyrics:

I once had a girl
Or should I say she once had me?
She showed me her room
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

She asked me to stay
And she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around
And I noticed there wasn't a chair

I sat on a rug, biding my time
Drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said
“It’s time for bed”

She told me she worked in the morning
And started to laugh
I told her I didn't
And crawled off to sleep in the bath

And when I awoke I was alone
This bird had flown
So I lit a fire
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

The Beatles - Watching Rainbows [Demo] (1969)

Although Ringo Starr was the first member of The Beatles to temporarily quit in 1968, George Harrison, too, quit the band for a brief period starting on January 10th, 1969. At the time, The Beatles were practicing at a film studio, Twickenham, so that their rehearsals could be filmed. After a morning filed with verbal altercations between George and Paul, a quiet George Harrison eventually met up with the group and crew for lunch a bit late. Rather than joining them, he simply stated, “See you ’round the clubs” and disappeared. The three remaining Beatles went back to the recording room not knowing what to do and unleashed an angry improvisational ruckus with John Lennon sarcastically leading the group to play The Who’s “A Quick One, While He's Away.” Days later, word got back to Harrison that Lennon had mentioned bringing in Eric Clapton as a replacement, which Lennon had probably said as a ploy to get George back rather than a real solution. After a five hour meeting, Harrison rejoined the group on January 15th, 1969.

This song, recorded on January 14th, 1969 was nothing more than the result of a loose jamming session during Harrison’s five day absence. The song features no bass, as Paul McCartney had to abandon the instrument to fill in for George’s lead guitar as Lennon sang. Although the song was never officially released, the melody evolved into their future song “Two of Us”* "I've Got a Feeling." The reason these lyrics didn’t survive, perhaps, could have been because they were too reminiscent of “I Am the Walrus.”

*Update from the Editor 10/16/2014: Putting "Two of Us" was a typo which was not discovered until now, thanks to Twitter. It was incorrectly here for nearly two years - sorry!



The Beatles - Watching Rainbows [Demo] (1969)

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Lyrics:

Standin' in the garden
Waitin' for the sun to shine
Hand on my umbrella, with his girl
I wish she was mine
Everybody knows to think a thing
It didn't come

Instead of watchin' rainbows
I'm gonna make me some
Instead of watchin' rainbows
I'm gonna make me some

Standin' in the garden
Waitin' for the English sun to come
And make me brown so I can be someone

Lookin' at the fancy next-door neighbors
Cryin' to their mom, "I'm dyin' to set sail there"
Everybody's got to have somethin' hard to hold

Well, instead of watching rainbows under the sun
You gotta get out, son, and make you one
You gotta get out, son, and make your run
Because you're not gonna make it if you don't try, no

Shoot big
Shoot big
Whatever you do you gotta kill somebody to get what you wanna get
You gotta shoot big
You gotta shoot big
Until you shoot big
I can't stand no more

The Beatles - Brian Epstein Blues [Demo] (1968)

The Let It Be release was going to be much different than what actually came to be. Rather than a film accompanying the album’s release, it was initially planned that a live televised concert would precede the album’s release so that everyone at the show and tuning in would hear the songs for the first time, live, via the concert.
Places considered for the concert included a lunatic asylum and the Roman Colosseum. Another idea being thrown around was getting all of the attendees who had tickets, putting them on cruise ships, sailing them through the Mediterranean Sea, and having the concert in the middle of the Tunisian desert.
Needless to say, those ideas never came to fruition. Aggravation within the band led the members to being more concerned with actually finishing the album rather than the location of the concert. As we now know, the concert took place on Apple Corps’ rooftop, which is now famously known as “the rooftop concert”.

Quite separately, today’s song comes from an earlier time, in 1968, when The Beatles were recording “Sexy Sadie” for The Beatles (The White Album). John Lennon improvised this song about The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, while the other members of the group loosely jammed along in the background. Although it cannot be found on any of The Beatles’ official releases, you can locate it if you go sifting around in the bootlegs. Enjoy!



The Beatles - Brian Epstein Blues [Demo] (1968)

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Lyrics:

What about Brian Epstein?
And his brother Sam?
They was workin' in a coal mine
Doing what I am
And what about brother Ernie?
He's shuttin' down the fire
But if you tell the time
About his brother Sam

…
…about his brother Clive
He's a dirty old man

Well what about Brian Epstein?
He's God damned in jail
He's workin’ in the coal mine
Sittin' there in his cell
His mother got a queenie
Well, she's the queen of them all

Keith Moon - Naked Man (1975)

Depending on who you ask, the greatest rock drummer of all time is either John Bonham of Led Zeppelin or this man. Between his fourteen year career as The Who’s drummer, blowing up toilets in hotel rooms across America, and passing out on stage in the middle of a song, he is remembered as one of the most charismatic, talented, and insane figures in rock history. It was said that had he been born at a later date, he probably would have been diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder. Sadly, an overdose of sedatives ended his life prematurely at the age of thirty-two. Considering that he is one of rock’s most legendary artists, it is with no doubt that his life cannot be fully summarized here.

This song comes from Moon’s only solo album, titled Two Sides of the Moon, and features a slew of Moon’s famous friends. It was composed entirely of cover songs written by artists such as John Lennon, Pete Townshend, and Brian Wilson. This particular song was originally written by Randy Newman, who stated that its lyrics were based on a true story told to him by a friend who worked as a public defender.



Keith Moon - Naked Man (1975)

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Lyrics:

Old lady lost in the city
In the middle of a cold, cold night
It was fourteen below and the wind starts to blow
There wasn't a boy scout in sight

Pull down the shades 'cause he's comin'
Turn out the lights 'cause he's here
Runnin' hard down the street
Through the snow and the sleet
On the coldest night of the year

Beware- beware- beware of the naked man
Beware- beware- beware of the naked man

Old lady head up toward Broad Street
Shufflin' up town against the wind
She had started to cry, wiped a tear from her eye
And looked back to see where she had been

Old lady stand on the corner
With a purse in her hand
She does not know but in a minute or so
She will be robbed by a naked man

Beware- beware- beware of the naked man
Beware- beware- beware of the naked man

Old lady lean ‘gainst a lamp post
Starin' down at the ground on which she stand
She look up and scream
For the lamplight's beam
There stood the famous naked man

And he say, "They found out about my sister
And kicked me out of the navy
They would have strung me up if they could
I tried to explain that we were both of us lazy
And we’re doing the best we could"

But he faked to the left and he faked to the right
And he snatched the purse from her hand
"Someone stop me," he cried
As he faded from sight
"Won't nobody help the naked man?"
"Won't nobody help the naked man?"

Beware- beware- beware of the naked man
Beware- beware- beware of the naked man

I’m not naked, but beware
I’m not naked, but beware
I’m not naked, but beware
I’m not naked, but beware

Do you think The Beatles will get back together?

The Beatles - From Then To You (1963-1969)

Unable to respond to the countless fan mail that they received each year, The Beatles decided that they would send out a special album every Christmas to the members of their fan club. Released annually from 1963 to 1969, the albums contained impromptu sketches, songs, humor, and messages of thanks from John, Paul, George, and Ringo. In 1970, a compilation LP was sent out combining all previous recordings.

Merry Christmas!



The Beatles - The Beatles' Christmas Record (1963)

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The Beatles - Another Beatles Christmas Record (1964)

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The Beatles - Christmas Message Outtake (1964)

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The Beatles - The Beatles' Third Christmas Record (1965)

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The Beatles - The Beatles' Fourth Christmas Record (1966)

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The Beatles - Christmas Time is Here Again! (1967)

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The Beatles - Christmas Time (Is Here Again) (1967)

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The Beatles - The Beatles' 1968 Christmas Record (1968)

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The Beatles - The Beatles' Seventh Christmas Record (1969)

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Ringo Starr - It Don't Come Easy (1971)

Born Richard Starkey, this legend got his big break replacing Pete Best as permanent drummer for The Beatles. He was also the first member of The Beatles to quit (temporarily) when he could no longer take the constant bickering between members in 1966 while recording The Beatles (White Album). He was a left -handed drummer that played on a right-handed drum kit and had a successful solo career before creating The All-Starr Band. As with all members of The Beatles, his entire story is much larger than this entry shows.

This song, co-written by George Harrison and released by Apple Records in 1971, was his first single released in the UK after the break-up of The Beatles. George Harrison played guitar; Klaus Voormann played bass; Stephen Stills played piano; and Pete Ham and Tom Evans (both of Badfinger) performed backup vocals.



Ringo Starr - It Don't Come Easy (1971)

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Lyrics:

It don't come easy
You know it don't come easy
It don't come easy
You know it don't come easy

Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues
And you know it don't come easy
You don't have to shout or leap about
You can even play them easy

Forget about the past
And all your sorrows
The future won't last
It will soon be over tomorrow

I don't ask for much; I only want your trust
And you know it don't come easy
And this love of mine keeps growing all the time
And you know it just ain't easy

Open up your heart
Let's come together
Use a little love
And we will make it work out better

Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues
And you know it don't come easy
You don't have to shout or leap about
You can even play them easy

Please remember peace
Is how we make it
Here within your reach
If you're big enough to take it

I don't ask for much; I only want trust
And you know it don't come easy
And this love of mine keeps growing all the time
And you know it don’t come easy