The Beatles put out some of the best music of the 20th century. However, even the Fab Four were capable of having a few musical and technical hiccups. Let’s dive into a few Beatles songs that feature hidden mistakes that you may have never noticed before!
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1. “I’m Looking Through You”
By the time Rubber Soul rolled around, The Beatles had refined their recording techniques and performance ability. However, there is still a mistake in “I’m Looking Through You” that made it to the final cut. In fact, there are a few mistakes.
There’s a bit of guitar feedback at the 1 minute 18 seconds mark, as well as a guitar part that is out of tune at 1 minute 53 seconds. Ringo Starr missed a couple of drum hits at 1 minute 57 seconds, too. For an otherwise polished album, “I’m Looking Through You” is a pretty messy song when you really listen to it.
2. “Hey Jude”
“Hey Jude” is an incredibly beautiful song. However, it does make it to our list of Beatles songs with hidden mistakes for one particularly glaring reason: There’s a naughty word hidden in the mix.
It’s not clear who shouted “F***ing hell!” into the microphone around three minutes in. And even though it is buried, you can definitely hear it. Some fans believe that John Lennon was the one to curse, but McCartney later said that it was likely his mistake after missing a chord on the piano.
3. “The Long And Winding Road”
There’s some Beatles lore behind this one. The bass track on “The Long And Winding Road” boasts quite a few mistakes on Lennon’s part. Some believe that he intentionally tried to sabotage the song, while others believe he was high while recording the track.
Either way, we’ll never know the truth. However, it is odd that McCartney didn’t just overdub his own bass track instead for the final cut.
4. “I Saw Her Standing There”
“I Saw Her Standing There” is the very first song from The Beatles’ very first album, so it’s not exactly surprising that there is a mistake in the mix. Not like it matters, though. This was the song that got a whole generation of screaming fans addicted to the Fab Four.
On this track, there are a couple of vocal mistakes. You can hear the incorrect vocals between Lennon and McCartney around the 1 minute 24 seconds mark.
5. “Ticket To Ride”
“Ticket To Ride” might not feature any hidden mistakes, but we will include it on our list of Beatles songs because of the mystery around it. Some believe that Ringo Starr didn’t actually make a mistake on this song, and rather opted for some creative liberties.
Starr’s drum track is beautifully syncopated until around the 1 minute 25 seconds mark. From there, the drum pattern shifts in an odd way.
Photo by Ivan Keeman/Redferns
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