FIRST Listen + Analysis of Rubber Soul by the BEATLES - major to minor to major 

Any other Beatle fan totally addicted to this??

"In My Life" is like the finest cognac: the older you get and your past piles up, the more you love it.

I don't see any Beatles album as "peak Beatles", but Rubber Soul to me comes pretty close to standing out. I personally think it is the best album they ever made. Everything was in sync, perfect.

The pure joy she's experiencing from hearing these songs is so satisfying to watch her express, she's so excited!

Caroline, I’m going to let you in on the secret as to why Beatles fans are loving this series, and why there is so much anticipation for each video in your journey. First off, I do want to state that your personality and musical knowledge are what makes the series as enjoyable as it is. It would be a treat to watch any “Beatles virgin” discover their music, but the specific qualities that you bring to the table is what sets you apart. That being said though, when you reach the end of this series and have heard the entire Beatles catalog, consider the following: the Beatles produced all of this music over a 7-8 year period….think back to Love Me Do and consider how radically they’d changed their music over such a short period…consider that at the time they broke up none of them was yet 30 years old, with Ringo being the oldest at 29 and George the youngest at 26…..consider the number of incredible songs that were written by Lennon/McCartney in that short period, and then consider that within the same band was George Harrison, whose song contributions alone would be a HOF career for any other musician….think back to how they looked at the beginning vs the end, and consider the impact they had on fashion….remember that everything they did in the studio was through experimentation and that they were the first to do it….Consider how incredible they were as a live band, yet they quit playing live in 1966….think about how many stars had to align so that these 4 talents and personalities could come together, and that they were fortunate enough to get a producer like George Martin that was smart enough to know when to guide them, and when to get out of the way…. I could go on and on but you get the point, so I’ll make the final point that always blows my mind the most when I think about it: consider the songs, and think about the staggering number of them that go beyond being merely pop songs. It’s overwhelming. Once you reach the end of this musical journey and you consider those facts, you’ll understand what the fuss has always been about with the Beatles, and why the music they created continues to be unparalleled and revered at a level no other band or musician comes close to over 50 years later. After hearing Rubber Soul, you’re now standing on the precipice of the path to understanding it all. Enjoy.

Literally as this was premiering the trailer for "The Beatles: Get Back" dropped. What a day!

"I don't think I ever heard a sitar in a popsong before." Neither had anyone elsexwhen this album came out as that is the first popsong ever with a sitar in there.

"In My Life" is a total masterpiece: alone it's worth the whole album.

Can you imagine that the band that sang 'Love Me Do' is the same one that sang 'In My Life' just two years later? If that isn't growth, IDK what is! What's fascinating about The Beatles is that they never really stopped evolving and getting better. That's what makes them the greatest band of all time

I believe Rubber Soul has healing properties. In 1966 I was 9 years old, and sick with the flu. I'm lying on the couch with a fever. The couch was located between the two console stereo speakers with 14-inch woofers. I put on Rubber Soul, closed my eyes, and let the music flow through me. When I woke up, I felt better. It also has one of John's best songs, "In My Life." When he died, this song was a comfort to so many of us.

IMHO this was the finest release by the Beatles. So many wonderful songs on such a small piece of plastic. In My Life and Norwegian Wood are songwriting masterpieces.

“Rubber Soul” is for me the PERFECT transition album, transitioning from incredible “pop” Song’s that get on the radio, and even those lyrically are just incredible, to more introspective songs( In My Life) that still have incredible melodies, and the harmonies it’s just a fantastic album.

“I’m not a drummer, I can’t technically tell you why I like the drumming on this song” You just unintentionally summed up Ringo’s entire stint with The Beatles. Cheers

Rubber Soul is the first album I ever bought, when I was 8 years old. I'm 62 now, and the only real difference is that "In My Life" still makes me cry uncontrollably, but now it takes longer to stop.

2600 comments already - this was probably mentioned, but one of the things that really *gets* me about Rubber Soul so much is that this whole thing was (more or less) written and recorded in a month. This is just a crazy amount of work to have been done so quickly. That it has held up so well for 50 years is yet another testament to their creative energy. For me, Rubber Soul and Revolver are "peak Beatles", and ... Revolver had more time (and a different engineer) in the studio, which, in many ways, makes Rubber Soul so much more impressive by comparison.

I grew up with The Beatles and bought Rubber Soul when it came out in America. "In my life" is my favorite all time. I wasn't able to afford all the albums and had to settle for 45s. I eventually started delivering newspapers and had money to buy all the albums and Beatles cards. I still have all my albums, every one they made and in mint condition. I couldn't get enough of The Beatles. Today I have a massive collection. We needed the Beatles because we were devastated when JFK was assassinated and the Fab 4 brought us some joy again. I'm so thankful for the Sunday night when we watched the Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964 as they changed our lives forever and for the betterment of mankind. Never thought I would have reached when I'm 64!

Post rubber soul beatles is a different beast. I feel most of us agree.

This is the album Paul really started innovating with his bass. He's a very influential bass player to this day.

The harmonies on “If I Needed Someone” always get me. Imo this is my second favorite album with Revolver and Abbey Road tied for first.

As a diehard Beatles fan, I've known this album for ages, but watching you listening for the first time and analyzing it makes me appreciate it even more. This one and Revolver are both on my top 5 Albums of all time.

The melody for "Michelle" is the oldest one on the album; back when John was in art college, he'd invite Paul to a lot of the parties... Paul would show up in a black turtleneck toting his acoustic guitar along, and he'd sort of sit in the corner playing the melody of what would become "Michelle" and mumble French sounding lyrics in hopes of meeting girls. Around the time they were working on Rubber Soul, John basically asked, " What happened to that French thing? How 'bout finishing it?" So Paul thought there should be some French in the lyrics and decided to ask a friend who spoke the language to help get that sorted out. And there we have it - a sweet, beautiful, sad story of love and the language barrier. The story teller spoke almost no French, and the girl (probably) didn't have much English... a tragic love story, but is it doomed before it began? That's for you to decide.

I envy young people hearing great music for the first time.

In My Life is the best Beatles song ever written as described my many musicians. Art Garfunkle thinks it is the best song ever written.

I love all your reactions especially your facial expressions! Your sweet face takes on a coquettish, almost blushing smile while listening to Paul's romantic lyrics. Also, I enjoy watching you're funny gestures and laughter. Best of all, you give us some of the mechanics of each song and what make them so special! I am a 71 years old woman and first saw the Beatles on TV when I was only ten years old. It's nice to see you, a young lady who could have been my granddaughter finding joy in listening to all the songs of my youth! God bless you! ❤️

Some consider this their best album. I honestly cannot pick a favorite, although I do prefer this and all the albums that follow it. When they started pushing the boundaries of studio time: 1. Paul starting to incorporate more sophisticated bass lines as well as his use of the nasal/throaty and "thunky" Rickenbacker 4001 bass 2. Their nearly-endless experimentation and perfectionism 3. The close microphone placement by engineer Geoff Emerick on Ringo's drums 4. The deadening of the ringing on those drums for more punch 5. Their ability to distill complicated things down to the most listenable and accessible material for all ages 6. Their switch to the more bluesy Epiphone Casino for richer guitar tones 7. The invention of Automatic Double Tracking by one of their engineers in response to a request by John (now called the flange effect) 8. Their use of headphones in the studio to reduce sound leaking 9. John modulating his voice in response to the echo in his headphones 10. Their willingness to try anything and everything for a new and different sound, including John lying on the floor with the microphone above him All the guys in the studio, including The Beatles, are legends.

YES!!! You are getting closer to Revolver. After you do the Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out single, listen to the Paperback Writer/ Rain single before listening to Revolver. That single came out months before Revolver did. It's a teaser for the new sound of that album. Prepare for everything to change from this point forward.

To clarify for people who say John abused his wives: I read the book “John” by Cynthia a long time ago. It is a personal account of her relationship with John. She says in the book that he slapped her ONCE in 1957 when they were 17, and they broke up because of it. According to her, he never did it again. There is also no evidence he ever hit Yoko. People need to stop making up history. Listen to the women who were actually married to him. John may have been a violent person when he was younger but with all his faults, it did appear he grew out of that behavior.

Caroline.. Rubber Soul is my favorite album. I'm a Beatles fan. The later albums were great, but this to me was their absolute peak. I'm sure many Beatles fans will disagree with me!!

Paul tells a great story about the origins of "Michelle"... apologies if someone else has shared this already. In the early days of the Beatles, John was in art college and used to invite Paul with him to school parties, where Paul used to feel very uncomfortable around all the art students. He didn't know what to say to anyone, so he would sit in a corner and pretend to be French. Part of that act was playing this song on the guitar and singing in French. Years later, when they were looking for material for Rubber Soul, John said to Paul: "Remember that daft French thing you used to do? Let's use that."

Caroline: It's official, you're a star! Your Beatles series is so much fun for those of us who watched that Ed Sullivan show in early February 1964. Keep having fun with it and we'll keep watching you. Cheers!

I've said it before but I'd like to say it again: thank you for making us all remember why we all loved discovering the Beatles in the first place. :) The emotions, surprises and enjoyements you are going through while listening are very communicative, even to us folks that have been knowing those songs by heart for years. It's like we're discovering those songs again. Thank you for that ;)

John said he was sorry he wrote "Run For Your Life". John definitely added a lot of edge to the song writing duo.

So sweet of Caroline to take into account the suggestion of listening on Spotify with headphones 🥰

The Greatness of the Beatles is not that one song beeing an all time hit, it's the high quality of the songs throuhout all of their work.

Drive My Car is amazing. The verses are one guitar, a bass, drums (including cowbell), and two voices. No one's even playing chords til the piano does in the chorus. Recorded on four tracks, no quantization, and no fucking autotune. Talent was required in 1965.

rubber soul is just... PERFECT.

From this album to the next ones It will be the beatles that changed music history.

In My Life is the song I associate most with the death of John Lennon. My sister called that night to tell me that Lennon was shot to death. After the call, I thought she must've got it all wrong or at the very worst, maybe he was only injured. I stopped as I reached for the radio and thought, if the first thing I hear is a song by the Beatles or Lennon, then maybe it was true. As fate would have it, the song they were playing was In My Life. From that night forward, that song turned into something special to me. Well before that tragic day, I've always loved the song simply because of the performance, the soothing vocals and easy going tempo. But now I cherish it because the lyrics take on a whole new meaning and speaks to my heart. You can bet I'm not the only person who feels this way about it.

I was a long time employee of a large supermarket and worked with many young people over my forty years of service. The best part of working with all these young people was educating them about the Beatles. Whenever a Beatles song came on the loadspeaker I would say who is singing this song they eventually caught on and knew I would only ask if it was the Beatles they were amazed. And yes I know ever word of this album.

Hi Caroline. This is the first video of yours I've ever watched. I must say I really enjoyed it. Most reaction videos I've seen consist of someone grooving along to the song, and saying they like it. But your analysis, and commentary add so much more substance. Your wonderful personality kept me engaged as well. Great job!

It’s really interesting to know that years later in an interview with John Lennon about his favorite and least favorite Beatles songs he listed Run for Your Life as one of his least favorite, mainly due to the negativity of the lyrics. He was the harshest critic of his own music. But Rubber Soul is one of my top three Beatles albums. Now we’re coming to the pinnacle of the Beatles creativity not just as musicians but as composers. From here on out all their songs are their own, no covers. And with them having ended their concert tours to focus on the music, their creativity just soars beyond anyone’s imagining. This was no longer a rock band or pop stars, they were artists on the level of a Mozart or Beethoven. Classical performers and composers began to listen and take the Beatles more seriously. The next album, Revolver, in the opinions of many, is probably their best. You’re in for a treat from here on out. Whatever you thought you knew about the Beatles to this point, goes all out the window.

It's becoming evident to most us here , that waiting for your Beatles album analysis is a welcome addiction, Caroline. That Beatles Complete Scores book you got there is musicians gold. I love your musicality. You hear chord progressions and subtle changes that make songs magical. As you listen to each song, it's like waiting for a friend opening presents on Christmas Eve with anticipation. Rubber Soul was the catapult album for the lads to musical immortality. It's hard to imagine that even more innovative and inventive albums are in the horizon.

The production of Beatles without precedent. Every song is produced, sung, delivered whatever, flawlessly.

It's fun to follow a typical band through their songs over the years but the Beatles are even more fun because you can follow John's songs, Paul's songs and George's songs separately and see how they express themselves individually too. They each have quite different styles and personalities.

Rubber Soul helped spur the invention of rock criticism as a separate branch of arts criticism. Before this, the general music critics of newspapers or magazines would write about pop and rock. Before this album, Newsweek, for example, didn't think the Beatles would do more as a group. They had to rethink their position about the Beatles and other groups, and also hire writers who had a better feel for this pop music revolution. This also led to younger writers joining media outlets.

Oh the pure joy on your face listening to these songs is priceless, and makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. I'm so glad you are doing this, this is very magical. And from now on it's only gonna get better!

Your combination of musical analysis and appreciation are so fresh and welcome from all the other reaction videos that are out there. Thanks for your obvious knowledge and joy of music!

RU-vid threw your channel at me because I'd fallen into a Beatles interviews hole for awhile. I was a major Beatles fan as a kid... bought almost all of their albums and used to have every lyric and nuance of their songs memorized (I'm almost 70)... picked out things on guitar and piano. Definitely obsessed! I just wanted you to know how much I've enjoyed listening to you listening. You have a wonderful musical ear and talent to bring to the table and you seem like such a delightful person.

This is where things kick up a notch. Pre-Rubber Soul Beatle albums are awesome but after this they reach new heights.

“The word” is one of the first songs were the word love doesn’t just refer to love between boy & girl/man & woman but to love in the “hippy” sense. Love for everyone and everything!

I LOVE Carolines' feeling and analysis of these Beatles songs, especially "Girl". I love that song too. "In My Life" is one to make you cry though, and each song does something quite different musically.

This girl had the best beatles channel reaction

In My Life is the most beautiful poem ever written.

This is my favorite album. The “harpischord” solo in “In My Life” is George Martin playing piano recorded at half speed so that when played back “normally” it gets that faster higher pitch sound. He was a genius.

Anyone else excited for Caroline because we know which album comes next....?

I absolutely believe Rubber Soul is the Beatles best album. They clearly were at a creative apex at this point. Enjoying your videos and insight.

These Beatles breakdowns are just so good !!.. They're the thing I enjoy most on YT at the moment, and the next 3 weeks is going to seem like forever .. Love being on this musical journey with you, Caroline ! .. Thanks heaps, Wayne

These reactions of yours are really starting to become events. Nicely done!

What I like about Caroline is not just her musical appreciation of each song but her open sensual response too. Ultimately music has to reach you at an emotional level. This would be an interesting blog but she creates a fascinating vlog. It has reminded me of my reactions to every new Beatles album. I’m 71 now.

Love it, Caroline! Your reactions are priceless - delightful and insightful.

This is a transition album for the Beatles in my opinion.

John Lennon wrote "Nowhere Man" about himself. Sitting in his mansion far away from the wonderful Swinging London (in the suburb... a nowhere land), the world at his command (yes, that's a metaphor... fans all around the world loving him) and still feeling empty, like he knows not where he is going to. He was just living till somebody else would lend him a hand. He was unhappy.

Thanks again. I've am loving the journey, the music and your amazingly insightful in the moment reactions. Agree about the song Run for your life, the lyrics are shocking. Can't wait for Revolver!

My #1 favourite Beatles album and definitely in my Top Three Albums To Take To A Desert Island.

You have to respect just how different and distinct the sound of this album is as compared to “A Hard Days Night” and even “Help!”They’ve already come so far and they are just shoveling out smash hits!!! With more to come! Catchy and timeless songs 🙏 Love your reactions and analysis btw

The Beatles producer was George Martin who played a major roll in different sounds and instruments. The boys were always asking what else they could do adding new sounds that they could use. He became more and more involved now and upcoming albums. Caroline you are a joy to watch,keep up the good work.

My dearest friend passed away 4 years ago. We both loved music, and when she could no longer get out of bed we lay together listening to Sweet Baby James by James Taylor. She whisper-sang every word. The day after she died I was in my garage, walking to my car when "In My Life" came on out of nowhere. And I mean nowhere. Just the ending chorus. Transcendent to hear it now.

I know all these songs so well - I can barely imagine hearing them for the first time - Your musical knowledge combined with the sheer joy you experience listening to them is completely enchanting. It brings a whole new angle to these songs - as I think some one else on this thread said, it's hearing them for the first time through some one else's ears - and you manage to point things out that even the most intense and musically knowledgeable Beatles fan might have missed. Love it. You're rather fab!

It's such a joy to see an adorable young woman discovering and appreciating the Beatles' songs.👍👍

Can you guys picture how good this record could have been if they swapped "Run For Your Life" & "What Goes On" with "We Can Work it Out" & "Day Tripper"?? 🤯 It's wild that they still kept the "Hold the two catchiest songs back for a single" attitude when they had the chance to make this beautiful record into a Revolver-level masterpiece.

You do the best , most insightful , enthusiastic Beatles reviews ...and you're having fun . Equally as fun listening to the review

In so many songs I hear Paul’s such strong vocals in harmony or lead, so powerful and yet perfect pitch notes! Amazing still to me how great their vocals were!

In case you didn’t notice, Nowhere Man is the first Beatles song to not be about love or a romantic relationship in some form or fashion.

Yes. The thing that stands out and makes this album 'advanced' is the lyrical content. They moved from writing love songs to writing about life experiences. That's the real change.

When I was a youngster, a long time ago, my friends and I tried to play some songs from a book of Beatles songs. In the lyric for Girl, the sucking in of breath was notated as "yooths", which we found very amusing. Every time we played it instead of drawing in air, we sang "Girl, yooths". That amused us even more.

Caroline, I love your reaction videos! Thanks for the front row seat to your discovery of the magic of The Beatles! I look forward to the next leg of your adventure! Peace & Love

Rubber Soul was *the* turning point for the Beatles. From that point forward the music will be more studio derived and largely more complex. Revolver, Sgt. Peppers, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, Let It Be, and what I believe to be the pinnacle of the Beatles' repertoire, Abbey Road. I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on these albums - especially Abbey Road. I'm 65 years old and have been a Beatles fan my entire life. I much appreciate your perspective. It reminds me of the magic when I'd buy the latest LP release and then immerse myself it for the first time. You have earned my subscription. Well done, Caroline. As always, thanks much for sharing. Steve

Have loved your previous entries. Totally agree with most other commenters that this is where the true Beatles creativity properly begins. Looking forward to vicariously hearing this for the first time again. 🙂

OMG... I am really enjoying watching the joy on your face - as you listen to these songs. You are giving me the great pleasure of getting to re-live listening to these great songs for the first time - all over again. Thanks so much for doing that.

Caroline, I just love how joyfully attentive you are. You hang on and respond to every morsel of music. I count you a kindred spirit.

I bet the song you didn't like was Run For Your Life. I've learned to love that one. Of course, I can see how the lyrics might bother someone, but I think of it as John writing from the point of view of a character. I mean, songwriters do that all the time.

It's so great watching people with a musical education listening to Beatles albums for the first time. But it always makes me wonder how on earth, as musically trained people, they've managed to avoid The Beatles all their lives up until now. Is it possible to study at music college and not hear any Beatles music inside the isolation tank you must have been in for 25 years? :) But still, I love the videos.

I'm loving this series, Caroline, can't wait for the next one!

Brilliant channel. So nice to have the efforts of smart musician. And the approach of a first listen of a beloved subject. Thanks! And I promise I will listen to your songs soon.

Ah -- finally! The LP with which "The Beatles" REVOLUTION took off -- the feet on the ground launching pad for which was "Beatles for Sale". I love your enthusiasm!

This is my favorite Beatles album, so glad you got to this one. Basically from this album forward everybody has a different favorite album, if that tells you anything about how good the rest is. Won’t spoil anything but from Rubber Soul onwards, the beatles basically rewrite music history

Hey Caroline, I love your enthusiasm and your musical knowledge. You are pointing out things that I "knew", but never realized that I knew it ("Oh yeah, they did do that in that song, didn't they!!"). I have done this very same program with 3 generations of kids, all between 10 and 15.... It took about a year with each kid. I gave them each album (in order) and let them listen to it for a month. Then we would get together and they would share likes and dislikes. it started by me wondering how the millennial generation would like The Beatles if they were to come out today. According to my "students" they would be a hit. I took them to see Paul live here in Texas as their "Graduation" ceremony. We are out here trying to guess what your reaction will be for certain songs coming up in the next month... HOW FUN! Thank you!!

Watching you discover this music is charming and heart-warming actually. The fact that you "GET IT" and appreciate the talent and soul of the band and the songs, is refreshing. I love to watch this kind of video. Good for you that you're doing these videos Caroline!

I gotta say Caroline, this old Aussie gets so much pleasure out of watching you get all excited and giggle with joy when you hear a sound or a lyric or a musical surprise that takes your fancy. It really reminds me of how we all felt the first time we heard these songs ourselves. Can't wait for the next few albums to drop so we can see your mind blown!

You really are in for a treat. This album is the beginning of when they really hit their songwriting stride. Didn’t really realize how good the second side of Rubber Soul is til watching you react to it.

I'm sure someone else has made this comment, but part of the magic of the Beatles' songwriting is that they didn't know theory and didn't know modes or "accepted" chord progressions. They just wrote what was in their heads without knowledge of "the rules" and came up with some truly innovative stuff as a result.

Just found your channel today, right at the perfect spot! This is the real beginning point of the fascinating evolution of the Beatles

Really enjoy your reactions and insights. You remind me once again of the incredible musical strides the Beatles were making, and it's still only 1965! Any group would be lucky to have a bass playing Paul, a drumming Ringo, or a rhythm guitar playing John, or a songwriter like Paul, John, or George. The Beatles had all of them. What are the odds? Still blown away 50 years later.

In My Life is criminally underrated. It deserves so much glory as Yesterday and Let It Be

I should tidy up my apartment but here I am sitting and watching Caroline react to one of my favorite albums ever. Enchanting.

I really enjoyed hearing your initial responses as someone hearing it for the first time and being so expressive and providing insightful analysis...I was 15 when I heard it for the first time and now I'm 71 and still enjoy each song today as much as I did hearing them for the first time, they never get old. Thanks so much for putting this together, I'll check out your other videos, too.

The "reverse guitar" sound you're hearing on "Wait" is actually George's volume pedal, as previously featured on "I Need You" and "Yes It Is". Apart from one more outing on the "Day Tripper" single, where it's used on the ascending chords supporting the solo, I think I'm right in saying it was never touched again. They first used genuine reversed guitar on the next album. Can't wait to see what you make of that one :)

The songs on the brillant double A-side single "Daytripper" and " We Can We Work It Out" were recorded during the Rubber Soul Sessions and this single was released the same day as the album: December 3, 1965. These two songs MUST be included in any playlist of Rubber Soul - I put them at the beginning of the playlist. This addition makes a brilliant album the perfect album and puts the album into the category of one of the greatest rock/popular album ever.

Great opportunity to revisit these gorgeous creations with fresh ears, vicariously, through your discovery. Thank you for the tour and for your interest in, understanding of, and respect for the music.

wow, a music lesson along with music appreciation. FANTASTIC! this is way BETTER than all the other music "reaction" videos i've seen. and your joy of music is infectious! but you can't really know the beatles WITHOUT understanding their cultural impact. combining their music with their social relevance IS understanding the beatle phenomenon. THANKS SO MUCH for these videos. after this i'm going back to watch your videos from the "Please Please Me" album onward. i hope you began all the way back then and continue all the way through to "Let It Be." and don't forget the singles, my friend, that NEVER appeared on their "official" british L. P. 's.