Follow along in the book HERE. Today's song is at #19 and is featured on pages 136-139.
"I Feel Fine"
a single, later on Past Masters, Vol. 1
1964
We were going through our living room bookshelf last week, mainly because we had to move it away from the front door so there was room to bring in another piece of furniture... anyway, I found another Beatles book on there. This one eschewed the rankings, and instead promised "stories for every Beatles song," listed in chronological order. I knew "I Feel Fine" was coming up next, so I quickly flipped to that page. Sure enough, the same "story" was presented here as it was in 100 Best Beatles Songs by Spignesi and Lewis.
That story: there is approximately six seconds of guitar feedback at the beginning of "I Feel Fine." Which, ya know, I guess is kind of cool, and sure, was definitely different as far as #1 hits in 1964 are concerned. And maybe this is because I read about the feedback twice this week, in two different books, but... doesn't it also seem a little overblown? Okay, cool, John Lennon has a reasonable claim that he was the first to purposefully put feedback into a recorded pop song. But to say shit like "the Beatles invented Jimi Hendrix" appears to be a bit hyperbolic to me. That's all.
And really, for the purposes of our exploration of Beatles music through this specific book, the whole thing really speaks to what the authors of that book hold near and dear, as far as their own personal preferences go. I think it's important to love the Beatles, because they truly were the masters of their time. I also think it's important to question the myth of the Beatles, and not go overboard. Whereas Spignesi and Lewis buy into that myth, hook and line and sinker.
Like, is there any other fucking reason why this otherwise nondescript Beatles song (as far as "#1 Beatles songs" go, I mean) is sitting at fucking nineteen on this list of Best Beatles songs? None, as far as I can tell. Just the feedback thing. And yet the authors don't seem to want to ask the question "Why?" As in: well why is that feedback important? As part of the collective of stories in which the Beatles were the most innovative outfit in rock history, it's a semi-essential piece of the whole. But taken in isolation—here is a song, here is the thing they did that is cool and interesting in that song—I would argue that the guitar feedback is not enough to say that "I Feel Fine" is comfortable a Top 20 Beatles Song. All that shit about Jimi Hendrix is retroactive hogwash.
And now we reach the point in this Beatles column in which I look back at what I've written so far, and recoil in horror at how pessimistic I seem in those first couple hundreds of words spilled. I'm just trying to find a balance. I don't think it's #19, not even fucking close, and here's why... but also, it's a great fucking song. I totally get why America listened to it more than any other song in those weeks straddling '64 and '65. It's a tight, effortlessly catchy pop song, with a monster hook, pretty harmonies, and a killer Ringo beat (a sort of modified samba rhythm in the verses, which is so fun, good job as always Ringo).
Seems like the Beatles were churning this shit out a lot, and that's because it works. Ho hum, just John Lennon fucking around on the guitar in between takes, takin' that riff and makin' a fucking minted #1 smash out of it, just another fucking day with the Beatles, eh? And if that was my job here—to tell you that the Beatles were good at what they did—then I would just leave it at that. "I Feel Fine" is a great song. I feel better than fine about it.
But that's not my (self-imposed) job! It's assumed that everyone reading this (and writing it) already agrees that the Beatles are really fucking swell. But we're talking about what the difference is between great and BEST. And we're talking about two strangers who have already decided to draw that distinction 100 separate times, and I'm here to discuss whether they were right or wrong in each of those 100 decisions.
Here's the verdict for "I Feel Fine": Spignesi and Lewis are wrong. This is not the nineteenth-best Beatles song. And, nineteen songs into this project, I'm pretty confident that I could put a gun to either Spignesi's or Lewis' head and get them to admit the same. I know why this is here. It's because the MYTH of the Beatles just looms too large for these jabronis. To some people, it can't just be that "I Feel Fine" is a good song. No, this is the Beatles, and so some people, people like Spignesi and Lewis, there is this knee-jerk reaction to turn the song into something important too. But we're fooling ourselves if we think that the first six seconds of this song elevate "I Feel Fine" from great to important. It's just some fucking guitar feedback. Relax.
BEATLES TRIVIA: Here's a sort of tie-in with the previous entry, "Martha My Dear," and all it's dog-related musings—apparently you can hear a dog barking at the end of this song. I am old and therefore afraid of damaging my ears, so I'm not going to turn it up that loud, but I trust that you can indeed hear barking at the end of "I Feel Fine." Well, here's the kicker: that's not a dog. That's just Paul McCartney barking like a dog. Man, I don't think I'll ever understand this man's (or anyone's) obsession with canines.
BETTER BEATLE: Like I said, this is a good song, but come the fuck on. It's not #19. Seriously. Fuck, man. Just look below at what's coming up at #20. How in the fuck did "I Feel Fine" beat that song? I mean, I get it, to a certain extent—you're making a list, and it's fun to include some controversial opinions on that list. But get fucking real, dudes. This is insane.
NEXT TIME: "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at #20
And really, for the purposes of our exploration of Beatles music through this specific book, the whole thing really speaks to what the authors of that book hold near and dear, as far as their own personal preferences go. I think it's important to love the Beatles, because they truly were the masters of their time. I also think it's important to question the myth of the Beatles, and not go overboard. Whereas Spignesi and Lewis buy into that myth, hook and line and sinker.
Like, is there any other fucking reason why this otherwise nondescript Beatles song (as far as "#1 Beatles songs" go, I mean) is sitting at fucking nineteen on this list of Best Beatles songs? None, as far as I can tell. Just the feedback thing. And yet the authors don't seem to want to ask the question "Why?" As in: well why is that feedback important? As part of the collective of stories in which the Beatles were the most innovative outfit in rock history, it's a semi-essential piece of the whole. But taken in isolation—here is a song, here is the thing they did that is cool and interesting in that song—I would argue that the guitar feedback is not enough to say that "I Feel Fine" is comfortable a Top 20 Beatles Song. All that shit about Jimi Hendrix is retroactive hogwash.
And now we reach the point in this Beatles column in which I look back at what I've written so far, and recoil in horror at how pessimistic I seem in those first couple hundreds of words spilled. I'm just trying to find a balance. I don't think it's #19, not even fucking close, and here's why... but also, it's a great fucking song. I totally get why America listened to it more than any other song in those weeks straddling '64 and '65. It's a tight, effortlessly catchy pop song, with a monster hook, pretty harmonies, and a killer Ringo beat (a sort of modified samba rhythm in the verses, which is so fun, good job as always Ringo).
Seems like the Beatles were churning this shit out a lot, and that's because it works. Ho hum, just John Lennon fucking around on the guitar in between takes, takin' that riff and makin' a fucking minted #1 smash out of it, just another fucking day with the Beatles, eh? And if that was my job here—to tell you that the Beatles were good at what they did—then I would just leave it at that. "I Feel Fine" is a great song. I feel better than fine about it.
But that's not my (self-imposed) job! It's assumed that everyone reading this (and writing it) already agrees that the Beatles are really fucking swell. But we're talking about what the difference is between great and BEST. And we're talking about two strangers who have already decided to draw that distinction 100 separate times, and I'm here to discuss whether they were right or wrong in each of those 100 decisions.
Here's the verdict for "I Feel Fine": Spignesi and Lewis are wrong. This is not the nineteenth-best Beatles song. And, nineteen songs into this project, I'm pretty confident that I could put a gun to either Spignesi's or Lewis' head and get them to admit the same. I know why this is here. It's because the MYTH of the Beatles just looms too large for these jabronis. To some people, it can't just be that "I Feel Fine" is a good song. No, this is the Beatles, and so some people, people like Spignesi and Lewis, there is this knee-jerk reaction to turn the song into something important too. But we're fooling ourselves if we think that the first six seconds of this song elevate "I Feel Fine" from great to important. It's just some fucking guitar feedback. Relax.
BEATLES TRIVIA: Here's a sort of tie-in with the previous entry, "Martha My Dear," and all it's dog-related musings—apparently you can hear a dog barking at the end of this song. I am old and therefore afraid of damaging my ears, so I'm not going to turn it up that loud, but I trust that you can indeed hear barking at the end of "I Feel Fine." Well, here's the kicker: that's not a dog. That's just Paul McCartney barking like a dog. Man, I don't think I'll ever understand this man's (or anyone's) obsession with canines.
BETTER BEATLE: Like I said, this is a good song, but come the fuck on. It's not #19. Seriously. Fuck, man. Just look below at what's coming up at #20. How in the fuck did "I Feel Fine" beat that song? I mean, I get it, to a certain extent—you're making a list, and it's fun to include some controversial opinions on that list. But get fucking real, dudes. This is insane.
NEXT TIME: "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at #20
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