It wasn’t the opening line I was expecting. When the opening riff to ‘Ticket to Ride’ plays, it immediately puts a smile on my face. I know it’s The Beatles. I know it’s played in the skiing scene in Help! and I know it’s one of John’s songs. I can look forward to a loud sigh of his halfway through the song. But the opening line and sentiment escaped me for a moment: “I think I’m gonna be sad” he sings…
“I THINK I’M GONNA BE SAD”
I’m not the best person to ask when it comes to lyrics. I might know which take of which session the final verse of a song was used for the final recording, but lyrics – not for me. I mean, they are key, I’m not dismissing their importance, I’m just not very good at listening out for them or remembering them. Poor isn’t it?
But it’s a fate I think many of us suffer, maybe not necessarily forgetting the actual words, but certainly there’s a common mistake where some of the most famous songs are actually not carrying the message most might think. One well known is The Police’s Every Breath You Take. Often used at a funeral picked by the loved ones of the deceased because of the line “I’ll be missing you” which was sampled by Puff Daddy for a tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. However, Sting has often spoke of his surprise at it’s popularity given it is quite a bitter song about lacking trust and keeping a watchful eye on a past lover after a break up.
And this is exactly what I do. I will pick one line from a song that means something to me, and run with it. In the case of Day Tripper it was the feel of the song and the melody.
God help us all…
For more about The Beatles, go down this rabbit-hole: