Theme: Food: The Beatles "Savoy Truffle" and "Wild Honey Pie"

Harrison's "Savoy Truffle" (1968) has been said to have been inspired by good friend, Eric Clapton's, addiction to chocolate. The lines "but when the pain comes through, you're gonna know and how" and "But you'll have to have them all pulled out after the savoy truffle" refer to the possibility of painful cavities.

On the same album we can hear "Wild Honey Pie" (Lennon/McCartney 1968). An...experimental piece.

Theme: Pigs: The Beatles "Piggies"

This week pigs have the opportunity to be a part of this blog. I'm not particularly partial towards pigs, but I will be for this week.

The Beatles' 1968 self-titled album, 'The Beatles', which is commonly referred to as 'The White Album' is the band's ninth studio album.
Harrison's song "Piggies", a social commentary on the bourgeoisie, appears on Side 2 of the album. "Piggies" has also been thought to be a criticism on police, who are also known as 'pigs'.


Everywhere there's lots of piggies
Living piggy lives
You can see them out for dinner
With their piggy wives
Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon.

Theme: Guns: The Beatles' "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"

In many cases the word 'gun' can take on multiple interpretations. This is especially true for the Beatles' "Happiness is a Warm Gun" (Lennon/McCartney 1968). One evaluation of the gun in "Happiness" has been said to be a metaphor for Lennon's 'sexual appetite' at the time. Lennon has admitted the relation between guns and sex: "that was the beginning of my relationship with Yoko and I was very sexually oriented then" (Sheff 188).

When I hold you in my arms
And I feel my finger on your trigger
I know nobody can do me no harm
Because happiness is a warm gun.

Another metaphor of the 'warm gun' or 'loaded gun' is heroin (Lennon had well documented stints with heroin, at the time); although I believe the sexual interpretation to be more likely.

Lastly, in the film Across the Universe (Julie Taymor 2007) the gun is interpreted literally. The film takes place in what we assume to be the Vietnam War era and one of the main characters, Max, is in the hospital due to war (gunshot?) injuries.

Happiness is a warm gun,
Bang, bang, shoot, shoot.

Not-so fun fact: Ironically, Lennon was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman in 1980 in the street outside of his apartment.

Yoko Ono Theme: The Beatles

Written by Lennon and recorded by John and Paul without the other 2 Beatles, "The Ballad of John and Yoko" (Lennon/McCartney1969) became the Beatles 17th and final #1 single in the UK.
This song is an obvious choice for our Yoko Ono theme, but an enjoyable one, nonetheless.

The title of the song tells us all we need to know. John and Yoko were married March 20, 1969 and this song describes all of the events surrounding their marriage: marriage arrangements, a bed-in for peace, bagism, the press' involvement, etc.

Fun fact: this song was banned in several countries for the use of the word 'Christ'.

This post is due to a moment of nostalgia. It was the childish Beatles' song "Yellow Submarine" (of all things!) that gave me a much needed push into a whole new world of music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCsYDZ2M04M

Themes

Every week I will choose a theme and discuss songs/albums/artists in relation to that theme. Every song has endless interpretations. These comments are my own interpretations of songs/albums/artists' intentions. This week's theme is: Yoko Ono.

Comments, questions, and (respectful) criticisms on each weekly topic are welcome, as well as suggestions for weekly themes.




















Since the late 1960s Yoko Ono has been commonly called the person who broke up the Beatles. I do not agree with this and I do not disagree with it. Obviously John Lennon was completely enthralled by Yoko's every move, so much so that he cheated on his first wife, Cynthia, with her. Lennon brought her to the recording studio and even put a bed in the studio for to sleep on when she was sick. However annoying this may have seemed to the other Beatles, I don't believe that Yoko is what ultimately broke them up. The lads were growing up and had their own lives and families to deal with.

The first song I will discuss is "Be My Yoko Ono" by Barenaked Ladies
At first listen I thought the BnLs were making fun of John and Yoko's relationship, especially when they make fun of Yoko's singing, but after another listen I realized the BnLs were admiring their relationship (in a comical way):

"Isn't it beautiful to see two people so much in love?"

"If I was John and you were Yoko,
I would gladly give up musical genius,
just to have you as my very own, personal Venus."

Sometimes I think people forget that John and Yoko did what they did out of love, not to purposefully annoy people.

“Half of what I say is meaningless,
But I say it just to reach you”