“Limitless undying Love which shines around me like a million suns… it calls me on and on across the universe”❤ that might be my favorite John Lennon lyric … poetic doesn’t even begin to describe it.. I can close my eyes and imagine myself in space wit this incredible light shining on me ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️❤️❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️😂
I'd like to be able to say "I came for the backstory, stayed for the lesson" but that wouldn't be true :D Mike, thanks for your fabulous attention to detail both in the context of the story and the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of the arrangement. You're a real treasure!
WOW! Mike, thank you. This has not only given me greater respect for the song, but will hopefully help my musician kids with their composition. Yes, I keep telling them "...go back and learn Beatles songs. It will help you hear how chords go together and write the melody".
If compare all the youtubes, listen to the album version then compare to all the youtube versions again, I can get it correct. Learning music may help some😊
I love the symmetry of the chord/meter structure in this song. In the first verse, the first of the two lines has 3 measures of 4/4 and then the 5/4 one. The second line has 3 measures of 4/4 and a 2/4 measure, and employs the Gm chord. In the second verse, the first line has 4 measures of 4/4, while the second line has 3 of 4/4 and one of 5/4. No 2/4 measure and no Gmin chord. The third and final verse is nearly a mirror of the first. The first line has 3 measures of 4/4 and one of 2/4, with the Gmin chord. The second line has 4 measures of 4/4 (no 5/4 here). The version on the Anthology does not have either of the 5/4 measures, perhaps showing that John decided a brief pause or breath was needed after the words "across the universe," to let them soak in the mind another beat. What a wonderful song, and a beautiful explanation of how to play it. Thanks so much Mike!
Another fantastic analysis & lesson of an amazing Beatles song Mike! The musical genius of JL is truly mind blowing! Thanks for all of the hard work that you put into making these Beatles lessons! Hope that all is well and that you & your wife are enjoying life! 👍🎸🎤👏
Hey Mike- great lesson & backstory ...I've been playing this forever, but will step up to get the precise John rhythm. Your better half has a great voice! This is always an emotional song for me as my brother & I played it at our father's funeral.
Never thought I'd play this song. Thanks for making the lesson easy to understand. Coincidentally, I spent the last month drilling on 16th notes, so reading the music was familiar. Great lesson as always!
An excellent, detailed, lesson… very easy-to-follow… and for a song that is rather difficult. Can’t wait to see the chart! Thank you Mike! Your lessons are second to none!
This has always been one of my favourite later Beatles songs, John's acoustic work and lyrics are definitely some of his best. Awesome lesson as always, I know I've kept asking for these but I'd still love to see a lesson on Hey Bulldog, Helter Skelter, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Strawberry Fields Forever or even the Abbey Road Medley (either the individual songs and then put it into one video later or one long video on the entire medley)
It wasn't until I heard the "Naked" version that I realized what a great song this is. I detest what Phil's Spector did to this song on Let it Be. Remember, back in 1970 when Let it Be was released, there was no "alternative" version available - to most of us anyway. Thanks Mike for such a great lesson on such a fantastic John song!
Always a favorite of mine. Thanks for including it in your lessons. I read somewhere that John was upset with Paul because he didn't support the song. Have you seen that anywhere?
Another great lesson. Thanks. A question: Lennon's rhythm guitar playing is so underrated. Do you think in this song his strumming patterns were driven by what worked for what he was singing or was he just playing to the groove and whatever worked? It seems like in songs like this or maybe We Can Work It Out, Lennon plays to augment what the vocals are doing as opposed to just feeling the groove.
Brilliant as usual. Sometimes a forensic examination of the way something we love was created detracts from the magic and mystique. Your work only increases my love for the work of these guys, as well as increasing my appreciation for their innate talent and dedication to producing new music that did not necessarily strictly adhere to the strictures of the contemporary music idioms. And I also love your other work, especially Django Reinhardt (even though you take a few liberties by playing with more than two fingers on your fretting hand!). Best wishes from Australia.
Thanks for all this background. I always thought that was a magical song. So much of Lennon’s work is usually right, straight out of the box. Then it gets overproduced. Even his last album, the producer, Jack Douglas, said when he heard the demo tapes where it’s just John singing, and playing piano or guitar, he told John that’s it. Let’s just put this out as is. That’s the album. And he was right. Then it became a John and Yoko album, with that awful screaming, and of course John’s unique voice had to be buried under multiple re-dubbing and echo and who knows what. Thank goodness for the internet, where EVERYTHING that was EVER recorded inevitably finds the light of day…
@@MPfrance Keep up the great work! Greetings from Southern California! And yes, Albert Hammond's song, "It never rains in Southern California." hasn't applied in the past several years. Record rainfall in 80 years and first "Tropical Cyclone" in as many years that ripped through Los Ángeles and So Cal last month!!
Great lesson! I actually like that G-5 chord, and while unusual, I think it works well leading back to the D. Also, agree 100 percent on the Phil Spector version-- thanks Mike.
Hey Mike- what did you do just at 5:59-6:00.....I think you hit an extra note but it sounds incredible! I may incorporate it into my playing if I can figure out what you did :)
Hey Mike, Don’t know if you’re going to read this, Could you please make a tutorial for “One and one is two” by Paul McCartney? It’s a unreleased song but it’s amazing and wanted to see if you can make a tutorial because I can’t figure out the strumming pattern like you would
You do such a great job on the tunes I grew up on. I've been playing forever, drums too, but don't know quality acoustics. Do you recommend the Taylor? Or would a used D-28 be better? Shame that song got messed up, Phil Spector version is sacrilege. One of John's best. It's LSD influenced with a dash of Donovan.
I'd wish paul mccartney and ringo would invite mike all expensives paid to their home. For a get together , he deserves it what he's done with the beatles songs is incredible....
The ONLY one I found that is worth the $$ is the Gretsch Country Gentleman that is made in Japan. Or (what I have) the Gretsch Country Classic (that is also made in Japan) and the same as the Country Gentleman but without the useless mutes.
Hey Mike. Great lesson. Gee, I was hoping you'd play a tambora at the end. How about doing "Norwegian Wood?" Then you'll have to play a sitar. Or better yet, do "Within You, Without You." Just kidding.
As usual great but, even though it would not be 'original' it feels like a bass throughout would really round it out and make it a Beatles sound rather than, as you point out, a Lennon 'demo' that never caught their interest. Just a thought.
One of those few Beatle songs I would skip. That said I think I’m right in saying the recording was the inspiration for Jeff Lynnes compositions with ELO.
