The Beatles - whats so great about their lyrics?

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Kraftwerk

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Preface : not here trying to attack their lyrics, but here to understand it.

Now, this debate always comes up whenever there is a discussion about the greatest artists and specifically lyricists and lyrical content.

I am mainly talking about songs such as;

I love you Yeah, Yeah, Yeah;

She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah
She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah
With a love like that
You know you should be glad
With a love like that
You know you should be glad
With a love like that
You know you should be glad
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Click to expand...

I wanna hold your hand

Yeah you, got that something
I think you'll understand
When I feel that something
I wanna hold your hand

I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
Click to expand...


Now, I know they have some great songs that have amazing lyrics and depth, but here is the thing;

You have Beatles fan post lyrics of people such as Kanye or other folks, and mention how stupid the lyrics are. As Kanye fan I agree, and that's the whole point. Take this song for example, that I have seen the Beatles fans post and use as proof;

I am a God

I am a god
So hurry up with my damn massage
In a French-ass restaurant
Hurry up with my damn croissants
I am a god
I am a god
I am a god
Click to expand...

Some people take this too seriously. They actually think that this is him being serious. I completely agree that it is stupid, but its funny exactly due to how stupid it is.

Now, when you say that to Beatles fan, and point out how Beatles also have very simple and dumb lyrics like the ones I posted above, they constantly defend it, and say how they are being taken out of context, and that they are indeed very deep and have a lot of hidden meaning and whatnot.

I have asked them on countless occasions, and seen others ask them to enlighten us regarding this hidden message that us plebs are missing but they just ignore us.

Why is it almost so taboo to criticise the Beatles? Nothing wrong with admitting that they started out with pretty dumb and catchy songs, and matured as artists. But god no! According to these Beatles fans, they were the pinnacle of artistry for the very beginning, and still unmatched.

Is this just a case of stanning? Coz its fucking baffling how hard they defend them.
 
Kraftwerk said:
Now, when you say that to Beatles fan, and point out how Beatles also have very simple and dumb lyrics like the ones I posted above, they constantly defend it, and say how they are being taken out of context, and that they are indeed very deep and have a lot of hidden meaning and whatnot.
Click to expand...

This has actually happened?
 
The Beatles have always sucked. Incredibly boring music just above country music tier. I think their fan base is made up people who love then via nostalgia, like Grateful Dead fans, and people who don't want to seem uncultured.
 
Beatles fans put more stock into their lyrics than the band ever did.

That said, musically they were top tier even early on songwrtiting wise. Their chord patterns were always innovative and on point and "defined" their sound throughout their entire run.
 
Has anyone actually said The Beatles had songs with great lyrics? If we are talking about John Lennon solo songs then yes maybe, just accept the fact they made awesome music and move on.
 
How about you post the lyrics that are just not them being a generic pop band from literally their first album?

Eleanor Rigby, She's Leaving Home, A Day in the Life, those are the great ones.
 
We were talking about the space between us all
And the people who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth, then it's far too late, when they pass away
We were talking about the love we all could share
When we find it, to try our best to hold it there with our love
With our love, we could save the world, if they only knew

Try to realise it's all within yourself
No one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small
And life flows on within you and without you

We were talking about the love that's gone so cold
And the people who gain the world and lose their soul
They don't know, they can't see, are you one of them?

When you've seen beyond yourself then you may find
Peace of mind is waiting there
And the time will come when you see we're all one
And life flows on within you and without you
 
The two songs in the OP are from their early days when they were basically a boy band. Around when they were making Help! they started trying to write about more serious/ interesting stuff than simple love songs.

If you don't like them you don't like them, but check out their later stuff before deciding you can't appreciate their lyrics.
 
Check out the lyrics to some of their later stuff. You're quoting lyrics from pop music, which is a pretty low hanging fruit. Their early music was designed to be catchy and easy to dance to, not have some crazy deep meaning. Not really any different from pop music today.
 
Karsticles said:
The Beatles have always sucked. Incredibly boring music just above country music tier. I think their fan base is made up people who love then via nostalgia, like Grateful Dead fans, and people who don't want to seem uncultured.
Click to expand...

ZOJUx40.png
 
ZeroRay said:
Beatles fans put more stock into their lyrics than the band ever did.
Click to expand...
Lennon was even making fun of this by writing extra weird lyrics for "I'm the Walrus"
Lennon got the idea for the oblique lyrics when he received a letter from a student who explained that his English teacher was having the class analyze Beatles songs.
Click to expand...
 
Gez said:
Has anyone actually said The Beatles had songs with great lyrics? If we are talking about John Lennon solo songs then yes maybe, just accept the fact they made awesome music and move on.
Click to expand...

This is what has me baffled. I can't think of anyone trying to compare the Beatles to Dylan or something lyrically. It especially doesn't help that OP posted examples exclusively from their first few albums.

I guess the answer to the original question is:

For the most part nothing, and so what?
 
Well, it's funny that you ignore most of their progressive music just to focus on the early days. They invented hard rock and heavy metal with helter skelter. Is that good legacy for you?
 
Lol that's there early stuff. Really catchy but not much there. You have to look into their later albums to pull out the good lyrics. Come on OP you can do better
 
I always loved the comparison of A Day in the Life to Friday.

The further on you go the more interesting their lyrics become (revolver onwards), but very few grabbed me like other artists of the time. I do love that I am the Walrus was written in response to a teacher torturing his students to try and find hidden meanings in their songs. I think The Beatles were always more interesting in their innovation to music than any single part of their songs. People still agonizing over lyrics to have deep philosophical meanings like that teacher need to just sit down and appreciate the music.
 
Karsticles said:
The Beatles have always sucked. Incredibly boring music just above country music tier. I think their fan base is made up people who love then via nostalgia, like Grateful Dead fans, and people who don't want to seem uncultured.
Click to expand...

lol11, look at how many #1s they've had. THEN listen to the rest of their collection. How is any of that "nostalgia". There music was mind-blowing at the time, and still is now. What mood are you in? Beatles have 10 songs for it.
 
The Beatles evolved very quickly OP. Early on they had easy music with basic lyrics. They flourished greatly in their later periods. That is what separated them from many contemporaries making similar pop rock music. By the end, their ouvre was deep and vast, and their lyrics great as well.

Karsticles said:
The Beatles have always sucked. Incredibly boring music just above country music tier. I think their fan base is made up people who love then via nostalgia, like Grateful Dead fans, and people who don't want to seem uncultured.
Click to expand...

It's funny because I actually find people who say the suck, full stop, the ones taking a high road trying to be rebels who buck trends and go against the grain. Far worse branch of pretentiousness than just admiring something that didn't happen in their time.

You or others don't have to like them. To deny their talent (for which they became a cultural phenomenon) so bluntly is mostly nonsense when the proof and their influence is out there for all to see.
 
Why didn't you post some later stuff, or did that not fit your angle?

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey, Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better.

And any time you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Well don't you know that its a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder

Hey, Jude! Don't let her down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember, to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better.

So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey, Jude,
You'll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
 
Kraftwerk said:
Nothing wrong with admitting that they started out with pretty dumb and catchy songs, and matured as artists.
Click to expand...

Isn't this what most people already think? Their earlier songs are still good and well-liked but they're not the reason why people praise them. When thinking of the best Beatles songs, nobody comes up with 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'.
 
DarkFlow said:
Why didn't you post some later stuff, or did that not fit your angle?

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey, Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better.

And any time you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Well don't you know that its a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder

Hey, Jude! Don't let her down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember, to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better.

So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey, Jude,
You'll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
Click to expand...

first song that came to my head.

If you are listening to early Beatles...you are doing it wrong.
 
What others are saying, OP. The Beatles never really took their lyrics too seriously (see: I Am the Walrus, Glass Onion), but their songs got a lot deeper later on in their career, when they were less of a conventional pop band. Eleanor Rigby is amazing in that department.
 
Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai Guru Deva OM

Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
Jai Guru Deva OM

Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Sounds of laughter, shades of life are ringing through my open ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on, across the universe
Jai Guru Deva OM

Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva [fade out]
 
All I know is I Want You (She's so Heavy) hit me with all sorts of feels and the lyrics weren't much to begin with...
 
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