Hidden References in Popular Beatles Songs

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  • Опубликовано: 6 июн 2024
  • The Beatles made history, but they didn't sing about it much. Even when they did, usually it was an oblique reference to a current event - something that for them was contemporary, but which has since gone into the history books.
    In this way, larger historical currents did make their way into the band's lyrics - albeit often metaphorically, or as quick one-liners. Here's a sampling of the rare and subtle ways the Beatles commented on the world at large, and its past.
    To Read about more Beatles songs referencing historical events, go here:
    www.ranker.com/list/historica...
    Be sure to subscribe to the Weird History Newsletter: www.ranker.com/newsletters/we...
    #beatles #lyrics #weirdhistory
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Комментарии • 241

  • @laladoopsy
    @laladoopsy Месяц назад +44

    Seriously? You say no one thinks of The Beatles as being a political band? Revolution, Blackbird, Piggies, Get Back, Taxman, to name some. The reason The Beatles were so revered was that they did a whole lot of different themes and topics within theur very short time as a band.

    • @timthegem
      @timthegem Месяц назад +2

      This is the age of "alternate facts". A lot of people rip on Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon for their political jokes while claiming that Johnny Carson was never political, even though his nightly monologues had more political jokes than Kimmel and Fallon combined.

    • @RavensSoTired4081
      @RavensSoTired4081 Месяц назад

      Lmao piggies is about cops
      Go sit down somewhere

    • @12thMandalorian
      @12thMandalorian Месяц назад

      next they will tell me that The Smiths are a political band.

    • @jeffconquest3350
      @jeffconquest3350 Месяц назад

      @@timthegem You are correct, Johnny Carson was very political, but his observations/jokes were much more evenly distributed at both political parties where most current hosts are much more slanted to their side of the aisle and choose to ignore opportunities to joke about their side.

    • @chrisbarnett5303
      @chrisbarnett5303 Месяц назад

      Insane how much variety and so much innovation they had in only 7 years as a band

  • @NASCARFAN93100
    @NASCARFAN93100 Месяц назад +35

    The Beatles will forever be the GOAT

    • @Me4-gc8qs
      @Me4-gc8qs Месяц назад +3

      hahah too funny, needed that. None of the Beatless could even tune Brian Mays guitar.

    • @IsaacTuduriLlabres
      @IsaacTuduriLlabres Месяц назад +8

      ​​@@Me4-gc8qsDiferent bands, diferent styles... but I bet 'Queen' members liked 'The Beatles'...

    • @iwaspaidtoflywithyoubatman
      @iwaspaidtoflywithyoubatman Месяц назад +2

      Different time period

    • @ziggysawdust5407
      @ziggysawdust5407 Месяц назад +2

      ​@@Me4-gc8qshahaha, too funny. Brian May couldn't string Jimmy Page's shoes!

    • @iwaspaidtoflywithyoubatman
      @iwaspaidtoflywithyoubatman Месяц назад

      @ziggysawdust5407 I beg to differ. May is a way more versatile guitarist. Page, though, wrote more epic tunes (or stole them, rather).

  • @DaveSCameron
    @DaveSCameron Месяц назад +12

    Anyone who missed the clever references of the Fab Four doesn’t deserve them!

  • @vrijheidradio
    @vrijheidradio Месяц назад +10

    My favorite Beatles' song is Tomorrow never knows

  • @tombruner9634
    @tombruner9634 Месяц назад +16

    I know that there are a lot of Beatles fans who did not grow up with the Beatles in real time, but as one who did grow up with the Beatles I can tell you that at the time there was nothing "secret" about the Beatles political leanings or commentary. I think that it's possible that the reason was the FCC's Equal Time rule, which required broadcasters to grant equal time to differing viewpoints and in music it was generally better to be a bit subtle to avoid causing a scene. I'm guessing that since the political bands that you mentioned are relatively modern, but you left off acts roughly contemporaneous with the Beatles like Country Joe and the Fish. Yes, somehow we knew that I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin-To-Die (1967) was a protest song. Puff The Magic Dragon (1963), s by Peter, Paul, and Mary, was based on a poem that had nothing to do with the gunship of the same name and was not presented as a protest song, but was hijacked to serve as such. You had to be clever if you wanted to protest in those days because of that "lying son-of-a-bitch Johnson."

  • @IsaacTuduriLlabres
    @IsaacTuduriLlabres Месяц назад +14

    My favorite Beatles' song is
    'A Day in the Life'...
    I know it's a weird choice,
    but I love that song...
    The second is 'Strawberry Fields Forever'...
    I also love 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds'...

    • @leiaorgana5491
      @leiaorgana5491 Месяц назад +1

      Some of my favorites are: Strawberry Fields, In My Life, Something, Yesterday

    • @IsaacTuduriLlabres
      @IsaacTuduriLlabres Месяц назад

      @@leiaorgana5491 👍🏻

    • @milascave2
      @milascave2 Месяц назад

      None of those measure up to the sweetly melodic beats of "Revolution number nine."

  • @chrisclarke4665
    @chrisclarke4665 Месяц назад +9

    You're completely wrong about "I would love to turn you on". Both John and Paul have directly specified that lyric was there to jab at the BBC for its censorship of sexually explicit lyricism. Any direct interpretation of Leary's phrasing of the term is non intentional or coincidental since the context is directly sexual and not necessarily a hippie motif. The Beatles faded out that line with instrumentals to trick the BBC from censoring/vetoing the song on the radio. The Beatles did this again on "Because". Because the world Is round, it turns me on. The double meaning would be enough to trick further censorship of their material. John was furious that "I am the Walrus" was vetoed from having radio play because it featured the word "knickers".

    • @sludge8506
      @sludge8506 Месяц назад

      John was easily offended. Narcissism.

  • @drowsy7921
    @drowsy7921 Месяц назад +10

    Stuff like this is why I adore the Beatles. There's a lot more to their songs than meets the eye.

  • @Me4-gc8qs
    @Me4-gc8qs Месяц назад +10

    Anyone older than 12 knows how political the Beatles were...

    • @Beatleslover3
      @Beatleslover3 Месяц назад +1

      Exactly, what is this guy on about.

  • @ClintMcCollum
    @ClintMcCollum Месяц назад +7

    "Hey Bulldog" from Yellow Submarine album

  • @eltronics
    @eltronics Месяц назад +2

    Great informative video. Is there a Part 2?

  • @angelae4412
    @angelae4412 Месяц назад +7

    Now that's a bit more like the Michael Swaim I know and love!

    • @LukeRosenlieb
      @LukeRosenlieb Месяц назад

      Is it really Michael Swaim?

    • @misterhat5823
      @misterhat5823 Месяц назад

      @@LukeRosenlieb No. The narrators troll said it's AI. The narrator trolls are always right...

  • @lp-xl9ld
    @lp-xl9ld Месяц назад +5

    A certain radio station in Philadelphia would play "TaxMan" every April 15th during the time I lived there, and I'm sure many radio stations elsewhere did (still do?) also

  • @auntvesuvi3872
    @auntvesuvi3872 Месяц назад

    Thanks for this! 🍓

  • @alejandroberman
    @alejandroberman Месяц назад +22

    where's the other guy voice? the one that sounds like the cool neighbor we all want to have

  • @jons.6216
    @jons.6216 Месяц назад +2

    On a side note - the cover of "She's Leaving Home" by singer Lana Cantrell is pretty phenomenal!

  • @angeldquintas
    @angeldquintas Месяц назад +1

    George Harrison actually was the one who asked John to change the lyrics from “Maharishi” to “Sexy Sadie” out of respect for the Maharishi. He didn’t “chicken out” 😒

  • @missywink1504
    @missywink1504 Месяц назад +2

    After the end of Strawberry Fields, there's a brief track of music where John utters, 'Cranberry Sauce.'

    • @markkalfahs1047
      @markkalfahs1047 Месяц назад +1

      ...I thought it was, "I...buried...Paul," further fueling those death rumors of McCartney back then...🤷

    • @missywink1504
      @missywink1504 Месяц назад +1

      @@markkalfahs1047 That was the rumor, however, he actually says, ‘Cran . . . berry . . . sauce . . . ‘

  • @btetschner
    @btetschner Месяц назад +2

    A+ video!
    Fascinating topic and video!

  • @THE-X-Force
    @THE-X-Force Месяц назад

    Actually good and interesting historical info for a change.

  • @catholicactionbibleonlyist1813
    @catholicactionbibleonlyist1813 Месяц назад +2

    I love hello goodbye

  • @Mateo-gp6uu
    @Mateo-gp6uu Месяц назад +5

    hurray

  • @nicholasmesa3588
    @nicholasmesa3588 Месяц назад

    Must be where they originated the phrase . . . " I've got a hole in me pocket. Well, half a hole, I gave the other half to Jeremy." 😅😂😅

  • @markkalfahs1047
    @markkalfahs1047 Месяц назад

    ...two of my favorite "hidden sneaks": (1) during the chorus of Paperback Writer, they sing Frérè Jacques...(2) in A Day in the Life, at around 2:18, you can hear an alarm clock go off...

  • @MagdaleneDivine
    @MagdaleneDivine Месяц назад

    FAVORITE EPISODE EVER

  • @poppinpatty2507
    @poppinpatty2507 Месяц назад +1

    I love the Beatles! My favorite Beatles song is Lucy in the sky with Rocky raccoon, those crazy dudes really knew where it was at🍄💫⚡️🤯

    • @ctrlw__7-years-ago
      @ctrlw__7-years-ago 22 дня назад

      Lucy in the sky with diamonds❌
      Lucy in the sky with rocky raccoon✅

  • @jdmdt3328
    @jdmdt3328 Месяц назад

    You should all do a video about the show LIVE PD, since you all did one about COPS not to long ago

  • @ronm6585
    @ronm6585 Месяц назад +1

    Thanks.

  • @jacobhawk9311
    @jacobhawk9311 13 дней назад

    Hey it's Michael Swaim!

  • @markbragg885
    @markbragg885 Месяц назад +1

    He blow his mind out in a car is about Mark Bowland, who crashed against a tree ...

    • @JordosGarage
      @JordosGarage Месяц назад +1

      You mean Marc Bolan? He died 10 years after the song was released

  • @bangdollarsign
    @bangdollarsign Месяц назад

    There seems to be conflicting reports of the meaning of the 4000 holes, I have always understood that was taken from a newspaper article in relation that money that was spent to determine the number of holes in the roof of Albert Hall, 4000. Another quote I just found was in reference to the holes of the 4000 girls that filled hall during a concert, considering the times, I guess that was 4000 screaming mouth-holes.

  • @TDK360
    @TDK360 Месяц назад

    The second guy is okay, I just want a schedule so I can expect him. I need to be mentally prepared. He has such a different tone than the other two…..

  • @tremorsfan
    @tremorsfan Месяц назад +4

    If you play "Maybe I'm Amazed" backwards you can hear a really ripping recipe for lentil soup.

  • @neekomarina2782
    @neekomarina2782 Месяц назад

    i see new beatles content, i click and watch

  • @garycarpenter6433
    @garycarpenter6433 24 дня назад

    I'm a huge fan of them I love The Yellow Submarine album and movie plus my favorite song is Yesterday and Octopus Garden

  • @kevincruise3521
    @kevincruise3521 Месяц назад +5

    Glad you're back

  • @julianaylor4351
    @julianaylor4351 Месяц назад

    The great pity about that ' holes in Blackburn Lancashire ' line, is that the UK's is roads are currently peppered with potholes, due to several bad winters and under investment in road mending....some things never change.
    Edward Heath was later a PM in the 1970s. His party the Conservatives, supported lower taxes on the rich. It's in the lyrics. Margeret Thatcher's later Conservative government in the 1980s, reduced the top rate to around 40%. A little history of British politics and tax laws in the 60s. A state of affairs that is also referenced in the Kinks Sunny Afternoon, where Ray Davies complains that ' the taxman's taken all my dough ' which is slang for money, in the opening line, to the song.
    I'm a Beatles fan born in 1961 and a fan since 1963.

  • @Lynzae
    @Lynzae Месяц назад +2

    Yesterday, Hey Jude, and Let It Be, that's just my top 3. It's hard to pick a very favorite because there's so many good ones.

  • @mr.g1758
    @mr.g1758 Месяц назад +1

    "He blew his mind out in a car" is not referring to Brown. Someone much closer.

  • @markbragg885
    @markbragg885 Месяц назад +2

    Imagine is about Anarchy

  • @tjnaples
    @tjnaples Месяц назад

    Maybe see if the Honest Trailers guy is available when the main narrator isn’t?

  • @mostly_insane2291
    @mostly_insane2291 Месяц назад

    Norwegian Wood. My favorite Beatles song

  • @Millieshin-yj5mb
    @Millieshin-yj5mb Месяц назад

    I don't know what the fascination is with the Beatles. I stopped listening to them after they split up. Yeah, I was teen in the 60's. They were new and exciting back then. We never had anything like them.

  • @mckitten-tk1nj
    @mckitten-tk1nj Месяц назад

    Love everything about this video. The narrator, The Beatles, songs and the references. everything.

  • @negativeindustrial
    @negativeindustrial Месяц назад +2

    Oh boy! Rage For The Machine! Or is it Rage On Behalf Of The Machine?

  • @xtheunknown4662
    @xtheunknown4662 Месяц назад +1

    This narrator is really Tom Blank fucking with you guys. 😅

  • @laurabriggs-od2jb
    @laurabriggs-od2jb Месяц назад +2

    Her Majesty is a pretty nice girl.

  • @Patrick-hm4eg
    @Patrick-hm4eg Месяц назад

    One guy took Beatles lyrics and warped them. The guy was Charles Manson.

  • @joannryan5929
    @joannryan5929 Месяц назад

    Got to Get You Into My Life was about Paul's affinity for pot

  • @demedawalker7169
    @demedawalker7169 Месяц назад

    What about Blackbird? that was very political.

  • @fmatta
    @fmatta Месяц назад

    Always number 1 for me: Here Comes The Sun

  • @user-wh8mg4gh8d
    @user-wh8mg4gh8d Месяц назад

    I've always loved the Beatles better than the Stones UGH

  • @brandoncovert6182
    @brandoncovert6182 Месяц назад

    Elinor Rigbee

  • @ArcherSuh4721
    @ArcherSuh4721 Месяц назад

    Reporter: "Time Magazine recently wrote up an article putting down pop music. They described Day Tripper as being about a prostitute and Norwegian Wood being about a lesbian. What was your thinking behind these songs?"
    Paul McCartney: "We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians, that's all."
    😂😂😂😂😂

  • @ivzbonete138
    @ivzbonete138 Месяц назад

    Where is the original narrator? I can’t do this I swear!

  • @fromulus
    @fromulus Месяц назад +1

    Tay Zonday actually is very political, I see him in the comments of politically-themed videos all the time, he's quite intelligent.

    • @triple_gem_shining
      @triple_gem_shining Месяц назад

      He thinks he is. Hes a dweeb

    • @Zachary3D
      @Zachary3D Месяц назад

      Really?
      All he does is make generic comments that could apply to anything...

    • @BonShula
      @BonShula Месяц назад

      Of course he is. He watches Destiny

  • @coled0666
    @coled0666 Месяц назад

    Something

  • @kennywaynebearhead
    @kennywaynebearhead Месяц назад

    0/10 on the “other” fella doing the narration again. It’s not that he’s bad as much as it is that the HMFIC who was giving the lowdown prior is just. so. damn. great.

  • @ferociousgumby
    @ferociousgumby Месяц назад

    I buried Paul.

  • @NewMessage
    @NewMessage Месяц назад +6

    _John Lennon has left the chat_
    I wish he hadn't. RIP.

    • @IsaacTuduriLlabres
      @IsaacTuduriLlabres Месяц назад +1

      Mark David Chapman solicited conditional freedom numerous times, but for now, it has been denied...

    • @Me4-gc8qs
      @Me4-gc8qs Месяц назад

      He was never here. Only chat he did was a private chat with Ono

  • @shawnnewell4541
    @shawnnewell4541 Месяц назад

    I thought it was Revolution #9 not #1?

    • @CatherineLee-kt8ky
      @CatherineLee-kt8ky Месяц назад +1

      Revolution #9 just repeats the phrase 'Number 9, number 9...'

    • @Tylerboyd2001
      @Tylerboyd2001 Месяц назад

      There is Revolution, Revolution 1, and Revolution 9

  • @DaveSCameron
    @DaveSCameron Месяц назад

    Give Ireland Back to the Irish. ☘️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🥁

  • @Saint_nobody
    @Saint_nobody Месяц назад +1

    All time favorite Beatles song, *I want you (she's so heavy)* . That tune is proto doom metal awesomeness.

  • @shanemotown295
    @shanemotown295 Месяц назад +1

    BRING BACK OUR FAVORITE! I appreciate he’s helping. But we need our champion. I’ll like it when I like it!

  • @gp2917
    @gp2917 Месяц назад

    I love Paul, but that mustache… Got

  • @CappyLarou
    @CappyLarou Месяц назад

    90%?!?!?!!!!!!! What the hell's the point of working if you only keep 10% of your money? That is insane and I hope to God not still true

  • @Sheepish89
    @Sheepish89 Месяц назад +1

    No offense intended towards the new guy but... I miss the original narrator :(

  • @Autumnh141983
    @Autumnh141983 Месяц назад +2

    Great job Narrator! I enjoy your videos.

  • @Lkydo8165
    @Lkydo8165 Месяц назад

    I don't understand why you keep going to the other narrator the original one is definitely the best he has the right voice for the videos this one is definitely nasally it makes it to where I don't even want to watch the videos that he narrates

  • @user-uj9zj4uv5r
    @user-uj9zj4uv5r 28 дней назад

    Help

  • @jasontassey373
    @jasontassey373 Месяц назад +2

    Swaim... love you on college humor and ign. The hate is unnecessary

  • @amishdeniro
    @amishdeniro Месяц назад +3

    This newer narrator is doing a great job. Great episode. 👍👍

  • @none-js4kr
    @none-js4kr Месяц назад

    RiGhT???

  • @davidlancaster8152
    @davidlancaster8152 Месяц назад +1

    Cute but superficial.

  • @jessicae2222
    @jessicae2222 6 дней назад

    Why is it turned to español lol

  • @istaphobe
    @istaphobe Месяц назад +3

    We need a video to tell us the Beatles were political and news referencing?
    I kinda thought that was REALLY obvious.

  • @lucrativesoundsent.1274
    @lucrativesoundsent.1274 Месяц назад +6

    Narrator Jr!!! Yay!! 😀👍

  • @stevedavis2149
    @stevedavis2149 Месяц назад +5

    Love this narrator ❤

  • @catherinespencer-mills1928
    @catherinespencer-mills1928 Месяц назад

    Rain .. maybe not political, maybe a gentle nudge at silly people, but the musicality.....

  • @kandipiatkowski8589
    @kandipiatkowski8589 Месяц назад

    Imagine has some pretty interesting lyrics....politically.

  • @revalesq
    @revalesq Месяц назад

    Helter skelter despite the history. Cheesy pop bands aren't my thing.

  • @brentsheffield3102
    @brentsheffield3102 4 дня назад

    Bored to death.

  • @kawanajanell
    @kawanajanell Месяц назад +1

    Happy to hear this voiceover guy! 😊❤

  • @istaphobe
    @istaphobe Месяц назад +2

    Lot of conjecture here.

  • @woodenpuppet7568
    @woodenpuppet7568 Месяц назад

    No they didn't

  • @TheStickCollector
    @TheStickCollector Месяц назад +1

    I know of Eleanor Rigby, so i suppose there's that

  • @GMCLabs
    @GMCLabs Месяц назад

    Lucy in the
    Sky with
    Diamonds

  • @kirbymarchbarcena
    @kirbymarchbarcena Месяц назад

    Riiigghhht

  • @btetschner
    @btetschner Месяц назад

    3:49 Speaking of melancholy...I am watching the Kirsten Dunst films Power of the Dog and Melancholia on her birthday on April 30th.
    It is also the birthday of both directors of the films (Lars Von Trier and Jane Campion).

  • @OathTaker3
    @OathTaker3 Месяц назад

    I never liked John,🤔.

  • @CappyLarou
    @CappyLarou Месяц назад

    Sigh...

  • @btetschner
    @btetschner Месяц назад +2

    Eating ANOTHER Weird History meal!
    Eating HAMBURGER HELPER POTATOES STROGANOFF*†...while watching this Weird History video!
    Both The Beatles and Hamburger Helper have put out hit songs!
    * From the Weird History Food video "The White-Gloved History of Hamburger Helper"
    † Have it in one of the containers that look like those used for Hello Fresh.

    • @Dave-bj3pq
      @Dave-bj3pq Месяц назад

      Pointless comment again 😂😂😂 just for a 🏆

    • @btetschner
      @btetschner Месяц назад

      @@Dave-bj3pq When everyone around you leaves you (for all the right reasons), they are going to bring up your loser routines like talking about trophies and pretending you aren't a total dependent.

    • @Dave-bj3pq
      @Dave-bj3pq Месяц назад

      😂😂😂 pathetic. You have a sad life

  • @btetschner
    @btetschner Месяц назад

    5:00 In the romantic action-adventure comedy film Ghosted, the CIA operative is called "The Taxman."

  • @Me4-gc8qs
    @Me4-gc8qs Месяц назад

    My fav Beatles song. Keep Passing The Open Windows. Oh that's Queen, a real band.

  • @MYKe1217
    @MYKe1217 Месяц назад

    lol you don’t need to dive deep to find political commentary in Beatles music especially when fucking John Lennon, one of pop culture’s most famous social activists, is one of the chief song writers. Are you just that oblivious?

  • @nickc247
    @nickc247 Месяц назад

    Who doesn't think the Beatles made political music?!? 😄

    • @bigmoneymandan360
      @bigmoneymandan360 Месяц назад

      Someone who doesn't know who the Beatles are and or just what their songs sound like... Which is over half the world lol

    • @nickc247
      @nickc247 Месяц назад

      @@bigmoneymandan360 If that's the case, that person shouldn't be commenting on them.

    • @bigmoneymandan360
      @bigmoneymandan360 Месяц назад

      @@nickc247 well thankfully I'm not one of those people. I actually play Beatles and play three instruments and you would be surprised how many people have no idea who the Beatles are or maybe they know a song if they heard it but wouldn't know the Beatles wrote it. Like my dad was born in 1934 but he always called John Lennon a communist because of his song "imagine" he thought he was preaching for socialism 😂😂 which it may be about socialism when he wrote it but it's just a good song today that's well written I mean not much more to say.

  • @kimberlyweaver1285
    @kimberlyweaver1285 Месяц назад

    Boo

  • @btetschner
    @btetschner Месяц назад

    I am going to watch the videos:
    x Shocking Facts About John Lennon's Death (1st recommendation)
    x What Was the Original Woodstock Really Like (2nd recommendation, second time watching)
    x Pink Floyd Recorded An Album That Was Too Weird For Them
    x Great White & The Station Nightclub Fire Tragedy
    x ---TIMELINE 1974---

  • @Megadebt
    @Megadebt Месяц назад +144

    Oh god not this guy again

    • @LukeRosenlieb
      @LukeRosenlieb Месяц назад +23

      He’s fine.

    • @krystalayala8451
      @krystalayala8451 Месяц назад +8

      😂😂😂😂😂 i said the same thing

    • @kylerose3174
      @kylerose3174 Месяц назад +19

      Some cola drinkers love Coke and refuse Pepsi. Some cola drinkers love Pepsi and refuse Coke. Both these kinds of people are often rude and mean when dealing with servers or people of different opinion. (Vocal Minority)
      Most cola drinkers don’t care if it’s Coke or Pepsi, and these people don’t say anything rude or mean to anyone about this topic because it’s pointless. (Silent Majority)
      Keep up the good work new guy!

    • @chava4809
      @chava4809 Месяц назад +22

      Oh god not this comment AGAIN

    • @erickmiranda3600
      @erickmiranda3600 Месяц назад +2

      OOHH BROTHER

  • @darwonka
    @darwonka Месяц назад +3

    SWAIM!