5 Beatles Classics That Were Low-Key Autobiographical

The Beatles possessed a knack for making their songs relatable to listeners of all ages and walks of life. Along the way, they often snuck in some songs that revealed aspects of their personal lives, albeit in subtle ways.

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You can enjoy the five tracks listed below without any contextual information about the writers. But each one, in their own way, gave a little glimpse behind The Beatles’ curtain.

“Help!” from ‘Help!’ (1967)

Throughout the recording career of The Beatles, competitiveness drove John Lennon and Paul McCartney to new heights. Each man wanted the honor of writing and singing on the songs chosen for singles. Hence, they couldn’t afford to seem too personal in those songs, lest they end up getting shuffled back to album-track status. John Lennon revved up the pace of “Help!” and filled it with catchy hooks so that it was a can’t-miss hit. Looking at the lyrics, you can easily see that Lennon was trying to reach out to anyone who might be listening. And he was letting them know that he wasn’t in the best place when he wrote the song.

“Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” from ‘Rubber Soul’ (1965)

The Beatles tried to cover up the fact that John Lennon was married when the group hit big. They didn’t want to discourage the affection of female fans. Meanwhile, Lennon’s marriage to Cynthia Lennon was strained by the separation they had to endure while he was out doing his thing. “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” plays it relatively coy about what’s happening. There’s no specific mention of affairs or one-night stands. But the subtext is pretty clear. Lennon was likely recounting a tryst that he had undergone with a female admirer. The telling details, which make the song so vivid, give it away.

“Strawberry Fields Forever” Single (1967)

“Strawberry Fields Forever” is a tricky song to interpret, in part because Lennon’s narrator equivocates throughout about what he’s trying to say. The refrains bring us back to a childhood getaway spot favored by the young Lennon. He retreats to it in his mind in the present time of the song so that he can get away from his confusion and doubt. In the verses, Lennon opts for a conversational style, right down to the asides and second thoughts that often pepper everyday speech. In the middle of all that, he tellingly admits to feeling a bit out of place with the rest of the world, claiming that no one else is in his “tree.”

“Mother Nature’s Son” from ‘The White Album’ (1968)

The knee-jerk critical view is that Paul McCartney revealed far less of himself in his Beatles songs than John Lennon. That view overlooks the handful of songs where he was referring to the ups and downs of his romance with actress Jane Asher. Nonetheless, McCartney became more willing to let people in on his inner life as the years progressed. “Mother Nature’s Son” might seem like a song where the songwriter is simply inhabiting a character. But that character hits mighty close to home. His love of nature and getting away from it all certainly dovetails with Macca’s own preferences.

“Two Of Us” from ‘Let It Be’ (1970)

This one is interesting because people often correctly assume there was an autobiography involved in “Two Of Us”. Only they tended to get the story behind it wrong. Because the song features exquisite harmony singing by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, folks assumed that McCartney, who wrote it, was referring to the longtime friendship between the two men. Sadly, that friendship was strained by the time this song came into existence. Instead, Paul was referring to the way he could always get away from the stress of the times by retreating somewhere with his wife, Linda.

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