I knew the words to all of these songs, and thoroughly enjoyed them.
I am not embarrassed to admit it, either.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
I knew the words to all of these songs, and thoroughly enjoyed them.
I am not embarrassed to admit it, either.
Magic. Ah, “Penny Lane”.
One of my “I’m old” moments was about 10 years ago, talking to some 30 and 40 somethings who, it turned out, didn’t know The Beatles’ names.
This make anyone else teary-eyed?
That does it. If he tours again, I’m there. Couldn’t last time due to unforeseeable circumstances, but I’m not going to spend the rest of my life kicking myself over missing the opportunities I’ve had if I can in any way help it. I’ve seen Bowie, Page/Plant, Daltrey/Townsend, a few versions of Yes, Genesis, but Paul is probably the most iconic and influential rock musician alive. I’m still pissed at myself for turning down a free ticket to a Dylan/Dead show.
Also, how did Range Rovers ever become so desirable when they put the steering wheel on the wrong side?
You also knew the words to “Come On To Me”? It was just released a few days ago.
James Corden knew all the words, too.
I prefer to listen to the original albums which now reside on my Samsung tablet with my sound cancelling blue tooth headphones. My sonic memories go back to well before 1950 but I fell in love with classical music in high school and didn’t really listen to much else until folk music came along and then the Beatles of course.
I just re-listened to the white album while walking to the supermarket the other day. Paul had a voice back then. I had one too, come to think of it. I am old enough to remember hootenannies and to have sung in quite a few of them.
Well, that is his job, after all. :)
He did stumble over a couple of lines of Hey Jude, but under the circumstances, entirely forgivable.
It was really lovely how the people in the pub jumped out of their skin when the music started. They had absolutely no idea what was going on, even if they had identified James Corden.
Of course, I couldn’t help noticing all the boarded up shops they passed in one part of the video. Brexit isn’t going to help with that any, either.
No time to watch it all this late at night, but I play a number of these on the piano. This is 20th century classical music! For the most part, my college-age classmates in the last four semesters of music theory know about this stuff. And they also know more recent stuff, from the 80s on, that I don’t have a clue about.
As far as my own musical memories, the best two were being there when Dave Brubeck played “Over the Rainbow” about twelve years ago in Northampton (differently from his 50s recording of it, but still great), and the end of a Jethro Tull concert about sixteen or so years back, when they encored with “What A Wonderful World,” in a beautifully corny, straight performance. Doesn’t seem to have been recorded. It’s not on YouTube. I look every so often.
…well, shit. That makes it official.
I’m old.
You know you’re getting old when they address you as “sir” and you stop turning around to see if your father is standing behind you.
I’ve never understood what anyone sees in the Beatles myself. To me it all just sounds like a load of whiny, nasal, meaningless, sing-song old nonsense.
I suppose when you were born in the mid 80s the Beatles were the music of the least cool and interesting generation there has ever been – your parents’ generation. Though, even then, ABBA were at least jolly and bouncy and exciting by comparison.
Mind you, I’ve never understood what anyone sees in James Corden either. He’s the less funny half of Horne and Corden, who were themselves a dire, bargain-basement rip-off of Mitchell and Webb.
Well, as a Millenial I might have to go out on a limb and say that the Beatles (particularly these ones) aren’t exactly esoteric ephemera from a musical age past. I knew all the words too.
I like James Corden because he seems so happy and baffled to be famous. It’s pure wish-fulfillment- I would hope that is what I would do if famous. And I really like car karoke.
@ #11 cartomancer It’s his work with Ruth Jones that he’s appreciated for.
Corden isn’t the funniest or smartest of the late night hosts, but he does have an enthusiastic charisma. As antigone 10 said, there’s this bafflement he has at being in his position, and a determination to have the best time he can while it lasts. Sort of kinda like Craig Ferguson : “I can’t believe they gave me this show, but I’m going to have a blast!” Only less weird.
And IMHO “Carpool Karaoke” is probably one of the best recurrent segments on late night tv ever. (Although admittedly, Fallon’s various musical challenges and covers are often pretty good)
Good band too. They aren’t The Roots, but still rock. I hope Hagar Ben Ari puts out a solo album one of these days.
Then again, I doubt I can be considered much of a valid critic. Since Letterman, Stewart, and Ferguson have gone, i don’t watch a whole lot of these shows. Usually Colbert, if anything. I let the internets let me know if something interesting or special happened and just watch the highlights. I watch John Oliver on Youtube, although usually a week or two late.
As for feeling old, there’s nothing like the first time a cute cashier or salesperson calls you “Sir” , or I suppose “Ma’am”. Worse than not getting carded buying booze.
I’m not old yet, but everybody opens doors for me, and when anybody, anywhere says, “Sir?” I turn toward them, because that’s MY name now.
The first time somebody offered me a Senior Discount was at Taco Bell, and it amounted to a dollar, and I thanked the clerk. Then I went home and looked up their policy and said, “He thinks I’m HOW old??”
Sometimes those discounts can save you real money. It’s worth remembering: When you are at the counter, say, “I’m old! Gimme gimme gimme!”
That video is a lot of fun, but whoever did the captions needs hearing aids… and also has a deplorable lack of knowledge of Beatles lyrics.
It was cute. And refreshing to see Sir Paul in an easygoing frame of mind after being a whiny defensive self-righteous grump for so long. You can’t compete against a ghost, Paulie, time to move along. You don’t have to invite Yoko by to meet your grandkids, but just, in the words of someone long ago, let it be.
Anybody else wish he had played “Strawberry Field” when they turned down Penny Lane?
@What a Maroon:
AFAIK that’s referring to a different location in Liverpool in Lennon’s history, so that would only have been appropriate because it was the B-side of that 45 RPM Penny Lane record that I had as a child. I don’t know where I got the record – I assume it trickled down to me from one of my family members. It sounded like ancient lore even in the 80s.
Even though when I was a kid growing up in the cheesy pop era the Beatles were already a thing of the far past, I still cherish those two as my favorite Beatles songs. For some obscure reason they weren’t nearly as popular as some Beatles songs that got repeated to death on radios even in my childhood.
I’ll admit that I somehow stalled until this year to hear what is considered pop history’s most important album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. And even for its age, its importance remains blatantly clear.
I’ll also admit that while typing this, I finally realized that Hey Jude is not about a Jewish person. *-( I know this sounds incredibly stupid, but in my language “Jude” comes very close (not to mention in German!) and the translation I made when I was eight or nine apparently stuck on forever. I have in the past tried to project parts of the lyrics against a historical or contemporary context, and sometimes thinking there was something very awkward with the Beatles. I was surprised that nobody else seemed to have issues with it.
And now I finally get it. Damn.
Duckbilled Platypus,
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-20110919/penny-lane-19691231
James Corden was also in two of the best Doctor Who episodes.
Promotion is Paulie’s middle name — did you know he had a new album coming AND a 50th anniversary edition of the White Album? — and he is charmingly good at it, always was. His voice isn’t what it was, and he has an impressively great hairdresser, but what the hell, I enjoyed the video very much, and yes I knew all the words except the new one.
I’d hesitate to say “best”, but certainly two excellent episodes.He and Matt Smith had a wonderful chemistry. And there aren’t many better moments in DW history than: “Yes, he likes the Alfie, but personally he prefers Stormegeddon, Dark Lord of All.”
Starving for a trailer for the new season. October is too far away. Maybe at SDCC.
@What a Maroon
Never knew, thanks! I agree, he should’ve played Strawberry Fields, but I guess that jibe would’ve killed the buzz for Paul.
Their stupid little who-writes-the-best-songs machismo left us with a ridiculous number of legendary hits, though.
Well, I’m a 40 something old white guy then… I knew all the words and cried at the end.