In 1966, The Beatles were stars at the forefront of music and culture, rubbing shoulders with other bright sparks from the worlds of literature, drama, photography, and fashion. A lot of them were also from working class backgrounds. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney's aunt has tasked him to write a song that isn't about love. They interrupt their recording sessions for Revolver to record their next hit single about the story of a man who wants to make his millions as a... Paperback Writer.

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Welcome to episode 21 of UnBeatled, a channel where we take a deep dive into every single song The Beatles ever recorded. In our discussion we unpick the music, the lyrics, the cultural context at the time, and the impact the song had on the band's success in the UK and the world.

The Beatles convened on Abbey Road studios with a film crew to record a promotional video for their upcoming single, Lady Madonna. Upon entering the deserted studios (it was a Sunday), they saw an opportunity to utilise this precious studio time before flying off to India. They worked on a scrap of a song John had written and ended up having the most fun they'd ever had in the band.

Sit back and watch the history, the music and the trivia before listening to the song in full on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5xYC2ZJJ9TMJL8BOl85O2R?si=c6508bdd9d5e4e2e

Or here it is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4vbJQ-MrKo

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Welcome to episode 20 of UnBeatled, a channel where we take a deep dive into every single song The Beatles ever recorded. In our discussion we unpick the music, the lyrics, the cultural context at the time, and the impact the song had on the band's success in the UK and the world.

Paul McCartney, or so it is to be believed, is burned out and is visited by his deceased mother in a dream where she offers highly valuable words of... wisdom. This vision was the basis for a gospel inspired song that would go on to become one of the most universally adored and understood track from The Beatles' discography. Despite its success, it wasn't without turmoil during the recording process as tensions between the band reached fever pitch.

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John Lennon, while feeling depressed and suffering from a bad case of writer's block, was sat up late into the night trying to write a song to be included on their upcoming album 'Rubber Soul'. After much self-criticism and introspection, inspiration struck! Nowhere Man spawned out of this and became a favourite from the album with praise lavished on their stacked vocals and signature 60s twangy guitar sound. This song is one of the quintessential examples of the 'Jingle Jangle' sound explored by the likes of The Byrds.

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This episode we take a look at their 1963 song, All My Loving. Written while in a flurry of tours and growing success, the song was inspired by the band's roadie Mal Evans' promise to write home every day to his wife. In classic Beatles fashion, it took inspiration from jazz, R&B and Country & Western and became a live favourite.

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This week we take a look at Golden Slumbers and Carry That Weight, the emotional climax of Abbey Road's medley. Written while looking through his step-sister's music book, the song is based on a 500 year old poem. However, Paul took the message and turned it into a message of consolation as The Beatles' personal relationships deteriorated.

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This week David Bennett takes us through his favourite song of all time - the psychedelic masterpiece Strawberry Fields Forever. Written while filming How I Won The War in Spain, it became the first track The Beatles worked on as part of their 'Sgt Pepper' sessions. Working with a sense of creative freedom, The Beatles continued to pioneer new recording techniques which they had begun on Revolver. When it was released the public didn't know what to think - who had turned their beloved mop tops so... weird?

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Tune in to learn about Ringo's quirky drumming technique on the track and why John Lennon was absent from the recording.

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In this week's show, we examine how The Beatles turned "a black and white world into colour" and discuss how their first hit was almost never recorded.

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