On this episode of our Beatles podcast, "small" George Harrison song becomes bigger once everyone brings their own meaning to it. This episode, we are joined by the hosts of The Inner Light Podcast, Sophie and Harry. Since this is only our second Harrison track, we got to dig deeper into George’s distinct voice, and why he fits so perfectly into the space John and Paul leave open as songwriters and personalities.

We cover:

-George's growing voice as a Beatles songwriter

-The volume-pedal guitar sound

-Strange instrumentation in the backing track

-The song's afterlife at the Concert for George

Check out Sophie and Harry's socials:

https://linktr.ee/innerlightpodcast

https://beacons.ai/sophspace

https://www.instagram.com/harryfitz

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries

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In this Beatles lecture series, Kenyon looks at John Lennon's beautiful ballad, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away. We take a look at the lyrics and how John avoids locking into one specific meaning without really feeling vague. On the music side, we talk about the compound meter, how the harmony is a product of the guitar voices, and how the melody tells us what kind of lyric this is.

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries

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On this episode of our Beatles podcast, we are joined by guest Andrew Shakespeare to discuss one of the most intimate John Lennon songs so far. From there, we attempt to break down how it was written, how it was recorded, and what it could mean to us. Our track by track trip through Help! continues to give us surprises.

We cover:

-The Dylan comparisons

-Pete Shotton's visit to the studio

-Johnnie Scott's flute overdubs and the mystery of the tenor flute

-The Silkie's cover, produced by The Beatles themselves

-A broken glass

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries

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In this Beatles lecture series, Kenyon breaks down the lyrics and music of The Night Before. The song feels immediate, but the lyrics keep shifting under your feet. We look at the craft of Paul’s phrasing, showing how short, telegram-like lines stretch and change once the music takes over.

Musically, the episode follows the song through blues color, a warped doo-wop progression, flat-seven chords, chromatic movement, and a middle eight that reframes the entire emotional point of the song. Along the way, we see the connections to Yesterday, I’m Down, and Paul’s broader songwriting habits, showing how one compact Help track can hold far more musical and emotional tension than its reputation suggests.

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries

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On this episode of our Beatles podcast, we really put this song up to the test. Growing up, Peter felt that this might be one of the greatest Beatles songs, but does he still feel that way today? Together, with our guest Rob Collier (Beatles Bass Lines), we dive deep into the song and see what is going on beneath the surface. By the end, we settle the score and decide where this song lands in the pecking order of Beatles songs.

We cover:

-The music theory of the song

-Similarities to Yesterday

-A deep dive on the Pianet C and related instruments

-A storytime on how Northern Songs, the Beatles music publishing company, went public on the London Stock Exchange

Check out Rob

https://www.patreon.com/cw/BeatlesBassLines

https://linktr.ee/beatlesbasslines

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of our Beatles podcast, we are joined by our special guest and film correspondant, Stephen Ptacek along with another super-special surprise guest. The episode is long and loose but the conversation is engaging about one the weirdest, most interesting and complicated Beatles projects.

We take on the film’s bigger questions, move through it scene by scene, dig into behind-the-scenes material, listen to radio promos and interview clips, and even get into a restored cut scene. At the end, we give Help! the only thing it was missing: a rating.

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries

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In this Beatles Lecture Series, Kenyon shows how I’m Down is doing several jobs at once: answering the emotional weight of the A-side, giving Paul a sharper and more frustrated voice, and building the whole song out of contradictions, call-and-response, and release. It makes you hear it not as throwaway chaos, but as a carefully placed Beatles move that is funny, tense, and explosive for very specific reasons.

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries

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This Beatles Lecture Series episode makes the case that “Help!” is not just a blunt cry for rescue but one of John’s sharpest balancing acts, pairing some of his plainest words with music that keeps shifting underneath them. Once you hear that tug between stillness and motion, the song stops sounding merely direct and starts feeling brilliantly constructed.

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries

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In this Beatles podcast, we are joined by bass player Erik McIntyre to discuss the B-side of the Help! single. Written on the back of a telegram, this song was conjured up as a replacement for Little Richard's Long Tall Sally in The Beatles' set list. In the conversation, we dive into the history of the song and, with Erik's help, explore why this song was necessary in the Beatles catalog at this exact moment.

We cover:

-Decoding Paul McCartney's bass lines

-The protest song Eve of Destruction and its role in the Beatles' songwriting

-The legedary recording session that produced this song

-The politics of being in a band and the importance of keeping it fun

Check out Erik McIntire:

https://www.instagram.com/erik_mcintyre/

https://www.acemonroe.com/

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries

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This Beatles podcast episode attempts to get at why Help feels so relatable even after all these years. We are joined by songwriter Jeremy Ivey and open up the song as a John Lennon turning point, a George Harrison guitar showcase, and a surprisingly strange bit of Beatles detective work.

We cover:

-George Harrison’s lead guitar part, the chromatic descent, and the countrified feel of the playing

-How John wrote Help, from the film title to Paul’s counter melody

-The mystery of a secret recording session pieced together from photos uncovered in 2002

-Where Help landed on the music charts with the other songs of the day

Check out Jeremy Ivey: https://jeremyivey.net

Video on George's guitar part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec6M_6ua16o

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries

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