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2.25am
3 May 2024
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I always wondered what would John’s solo tours would have evolved had he not been killed. And for those who probably are going to say something about, I know John wasn’t keen on performing Beatles songs at the time, but none of them were. The 89-90 tour was the first time Paul McCartney included a sizeable amount of Beatles songs in the setlist, and has continued to do so since then. I believe that John would have also warmed up to performing Beatles songs again. But which ones?
And I am only talking about the ones he primarily wrote, not ones written by Paul/George/Ringo or co written with Paul. I’m compiled a list of all the Paul-exclusive Beatles songs (per setlist.fm) that Paul has performed more than 100 times, which is about 34 songs. What would John’s likely equivalent be? Here’s the list:
- Lady Madonna
- Let It Be
- Hey Jude
- Back In The U.S.S.R.
- Yesterday
- Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End
- Eleanor Rigby
- Blackbird
- The Long And Winding Road
- Can’t Buy Me Love
- I Saw Her Standing There
- All My Loving
- Get Back
- We Can Work It Out
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- Helter Skelter
- Got To Get You Into My Life
- Sgt. Pepper ’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
- Drive My Car
- I’ve Just Seen A Face
- Paperback Writer
- And I Love Her
- The Fool On The Hill
- Here, There And Everywhere
- Birthday
- Magical Mystery Tour
- Love Me Do
- Michelle
- Things We Said Today
- Penny Lane
- Getting Better
- Good Day Sunshine
- You Never Give Me Your Money / She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
- Hello, Goodbye
4.50am
26 January 2017
Offline I can imagine Lennon having a fanbase similar to Dylan’s where fans go to show after show following him around depsite him playing mostly the same set every show of the tour. Then when he mixes in a bust out or a ftp it makes a ton of noise within the hardcore fanbase, similar to Paul, although he rarely plays rare bustouts because his setlists are so crammed with mega hit classics. John I think probably wouldnt play Imagine Help ! and I Am The Walrus at every show. Come to think of it, what is John’s Hey Jude or Let It Be ? In My Life is the only real competitor. Power To The People ? Revolution ? Paul definetly beats him out when it comes to the number of ubiquitous cultural touchstones.
The following people thank sir walter raleigh for this post:
Von Bontee"The pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles!"
-Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues
"We could ride and surf together while our love would grow"
-Brian Wilson, Surfer Girl
10.22pm
30 August 2021
Offline10.58pm
14 December 2009
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Well, we all know that John didn’t care much for revisiting the past, and the Beatles were definitely the past…but that didn’t stop him from potentially negative “White Album ” memories returning while doing “Yer Blues ” in Toronto; nor prevent him giving “Come Together ” a belated live debut at MSG in ’72. And he seemed to relish being allowed to sing lead on “I Saw Her Standing There ” for the first time in ’74. And so I can imagine another part of his past that he wouldn’t mind revisiting, a happy memory: His own wedding and honeymoon with Yoko. “The Ballad Of John & Yoko” would’ve sounded great in live performance, and Yoko could could contribute the “oh boy, when you’re dead…Think!!” wife bit herself (plus add tambourine or maracas, always welcome additions)
Would John have performed any of the songs that were most personal to him, like “In My Life ” or “Strawberry Fields”? I can’t begin to guess, myself…
But I really don’t think that there were as many as 34 of John’s Beatles songs that he would even praise, let alone choose to revisit live, he was so critical of so much of his stuff, amazing stuff, up to the Playboy interview of 1980. And speculation about anything happening after 1980, any kind of second thoughts on John’s part, is pointless.
Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
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