Song Meaning, Facts & Analysis: Yesterday by The Beatles

ARTIST: THE BEATLES | ALBUM: HELP | RELEASED: 1965

"Yesterday" is like no other Beatles' song. Unlike most of their songs that are credited to Lennon/McCartney, this marked the first time where there was no extensive collaboration between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. "Yesterday" was written only by Paul when he was playing around on the piano; he was also the only Beatle present on stage when the song was played live. John Lennon, however, initially didn't like the song. In fact, he and other band members made fun of the song. This almost broke The Beatles into two bands: John's band and Paul's band.

The Beatles Invade America

There were number of events that facilitated Beatlemania in the US. Some of it may seem unrelated to music, which shouldn't be surprising given that The Beatles transcended way beyond just music. America was filled with optimism in the early 1960s. There was the civil rights movement, and "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King on August 28, 1963. Furthermore, John F. Kennedy's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention of 1960 was known as "A New Frontier," emphasizing his message of a hopeful future. Everything changed on Nov 22, 1963 when President Kennedy was shot dead! People attribute to this event as the day that American democracy got thrown into the back seat. Everybody was very shocked, and their sadness continued for weeks, even after those responsible were taken custody.

The British Invasion: Early Days of The Beatles

John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, George Harrison :-)

The Beatles led the way on the British Invasion. They were the first of numerous classic rock bands that would eventually "invade" the US in 1960s. The Rolling Stones, The Who, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin are few of the latter acts that followed the footsteps of the Fab Four. In doing so, they have influenced countless American rock n' roll bands and artists, like Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses, KISS, and Bruce Springsteen.

It's quite intriguing to explore the early days of the Beatles. Their roots to the rise lies in the ashes of the post World War II England. Unlike for the US at the time, WWII didn't end for England immediately following the last last shot fired. Their struggle continued in the following years to rebuild the nation. Though help was available in the recovery process, the "do-it-yourself" culture was very prominent during this time period. In fact, this has extended to music as well. The artist walked though all aspects of producing music: writing, adding music, producing, etc.

Song Meaning: All My Loving by The Beatles

ARTIST: THE BEATLES | ALBUM: WITH THE BEATLES | RELEASED: 1964

The song is generally considered to be The Beatles' first North American hit. It reached #1 in Canada, but only managed to top as high as #45 on US popular music chart. However, upon the re-release during The Beatles visit of the US, the single shot to the top of the charts. In fact, prior to prior to performing the song on Ed Sullivan's Show, Paul McCartney said, "when we first released this, it didn't do nothing. But now it's doing something."