A song reputed to have been written by Paul Mc Cartney for his on again-off again girlfriend from 1963-67, Jane Asher. One of the most cheerful in the Beatles catalog, and found on the soundtrack to their funny and picaresque little espionage musical-comedy, "Help", directed by Richard Lester.
I always thought the scene with the powerful electric hand-dryer in the movie one of the best bits of physical comedy from that time and you can see a clip of it in this nice compilation of the film.
PS--I'm guessing the Lads never actually lived in four adjoining flats.
with thanks to:
http://www.youtube.com/user/hannah4monkees
When I moved to London in 1964, the mens` hostel in which I lived in for 6 months was in a street called Emperoror`s Gate in Kensington. And the Beatles had a flat opposite (which they never used - because they had got much too famous) But one night we saw Paul leaving with Jane Asher and getting into a large black limousine. I was also in the crowd outside the cinema in the West End for the Premier of a Hard Day`s Night. (Didn`t see anything).
ReplyDeleteIncidentally Jane Asher became an actress and celebrity cook and is now married to Geralde Scarf the cartoonist. I have seen her in west end plays several times.
She is still a good looking woman.
ReplyDeleteCheers Doug- I never realised that this was about Jane Asher.
ReplyDeleteThe Guitar at the beginning of this song is quite out of place with the rest of the song. You get this quite intricate guitar work followed by what can only be described as poor man's skiffle. Fortunately it's followed on the album by Yesterday. 'Nuff said!
lol.. I have to laugh a bit at that last part, Jeff. Not at you, my friend, but with you. I remember walking into a hair salon in a suburb of San Francisco. (My girlfriend wanted to have see if she could get her hair trimmed or something.) Turns out her friend who worked there said we just missed-- by about an hour-- Bruce Springsteen--"The Boss"-- himself and some members of his band who came into the place to get their hair trimmed. They had the pictures to prove it, too. I also saw nothing. Same luck.
ReplyDeleteI remember staying in Kensington for the days I was visiting London and environs bank in '85. A Trusthose Forte hotel off the High Road was my "base of operations."
Beautiful and smart section of the city--reminded me of Market Street in San Franscisco, only cleaner and less menacing at night. Thanks for sharing that bit of history. Wish I'd been in London twenty years earlier--it would have been a ball I expect.
Yes, I saw her in a movie recently, "Death at A Funeral", where was quite funny in a droll way. Apparently, according to Wikipedia, she's quite a smart business woman as well as being a looker".
ReplyDeleteAlso she's never written or spoke to the tabloids about her time with Sir Paul, which I think is rather classy.
That's what I've read at least. She apparently inspired quite a number of his songs.
ReplyDeleteYes, I hadn't noticed but the quitar is an abrupt opening. I wonder if John and Paul just kind of strung two riffs they had worked on seperately and squeezed them together? Anyway, its a fun little tune--very romantic in the way Mc Cartney could put one over.
Your blog about the speeding hearse got me thinking about the recent movie I saw Ms. Asher in, which led to my seeing if there was a clip of it on You Tube to share. I therefore started looking for a Beatles song featuring Paul while I was at it, so this one I owe to you, Ian.
I don't even remember that song.
ReplyDeleteMe neither, Iri Ani. I gather it was not a hit song, at least not in the USA, or even used in the film "Help". I only heard it myself a couple years back when I borrowed the CD from a friend. Nice little country-western rhythm to it, I rather like it obviously, but I doubt its what their fans were looking for in 1964 or 65.
ReplyDeleteI was just a little kid then lol
ReplyDeleteI was a wee tot myself. Barely able to see over my highchair ;-)
ReplyDeleteHi Doug, I'm sorry the viseos on my page and those of my friends are just showing up as blanks. I'm not sure if the fault is with me or Multipy. I'll look again as soon as I can see the picture. I am able to read the writing but that is all.
ReplyDeleteI remember the song, even though I hasten to add that I was but a mite myself at the time it came out. Well maybe a bit bigger than a mite....but not very much. This track was one Paul McCartney continued to play with Wings. As you say it is a country and western song, but when it comes to The Beatles doing country music I like Ringo's rendition of Act Naturally myself as well.
ReplyDeleteGood choice Doug, thanks for posting it.
"Act Naturally" was a favorite of mine as well--it was a tune performed originally by a fellow Californian, Buck Owens, who gained "fame" as a co-host on the silliest variety show ever put on television: "Hee Haw" was its title. It was sort-of down-home country-music show with abominably unfunny sketches. (Made one appreciate the talents of the likes of Marty Feldman, Lily Tomlin and the Monty Python gang even more. ) There was more humor in a mustard gas attack at a bus station than in that show.
ReplyDelete"Hee Haw" was so bad the producers of the show were sent to The Hague to stand trail for Crimes Against the Humanities.
Buck, however, made up for it with penning other fine tunes, including the marvelous "Streets of Bakersfield". Glad you liked it.