Abbey Road | The Beatles
release date: 1969 record label: Apple
track listing: 1) Come Together
2) Something
3) Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
4) Oh! Darling
5) Octopus’s Garden
6) I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
7) Here Comes the Sun
8) Because
9) You Never Give Me Your Money
10) Sun King
11) Mean Mr. Mustard
12) Polythene Pam
13) She Came In Through the Bathroom Window
14) Golden Slumbers
15) Carry That Weight
16) The End
"come together, right now, over me..."
Twenty-seven number one singles. Seven Grammy awards. The best-selling musical group of all time. The only band named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. The most prolific songwriting duo of all time. Every superlative you can think of to describe the Beatles is appropriate. To declare them the most influential musicians in history isn’t farfetched. In only nine years, four lads from England changed the face of music forever.
By 1969, the Beatles train was running out of steam. The magical partnership that had produced such albums as Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was falling apart at the seams. Arguments, fights, and band members walking out of recording sessions became the norm, reaching a fever pitch while the band attempted to record the album Let It Be. Dissatisfied with the end product, the band walked away from Let It Be; shortly thereafter they entered the studio to record Abbey Road. Although it was recorded before Abbey Road, Let It Be wouldn’t be released until after the breakup of the band. Abbey Road stands as the last album recorded by all four original members of the Beatles. In interviews later in life, the band members would agree that, although they never formally discussed the fact that Abbey Road would be their final join effort, each of them felt the end of the Beatles approaching while recording what would become their last album.
An old wives tale that says that, just prior to its death, a swan will use its remaining strength to sing the sweetest song of its life. As the last notes of that song fade, the swan begins to die. Abbey Road is the Beatles’ swan song – sad in that it represents the end of an era, yet to many fans, myself included, it is the sweetest song they sang. Rollingstone Magazine agreed, naming it the fourteenth greatest album of all time in 2003. Shortly after its release, the four members of the Beatles would never again appear together in public. The band would die, but the music lives on, thanks in part to the sweetness of their last song.
As usual, John Lennon and Paul McCartney contributed the vast majority of the songs on Abbey Road. Side one of the record starts with one of Lennon’s most recognizable songs,Come Together. People have been trying to wrap their minds around the lyrics since its release. Some have speculated that each verse represents a different member of the Beatles, while others found evidence for the supposed death of Paul McCartney in the lyrics “one and one and one is three.” Something is the first of two George Harrison songs on Abbey Road; according to band members it was Lennon’s favorite song on the album. Side two starts with Harrison’s other contribution Here Comes the Sun; although it was never released as a single, the song still continues to garner much radio play. Ringo Starr gets his own songwriting credit on this album, penning Octopus’s Garden. Joining the ranks of the Beatle’s strangest songs, at least in my opinion, is the Lennon/McCartney creation Maxwell’s Silver Hammer which details the exploits of a fictional serial killer. Something clicks in the mind of Maxwell Edison, a student of medicine, and he goes on a rampage that leaves his girlfriend, his teacher and a federal judge dead as his “silver hammer came down upon [their] heads.” To offset the dark material, and perhaps making the song even creepier, is the fact that the music is light and airy, something somewhat like children’s music.
There is not a lull on Abbey Road; each song is something special. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) creates an almost eight-minute opus out of a song whose lyrics contain only thirteen different words. The melody for Because is written around Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” played backwards, and includes three-part harmonies sung by Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. By far, though, my favorite part of Abbey Road is the medley of eight songs that concludes the album. This sixteen-minute marathon starts with You Never Give Me Your Money and runs through Sun King, Mean Mr. Mustard, Polythene Pam, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight and The End without so much as stopping to take a breath. Most of the entries included in the medley were unfinished snippets of songs by Lennon and McCartney – as if the band was tying up all its loose ends before calling it quits.
When it comes down to it, Abbey Road is art. Purists may want my head for saying so, but I believe this album belongs among the great works of humanity: the symphonies of Beethoven, the paintings of Van Gogh, and the sculpture of Michelangelo. Great art influences every artist coming after it. The Beatles have most certainly done that, forever changing the course of rock-and-roll music. I daresay that every musician emerging after the Beatles has been influenced, either directly or indirectly, by the music that John, Paul, George and Ringo created. If imitation signals a great work of art, then Abbey Road stands strong. The cover photo, showing the band crossing Abbey Road in front of EMI Studios, is one of the most recognized, and imitated, photographs of all time. The music itself has been covered by a plethora of musical acts including Joe Cocker, Phil Collins, Aerosmith and Soundgarden. Booker T. and the MG’s went one step further, producing their own version of the entire album. As is the case with all great works of art, Abbey Road has found its way, permanently, into culture. The Beatles have made the transition from LP records, to cassette tapes, to CDs and a few months ago, their catalogue was released on iTunes, ensuring that their musical contributions to our world will continue into the next generation.
Abbey Road does more than just entertain – it also teaches an important lesson: that we are better together. Over the past few years, I have been realizing how important the concept of community is. Unhappy with loneliness from the beginning of the world, God creates Eve for Adam. He establishes the nation of Israel. He sends his Son to earth as the cure for spiritual seclusion. He establishes the greatest example of human community we have in the early Church of Acts. Other people, of course, make life harder – no matter how we try, fights and disagreements are going to coming up. But instead of ignoring them or disavowing others, we are taught to confront our problems, work through them, and continue on through life together. This is the story of friendship, of marriage, of the Church.
Every Beatle would continue to make music after the dissolution of the band. John, arguably, had the most successful solo career of the original Beatles, producing great songs like Instant Karma and Give Peace a Chance before his life was tragically cut short on. Not to be outdone, though, Paul found success writing new music with Wings, and, admittedly, George’s solo record All Things Must Pass is a classic. But, as solo artists, John, Paul, George and Ringo would never reach the heights they had ascended to as a team. As is the case with many bands, tensions arose between competing egos and eventually lead to the end of the Beatles. In life, as I experience disappoints and disagreements with others, I can choose to react as a child, taking my ball and heading home, or I can engage in the hard work of expressing emotions and working to restore relationships. Oftentimes this is a hard choice. But the Beatles provide a good example to remember – we were created to be together and our lives look, sound, and feel better when we remain so.
I love good endings. It doesn’t necessarily have to resolve or answer every question I have – in fact, it may create more – but a good ending is essential, and perhaps even required, for a good story. The End marks not only the conclusion of the eight song medley that closes out Abbey Road, but it serves to close the door on the Beatles’ storied nine-year career. The song starts with a drum solo, the only one Ringo had in the entire Beatles’ catalogue. As the two-minute song concludes, John, Paul and George each take turns churning out a guitar riff – Paul’s included bending notes, George used a slide and John played with heavy distortion. Immediately thereafter, a piano comes in and the most important band in the history of rock music ends their career with the line “in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Interacting with other people, including them in my life and sharing in theirs, is sure to get messy at times – there will be, and have been, times when I’ve wanted to leave behind relationships, even the Church. But then the Beatles come through, telling me that I only get out of relationships what I put into them and I begin to see that, if I am the one giving up on others, then I am one with the problem. And then another realization: that this clever line from the Beatles is nothing more than a rewording of Christ’s command that His followers love others as they love themselves. I find plenty of grace and patience for myself – where do those virtues go when it comes to dealing with others? If I am really seeking Christ, then I must learn how to treat his children with the love and respect that I desire from them. Christ doesn’t wait to see how others treat us – He takes the initiative, commanding us to love before we are loved.
There is a line of thinking that suggests that there is no such thing as “Christian art.” Proponents begin with the fact that all human beings have been made in the image of a God who creates. Artists, then, are merely following in the footsteps of their Creator – their works of art becoming a testament to this fact. In that case, there is no distinction between “secular” and “sacred” art – it all becomes sacred. Of course, like all good things humans come into contact with, art can be corrupted and made in a way that is contrary to Christ’s kingdom. But the fact that a person can create something out of his or her imagination remains a reflection of the Original Creator. It is interesting to think that there are artists who, through their art, attempt to proclaim that there is no God; in producing art, though, they actually proclaim His existence. Psalm 8:2 asserts that, oftentimes, God’s message can be delivered by unexpected sources – “Out of the mouths of babes thou hast ordained praise” it reads. I have so often encountered the presence of God, been reminded of the teachings of Christ, or felt convicted of my own sin when experiencing art that was not “Christian” in nature. The God we serve is not confined to only one genre of music, one school of painting, or one style of sculpture. The ancient Psalmist heard praise for God out of the ramblings of a baby trying to form words. It should come as no surprise, then, that I was reminded of the teachings of Christ by the music of the world’s greatest rock band.
release date: 1969 record label: Apple
track listing: 1) Come Together
2) Something
3) Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
4) Oh! Darling
5) Octopus’s Garden
6) I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
7) Here Comes the Sun
8) Because
9) You Never Give Me Your Money
10) Sun King
11) Mean Mr. Mustard
12) Polythene Pam
13) She Came In Through the Bathroom Window
14) Golden Slumbers
15) Carry That Weight
16) The End
"come together, right now, over me..."
Twenty-seven number one singles. Seven Grammy awards. The best-selling musical group of all time. The only band named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. The most prolific songwriting duo of all time. Every superlative you can think of to describe the Beatles is appropriate. To declare them the most influential musicians in history isn’t farfetched. In only nine years, four lads from England changed the face of music forever.
By 1969, the Beatles train was running out of steam. The magical partnership that had produced such albums as Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was falling apart at the seams. Arguments, fights, and band members walking out of recording sessions became the norm, reaching a fever pitch while the band attempted to record the album Let It Be. Dissatisfied with the end product, the band walked away from Let It Be; shortly thereafter they entered the studio to record Abbey Road. Although it was recorded before Abbey Road, Let It Be wouldn’t be released until after the breakup of the band. Abbey Road stands as the last album recorded by all four original members of the Beatles. In interviews later in life, the band members would agree that, although they never formally discussed the fact that Abbey Road would be their final join effort, each of them felt the end of the Beatles approaching while recording what would become their last album.
An old wives tale that says that, just prior to its death, a swan will use its remaining strength to sing the sweetest song of its life. As the last notes of that song fade, the swan begins to die. Abbey Road is the Beatles’ swan song – sad in that it represents the end of an era, yet to many fans, myself included, it is the sweetest song they sang. Rollingstone Magazine agreed, naming it the fourteenth greatest album of all time in 2003. Shortly after its release, the four members of the Beatles would never again appear together in public. The band would die, but the music lives on, thanks in part to the sweetness of their last song.
As usual, John Lennon and Paul McCartney contributed the vast majority of the songs on Abbey Road. Side one of the record starts with one of Lennon’s most recognizable songs,Come Together. People have been trying to wrap their minds around the lyrics since its release. Some have speculated that each verse represents a different member of the Beatles, while others found evidence for the supposed death of Paul McCartney in the lyrics “one and one and one is three.” Something is the first of two George Harrison songs on Abbey Road; according to band members it was Lennon’s favorite song on the album. Side two starts with Harrison’s other contribution Here Comes the Sun; although it was never released as a single, the song still continues to garner much radio play. Ringo Starr gets his own songwriting credit on this album, penning Octopus’s Garden. Joining the ranks of the Beatle’s strangest songs, at least in my opinion, is the Lennon/McCartney creation Maxwell’s Silver Hammer which details the exploits of a fictional serial killer. Something clicks in the mind of Maxwell Edison, a student of medicine, and he goes on a rampage that leaves his girlfriend, his teacher and a federal judge dead as his “silver hammer came down upon [their] heads.” To offset the dark material, and perhaps making the song even creepier, is the fact that the music is light and airy, something somewhat like children’s music.
There is not a lull on Abbey Road; each song is something special. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) creates an almost eight-minute opus out of a song whose lyrics contain only thirteen different words. The melody for Because is written around Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” played backwards, and includes three-part harmonies sung by Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. By far, though, my favorite part of Abbey Road is the medley of eight songs that concludes the album. This sixteen-minute marathon starts with You Never Give Me Your Money and runs through Sun King, Mean Mr. Mustard, Polythene Pam, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight and The End without so much as stopping to take a breath. Most of the entries included in the medley were unfinished snippets of songs by Lennon and McCartney – as if the band was tying up all its loose ends before calling it quits.
When it comes down to it, Abbey Road is art. Purists may want my head for saying so, but I believe this album belongs among the great works of humanity: the symphonies of Beethoven, the paintings of Van Gogh, and the sculpture of Michelangelo. Great art influences every artist coming after it. The Beatles have most certainly done that, forever changing the course of rock-and-roll music. I daresay that every musician emerging after the Beatles has been influenced, either directly or indirectly, by the music that John, Paul, George and Ringo created. If imitation signals a great work of art, then Abbey Road stands strong. The cover photo, showing the band crossing Abbey Road in front of EMI Studios, is one of the most recognized, and imitated, photographs of all time. The music itself has been covered by a plethora of musical acts including Joe Cocker, Phil Collins, Aerosmith and Soundgarden. Booker T. and the MG’s went one step further, producing their own version of the entire album. As is the case with all great works of art, Abbey Road has found its way, permanently, into culture. The Beatles have made the transition from LP records, to cassette tapes, to CDs and a few months ago, their catalogue was released on iTunes, ensuring that their musical contributions to our world will continue into the next generation.
Abbey Road does more than just entertain – it also teaches an important lesson: that we are better together. Over the past few years, I have been realizing how important the concept of community is. Unhappy with loneliness from the beginning of the world, God creates Eve for Adam. He establishes the nation of Israel. He sends his Son to earth as the cure for spiritual seclusion. He establishes the greatest example of human community we have in the early Church of Acts. Other people, of course, make life harder – no matter how we try, fights and disagreements are going to coming up. But instead of ignoring them or disavowing others, we are taught to confront our problems, work through them, and continue on through life together. This is the story of friendship, of marriage, of the Church.
Every Beatle would continue to make music after the dissolution of the band. John, arguably, had the most successful solo career of the original Beatles, producing great songs like Instant Karma and Give Peace a Chance before his life was tragically cut short on. Not to be outdone, though, Paul found success writing new music with Wings, and, admittedly, George’s solo record All Things Must Pass is a classic. But, as solo artists, John, Paul, George and Ringo would never reach the heights they had ascended to as a team. As is the case with many bands, tensions arose between competing egos and eventually lead to the end of the Beatles. In life, as I experience disappoints and disagreements with others, I can choose to react as a child, taking my ball and heading home, or I can engage in the hard work of expressing emotions and working to restore relationships. Oftentimes this is a hard choice. But the Beatles provide a good example to remember – we were created to be together and our lives look, sound, and feel better when we remain so.
I love good endings. It doesn’t necessarily have to resolve or answer every question I have – in fact, it may create more – but a good ending is essential, and perhaps even required, for a good story. The End marks not only the conclusion of the eight song medley that closes out Abbey Road, but it serves to close the door on the Beatles’ storied nine-year career. The song starts with a drum solo, the only one Ringo had in the entire Beatles’ catalogue. As the two-minute song concludes, John, Paul and George each take turns churning out a guitar riff – Paul’s included bending notes, George used a slide and John played with heavy distortion. Immediately thereafter, a piano comes in and the most important band in the history of rock music ends their career with the line “in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Interacting with other people, including them in my life and sharing in theirs, is sure to get messy at times – there will be, and have been, times when I’ve wanted to leave behind relationships, even the Church. But then the Beatles come through, telling me that I only get out of relationships what I put into them and I begin to see that, if I am the one giving up on others, then I am one with the problem. And then another realization: that this clever line from the Beatles is nothing more than a rewording of Christ’s command that His followers love others as they love themselves. I find plenty of grace and patience for myself – where do those virtues go when it comes to dealing with others? If I am really seeking Christ, then I must learn how to treat his children with the love and respect that I desire from them. Christ doesn’t wait to see how others treat us – He takes the initiative, commanding us to love before we are loved.
There is a line of thinking that suggests that there is no such thing as “Christian art.” Proponents begin with the fact that all human beings have been made in the image of a God who creates. Artists, then, are merely following in the footsteps of their Creator – their works of art becoming a testament to this fact. In that case, there is no distinction between “secular” and “sacred” art – it all becomes sacred. Of course, like all good things humans come into contact with, art can be corrupted and made in a way that is contrary to Christ’s kingdom. But the fact that a person can create something out of his or her imagination remains a reflection of the Original Creator. It is interesting to think that there are artists who, through their art, attempt to proclaim that there is no God; in producing art, though, they actually proclaim His existence. Psalm 8:2 asserts that, oftentimes, God’s message can be delivered by unexpected sources – “Out of the mouths of babes thou hast ordained praise” it reads. I have so often encountered the presence of God, been reminded of the teachings of Christ, or felt convicted of my own sin when experiencing art that was not “Christian” in nature. The God we serve is not confined to only one genre of music, one school of painting, or one style of sculpture. The ancient Psalmist heard praise for God out of the ramblings of a baby trying to form words. It should come as no surprise, then, that I was reminded of the teachings of Christ by the music of the world’s greatest rock band.
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