A Wintry Mix

I met a muse; a wintry mix
of cherry blossoms and snow-shine
She said don’t worry about my season’s attire
it was on sale, and fits me perfectly

I asked about those timeless things
And she denied the weather as it rained
She’d promised something I don’t recall
I’m pretty sure with fingers crossed behind her back

I’ll let you in on a little known fact
the Autumn sun falls sideways, and
it does
fit her perfectly

Dear Prudence

We just finished learning this one and the guitar was very fun to learn albeit a bit of a challenge. Jackie’s going to be singing lead which is a break from what seems to be our norm where I’m John and she’s Paul

Here’s some fun facts I found:

• While Mia Farrow inspired such men as Andre Previn, Frank Sinatra and Woody Allen, her sister Prudence left her mark on John Lennon. According to Nancy de Herrera’s book, All You Need Is Love, Prudence met The Beatles on a spiritual retreat with the Maharishi in India, which she attended with Mia. When Prudence, suffering depression, confined herself to her room, Lennon wrote this hoping to cheer her up. It did.
• Prudence Farrow wanted to “Teach God quicker than anyone else,” according to John Lennon. She would lock herself in her room trying to meditate for hours and hours. From A Hard Day’s Write, by Steve Turner: “At the end of the demo version of Dear Prudence John continues playing guitar and says: ‘No one was to know that sooner or later she was to go completely berserk, under the care of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. All the people around were very worried about the girl because she was going insane. So, we sang to her.’”
• Ringo had left the group as the White Album sessions got very tense, so Paul McCartney played drums. When Ringo came back a short time later, there were flowers on his drum kit welcoming him back.
• The guitars were overdubbed 6 or 7 times.
• John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics were auctioned off for $19,500 in 1987.
• Lennon considered this one of his favorites.
• Siouxsie And The Banshees covered this in 1983. Their version went to #3 in the UK and became their biggest hit.

Another fun fact brought to you by J&J Factoids, Rubber Stamps, and Political Fondu, Inc.

Back in the U.S.S.R.

Well, we’re performing the Beatles’ White Album next month and are learning the songs. Back in the U.S.S.R. is the first track on the album and I thought it would be fun to start looking up some of the “song facts” about each of the songs (at least those I can find facts about). Here are some interesting things I dug up about this one:

• Mike Love from the Beach Boys was sitting in a hotel lobby when Paul McCartney came down for breakfast. The two of them chatted for awhile, and Love suggested that The Beatles incorporate a little bit of a Beach Boy sound in a song, “Like we did in California Girls.” McCartney was impressed with the idea and used some Beach Boys’ elements in this song: Instead of “California Girls” is was “Moscow Girls.” Plus, the definitive Beach Boy “Oooeeeeoooo” in the background harmonies.
• The title was inspired by Chuck Berry’s “Back In The U.S.A.”
• Things were tense when they were working on this album, and Ringo walked out during recording, briefly quitting the band. Paul McCartney played drums in his place.
• The Beatles originally wrote this for wafer-thin actress and model Twiggy.
• The line “Georgia’s always on my mind” in a play on the Ray Charles song “Georgia On My Mind.” It has a double meaning, since Georgia was part of the U.S.S.R.
• Elton John performed this when he toured Russia in 1979. Billy Joel also played it when he toured Moscow in 1987. (thanks, Adrian - Wilmington, DE)
• Paul McCartney used this as the title to an album he released only in Russia in 1989. In 2002, McCartney called his US tour the “Back In The US” tour.
• This opens with the sound of an airplane flying from left to right across the speakers. Stereo was relatively new, so this was very innovative for the time.
• On August 22, 1968, following an argument with McCartney over the drum part for this song, Ringo walked out on The Beatles. He flew to Sardinia for a holiday to consider his future. While there he received a telegram from his bandmates saying, ‘You’re the best rock ‘n’ roll drummer in the world. Come on home, we love you.’ On his return, he found his drum kit covered with flowers. A banner above read, ‘Welcome Back.’

So there ya go We’ll be adding others as we work on them.