In 1961, the Beatles began recording as a backup group for Tony Sheridan. But by the time the year closed, they resumed pursuing fame in their own name; Tony then went on to record with another group, the Beat Brothers. The songs aren't arranged in chronological order on the disc, but on this page they are.
Ain't She Sweet (Ager/Yellen) (2:12; John lead) - This moderately fast song has a simple instrumental arrangement--drums, lead and rhythm guitars, and a bass; all other songs on this album, unless otherwise noted, have that same arrangement. The narrator sees a girl walking along the street; he confides to his buddy that the girl is sweet, nice, and "perfection."
Cry For A Shadow (Lennon/Harrison) (2:22; instrumental) - This piece, also moderately fast, opens with a brief rhythm guitar solo; that solo reappears a couple of times. In some parts I hear the guys yelling in the background. The mood conveyed in this piece is quite the opposite of the title.
When The Saints Go Marching In (Traditional) (3:18; Tony lead on this and all subsequent tracks) - The tempo is fast. The narrator claims that he will be among the saints who will march apparently into heaven when the sun starts shining.
Why (Sheridan/Crompton) (2:58) - This song is slightly faster than moderate. The narrator, despondent over his girlfriend's breakup with him, wonders why she can't love him again. Undoubtedly, he also wonders why they broke up in the first place.
My Bonnie (Lies Over The Ocean) (Traditional) (2:41) - For the first half-minute, the tempo is slow and in 3/4 time, and the volume is subdued. The rest of the song is fast, in 4/4 time, and loud. Bonnie, the narrator's girlfriend, lives across the sea from him; he begs the the second person to bring her back to him.
Nobody's Child (Traditonal) (3:55) - This song has a slow, 12/8 tempo, with the drums accenting every second and fourth quarter beat. The narrator stops by an orphanage to watch the kids play. One boy, crying, tells the narrator that the boy is unwanted and lonely, like a wildflower. Everyone is the biological child of two people, one male and one female, but in the social sense, the boy is "nobody's child."
If You Love Me Baby (Singleton/Hall) (2:53) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. The narrator tells his girlfriend that if she still wants him, she has to come to him. On the other hand, if she leaves him, he will die, so he begs her, "Take out some insurance on me, baby."
Sweet Georgia Brown (Bernie/Pinkard/Casey) (2:04) - The tempo is fast most of the time; toward the end it's moderately fast. From the middle instrumental on, a piano plays. The lyrics in this version are somewhat different from those in the earlier version by the Coasters. I like one pair of lines unique to this version: "In Liverpool, she even dared / To criticize the Beatles' hair." The very same guys singing "Ooo, Georgia" behind Tony--how about that!
Ready Teddy (Blackwell/Calca) (2:00) - Like the original version by Little Richard, this version is fast. This version features a piano and, during the instrumentals, a saxophone.
Ya Ya (Robinson/Dorsey) (5:08) - The only live recording on this album has a fast tempo. An organ is among the instruments featured here. In the middle, the band briefly fades out, the crowd cheers, and Tony yells for the band to play the song once more. The original version was recorded by Lee Dorsey.
Let's Dance (Jim Lee) (2:33) - This song, even faster than the previous one, also features an organ. Chris Montez sang the original version.
What'd I Say (Charles) (2:39) - This version of a Ray Charles hit has the same tempo as the previous song. Instruments include a piano and a sax. I like the opening guitar solo, in which the notes are low. What I don't care much for is the narrator's personality--first he teaches his girlfriend how to dance by telling her how other girls are dancing, then he turns cold-hearted by telling her he'll send her back to live with her parents in Arkansas.
Ruby Baby (Leiber/Stoller) (2:52) - This is my favorite song both by Dion and by Tony. This version, slightly faster than moderate, features hand-clapping and, during the instrumental, a sax. For my comments on the lyrics, see my page on Dion.
Kansas City (credited to Hank Ballard on the disc label, but actually written by Leiber/Stoller) (2:38) - This moderately fast song features an organ and a sax. The narrator goes to Kansas City to find himself a girlfriend from among the "crazy little women." I have three other versions of this song: one by Dion, one by Little Richard, and one by--guess who!
1. I Saw Her Standing There (2:55) - The tempo is fast, and the guitar licks are awesome. The narrator is at a dance hall, and he sees a certain girl standing a short distance away. She looks back at him, they dance, and they fall in love. Now, neither one will ever dance with anyone else. More recently, a singer known simply as Tiffany sang a gender-switched version of this song.
2. Misery (1:48) - This song, slightly faster than moderate, features a piano. The narrator feels miserable because his girlfriend has left him and he'll never see her again. He predicts that she'll miss him, too, so he wishes that she be sent back to him.
3. Anna (Go To Him) (Alexander) (2:56) - The tempo is moderate. The narrator has discovered that his girlfriend Anna has found a man who loves her more than the narrator does. The narrator asks only that she return her ring to him before going to the other man.
4. Chains (Goffin/King) (2:24) - This song has a moderate tempo. A harmonica plays during the first several measures. As much as the narrator would love to kiss the girl's lips, he tells her that he'd better not because he's committed to another woman. The Cookies sang the original version of this song.
5. Boys (Dixon/Farrell) (2:25) - The tempo is moderately fast. The narrator in this version talks about what boys such as himself do, whereas the narrator in the original version by the Shirelles talked about boys on whom girls such as herself had crushes.
6. Ask Me Why (2:25) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. The narrator is crying tears of joy. If she asks him why, he answers that he loves her and always thinks of her.
7. Please Please Me (1:59) - This moderately fast song features a harmonica. On the single version, the guys' voices can be heard only in the right speaker. It always rains in the narrator's heart because his girlfriend doesn't repay him for the favors he gives her. He begs her to stop making him blue and start pleasing him. This was the first Beatles song to reach #1 in the UK; it did so in January 1963.
8. Love Me Do (2:18) - This song, also moderately fast, features a harmonica and a tambourine. Ringo played the tambourine, and Andy White played the drums. The set of lines "Someone to love, somebody new / Someone to love, someone like you" is the only thing other than one verse being repeated several times. Still, this song was the group's ticket to fame, reaching #17 in the UK in late 1962. I also have a rare version in which there was no tambourine and Ringo played the drums.
9. P.S. I Love You (2:02) - The previous song's B-side is slightly faster than moderate. In a letter to his girlfriend, the narrator promises that he'll come home; he tells her to hang onto all his love until then.
10. Baby, It's You (David/Bacharach/Williams) (2:35) - This version has a moderate tempo, as does the original version by the Shirelles.
11. Do You Want To Know A Secret (1:56) - The intro is slow, and the rest of the song has a moderate tempo. The narrator offers to whisper a secret into the girl's ear, provided that she won't tell anyone. But by saying the secret in the song, HE gives it away to all! Click on the lyric link to find out what the secret is.
12. A Taste Of Honey (Marlow/Scott) (2:01) - The tempo is moderately slow. Most of the time it swings in 3/4 time; at the bridge it's in 4/4. The narrator prefers honey to wine; as he tastes the honey, he thinks of the first time his girlfriend kissed him. He will soon return to her for even more honey.
13. There's A Place (1:49) - This moderately fast song features a harmonica. Whenever the narrator feels sad, he easily finds a haven--his mind. He thinks lovely thoughts about his girlfriend.
14. Twist And Shout (Medley/Russell) (2:32) - This version of an Isley Brothers song has a moderate tempo. After John sings the lines, Paul and George repeat them. The narrator so much likes how his girlfriend dances the twist, he asks her to twist closer to him with all her strength & shout at the top of her voice, to show him she's his. When the group played this song live, John said, "The people in the cheaper seats, clap your hands; the rest of you, rock your jewelry."
1. It Won't Be Long (2:12) - My favorite feature of this moderate-tempoed song is the low guitar licks. Currently, the narrator sits alone and cries every night while everyone else has fun. He is crying because his girlfriend left him, but in a short time she'll come back, they'll be happy, and she'll never leave him again.
2. All I've Got To Do (2:03) - This song, slightly slower than moderate, is the song I like best from this album. Whenever the narrator longs for his girlfriend's company, all he has to do is call her, and a few minutes later she'll be at his house. He's always available for her, too, so it's a two-way street. John, who sings lead here, hums as the song fades out.
3. All My Loving (2:07) - The tempo is moderately fast; during the verses, the guitar licks are even faster. The narrator is about to go on a business trip, so he tells his girlfriend to close her eyes and let him kiss her. He promises that he'll remain faithful to her while he's gone.
4. Don't Bother Me (Harrison) (2:29) - The fast tempo is a contrast to the mood of the song. The narrator's girlfriend has left him, at least temporarily. He had done something wrong to her, and now he's sorry. He won't accept any visitors until she returns to him, if she ever does.
5. Little Child (1:47) - This moderately fast song is another goody, with a harmonica! John and Paul apparently had Ringo in mind when writing this song, since he had the shortest height of the four. In the story, the narrator encourages a girl to relieve his loneliness by dancing with him.
6. Till There Was You (Willson) (2:16) - The tempo is moderate. The narrator hears bells and other music, and sees birds and roses. But he didn't hear or see any of those things until he met his girlfriend. Someone else's version before this one appeared in the film The Music Man.
7. Please Mr. Postman (Garrett/Bateman/Holland/Dobbins/Gorman) (2:35) - This moderate-tempoed song previously was a hit for the Marvelettes. In the Beatles' version, a male narrator is desperate to receive a letter or postcard from his girlfriend who has been away from him for a long time.
8. Roll Over Beethoven (Berry) (2:46) - This version is fast, only slightly slower than the original version by Chuck Berry.
9. Hold Me Tight (2:31) - This moderately fast song features hand-clapping on every beat. The narrator and his girlfriend are alone one night at either his or her place. He tells her to embrace him so that he'll know he's the only man she loves. My favorite part is the chorus, when Paul sings a word or two, then the other guys repeat.
10. You Really Got A Hold On Me (Robinson) (3:02) - This version has the same slow tempo as the original version by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. The difference between the two versions is that the Miracles had sung theirs in the key of C, whereas this version is in the key of A.
11. I Wanna Be Your Man (1:57) - This fast song is the one from this album on which Ringo sang lead. I can hear a piano rolling just before the second verse. The narrator hopes the girl will tell him that she loves him; he wants to love her in a unique way. The Rolling Stones also sang a version, and at about the same time.
12. Devil In Her Heart (Drapkin) (2:26) - The tempo is moderate. The narrator's girlfriend is a "devil" in the sense that her lips and love are too tempting for him to resist. She's an "angel" in the sense that she is faithful to him and always will be. Having already sung lead on "Don't Bother Me" and "Roll Over Beethoven," George got a third chance on this album with this song.
13. Not A Second Time (2:07) - This song, also with a moderate tempo, features a piano. Between the two singings of the body of the song is an instrumental on which the piano plays lead. Some time before the setting of this song, the girl left the narrator, and he cried until he no longer found crying useful. Now the girl is back, and he doesn't want her. He fears that if he lets her back into his heart, she'll hurt him again later.
14. Money (That's What I Want) (Gordy/Bradford) (2:50) - Like the previous two songs, this one has a moderate tempo. Like the previous one, this one features a piano that plays lead during instrumentals. This song previously was a hit for Motown singer (and later songwriter) Barrett Strong.
1. A Hard Day's Night (2:28) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. The hard beating of the drums reflects the stress the narrator has accumulated from working for all of the day and much of the night. He is glad to be home so he can hold his girlfriend tight and relieve his stress.
2. I Should Have Known Better (2:41) - This moderate-tempoed song has always been my favorite Beatles song; it was also the B-side of the previous song in the US. What I like so much about it is the way the harmonica plays. The narrator never realized the sweetness of a kiss until his girlfriend entered his life. Whenever he tells her he loves her, she answers that she feels the same way. I also have a stereo version of this song that was released in 1970; the opening harmonica riff on that version is slightly different.
3. If I Fell (2:18) - The tempo is moderately slow. The narrator's previous girlfriend had either left him or treated him so badly that he left her. Of his new girlfriend, he asks better treatment; when the previous girl learns about this true love, she'll cry over the man she lost.
4. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You (1:55) - The tempo, slightly faster than moderate, is very fitting for the person who is excited to dance. The narrator doesn't want to hold the girl's hand, kiss her, or do any other passionate stuff, at least for now; he just wants to dance with her. Now, there's the right pace at which to start a relationship!
5. And I Love Her (2:28) - This song, with a moderate tempo, features either the snapping of fingers or a similar-sounding drum. The narrator and his girlfriend have a love so true and eternal that any other guy would envy him.
6. Tell Me Why (2:06) - The fast tempo contrasts greatly from the narrator's sad mood. The narrator has done his best to satisfy his girlfriend, but she still cries and tells him lies. About to cry himself, he begs her to specify what, if anything, he's said or done to upset her; and what, if anything, he can do to make her feel better.
7. Can't Buy Me Love (2:11) - This song, also fast, has a theme opposite that of "Money" from the previous album. The narrator here cares little for money and the stuff it can buy; he cares more about love, respect, and other abstract things that money CAN'T buy. So he hopes that his girlfriend will be satisfied without material items such as diamond rings.
8. Anytime At All (2:10) - This moderately fast song has a similar theme to "All I've Got To Do" from the previous album; whenever the narrator's girlfriend feels lonely, all she has to do is call him. On the vinyl version of this album, this song started Side Two, the side containing the songs that didn't appear on the film with the same name as the album and its first song.
9. I'll Cry Instead (1:44) - This fast song didn't appear on the body of the film, but it did play during a pre-film showing of various still photos. The narrator is furious at being left by his only girlfriend; as a metaphor for his fury, he uses "a chip on [his] shoulder that's bigger than [his] feet." He would have himself put in jail if he could, but he can't, so he opts to cry. He also resolves to break the heart of every girl in the world. I also have a longer version of this song, in which the first verse is sung a second time before the second singing of the bridge and the third verse.
10. Things We Said Today (2:34) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, was the B-side of the British "Hard Day's Night" single. I like it second-best of all Beatles songs because of the low-toned strumming of an A-minor chord that occurs at the beginning, after the first verse, and during the fading sequence. The narrator and his girlfriend will say right now that they love each other; that way they'll have fond memories to look back on someday when he's lonely and longing to be with her again, or when they fall deeper in love and run out of things to say.
11. When I Get Home (2:14) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. The narrator tells the second person to move out of his way so the narrator can go home and tell a bunch of things to his girlfriend.
12. You Can't Do That (2:33) - This song has a similar tempo to the previous one. I like the guitar licks and the heavy use of cymbal drums. The narrator threatens to leave his girlfriend if she ever talks to another man again. I think he doesn't mean talking in just any way; rather, he means talking sweet talk (flirting) with other men. As a single, this song was the flip of "Can't Buy Me Love."
13. I'll Be Back (2:20) - Here's a third song in a row with a tempo slightly faster than moderate. The narrator loves his girlfriend a lot and doesn't want to leave, but he will (temporarily) if she breaks his heart again. She broke it once before, and he spent a short time away from her. Now he pleads that she find better things to do.
1. No Reply (2:14) - The tempo is moderate. My favorite parts are the dramatic lines such as "I nearly died," where cymbal drums are used. I also like the bridge, during which hands clap and the narrator begs the girl to realize how much he loves her. Whenever he knocks on her door, her family tells him she's not home, but he knows that she really is. He also knows that she's been seeing a new man lately.
2. I'm A Loser (2:30) - In the verses of this fast song, I like how John drops his pitch abruptly at the end of every other line. I also like the middle and fading instrumental. In the first half of each instrumental, a harmonica plays lead; in the second half, a guitar plays lead. A tambourine plays during the chorus. The narrator had a big ego until he lost his girlfriend. In the third verse, the Pagliacci warns other men that if they don't want to lose love also, they should beware of pride.
3. Baby's In Black (2:06) - This song has a slow, 12/8 tempo. The narrator wonders what he can do to make the girl forget about her previous boyfriend, who either has died or has deserted her. It's more likely the latter, since in the bridge he wonders when she'll realize some mistake she's made. Apparently she's mistaken in believing that someday the previous guy will come back.
4. Rock And Roll Music (Berry) (2:31) - This fast song features a piano. I can hear John's voice echo, especially during the instrumental breaks. This song previously was a hit for Chuck Berry.
5. I'll Follow The Sun (1:49) - The tempo is moderately fast. The narrator is bidding his girlfriend farewell, I don't know to where or for what. But he resolves to avoid the rainy weather forecasted for the following day.
6. Mr. Moonlight (Johnson) (2:35) - The tempo is moderate. Instruments include an organ and African drums. My favorite parts are the low-toned guitar solos. I also like the instrumental, in which the organ plays lead. The narrator, personifying the Moon, gives thanks for sending him his girlfriend; he prays every day that the Moon's light will continue to shine on the couple.
7. Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey (Leiber/Stoller/Penniman) (2:30) - This version of a Little Richard hit is slightly faster than moderate and features a piano. In other versions of "Kansas City" that I have, the narrator plans to get a new girlfriend from the city; in this version, the narrator is going there to find a girl with whom he's already had a relationship and bring her back home. I like this version better than the one by Little Richard.
8. Eight Days A Week (2:43) - What a coincidence that the song includes "eight" in the title and is the eighth track on the album! Anyway, the tempo is moderately fast. What I like best here is the clapping of hands after "hold me" and "love me." The narrator has only love for his girlfriend all days of the week, although he overstates the length of a week by one day.
9. Words Of Love (Holly) (2:11) - This moderate-tempoed song features hand-clapping in eighth beats and mind-blowing guitar licks. The song was originally sung by Buddy Holly, whom the guys, led by John, vaguely imitate.
10. Honey Don't (Perkins) (2:58) - This version of a Carl Perkins hit has a fast tempo. I like the low-pitched guitar licks. The narrator wonders why his girlfriend says one thing and then does the opposite. She even indulges so much in alcoholic drinks on many a Saturday night that she looks bad the next morning. He tells her not to do any of that stuff. On this version, Ringo sang lead; on the version from Live at the BBC, John sang lead.
11. Every Little Thing (2:04) - This moderate-tempoed song features a piano, which pounds with the drums during the chorus. The narrator's friends tell him he's lucky to have the girlfriend he has. All things she does are for him.
12. I Don't Want To Spoil The Party (2:34) - The fast tempo is not an apt match for the mood of this song, but the weeping guitar licks are. The narrator finds no fun in a party when his girlfriend isn't also attending. To avoid spoiling the party, he decides to leave and look for the girl. I've also heard a gender-switched version by Rosanne Cash.
13. What You're Doing (2:32) - This moderately fast song opens with a 4-measure drum solo. The piano is most audible during the middle instrumental. The narrator wonders why the girl lies to him and does who-knows-what-else to make him cry; he doesn't think it's too much to ask her.
14. Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby (Perkins) (2:25) - This song, like "Honey Don't," has a fast tempo and was previously sung by Carl Perkins. The narrator attracts female attention everywhere he goes; girls even go so far as to make a sculpture of him out of honey. George sang lead on this song, and I can clearly hear his voice echoing during the breaks in the instruments.
1. Help! (2:19) - The album's title song has a fast tempo. Until the day in which the song is set, the narrator felt independent and secure; now he's begging help from the person to whom he's singing. He's probably singing to a girl, since in the beginning he sings, "Not just anybody."
2. The Night Before (2:36) - The tempo is moderately fast. On the night before the setting of this song, the girl seemed to love the narrator sincerely; now she's deserted him. Wondering whether she told him lies the previous night, he begs her to resume loving him like she had done before.
3. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (2:09) - This song has a slow, 12/8 tempo. From the middle of the first verse, a tambourine beats on every second and fourth quarter beat. A woodwind instrument plays lead in the ending instrumental. Some people believe this song was inspired to John by an affair with the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, who was homosexual, but the other Beatles doubt such a thing ever happened.
4. I Need You (Harrison) (2:30) - The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate. I like the guitar licks. Just before leaving the narrator, his girlfriend told him that she no longer wanted his love. He begs her to come back and realize how much she means to him.
5. Another Girl (2:05) - This fast song is the one I like best from this album. The girl to whom the narrator is singing was his girlfriend until the day in which the song is set. He tells her that their relationship is over because he's found someone new "who will love [him] till the end."
6. You're Gonna Lose That Girl (2:19) - This moderately fast song features a piano and African drums. The guy to whom the narrator is singing will lose his girlfriend if he doesn't take her on a date on the night of the song's setting. Then the narrator will take her out and treat her right.
7. Ticket To Ride (3:11) - The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate. Instruments include a tambourine. I like the guitar licks best. The narrator's girlfriend is leaving him; she's got a ticket for a ride to some destination that the narrator doesn't specify; perhaps she didn't even tell HIM where she's going. Anyway, she's leaving him because she wants to be free. This song was later covered by the Carpenters.
8. Act Naturally (Russell/Morrison) (2:32) - This fast song was previously sung by country singer Buck Owens; even in this version, the guitar licks have a country flavor. Here Ringo plays an actor who is sad and lonely both in his own life and in the film he's starring in. The previous 7 songs were all in the Help! film, but this and all subsequent songs on this album were not.
9. It's Only Love (1:56) - This moderate-tempoed song features a tambourine and twangy guitar licks. The narrator wonders why he's shy whenever he's next to his girlfriend, and why they quarrel every night. It may only be love, but somehow he finds loving her difficult.
10. You Like Me Too Much (Harrison) (2:37) - This fast song opens with a slow, rolling, 9-second piano solo. The narrator now realizes how badly he treated his girlfriend. She tried leaving him a few times before, but each time she stayed away only for a short while. Her immense love for him prevents her from leaving him permanently.
11. Tell Me What You See (2:38) - This moderately fast song features a tambourine and a drum that simulates the snapping of fingers. The narrator wants into the girl's heart; he promises that if she lets him in, they'll never part. He'll even replace her cloudy day with sunshine. He is what she sees when she opens her eyes.
12. I've Just Seen A Face (2:05) - The tempo is moderate and in 12/8 time for the first 11 seconds; the rest of the song is very fast. The narrator, previously having avoided romance, has just seen a girl. Something he sees in her, which he's never seen in other girls, tells him that she's the right girl for him. Now he wants the whole world to know that they're a couple.
13. Yesterday (2:05) - The tempo is moderate. To match the mood of the song, there are no drums, and the instruments that do play are subdued. A string quartet is featured. The day before the setting of the song, the narrator felt confident that his girlfriend still loved him; now she's left him without telling him why. His joy has suddenly turned to sorrow. This song has been covered more widely than any other Beatles song; the long list includes Kate Smith, Ray Price, and Florence Ballard.
14. Dizzy Miss Lizzie (Williams) (2:56) - This moderately fast tempo and the guitar licks make this song one to get down and dance to! Actually, Lizzie is not the one who's dizzy; she makes the narrator dizzy when she dances. He loves her so much that he asks her to marry him.
On most songs from this album, the guys' voices and/or some instruments can be heard in only one of the speakers. In some songs, all instruments are in one speaker, while the guys' voices are in the other.
1. Drive My Car (2:25) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. Instruments include a piano, a tambourine, and a drum slightly resembling the clanking of a pan. The girl about whom the narrator sings wants to be an actress. She tells the narrator that if he'll be her chauffeur, she might become his girlfriend.
2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (2:03) - This slow, 6/8 song was the first Beatles song to feature an Indian instrument known as a sitar. A tambourine is also featured. The narrator reminisces on the night he spent at his girlfriend's house made of lumber from Norway. They drank wine and talked until 2 AM, at which time she went to bed and he slept in the bathtub (which, I hope, had no water in it). In the last verse, he wakes up to find that she's left the house, which explains the parenthetical part of the title.
3. You Won't See Me (3:18) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. Instruments include a piano and a harmonica. The narrator is tired of trying to call his girlfriend only to find her line busy. Shortly thereafter, she leaves him. After that, every day seems like a year to the narrator. Although this song wasn't a hit for the Beatles, it was later for Anne Murray.
4. Nowhere Man (2:43) - The tempo is moderate. The man described in the song is very solitary. He lives far away from other people, has no idea where he goes, and makes plans only for himself. The narrator asks, "Isn't he a bit like you and me?" Of course he is; he's human like you and I are. And they say no man's an island!
5. Think For Yourself (Harrison) (2:17) - The tempo is moderately fast. Instruments include a tambourine and shuffling drums. The narrator can see that his girlfriend has caused him plenty of trouble, and she's made up her mind to cause him more. So he decides to leave her; he tells her to do whatever and go wherever she pleases.
6. The Word (2:41) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. Instruments include shuffling drums and a tambourine; toward the end, an organ also plays. The word of which the narrator speaks is "love." He hears it everywhere he goes, sees it in every book he reads. He tells the girl to say it.
7. Michelle (2:41) - This soft, moderate-tempoed song shows how well Paul knows French. His character wants to show Michelle that he loves her; the only words he's sure she will understand are "I love you."
8. What Goes On (Lennon/McCartney/Starr) (2:46) - The tempo is fast. In the left speaker we hear Ringo's lead vocals; in the right speaker we hear John and Paul's backing. The narrator wonders what happens in his girlfriend's heart and mind when he sees her walking with another man and otherwise treating the narrator like a nobody.
9. Girl (2:29) - This ballad is moderately slow. The narrator's girlfriend makes a fool of him in front of his friends, and he's tried several times to leave her. Still, he believes her when she promises him the world, and he continues to love her. I thought John had mispronounced "leisure" just to make it rhyme with "pleasure" in the third verse, until I learned that the word is pronounced that way in Britain.
10. I'm Looking Through You (2:25) - My favorite parts of this fast song are the guitar licks that play after each verse. The narrator's girlfriend looks the same on the outside as he saw her before, but he can see that she's changed on the inside--she no longer loves him. One thing he says is very true: "Love has a nasty habit of diappearing overnight."
11. In My Life (2:25) - The tempo is moderate. I like how the piano rolls during the middle instrumental. The narrator has seen many places and had many lovers and friends throughout his life, but he has never loved anyone more than he loves his current girlfriend.
12. Wait (2:13) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, features a tambourine. The narrator, apparently on a long business trip, assures his girlfriend that he's on his way home. He tells her to wait for him if her heart's strong, or leave the house for good if her heart breaks.
13. If I Needed Someone (Harrison) (2:20) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, features a tambourine. The narrator tells the girl that he currently doesn't need a lover. Had they seen each other on another day, however, he might have accepted her offer of a relationship. Still, he asks her to "carve [her] number on [his] wall"; if and when he does need her, he'll call her.
14. Run For Your Life (2:18) - The tempo is moderate. Instruments include shuffling drums and a tambourine. The narrator is so abusive! He threatens to kill the girl if he catches her with another man.