DAILY DIRT: Yeah, the Beatles had plenty of good songs, too

Daily Dirt for Monday, March 17, 2025

Well, shake it up baby. Twist and shout! … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,231 of The Daily Dirt

1. And now, we look at the other side of the Beatles’ coin.

About 24 hours ago, I provided you with 10 of the better-known Beatles songs that drive me crazy, from the never-ending “Let It Be” to the insipid “Strawberry Fields Forever”. This time, I would like to offer 10 of the band’s efforts that always cause me to crank up up the volume and, at times, even sing along — much to the chagrin of those nearby.

May I present the Beatles’ best of the best:

• 1. “Twist and Shout” (1963): This represented the Beatles before they had become so musically condescending. John Lennon’s vocals were simply magnificent. I once read “the way (Lennon’s, Paul McCartney’s and George Harrison’s) harmonies came together at the song’s climax … was perhaps the most iconic moment of their career”. It’s hard to argue that. (Also, remember this song from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?”)
• 2. “Yesterday” (1965): In 1997, this masterpiece was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. There are more than 2,200 cover versions out there.
• 3. “Day Tripper” (1965): Lennon described “Day Tripper” as a “drug song” in 1970,^[and in a 2004 interview McCartney said it was “about (LSD)”.
• 4. “Revolution” (1968): The song opens with arguably the best guitar riff of the modern pop era via Lennon, followed by the famed scream from McCartney.
• 5. “The Long And Winding Road” (1970): The quintessential soft rock ballad?
• 6. “In My Life” (1965): Rolling Stone magazine ranked this No. 21 among its 500 greatest songs of all time in 2021.
• 7. “Something” (1969): Critics have long said this particular song, coupled with his work on “Here Comes The Sun,” vaulted George Harrison to the same level of songwriter as band mates Lennon and McCartney.
• 8. “Lady Madonna” (1968): Surprisingly, it’s McCartney’s keyboard work — not his guitar abilities — that punctuate this song.
• 9. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” (1968): For the past 57 years, every time I hear the line “Come and keep your comrade warm” I have to smile.
• 10. “Hello, Goodbye” (1967): “You say yes, I say no … “

2. Did you know (Part 305)

• That March is the most popular month for vasectomies.
• That on March 17 in 1973, Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” first hit the Billboard Top 200 album chart at No. 95. A mere 14 years later (736 chart weeks, to be exact), it finally left the top 200 for the first time, setting a still-unbroken world record.
• That on March 21 in 2006, Twitter (now known as “X”) was launched.
• That the famous board game Monopoly was invented in March 1933.
• That each year the months of March and June end on the same day of the week.

3. Here are five celebrities that were all born on St. Patrick’s Day (that’s today, just in case you had missed it):

• Rob Lowe
• Kurt Russell
• Gary Sinise
• Patrick Duffy
• Nat King Cole

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Eighinger is not an Irish name, unless it would be O’Eighinger.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. When MRN editors/publishers go over Steve’s copy, we say “O” a lot. Like “Oh, Hell …”, “Oh, shit …” or just “OMG!”