A couple weeks ago, I wore a t-shirt that said “Love is all you need.” “Beatles?” confirmed a guy I know, to which I nodded. Later that day, I was talking to this guy about Test Spins, wondering which album I should review next. His suggestion was The Beatles. My initial reaction? “That’s so basic.” He then pointed out that I was in fact wearing a Beatles shirt (a fair point). This interaction got me thinking — why was my first instinct to call The Beatles basic? I definitely like their music — although I do consider myself more of a Stones fan — and there’s a reason they are so popular. To investigate further, I decided to listen to Magical Mystery Tour, the album from which “All You Need Is Love” hails.
The record starts out with a fun title track, a cheesy yet endearing invitation to listen in: “Roll up, roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour / Step right this way” Paul McCartney beckons. It feels very ’60s — appropriately, I might add, since the album was released in 1967 — and very welcoming. This was necessary since Magical Mystery Tour also served as the soundtrack for The Beatles’ film of the same name; the album had double the work to do and therefore needed to be twice as enticing. McCartney elucidates the title further, saying “John [Lennon] and I remembered mystery tours, and we always thought this was a fascinating idea: getting on a bus and not knowing where you were going. Rather romantic and slightly surreal!”
“The Fool On The Hill” is next — a rather simple song made interesting by the inclusion of McCartney’s flute-playing skills and pristine vocals. “Flying” is an instrumental track that also includes McCartney’s interesting flute. In the film, “Flying” is paired with aerial shots of Iceland … and just by listening to the song, one can understand why. “Blue Jay Way” begins eerily and picks up a bit at the chorus. It features an artificial double backing and George Harrison on the organ. He explained, “There was a little Hammond organ in the corner of this house which I hadn’t noticed until then … so I messed around on it and the song came.” The song is a bit sleepy for my liking, but makes a case for both The Beatles’ and the album’s range.
“Blue Jay Way” is followed by “Your Mother Should Know.” Although it could be read as redundant, I’d argue that its repetition makes it effective and catchy, and The Beatles avoid that particular pitfall here. “I’ve always hated generation gaps … I was advocating peace between the generations. In ‘Your Mother Should Know’ I was basically trying to say your mother might know more than you think she does. Give her credit,” McCarney says.
“I Am The Walrus” is three songs put together and consists of lyrics that ultimately boil down to nonsense, challenging the usual over-intellectualization of Beatles lyrics. It’s experimental in sound and vocals and embodies the psychedelia that characterizes The Beatles’ earlier work. “Hello, Goodbye” kicks off a string of the album’s more popular tracks, and is another uncomplicated yet successful track. According to McCartney, “It’s just a song of duality, with me advocating the more positive…I was advocating the more positive side of the duality, and I still do to this day.”
The legendary “Strawberry Fields Forever” is especially personal, nostalgic and conversational in the sense that Lennon throws in the occasional “you know?” and “er” and “I think.” “Penny Lane” is similarly nostalgic and McCartney’s counter of sorts to Lennon’s “Strawberry Fields Forever.” McCartney shared, “Penny Lane was a place in Liverpool that we were very nostalgic for. It was a terminal where John and I got the bus to go to each other’s houses. And all the things in the song were true.” We then transition into “Baby, You’re A Rich Man” (whose name inevitably reminds me of Cher saying something similar in reference to herself), an intriguing commentary on The Beatles’ rise to fame and wealth. Despite the content, it’s not extraordinary in terms of sound and doesn’t hook me the way it should.
We finish with the iconic “All You Need Is Love,” my favorite song on Magical Mystery Tour with a fantastic horn section, and an unbeatable steadiness and jazziness that encapsulates The Beatles’ ability to keep things fresh. It was at this point in my listening experience that the answer to my question — why I defaulted to calling The Beatles basic — became clear. Regardless of the occasional stumble, The Beatles are defined by their dependability. No matter which record of theirs you choose to listen to, be it Magical Mystery Tour, Abbey Road, Rubber Soul or otherwise, you can count on them to leave you satisfied. I thought reviewing The Beatles would be too much of a “gimme,” but their reliability bespeaks their talent in keeping things interesting in a way that’s different with each of their albums. That’s not basic — that’s special, and that’s why they were, and still are, so popular.
Test Spins is a weekly throwback column reviewing and recommending classic and underrated albums from the past. It runs every Friday.
Sydney Levinton is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].