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PODCAST

The Beatles: Note By Note

Note By Note Series

A Beatles podcast that goes song-by-song through every Beatles release in chronological order. We focus on the music itself, breaking down what you’re hearing and why it works.Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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All Episodes

27:25

EP066 - I Don't Want To See You Again - Lecture...

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/10/25

In this lecture we take a closer look at I Don’t Want to See You Again, a Paul McCartney composition performed by Peter and Gordon. Unlike Paul’s more optimistic breakup songs, this one flips the perspective. He’s not the one leaving, but the one being left behind. The lyrics trace that experience with a mix of disbelief, sorrow, and reflection, shifting from the immediate pain of rejection to the memory of hearing those words echoed long after.Musically, the song reveals some unusual choices. Its

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1:02:37

EP065 - It's For You

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/10/18

We step out of A Hard Day’s Night and into the Beatles’ songwriter-for-hire mode with “It’s for You,” written for Cilla Black. We trace why Cilla wasn’t a favor but a first-call vocalist in the NEMS orbit, how George Martin chose material for her, and why Paul aimed a new song at her after “Anyone Who Had a Heart.” We cover the 1964 session with Paul at the piano, John in the room offering ideas, and Cilla shaping the take. You’ll hear how the waltz feel, key moves, and that G vs E minor tug sit

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37:36

LS065 - It's For You - Lecture Series (bonus)

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/10/18

Kenyon examines “It’s For You,” McCartney’s song tailored for Cilla Black’s cabaret lane. The talk explores how Paul steps into lounge tradition while keeping a youthful, pop viewpoint. The lyric voice dreams of a one-true-love future, creating a gentle tension between sophisticated stage polish and teenage fantasy. The focus lands on the middle eight: the recurring “they said love was a lie” idea, the witty internal rhymes, and the quick pivots in cadence. He shows how the refrain’s promise, “It’s

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47:23

EP064 - From A Window

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/10/11

What happens when a Beatles song isn’t recorded by the Beatles? In this episode, Peter and Kenyon dive into From a Window, written by Paul McCartney and handed off to Billy J. Kramer. The duo plays musical detective, hunting for Beatles fingerprints in the arrangement, the melody, even the title itself. Along the way, they unpack Paul’s writing habits during the Asher era, the studio session that brought John and Paul into the room with Billy, and the performance quirks that make this recording feel

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34:30

LS064 - From A Window - Lecture Series (bonus)

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/10/11

Here, the lecture unpacks Paul McCartney’s “From a Window,” written for Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas, by tracing how its lyrics build a small nighttime drama. The framing image is a window: first as a place of sudden sighting, then as a rendezvous, and finally as the anchor of the song’s closing plea. The analysis weighs the charm of love-at-first-sight against a faint “creeper vibe,” noting how McCartney’s idealized promises (“I would be true”) reflect a broader Beatles pattern of writing to a

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2:08:13

EP063 - I'll Be Back ft. Robert Rodriguez

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/10/04

On this episode of The Beatles: Note by Note, we dive deep into “I’ll Be Back,” John Lennon’s haunting closer to A Hard Day’s Night. We’re joined by Robert Rodriguez (Something About the Beatles), who helps us explore not just the song’s unusual chord shifts and time signature experiments, but also its emotional core—how Lennon weaves between longing, resignation, and determination. We trace its musical DNA back to Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” unpack the ambiguity of its lyrics, and debate the choice to

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45:16

LS063 - I'll Be Back - Lecture Series (bonus)

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/10/04

John Lennon closes A Hard Day’s Night with one of his most vulnerable works. In this lecture, we trace how I’ll Be Back uses a cycle of leaving and returning to reveal insecurity at the heart of its narrator. The repeated promise, “If you break my heart, I’ll go, but I’ll be back again,” sets the tone: fragile, conflicted, unable to walk away. Two contrasting bridges extend the story—one caught in the present moment of hurt, the other looking back on a failed attempt to provoke a reaction by

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1:38:20

EP062 - When I Get Home ft. Jon Sunde

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/09/27

John Lennon’s "When I Get Home" pushes forward with urgency, both musically and lyrically. Special guest Jon Sunde joins us to talk about this Motown-inspired track. With harmonies doubled by Paul and George, a striking opening vocal line, and Lennon’s raw, compressed vocal delivery, the song cuts close to the energy of their live set. The session itself included a moment of confusion from 17-year-old tape operator Ken Scott, who misunderstood George Martin’s call of "When I Get Home". It took a

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30:16

LS062 - When I Get Home - Lecture Series (bonus)

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/09/27

This lecture examines John Lennon’s “When I Get Home” as a study in lyrical focus and harmonic misdirection. We begin with the title premise: the narrator is away and eager to return, “with a whole lot of things to tell her.” The refrain functions ambiguously as either a true refrain or a tagged final line, mirroring the song’s tension between urgency and form. Lyrically, lines such as “no time for trivialities” place him on the last leg of the journey, pushing past press and distractions to reach

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1:28:50

EP061 - Things We Said Today ft. Rob Collier (Beatles...

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/09/20

In this episode, we dive deep into “Things We Said Today,” Paul McCartney’s sophisticated, future-nostalgic gem from A Hard Day’s Night. Written during a Virgin Islands getaway with Jane Asher, the song captures the unusual trick of projecting into the future to look back on the present. We’re joined by special guest Rob Collier—music theorist, bassist, and the mind behind Beatles Bass Lines—who shares how a single TV moment with Paul inspired his lifelong Beatles obsession. Together, we explore the

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43:35

LS061 - Things We Said Today - Lecture Series (bonus)

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/09/20

This lecture explores Paul McCartney’s “Things We Said Today,” a song that begins as a tour-time love letter and evolves into a reflection on lasting companionship. The analysis traces how the lyrics shift from separation and longing to the image of a couple growing old together, with the phrase “not a lot to say” capturing that quiet permanence.The episode focuses on how contrasts between present and future shape the song’s message, how rhythmic choices add surprise, and how melodic details bring

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1:29:14

EP060 - I'll Cry Instead

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/09/13

John Lennon’s sharp, country-tinged “I’ll Cry Instead” from A Hard Day’s Night packs more behind its brisk tempo than first meets the ear. We trace the song’s unusual recording. It was split into two sections for a planned film scene that never happened, and the sting of its rejection from the movie in favor of “Can’t Buy Me Love.” You’ll hear about Lennon’s doubled vocals, Ringo’s tambourine overdub, and the curious U.S. mono mix with an extra verse. We explore the Dylan-esque wordplay, flashes of

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32:31

LS060 - I'll Cry Instead - Lecture Series (bonus)

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/09/13

I’ll Cry Instead turns on one small word: instead. The verses stake out a simple, driving premise: “I want to do X, but I can’t, so I’ll cry instead”. And every section reinforces that core. The middle eight shifts the lens: the speaker is ashamed of public sadness, hides away, then promises a future return, which recontextualizes the final verse from immediate reaction to deferred bravado. Lyrically, the song balances ambiguity (“have myself locked up” as jail, isolation, or breakdown), a

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1:49:30

EP059 - Any Time At All

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/09/06

What happens when a Beatles deep cut reveals more than you ever expected? In this episode, we dive into "Any Time At All"—a song John Lennon once called a rewrite of “It Won’t Be Long,” but that reveals itself to be something far deeper. We unravel the mystery of a scrapped middle eight, dissect lost verses from a rare lyric sheet, and uncover what may be Lennon’s first true “friendship” song—an empathetic anthem as intimate as it is explosive. From studio experiments to emotional authenticity, from

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24:43

LS059 - Any Time At All - Lecture Series (bonus)

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/09/06

In this lecture, we dive deep into John Lennon’s Any Time At All, one of the standout tracks from A Hard Day’s Night. While the lyrics appear simple—a declaration of friendship, comfort, and unconditional presence—closer analysis reveals how Lennon builds meaning through reinforcement and musical setting. We explore how the song begins with an attention-grabbing snare hit, how its verses balance descending bass lines against rising vocal lines, and how subtle counterpoint gives the track a

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1:25:50

EP058 - Tell Me Why ft. Lars (larsland)

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/08/30

Was “Tell Me Why” just a filler track—or something deeper? On this week’s episode of The Beatles: Note for Note, we welcome special guest Lars (of the YouTube channel larsland) to unpack the vocal layers, gender dynamics, and unspoken angst of this under-discussed Lennon rocker. We dig into the harmonies, that strange falsetto bridge, and the song’s girl-group inspiration, then detour into a storytime on Dave Dexter Jr.—the Capitol Records exec who almost kept the Beatles out of America. It's part

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27:47

LS058 - Tell Me Why - Lecture Series (bonus)

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/08/30

John Lennon’s “Tell Me Why” might seem like just another early Beatles breakup song—but this lecture uncovers the subtle drama lurking beneath its simple exterior. We dig into the emotional confusion of a narrator who’s both wounded and desperate, shifting between accusation and apology. Is the crying real, or manipulative? Is the lie clear, or just rhyme filler? We also explore Lennon’s songwriting habits—like his fondness for the 13th—and how he repurposes melodic fragments, including what we’re

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1:30:58

EP057 - And I Love Her ft. Gareth (They Came to a...

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/08/23

Today, we’re turning the spotlight on the Beatles’ first intentional ballad—“And I Love Her.” With guest Gareth from They Came to a Land Down Under, we unpack the origins, cultural shifts, and musical innovations that make this Hard Day’s Night gem so mesmerizing. Gareth shares vivid stories of Beatlemania in Australia, including the wild tale of a Ringo lookalike at a press conference and the moment he first heard “A Hard Day’s Night” over his school’s loudspeakers to honor Lennon’s death.We trace

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36:00

LS057 - And I Love Her - Lecture Series (bonus)

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/08/23

In this episode of the Lecture Series, Kenyon unpacks the quiet power and tonal ambiguity of Paul McCartney’s “And I Love Her.” He traces how even the song’s title hints at emotional complexity—why not just “I Love Her”? With lyrical imagery like “the kiss my lover brings,” Paul paints love as something distant, mysterious, even cosmic. Kenyon highlights the unusual harmony and modal drift that blur the line between C♯ minor and E major, calling into question where the tonal center really lies. He

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1:25:52

EP056 - I'm Happy Just To Dance With You ft. Nancy...

The Beatles: Note By Note ·

2025/08/16

George double-tracked his vocal “to perfection,” and the rest is Beatles history—maybe. In this episode, Kenyon and Peter are joined by special guest Nancy from Vinyl Friday for a full-bodied takedown (and celebration) of I’m Happy Just to Dance with You. They tackle why John and Paul dismissed the song as “formula,” why it might be way deeper than anyone admits, and why George’s vocals deserve a standing ovation. Along the way, they dig into danceable rhythms, surprising chord changes, and the

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135 results

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