Recently on Twitter, a Beatles Podcast account asked for controversial Beatles opinions. Here was mine:
- Ringo should have sung “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”
- John should have sung “Oh Darling!”
- George should have sung “Yesterday”
- Paul should have sung “Julia”
I understand this may cause some consternation, so allow me to share where I am coming from.
I love all these songs and all the Beatles. I have for decades. Each man has his own unique personality, story, talent and style. The band as a whole had a complicated dynamic that helped it create an incredible body of work and a huge footprint on our hearts and minds and on history. All this I have kept in mind.
Ringo is both his own island and the strong thread that weaves and wends through the tapestry of the others, binding them together. He is the dark, grounded neutral that allows the others to be whatever color they want to be. He helps make it all make sense and be in style forever. But if he decides to get colorful, the others immediately switch to neutral so that Ringo brightly stands out, making a bold statement. He keeps it light when things get heavy and remains firmly grounded when the others are flying high. He’s Ringo. We all love him.
“Maxwell” is a fun tune. It tells a dark story, but is still fun. But John, George and Ringo (plus many fans) were not too keen on it in the long run. I think it takes itself a bit too seriously. It needs a bit of something to make sure everyone gets the joke. It needs Ringo. When you hear Ringo sing, your heart opens, you smile, your frown lines disappear and you can easily sing along with him. He is the everyman of the group. Ringo singing this slightly dark song immediately helps you to get the joke and enjoy the song along with him and the rest of the group.
John liked the song “Oh Darling!” He even said it was more his style than Paul’s. John was great at belting out a song; to push himself vocally. Ever hear “Twist and Shout” or “Yer Blues?” I love his voice and his range of emotions. It’s a thing of beauty. Every note, every word is precious. “Oh Darling!” was coming up near the time “Down Let Me Down” was receiving final polishes. In many ways, it is similar.
However, “Don’t Let Me Down” is more emotive and raw, due to John’s vocals. I think John could bring the same emotion to “Oh, Darling!”, maybe discovering something that wasn’t there before. Technically, Paul has an incredible vocal range, the best of the group, and his voice is like warm honey or pure sex, depending upon the delivery. I think we need to hear and feel how much the singer is in pain from need and desire. And John does that best.
It may sound a bit sacrilegious to suggest anyone but Paul sing “Yesterday.” The song is truly a masterpiece that has an almost mythic aura about it. So George singing it? Hear me out. Think about the song itself. It is just the singer and his acoustic guitar. He is hurt and is trying to sing himself out of his doldrums. He goes high and low in his hurt and regret. It is a song of deep sorrow and even pain. Paul sings it perfectly in his perfect voice.
George does not have a perfect voice. But George has something that can be felt when he strums his acoustic guitar and vocalizes his complicated and deep emotions. I think he is at his best when it is just him, by himself, during a demo or maybe just a few people listening.
Without the pressure, George is released. Something within him wakes up, spreads its wings and flies. His voice is looser, and his connection with the guitar and the song creates something magical. His music has an organic beauty like an old forest, deep in shadows where you can smell the moss and damp leaves and hear a far off bird singing. All the sights, sounds and smells invite you in; to look and feel deeper. You know there is more and want to explore. It is a full experience that leaves a mark. Worthy of “Yesterday.” George can break your heart with just his voice and guitar. No strings required to help convey emotion.
I also think the older Paul, aged 65-70, delivered this song with more feeling than the younger Paul.
Perhaps even more controversial is the thought of anyone but John singing the ethereal “Julia.” Like “Yesterday,” “Julia” is an acoustic guitar piece. The emotions are more mature and complicated, though. And John is at his emotive best. He paints a beautiful picture of love. Love in hand, love just out of reach, love going out, love coming in. He takes us all by the hand as he walks along the beach of this dreamy song. Julia was the mother he lost, then found, then lost again. But is always there. New love is helping him to find something just as unconditional. At least he hopes so. It’s all deeply personal. So how could Paul sing it?
John and Paul had an incredible connection. They loved each other, inspired each other, pissed each other off, hurt each other, grew together. They were part of each other, having met in their teen years.. Paul lost his own mom not long before he met John, and Paul had known Julia. Paul can speak to the same pain, and in an intimately beautiful way, directly to John’s heart. Paul, in his warm honey voice, could deliver the song to John as a loving gift to him. Letting him know he gets his pain, and at the same time instilling John with faith in the future. Paul’s delivery always has a note of positivity about it. Of hope. Paul enjoys inspiring and lifting people. Paul already did something like this in the form of “Hey Jude.” John found many messages in this song. He felt Paul was encouraging him in his relationship with Yoko.
John loved finding meaning in Paul’s songs, so he would have enjoyed Paul singing “Julia”; he would enjoy the added meaning in Paul’s delivery. Perhaps it would have helped ease his pain and helped him to feel more hopeful. This could have helped strengthen the bond between John and Paul in these later years. It’s not hard to imagine it could have.
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