WARNING: THIS BLOG WAS NOT CREATED FOR BEATLEMANIACS!
If youāre on the fence about the Beatles or if you just donāt like them,
this blog is for you. My goal is not to convert you; itās to expose you
to the lesser-known Beatles songs we donāt hear day in and day out.
These great tunes will show you just how amazing the Beatles are.
Of course, if you are a Beatles fan, pull up a chair and enjoy the tunes!
Welcome to the second to last day of F4.
Today I have chosen for you one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded by the Beatles. I was hoping Iād be able to feature this number for a couple of reasons; in addition to being a stunning piece of music with gorgeous lyrics, itās one that’s rarely heard.
The song begins with a distinctive electric harpsichord intro, then John Lennon joins in, his guitar mimicking the harpsichord line. The vocals enter in their prominent and perfectly tuned three-part harmony. This was one of the few Beatles recordings to feature a Moog synthesizer, played by George Harrison.
According to John, the song’s close musical resemblance to the first movement of Beethovenās āMoonlight Sonataā was no coincidence: “Yoko was playing ‘Moonlight Sonata’ on the piano and I said, ‘Can you play those chords backwards?’ Our song was written around those chords. The lyrics speak for themselves …. no imagery, no obscure references.“
While I was hoping to feature this song I was also reluctant; I couldnāt find any good covers. And then I discovered today’s remake and I’m pretty sure I forgot to breathe for a few of seconds.
Let’s listen to the song.
This is āBecauseā by the Beatles
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This is Elliott Smith with his remake of āBecauseā
This may very well be my favorite Beatles song. If Iāve said that before, please excuse me; I have so many favorite Beatles songs.
Elliott Smith was a dedicated fan of the Beatles, as well as their solo projects and claimed that hearing the White Album was his original inspiration to become a musician. In 1998, Smith contributed a cover of the Beatles song āBecauseā to the soundtrack and closing credits of the film āAmerican Beautyā. This was the only Beatles song that Smith ever officially released.
This is too close to call; for me itās definitely a draw.
What do you say about āBecauseā?
Join me tomorrow for my final post of F4.
See you on the flip side. š
NARĀ©2024
PS ā If any video wonāt play for you, Iāve provided the name of the song and who did it so you can find it on YouTube. Itās a pain in the ass but it does happen from time to time. My apologies.
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantās Trunk and The Rhythm Section and is not for use by anyone without permission. NAR Ā© 2017-present.
The Elephant's Trunk 
Just came across this old post in my inbox, somehow I missed it when you originally posted it, a wonderful song, so beautiful! X
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This was a limited run I did for one month on Beatles’ songs and the people who covered them. “Because” is one of my favorite Beatles songs so I saved it for close to the end of the month. I’m glad you enjoyed the post; there are 29 in total so have fun listening!
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Beatles….Because….
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No other word necessary.
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The harmonies have an almost classical feel to them, multilayered, complex in parts and tranquil too. The cover version? Mmmm.
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Classical. Exactly! And that’s where Moonlight Sonata comes in. This is such a glorious piece.
Thanks, Keith.
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The Beatles in harmony. You can’t beat that.
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Nope, not even with a really big stick!
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Very nice, and close, but still the Beatles for me.
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Glad to see so many people rooting for the Beatles!
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I wonder what the Flat-Earthers think about this song.
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š (A cat stands by to give it a swat!)
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Swatting isĀ a predatory behavior that’s often shown while they are playing.
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But sometimes they do it to show annoyance! šš
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Mine does because she’s a total bitch. ššāā¬
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ššš¤šš
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My cat is certifiable. She’ll play for about 5 seconds then go for jugular.
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I can’t be bothered with morons. š
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I was just thinking that those lyrics, “Ah, because the world is round, it turns me on”, must drive then crazy.
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The Beatles get it.āI’m always surprised that singers, Like Elliott, don’t have proper breath control or are too close to the mic so it picks up everything… It was still a lovely cover.
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You’re right and I talked about breath control with Clive.
I love this remake, nonetheless, and felt generous so I declared it a draw. Elliott’s story is a very bleak one.
Really good covers are few and far between.
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I noticed that… which made me listen to the song with different ears.
Yes, I think it’s a wonderful cover.
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The original for me. Losing the harpsichord intro was a mistake, and I was put off by his regular sniffing!
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And I thought I was picky! š¤£
That was actually him audibly breathing between pauses. That shouldn’t happen and a singer older than 10 can learn to control their breathing; it’s even called “breath control” and singers study it. It really annoyed me but I thought I was being too critical and chose to ignore it, thinking no one would notice. WRONG! š
Other than that, this is an excellent cover, the only one worthy of Because.
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I just assumed he was shoving more coke up his nose, tbh.
It was pretty good apart from that, though.
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Yeah, I hear ya. His life was rather dismal.
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It was, wasnāt it. And he met a strange end.
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A very good cover, but there ain’t nothing like the real thing. Im going with the Beatles.
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Agreed. I deducted points immediately for the lack of harpsichord. š
It was the best cover I could find and I think he did an excellent job, for the most part.
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too hard to call let’s go with an excellent draw … Both versions have their merits. šš
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Very diplomatic, Willow. You should be a judge! š©š¼āāļø š
But I do agree with you. A draw.
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I’d look good in a wig and gown šš
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š
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I like the cover but the original edges it out just a tad for me.
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Normally I would have given this one to the Beatles, but it took so long to find a good cover. I was thrilled with Elliott’s remake. I think I also let his very sad personal story sway me.
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