I settled on A Day in the Life for many reasons. To start, I do love Harrison's songs, and While My Guitar Gently Weeps was a contender, but something about the Lennon-McCartney dynamic seems a little more classic Beatles. A Day in the Life is the perfect example of a Lennon-McCartney song not just because it's credited to them, but because it really was a team effort, specifically from John and Paul. Other tracks that get the Lennon-McCartney label were mostly one or the other, and then they were credited to the duo. In this song, you can hear and feel the parts that are John's, and then it flips and there is a very distinct Paul section. It rounds back to John and then after an orchestral swell, there's the final epic chord, all four members on their own piano playing the chord with each hand. It's a surreal trip of a song, with many possible meanings, and maybe some references to actual personal truth. Partly, it may have helped initiate the whole Paul is dead theory, probably as a joke. One of the best parts about the Beatles catalog is it's like a list of 236 black comedies. So serious when listened with one perspective, and yet hilarious if you're in another mood. The changes in time signatures and keys in this song reflect this tradition. It really was a hard pick for the 60s, but it didn't seem right to go with any other band. After that my work was cut out for me in deciding which song. Other contenders include Happiness is a Warm Gun, Blue Jay Way, Love You To, And I Love Her, Tomorrow Never Knows, Come Together, Help, and so many more. I love them in a way that permeates my very being. There are many bands from the 60s and beyond that I love, but the Fab Four is love.
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