The smallest of rills

Rage on toward the future

And the beat of hearts.

(For my Haiku Challenge this week.)

The Long and Winding Road being the number one hit during my birthday week in 1970 seems appropriate for many reasons, one being I love The Beatles.

But the most appropriate things are how many times I moved as a kid and the twists and turns of my life. The moves were at least 10 but there were possibly more prior to the age of five. I think there was a Carolina in there somewhere.

There are events in my past that kids shouldn’t experience. Decisions as a adult to question. But in the end you don’t want to change anything because it brings you to where you are. Changes are ahead and more winding roads, but copious amounts of sunshine and good vibrations abound.

The last number one hit for the Beatles, The Long and Winding Road was written by Paul McCartney, but as always any song written by either McCartney or John Lennon were credited to the both of them. The album, Let It Be was finished about a year before release, according to an interview with McCartney, then John Lennon called in American producer Phil Spector to tidy up some of the tracks.  Long time Beatles producer George Martin had already finished the album, but with Spector coming in, he didn’t get any of the producer credit. He is quoted as saying, “I produced the original, and what you should do is have a credit saying ‘Produced by George Martin, over-produced by Phil Spector.“[1] Martin emphasized the vast difference between the normal Beatles song style as opposed to the over-produced style of Spector.

An aside here. If you watch the John & Yoko Above Us Only Sky documentary, currently on Netflix, which includes a modern day Julian Lennon as well as footage of young Julian at their country home, Tittenhurst Park, covers the making of the album Imagine. I recommend watching as you see inside what was making Lennon tick during that time as well as revealing some of his relationship with McCartney that fans have probably misunderstood. The main reason to watch is to see how Lennon seemed to almost be devoted (not quite the right word) to Spector and jump to work when the producer said time to work. It was very telling of where John Lennon had ended up as someone who depended on Yoko (who was clearly shown not to be the evil divide she was presented to be in the press) and Spector in making decisions. It’s no surprise as his career as a Beatle had been managed in almost every way.

Martin’s words about Spector’s overproducing were seemingly confirmed by McCartney’s vocal displeasure, “The album was finished a year ago, but a few months ago American record producer Phil Spector was called in by Lennon to tidy up some of the tracks. But a few weeks ago, I was sent a re-mixed version of my song ‘The Long and Winding Road’ with harps, horns, and orchestra, and a women’s choir added. No one had asked me what I thought. I couldn’t believe it.” [2] In the Wings version in 1976, (live concert video by clicking the the bold blue text) McCartney used muted horns in place of the strings in the concert tour and album Wings over America.

What’s your Birth Week Song? Click HERE to find out and maybe share in the comments. Does it fit your life at all?

Here, There, and Everywhere: The 100 Best Beatles Songs

1 Lewis, Michael; Spignesi, Stephen J. (2004) Here, There, and Everywhere: The 100 Best Beatles Songs(also known as 100 Best Beatles Songs: A Passionate Fan’s Guide) Black Dog & Leventhal. p. 42 (May 1, 2004)   ISBN 1579123694

2 Bell, Robin (2005). The History of British Rock and Roll: The Psychedelic Years 1967 – 1969 Publisher: Robin Bell (June 20, 2017) ASIN: B073HFRT1N