h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: How Do You Sleep at Night with Copulating Insects - The Lennon/McCartney Lyrics War - A87846439
Author: Bluebottle - U43530

A look at the bitter break-up of the Beatles, and its impact on their lyrics.

Sadly I cannot quote whole song lyrics due to copyright regulations, so though I'd love to include all of 'How Do You Sleep', I'm unable to mention more than a snippet.

This was inspired by Dmitri's entry A87846286 Love Must Advertise: The Sayers/Cournos Romance

<BB<

We're getting so meta...

Very nice job you've made of it.

Another good Entry;

After a first read through I will have a few comments to make about some points that are not clear to those of us who are not as familiar with the group as you are. I will go through this again and make an item by item list (nothing bad)

Just as a first thought, I think that if you changed your title to 'The Breakup of the Beatles', and included your present excellent title as a blockquote at the top of the Entry it would get far more hits on the average search engine.

Thanks



F

S (you seemed to be missing one from your F)

Feel free to make loads of notes and let me know what isn't clear – I want to make sure that this is an easy to read article, and it is an easy mistake to assume readers know what you do, so if you can flag up where I've done that, I'll be grateful. Don't apologise – as you're being helpful – I'm always glad when people thoroughly read stuff I've written (I still think it is amazing that someone on the other side of the world is not only able to read stuff what I wrote, but has spent their time doing so) so take even comments like 'you've spelt Llanfairpwlgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch with too few ls' (it should, of course, be 'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch') as a compliment.

You've raised a good point about the title. I thought the current title was not only a bit silly, but it also mentions the two biggest blows of the lyric war – Lennon's 'How Do You Sleep' and McCartney having a picture of copulating beetles on the 'Ram' album cover.

I don't think I can use 'The Breakup of the Beatles' per se – if I read an article with that title, I would expect it to be about how the Beatles broke up. The death of Brian Epstein in 1967, Paul trying to be the manager and leading the Beatles through the (perceived) failure of 'Magical Mystery Tour', their going in different directions through the White Album, marriages and miscarriage, drug busts, divorce, family life and 'Two Virgins', Ringo feeling ignored, George feeling that Paul still treated him as a 15-year-old school boy as well as Spector, Klein etc. Yet this article begins after most of that, in September 1969 when John announces he has left. The Beatles have broken up, they're just keeping it a secret until after they've sorted out their unfinished album.

Maybe 'The Aftermath of the Breakup of the Beatles – the Lennon-McCartney Lyrics War', but that might be a bit of a mouthful. I'll see what other readers think.

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I learned a lot from this, <BB<, but it picks me up just where I am. Given my time and place of birth, all the Beatles lyrics are sort of inscribed into my DNA. However, I am all for explaining things from another starting point for those who are not familiar with them, especially if it's FS who needs a leg-up into it all.

The title is lovely - catches your attention and indicates that it is very specific, and not a general entry on the break-up, which has been done to death and could not cover everything.

Thanks <BB<

It is not that I never followed the Beatles, but by the time the group broke-up I had stopped paying attention to them. I may have known some of these things and forgotten them over the years. I enjoy the way way you explain some of the song titles. One that I have always puzzled over is 'Norwegian Wood' It sounds like Scandinavian lumber, or is it a play on the word 'would', or something else?

I don't remember who Jane Asher was, perhaps a brief note?

I find most of this Entry extremely interesting, especially the implied, or misunderstood insults between the former band members.

F S

Thanks for finding the odd S I dropped

I've included more about Jane Asher (and mentioned Peter too – sometimes I just can't stop myself).

'Norwegian Wood' was written at a time when it was fashionable for some people to decorate the inside of their homes with cheap pine on the walls and floor, and then claim it was 'Norwegian wood' (and thus expensive and desirable). This is mentioned in the song with the words 'she showed me her room, isn't it good, Norwegian wood', which is a way of saying that the girl in the song is a bit shallow, and not really what she claims she is.

<BB<

Well trimmed - I like that you say the lyrics are out there, so the reader could find them, but the Entry reads well with just the snippets you chose

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GB