Name That Tune, Sixties

NAME THAT TUNE (October 22, 2023)

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

It’s Sunday so you know what that means; another round of Name That Tune! Are you up for it?

As usual, I’ll give you five clues and you try to figure out just what the hell it is I’m talking about! OK? Great!

Let’s get this game started!

  1. Our featured song has a woman’s name as its title; before a final decision was made, two other names were in the running – Daisy Hawkins and Ola Na Tungee (to reflect the Indian musical influence today’s group was into at the time).
  2. Today’s group hails from the UK and is still considered a great little band even though they haven’t performed since 1969.
  3. This song, released in 1966, is a track on the group’s 7th studio album – the one with the famous B&W artwork done by a well-known German artist/musician/record producer who occasionally played bass with the group.
  4. The members of our featured group provided all the vocals for this song but did not play any of the instruments; a classical string ensemble – in this case an octet of studio musicians comprised of four violins, two violas and two cellos – performed the score which was composed by the group’s producer. 
  5. The lyrics of today’s song provided a narrative on loneliness and disinterest which contributed to the transformation of the group from a mainly rock ‘n roll and pop-oriented act into a more experimental, studio-based band.

That’s it, kids. How do you think you fared today? Let’s find out. You know what to do.

Yeah, yeah, yeah! If you answered “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles, you are correct!

Are you ready to hear that beautiful song? From their “Revolver” album, it’s the Beatles singing “Eleanor Rigby”. Here goes:

When I was younger, I usually avoided the slower Beatles songs in favor of the more rockin’ ones. Now that I’m infinitely wiser and incredibly older, I’ve come to deeply appreciate these intricately woven ballads. There’s a profound message in songs like this one, She’s Leaving Home, Yesterday, In My Life, For No One, etc.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, ‘Eleanor Rigby’ is on The Beatles’ album ‘Revolver’. The YouTube image above is an example of the incredible B&W artwork by Klaus Voormann and is just one of a series. Several years ago I had the pleasure of communicating with Mr. Voorman via a brief email exchange; that’s a topic for another time but for the record, he is a delightful and charming man.

Now here is my question of the day:

How do you feel about The Beatles’ ballads? Do you prefer them over their rockin’ tunes or do the rock numbers do it for you? Do you have a favorite Beatles’ ballad?

Please leave a comment or post your favorite Beatles song. C’mon, everybody has a favorite Beatles tune, unless you’re from the Philippines. “Why?”, you may ask. Because the Beatles were banned from the entire country after declining an invitation to have breakfast with the first lady, which caused a mob to attack their hotel. The Beatles unintentionally snubbed Imelda Marcos who had expected them to attend a breakfast reception at the Presidential Palace. The band never returned to the Philippines after the incident, likely due to the traumatic experience of being chased by an angry mob!

Well, that does it for another edition of Name That Tune; join us tomorrow as Pete presents another Breaktime Whodunnit post.

Take care and be well, everyone!

See you on the flip side.

I’m The Sicilian Storyteller

NAR © 2023

21 thoughts on “NAME THAT TUNE (October 22, 2023)”

  1. The clarinet holds a special place in the musical heritage of India, bridging cultural divides and enriching artistic expression. From its humble beginnings in colonial times to its present-day prominence in classical and contemporary music, the clarinet continues to captivate audiences with its soulful melodies and timeless appeal. As India’s musical landscape continues to evolve, the clarinet remains a symbol of innovation, creativity, and cultural exchange.

    https://www.indianetzone.com/44/clarinet.htm

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  3. Hiya Nancy, I got the tune but not until you mentioned the strings. I must admit to never having seen the hullabaloo about them so to me they were mostly just another ex-band.
    I remember that charming statue of Eleanor Rigby in one of the streets up there, it was just along from Radio City (then the city’s most popular radio station, which I believe is still going).

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  7. Well. I got that wrong. I thought The Beatles when I read the UK band and the Sixties, and the black and white imagery kind of brought them to my mind as well, as most things were B&W then, but I instantly dismissed all thoughts of them, remembering your earlier comments Nancy, about the group.
    Nice bit of misdirection there (more on my part, though, I hasten to add).
    I thought the song was called ‘Marie’ as I read the first clue. I have no idea why. 😊
    Yellow Submarine was the first of their songs I remember hearing, and when I first heard it, it reminded me of Octopuses Garden. I’ve just this minute found out Octopuses Garden was by The Beatles as well, so I’m now guessing THAT is the first song I heard. Memories make things favourites, but I can’t choose one.
    I never make things easy for myself, do I?
    Yours,
    Perpetually Confused
    Cheshire, United Kingdom. 🇬🇧

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    1. Dear PC-
      These are the moments I live for! Not really; that would be quite sad but you do give me a good laugh, Tom. And always remember … I’m laughing WITH you, never AT you!
      Let’s see; where do I begin? You were on the right track immediately out of the gate but then you took a wrong turn when you got all caught up in the B&W album covers. Just for the record (no pun) we did have color albums way back then!
      I’ve no idea where “Marie” fits in, so that makes two of us.
      I think that whole “Yellow Sub”-“Octopuses Garden” thing is rather ironic, and I thought for sure you would have known the Beatles did “Octopuses Garden” before today because that song was featured in Name That Tune back in July. However, I checked the archives and you weren’t participating in these posts back then … or at least not that week. Surely you’ve been a part of this frivolity for more than three months!
      Anyway, it’s always great fun to hear from you, Tom. You brighten my day!
      😊

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      1. 😊 Thanks, Nancy.
        Firstly, sometimes I feel I deserve to be laughed at (although, I much prefer with!) due to my musical ‘knowledge’. Believe it or not, I do know quite a bit, musically*, but that knowledge gets buried under other bits of trivial information, so at question time, my mind goes blank.
        As for the two Beatles songs I mentioned, at the time of hearing them, I probably was aware who’d sang them, but I had more important stuff to be getting on with (i.e., playing), so I just forgot. Just to help with my confusion a little bit more, I was quite an age when I realised songs had voices on them! 😖😊
        I forget all the time. I then learn new things all the time as well! 🤣 So, I may have known, but when the internet told me who’d sang the song, my mind instantly said, “What? No way!” and I had to carry on down that avenue. (Between you and me, though, I’m 93.25 per cent certain I didn’t know 🙄)
        With ‘Marie’, that name popped into my head when you said the title was a name. That was the only reason! I think there is a song called ‘Marie’, but as per the above it isn’t coming to mind right now.
        Apologies for adding another blog post to your comments, I shall now return your blog to you. 😊
        Oh, and before I forget (with me, easily done! 🤣):
        * the caveat being my knowledge isn’t necessarily the rest of the world’s!
        Pleased you share a laugh with me, everything’s fun, and to share a laugh adds to the positive vibes that we add to the world by blogging.
        Yes! I know! I’m going! Bye for now! 👋 😁

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        1. I absolutely adore you, Tom! 😊 You have such a charismatic, relaxed and fun personality …. and that’s only on paper; I can just imagine what great company you’d be in real life. 😂
          Please, take over my blog any time! I’d love to have you guest post here on The Rhythm Section so just say the word and I’ll save you a seat. 💺
          But even more special than sharing a blog is sharing a laugh. We get so caught up in the seriousness of life, it’s good to remember how important it is to laugh, spread cheer and have some fun. 🤩
          Thanks for your fabulous comments, Tom! ❤︎ 😎

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          1. My pleasure! Don’t forget, I’m only words on a screen here, I don’t think I’m anywhere near as fun in real life as you imagine! Or maybe I am! 🤣
            I will have a think about another guest post for you and email it over to you once done.
            Thanks for adoring me. My ego is beside himself! 😊

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