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12.24pm
26 January 2017
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ewe2 said
Hahaha no the sisters got in the way, the noises are his thwarted imagination. I think of it as the musical equivalent of I’ll Get You just not expressed in words.
QuarryMan said
But I thought he ‘nearly made it’. Surely that implies they nearly did, but didn’t in the end.To be perfectly honest though, I think this is a pretty poor song and easily the worst on Sgt Pepper .
What a futile comment. Why is it poor? Why is it easily the worst? If you’re going to give your opinion at least make it worth more than a limp “dislike”.
Why should I? Do I need to spell out exactly what I dislike about something for my judgement to be valid?
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
1.47pm
26 January 2017
Offline You’re obviously entitled to your own opinion, as am I. I love the jangly intro with the soaring vocals that lead into one of my favorite McCartney melodies. I also love the piano solo and the dark change at the end. What is it that you don’t like about it?
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1.57pm
26 January 2017
Offline It’s hard to pinpoint it exactly, but I’ll try. For most of Paul’s granny music, I don’t really take it seriously but I still enjoy it. But with Lovely Rita , the aspects of granny music I love on other songs just annoy me. I hate the whole concept of the song, I hate the line about the sisters, I hate the melody, and most of all I hate the panting. I don’t mind the jangly intro though. That bit is actually very good.
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
1.59pm
26 January 2017
Offline And I quite enjoy the track when Paul performs it live.
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
4.01pm
Moderators
15 February 2015
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@ewe2 said
Hahaha no the sisters got in the way, the noises are his thwarted imagination.
Yeah, John says ‘Never believe it’ at the end. 
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4.05pm
27 February 2017
Offline Do you consider Lovely Rita as one of Paul’s ‘granny songs’ @QuarryMan? That’s interesting, I’ve always thought this term describes songs like Honey Pie or When I’m Sixty-Four . Lovely Rita has always been psychedelic rock for me but I understand where you’re coming from, his voice has this special colour and pronunciation which reminds one of ‘the old times’, for example, the hilarious ‘bewk’ bit 😉 .
I really love how Lovely Rita comes before Good Morning Good Morning on Sgt Peppers. These two songs are inseparable for me, I’d never listen to only one of them. The reason they fit together so well is because they’re both so colourful, in my opinion. But in Lovely Rita all the colours and different moods don’t fully surface, it seethes (especially in the panting section) but it never really explodes, and then there comes Good Morning Good Morning , a real firework of emotions, brass, drums, noises. What seethed before now boils over. Ah, I love Sgt Peppers so much for these little things!
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Beatlebug, sir walter raleigh, Ahhh Girl, WeepingAtlasCedarsNot once does the diversity seem forced -- the genius of the record is how the vaudevillian "When I'm 64" seems like a logical extension of "Within You Without You" and how it provides a gateway to the chiming guitars of "Lovely Rita. - Stephen T. Erlewine on Sgt Pepper's
4.05am
26 January 2017
Offline Yes I do consider it granny music, but unlike most other granny music, it doesn’t work. If the rest of the song was in the style of the intro I’d be happy, but it isn’t, and I’m not.
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
5.23am
27 February 2017
Offline QuarryMan said
Yes I do consider it granny music, but unlike most other granny music, it doesn’t work. If the rest of the song was in the style of the intro I’d be happy, but it isn’t, and I’m not.
Sorry for insisting on it, but what exactly do you find grannyish about the song? Is it the colour of Paul’s voice? The piano solo? I’m just curious because ‘granny music’ implies that it sounds dated in some way, doesn’t it?
Not once does the diversity seem forced -- the genius of the record is how the vaudevillian "When I'm 64" seems like a logical extension of "Within You Without You" and how it provides a gateway to the chiming guitars of "Lovely Rita. - Stephen T. Erlewine on Sgt Pepper's
6.28am
26 January 2017
Offline It just exudes the typical corny-ness that most of the granny songs have. It’s also Paul’s fairly staccato vocal on the title that reminds me of When I’m Sixty-Four .
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MarthaI've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
7.48am
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline @QuarryMan is not alone. I know quite a few people who dislike the so-called Granny music, this one included.
I like many elements of the song – especially the ones @sir walter raleigh mentioned (the piano solo and the dark change at the end). When I was much younger, I can remember thinking the rest of the song was listenble but kind of “meh”. Over the years I’ve grown to like it and its place on the album. Still, it’s not a “go-to” when I pick up the iPod.
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
9.08am
26 January 2017
Offline I don’t dislike the granny music in general. I think it’s nice and quaint, and is an important part of the Beatles’ identity. But Lovely Rita just doesn’t deliver beyond the first 10 seconds for me.
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
10.52am
8 January 2015
Offline Silly Girl said
Yeah, John says ‘Never believe it’ at the end.
You can think of it like it’s Paul’s version of Norwegian Wood . Poor thing didn’t even get to spend the night!
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but I may have to get more specific in the future.
4.53pm
26 January 2017
Offline I figured out why I consider Lovely Rita granny music, and it’s to do with the music. Although the chord progression isn’t a 12 bar blues (aka I/IV/V in some combination, the most predictable progression imaginable), it is still very predictable and the melody has an orderly, precise, controlled feel unlike the more free flowing melodies on say, Maybe I’m Amazed or The Fool On The Hill . This is certainly true with the other granny songs as well.
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
5.31pm
9 March 2017
Offline If granny music means predictable chord progressions like 12 bar blues, would that make songs like I’m Down and I’ll Cry Instead granny music songs.
If you're reading this, you are looking for something to do.
5.37pm
26 January 2017
Offline Not 12 bar blues necessarily , I’m just saying that predicable chord progressions and melodies play up the safe, quaint nature of the songs.
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
3.14am
19 January 2017
Offline I don’t consider Lovely Rita to be granny music, in fact I only put 4 Beatles songs in that category. However some other songs are debatable.
These being: When I’m Sixty Four, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (fairly tentative), Honey Pie and Your Mother Should Know (again fairly tentative).
The reason why I deem these songs to be granny music is because they are intentionally written in the music hall style both lyrically and melodically.
Lovely Rita doesn’t fall into this category, although it has small elements of music hall. I also think it’s lyrically too suggestive to be considered granny music
"And life flows on within you and without you" - George Harrison
4.31am
26 January 2017
Offline But Maxwell’s Silver Hammer has lyrics about a serial killer and you consider it granny music…
I wouldn’t say it’s a fully fledged granny song it’s just got many stylistic points in common with the others.
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
5.05am
19 January 2017
Offline QuarryMan said
But Maxwell’s Silver Hammer has lyrics about a serial killer and you consider it granny music…I wouldn’t say it’s a fully fledged granny song it’s just got many stylistic points in common with the others.
The lyrics for Maxwell’s Silver Hammer make it tentative, but it still has the ‘dittyish’ quality of songs like Honey Pie .
I think the psychedelic and biting instrumentation of Lovely Rita hides the music hall elements and makes it more of a standard rock song.
"And life flows on within you and without you" - George Harrison
7.16am
26 January 2017
Offline I wouldn’t call any of the instrumentation biting… what, piano and 12 string acoustic, biting?
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
7.27am
19 January 2017
Offline 
Not biting per se but I think the instrumentation is just played ‘harder’ I guess…
This video is pretty interesting. I’d also recommend his version of When I’m Sixty-Four :
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QuarryMan, Ahhh Girl"And life flows on within you and without you" - George Harrison
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