So it looks like I’m not quite done talking about the Beatles, but at least this time, I’m going to talk about them (and not someone else trying to ruin their music)…
Needless to say, there has been a lot of Beatles everything right now with Rock Band, the re-released CDs, etc. And the pop culture follower that I am, I’ve been listening to some of my old Beatles albums. More specifically, I’ve been listening to Abbey Road, which has inspired me to address something that might not be too popular: Her Majesty. Not the Queen of England, herself, but the final song on the album.
Let me start by saying that many people consider Abbey Road to be the greatest of all the Beatles albums. Trust me when I say that this is no small feat, because they’ve got a ton of great albums. I know that people will argue it’s greatness, but the bottom line is that it is one of the tops.
Want an example of who great it is? Just take a look at Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End, and you’ll understand completely. The tracks are listed individually, but they might as well be one complete song. It is during this three song interchange, that is almost like a Suite, that we musically see the entire album come together into one seemless work. The listener realizes all that Lenon and McCartney meant to do, and who they weaved certain musical ideas through the album. Those three songs serve as the bow on the package, pulling them all together.
Now, that is no small intro to talk about the 23 seconds of music that follows all of this. Her Majesty is a light, little pop song with the following lyrics:
Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl,
but she doesn’t have a lot to say
Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl
but she changes from day to dayI want to tell her that I love her a lot
But I gotta get a belly full of wine
Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl
Someday I’m going to make her mine, oh yeah,
Someday I’m going to make her mine.
Yep, that’s the entire song, right there. All 69 words of it, and yes, I did have to count them. So, these, not even 70, words got people really mad, but why? There are many that feel like the song does not belong on the album or that it is a horrible ending to an otherwise perfect album. (On a side note, I really disagree with that last statement. I mean, really, have they never heard Octopus’s Garden?)
So, what has all of my listening to this album gotten me? Well, it’s more of a realization. This was the Beatles next to last album, and it is commonly understood that Let It Be (their last album) was a tough journey on the band. So, with Abbey Road, we have the “grown up” Beatles, who are markedly different from the band who recorded Please Please Me, just six years earlier.
Abbey Road was an album that contained a lot of growth and introspection. It helps to illustrate just how far the Beatles had come in their careers. They had progressed on past those “silly little pop songs.” But, perhaps that is the question? Did the Beatles shrug off the light pop music from the beginning of their career? The realization to me was that perhaps, Her Majesty is the coming full circle in their careers. The musical way of saying that those pop songs that everyone loved were and are part of who we are as a band.
So, yes, there are still going to be lots of people who still hate the song. There will be those that think it ruins that album, but personally, I think it’s dire to the story of the band. So, until next time, dear reader, remember that I want to tell her that I love her a lot, but I gotta get a belly full of wine…
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5 responses so far ↓
Dan // September 23, 2009 at 6:49 pm |
I’d count myself one of those who was puzzled by “Her Majesty”, although I wouldn’t say I was necessarily angry about it. Just a litte confused. To me, the majestic end of “The End” should have been, well, the end. That would have “made sense” more than “Her Majesty”. But I guess if you do the sensical thing every time, it can get boring…
I’d like to mention something that I’ve noticed about The Beatles catalog over these years: even though John formed the band, Sir Paul almost always got the last words. The proof? The last song on Abbey Road, which was their last album RECORDED, was his “Her Majesty”. The last song on Let It Be, which was their last album RELEASED (other than compilations and reissues), was his “Get Back”. And the last song on the “Blue Album” (a 70’s compilation of 1967-1970 songs) was his “The Long and Winding Road”. Not to mention the fact that, as even Lennon himself admitted, every “important” announcement regarding The Beatles was delivered by Paul: “we’re taking drugs” (1967), “we’re probably not playing another major concert again” (1966), “…uh, yeah, we’ve broken up” (1970).
In terms of favorite albums, Revolver (1966) has always been mine. It was arguably their first psychedelic album (beating Sgt. Peppers’ by a full year), and to me, at least, the songs are really good.
memphismafia // September 30, 2009 at 10:00 am |
Intersting point about Paul having the last word, that’s definitely something to digest. As for Revolver, it’s a great album, and I can see how it would be called their first psychedelic album. Still, Sgt. Pepper’s will always have a special place in my heart. That’s probably because I can remember listening to an original pressing of the vinyl as a kid. That kind of thing just sticks with you.
poietes // September 26, 2009 at 2:29 pm |
Abbey Road . . . Hmmm . . . Shoud have ended with “The End.” “Her Majesty” could have followed Octopus’s Garden (which, by the way, I have always loved for some reason, probably because it is totally nonsensical).
As far as the Beatles segue from Pop to serious music, I have always believed that they did “She Loves You” songs to get noticed, but that they were always wanting to do something with more weight but had to battle public personae.
Still, that being said, nothing/no one touches my heart quite like The Beatles did and continue to do.
memphismafia // September 30, 2009 at 10:03 am |
I’m glad that someone likes Octopus’ Garden, because I’ve always felt like that was the weakest song on the album. I could see Her Majesty going after that song. The only sticking point would probaby have been the length. Trying to squeeze a 23 second song would have been a little unusual.
I wonder if they meant for it to be the first ever “hidden track”. Now with CDs and digital format, it’s tons easier, but on vinyl, not that’s a challenge.
Larry C // November 13, 2009 at 10:42 pm |
Holding my three-month old grandson, still a little
High, I crank up the volume on Abbey Road – the only
Perfect album side, thank you very much – and await
Her Majesty. What a different life she and I might have
Led if the end had been the end. Without that frill
Grandma might never have been smitten by the wit and
Wiles of a college boy’s take on continuity and deeper
Meanings and then, Jackson, in my arms, would not be.
11/13/2009