3 Fantastic Beatles Tracks That Combined Separate In-Progress Songs

The Beatles’ songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney worked in several different ways. In the early days, they did indeed write some songs together in a room, line by line. Later, one would often bring a song more or less complete. The other then suggested changes.

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On a few occasions, the two men were working on separate songs. And they combined these separate creations into a magnificent whole. Here are three hybrids delivered by Lennon and McCartney for The Beatles.

“A Day In The Life”

Many people consider “A Day In The Life” to be the pinnacle of the Lennon/McCartney songwriting partnership and the finest Beatles song ever. That such an achievement came from two unique songs sort of crammed together is a marvel in itself. John Lennon created the ethereal main part, based in part on his struggles to find much meaning in anything that daily life could offer him. Needing something to connect the sections of Lennon’s song, Paul McCartney suggested a number with a jumpy rhythm that he was concocting. McCartney’s lyrics touched on the hassles of the typical morning routine. Give credit to George Martin for helping the two songs not only seamlessly transition one into another but also eventually meld into a unified whole in the final verse. The crazy orchestral flourish somehow captured everything the lyrics were trying to express.

“Baby, You’re A Rich Man”

In 1967, The Beatles delivered perhaps the greatest year of music that any act has ever experienced. In addition to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour coming out in that calendar year, they pitched in with several monumental singles. Even the somewhat forgotten B-sides possess an undeniable coolness factor. “Baby, You’re A Rich Man”, the product of verses that were written by John Lennon as one song and a chorus penned by Paul McCartney as another, came out as the B-side to “All You Need Is Love”. Considering that the A-side was so instantly accessible, “Baby, You’re A Rich Man” probably sounded as if it was coming from another world to those flipping over the 45. The odd squalling noise created by the clavioline, an early form of synthesizer, ensured it. But this song demands your attention every time it appears, including as a memorable needle drop at the end of the modern classic film The Social Network.

“I’ve Got A Feeling”

Pretty much nothing went smoothly for The Beatles during the making of the Let It Be album. That included both the documentary surrounding the record and the decisions on how the oodles of material that the band cut for the project should be presented. Nonetheless, “I’ve Got A Feeling” came out of that messy situation sounding energized and powerful. This time around, it was Paul McCartney who had the main section of the song in place. Meanwhile, John Lennon was looking for a landing spot for the “Everybody had a hard year” piece he was writing. This one is a bit unique because the second part of the song isn’t necessarily utilized as a separate section. Instead, it acts as a kind of countermelody. The two parts also contrast each other perfectly. McCartney’s more optimistic outlook runs up against Lennon playing the devil’s advocate with his more downcast projections.

Photo by David Redfern/Redferns