This Thread is Beatle Related
Fatpidgeon
Up until the mid-60's, lyrics to "teen-oriented" songs were mostly quite linear
and literal, maybe even more so than more "adult" pop (for example, the highly
impressionistic "Moon River" from 1961). The Beatles' early music was no
exception. Then Bob Dylan changed all that by reveling in lyrics with obtuse
meanings.
McCartney's lyrics were all quite linear up through 1966 -- except for the
occasional flourish like "wearing a face that she keeps in a jar by the door".
"Penny Lane" was his first real step towards impressionism -- seemingly a
straightforward portrait of a Liverpool street, but with a few "very strange"
things thrown in, as if glimpsed out of the corner of the eye. This became a
signature style for him -- lyrics that, on the surface, are very simple, but
hint at hidden meanings.
He moved a bit further away from linearity on Sgt. Pepper with "Fixing a Hole".
In general, however, his lyrical approach during the psychedelic period was
mostly either one of childlike simplicity ("Hello Goodbye," "All Together
Now"), or music-hall anachronism ("When I'm 64," "Your Mother Should Know").
"The Fool on the Hill" has a sense of veiled meaning about it -- like "Penny
Lane," the basic idea of the song seems obvious, but there is a sense that
there is more to it than meets the ear. It wasn't until the post-psychedelic
period that McCartney began using non-linearity more widely, and even then,
only gradually. "Hey Jude" is somewhat impressionistic -- with Lennon's
encouragement, McCartney found the confidence to let a line like "The movement
you need is on your shoulder" stand. His lyrics on the White Album are mostly
pretty straightforward, with the exception of "Helter Skelter" and "Blackbird."
McCartney finally started to really develop a sort of free-association lyrical
style during the Let It Be sessions, on "Two of Us," "The Long and Winding
Road," "I've Got a Feeling," and "Get Back." On "Abbey Road" we find perhaps
the clearest examples of veiled-meaning and impressionist McCartney lyrics in
"You Never Give Me Your Money" and "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window."
Chris Jepson