Ask “Mr. Music”
Jerry Osborne



FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 30, 2007

DEAR JERRY: I loved your report on songs by the Beatles with Paul's lead, but you must have known it would open the door to doing the same for the other three.

It always surprised me to see their albums come out with little or no mention of who is singing lead on what.

From the liner notes on “Meet the Beatles” I know George sings lead on “Don't Bother Me,” but such information was almost never mentioned.

Now that you are my official source for these details, please provide the rest of the story.
—Charlene Corrigan, Hanover, Pa.

DEAR CHARLENE: You are but one of many requesting the rest of the story.

Since John Lennon sings lead on most of their recordings, and knowing you are now aware of those by Paul, we only need to list the other guys here. Then you'll know all the remaining tracks are by John.

First are George's and Ringo's tracks originally issued during the group's years together (1962 - 1970):

GEORGE HARRISON: “Blue Jay Way;” “Chains;” “Do You Want to Know a Secret;” “Don't Bother Me;” “Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby;” “For You Blue;” “Here Comes the Sun;” “I Me Mine;” “I Need You;” “I Want to Tell You;” “If I Needed Someone;” “I'm Happy Just to Dance with You;” “It's All Too Much;” “Long Long Long;” “Love You To;” “Old Brown Shoe;” “Only a Northern Song;” “Piggies;” “Roll Over Beethoven;” “Savoy Truffle;” “Something;” “Taxman;” “The Inner Light;” “Think for Yourself;” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps;” “Within You Without You;” and “You Like Me Too Much.”

RINGO STARR: “Act Naturally;” “Boys;” “Don't Pass Me By;” “Good Night;” “Honey Don't;” “I Wanna Be Your Man;” “Matchbox;” “Octopus's Garden;” “What Goes On;” “With a Little Help from My Friends;” and “Yellow Submarine.”

On the flip side, we added both “Chains” and “Shout” to George's sections. On those, his parts slightly surpass what is heard from the other voices.

TONY SHERIDAN: “My Bonnie;” “The Saints;” and “Why.”

Next are their tunes recently unearthed from early '60s sessions and BBC appearances. All came out in the '80s and '90s:

GEORGE: “All Things Must Pass;” “Crying, Waiting, Hoping;” “Don't Ever Change;” “Glad All Over;” “I Forgot to Remember to Forget;” “I Got A Woman;” “I'll Be on My Way;” “Not Guilty;” “Nothin' Shakin';” “Shout;” “So How Come (No One Loves Me);” “Take Good Care of My Baby;” “The Sheik of Araby; “Three Cool Cats;” “You Know What to Do;” “Young Blood.”

RINGO: “If You've Got Trouble.”

Everything else is in Lennon's column, including a few where Paul and/or George harmonize with John, but his is the prevailing voice, however slight the distinction.

DEAR JERRY: About 20 years ago, in one of Tom Hanks' first films, is a song I'm trying to identify.

Standing in my way is me not knowing more about the song, the band, or the film title. I do remember it being about a bunch of silly, oversexed teenagers.

But I guess everyone has to start somewhere, and this was long before “Sleepless in Seattle.”

As for the song, the line stuck in my memory is “Can't you hear the American band,” which might even be the title.
—Myrna Crouch, Denver, Colo.

DEAR MYRNA: Fortunately we have a painless procedure to rid you of that earworm.

The inane film in question is “Bachelor Party” a 1984 follow-up to “Splash,” the Oscar-nominated comedy in which

Tom Hanks appears in his first starring role.

The “Bachelor Party” soundtrack is primarily '80s New Wave, and the tune haunting you is “American Beat 1984,” by the Fleshtones.

I say “primarily” '80s New Wave, only because Darlene Love's funky remake of the 1960 hit, “Alley Oop,” is the stray in the herd.

To complete your earwormectomy, locate either the 1984 “Bachelor Party” soundtrack LP (I.R.S. 70047), or a Superfecta CD (825597000321) reissue of the same music.

IZ ZAT SO? Looking at both Billboard and Cash Box charts, we find many No. 1 songs featuring John and Paul; however, only one fronted by either of the other boys — probably not the one you'd suspect.

It is Ringo, when “Yellow Submarine” spent a week at No. 1 in mid-September 1966.

George missed by just one notch, due to the peculiar practice of listing each side of a 45 at separate chart positions.

So it happened in late November 1969. George's “Something” peaked at No. 2, kept from No. 1 only by the flip side of the same single: “Come Together,” on which John sings lead.





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