Feb 2022 pop beatles horns strings
Binky says:
This is a title I've had in my notebook for close to a decade now, and I've never had any idea what to do with it. I decided this was going to be the year, or I'd trash it and move on. I also knew that I didn't have the skill set (or knowledge base) to do it solo. When I brainstormed who might be able to bring it to fruition, one name came to mind: Nancy Rost.
In part because we're in a band together and I'd seen her like a week before, but in larger part because this kind of thing is way up her alley. And she knows her Beatles! Two Johns & A Nancy (our band with @johncrossman) played a Beatles Fest in 2019, in which we performed almost no songs I knew. (Our version of Why Don't We Do It In The Road was a personal highlight, though I think we may have been more entertained than the crowd.)
I'm not a huge Beatles fan. Quirks of musical timing and an aversion to the concept of musical canon meant that I missed out on them in my formative years and sort of caught up later. The one exception was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I had that album when I was 17 and it struck a chord. It's the only one of their albums I know with any depth.
And for whatever reason, I had a whole strange head canon around Billy Shears. (Totally separate from the weird rabbit hole of actual conspiracy theories around the album, character, whatever.) In my head, eventually the Lonely Hearts Club Band breaks up, due to infighting, changing popular tastes, Billy's alcoholism, whatever. Years later, Billy sits in his chair, harboring anger at Sgt. Pepper, realizing his life has been wasted, and fearing his oncoming demise.
So, this is that.
I'm not sure EVERY lyric in this song is a direct Beatles reference, but it's pretty close. Have fun picking them out.
Production-wise, this is a lot of fun. Nancy arranged horns for tenor and alto sax plus French Horn, the bass is a tuba, and then there are some menacing Eleanor Rigby-ish strings in here and there. It took longer than anything else I've done to mix, because I have no idea how to make strings and horns play together in a pop song, EQ-wise. But it turned out ok.
Once again, we have failed to write a song we can reasonably play in our band, but this was a lot of fun. And I'm happy to exorcise the title and just let it be.
It’s all wrong
It ain’t easy
Insecure
I am lonely
They laugh at me
My hands are tied
No, no, no
Always denied
The Lonely Hearts Club Band has all
Moved on their separate ways
And I’ve begun to lose my sense of self
Away here I am wasting
Long gone are those days
I feel like I could use a little help
So many tears
I’m on the ground
I’m a loser
I break down
I can’t go on
I lose my mind
See no future
Wanna die
The Lonely Hearts Club Band is gone
How could they do this to me
All this time, I’m never getting better
Feel like I should be moving on
I’ve just got to be free
Of the shadow of that goddamned Sgt Pepper
Life’s very short
Such a fate
Worm licks my bone
It’s far too late
@markg Mar 2022
What's that sound in the last verse? Sounds like a disappointed cat.
I forgot who Billy Shears was until I read your notes. Like an imaginary Pete Best?
The song has the sounds of Sgt Pepper, with the brass and all.
Fun as expected.
@hbusse Mar 2022
Psychedelic and old-timey all at once! Great fun.
@bethkille Feb 2022
OMG! This is freaking genius. I just. love your brains! Such creativity! The musical journey of this tune amazes me. You two.... Love it.
@rshakesp Feb 2022
Clarinet! We all love a clarinet start. Very brave to rake on the Beatles iconic motif - but you pull it off- this is really unique - the vocals are great from both of you - it’s a great bit of pop - lovely job
@n24 Feb 2022
The musical elements of this hit me straight away! It's so well constructed it just washes over you, hard to pick out the individual components that I'm enjoying... The brass/trumpet sounds are fantastic and feel very true to the Sgt. Pepper's track while still sounding very original and distinct. The violins I'm noticing now, absolutely beautiful touch! This is such a great head-cannon and incredibly fun to listen to.
@jamkar Feb 2022
Poor Billy. I wondered about that boy. But such a cool set of music going on here. And the vocal duet is perfect!
@dreamscuba Feb 2022
A great Beatles-esque song....Very clever nd really well executed. I love the horns. Fantastic collab.
@davidtaro Feb 2022
As both a Beatles obsessive and a big fan of meta songs, I’m pretty squarely in the target demographic for this. And lo and behold, i ruddy loved it! All those lyrical Easter eggs. That big fat tuba. The Beatley ‘aaaahs’. And then the sad image of Billy Shears’ spiral into alcoholism. Fabulous work both!
@sarahk Feb 2022
Well, this is clearly and wonderfully a ridiculous display of skill, cleverly disguised as a catchy tune. So impressive, very very enjoyable. Like Mary Poppins, this song is "practically perfect in every way." Billy's demise is our gain.
@mikeskliar Feb 2022
ha!!! what an inspired idea and how fab (pun intended) that you all went all full-'its all-too much' for this poppermost piece of please please polythene pepperland in penny lane, perfectly! :) yeah yeah yeah!
@timfatchen Feb 2022
The title hooked me in. I wasn't disappointed! Even if I wasn't capable of picking the umpteen Beatles reference, this would be a brilliant song. Tragic too. (Oh those Nancy (?) warbles) Abrupt ending works!
@negasi Feb 2022
Ugh this is Beatles perfection. Also I dont know why but I particularily love the line "Worm licks my bone". And I love that theres a whole backstory behind this too :D
@gm7 Feb 2022
The Beatles sound is perfect. Super clever.
It feels like a song from yesteryears ...but not Yesterday!! :D
@tfish77 Feb 2022
Holy shit this is incredible. NAILED the various Beatles sounds - those horns are great, and the overall production does credit to the source material. Love the reference-drenched lyrics, too. And the vocal delivery is right on point. Great job, both of you!
Now, I want to see the Broadway show that this is from...
@kahlo2013 Feb 2022
Yes! This is delightfully wonderful - the instrumentation is great and your vocals are great - the harmonies and background vocals are absolutely brilliant. I love the tuba/horns in this. The lyrics are so wonderfully campy and the sound and lyrics are such a great nod to the lads we love.
@ductapeguy Feb 2022
Being for the benefit of Mr. Binky and Ms. Rost.
You got the feel and scope of those late Beatles songs. Nice!