John Lennon once said that the lyrics of the song "Because" (Abbey Road album, 1969) "speak for themselves ... no imagery, no obscure references". It was because the song was so immensely personal for him, that he didn't want to talk about why it was written and recorded at all. The same can be said about George.
When the song, developed in the weeks after Brian Jones' death, was, as a "last minute" decision, added to the Abbey Road album, George Harrison came up with the first "hidden idea". The song was placed on side 2 of the album as the 2nd song and it was the 8th song of the album as a whole. 2-2-8, or 2/28, Brian Jones' birthday. Also, it contrasts with "Here comes the sun" the previous song, they wanted to end the beauty of the summer by the tragic Cotchford's event that happened while the sun was coming ... 
The lyrics where written in the style of a Jisei, a so-called Japanese death poem (obviously Yoko had talked to John about those kind of poems in connection with Brian's sudden death), yet another "hidden" hint. So yes, it is an epitaph, an homage to Brian Jones.
The first two verses of the song were written by John and Paul (in "Because the wind is high, it blows my mind" the high wind refers to the sudden news, the shock about Brian's death). The third verse ("Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you" where love refers to a very close relationship with Brian, not to a woman) is by George Harrison and the fourth verse ("Because the sky is blue, it makes me cry, because the sky is blue") by a "mysterious" person [who wants to be know as Charles] and who has been (and still is) a unique link between the two bands from even a time before both bands came to existence! The "blue" refers to the Cotchford swimming pool.
Just as important off course is the music itself.
The melody was intentionally made as quiet as the water as one experiences it when diving under and looking up. They wanted to create a singular atmosphere. One may think of it as a terrible imaginary thinking about Brian, but that’s how they felt it.
Last but not least, the song title “Because”. At the time there were so many questions after Brian’s death: how, why, who, ..? Well, “because” ...
Isn’t that what we sometimes say when we don’t really know the answer? ...”because” ...
The beauty about this highly philosophical song is the fact, while a lot of people see conspiracies with Paul's death or delirium like that ..., that this anonymous, and simple song, that did not stay in fan's memories is a real Beatles hidden treasure. 
The song was first recorded without Paul’s voice, but John thought it didn't sound good enough.

I was given permission [by Charles] (while adding that this song should never have been written, because Brian would still have been around then) to write this down for Rolling Stones fans, so I decided to choose IORR for that. Anyone who likes to forward this to other Stones sites (Shidoobee, Rocks Off, etc, etc., sorry guys, I happen to know BV and admire his passion for the Stones), or Beatles sites for that matter, please refer to IORR.org as "original reporting source".

The Beatles and the Rolling Stones .. all the things we still don’t know ..

The final song to be recorded for Abbey Road was John Lennon's Because. The song was inspired by Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and featured The Beatles' distinctive three-part vocal harmonies.

Yoko Ono was a classically trained pianist whose interests had moved towards the avant garde. One day in 1969, however, she played Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 – the Moonlight Sonata.

Lying on their sofa listening, John Lennon asked her to play the chords backwards, and wrote Because around the result. While not an exact reversal of Beethoven's piece, it contains a number of musical similarities.

"Yoko was playing Moonlight Sonata on the piano. She was classically trained. I said, 'Can you play those chords backward?' and wrote Because around them. The lyrics speak for themselves; they're clear. No bullshit. No imagery, no obscure references."
John Lennon

"John wrote this tune. The backing is a bit like Beethoven. And three-part harmony right throughout. Paul usually writes the sweeter tunes, and John writes the, sort of, more the rave-up things, or the freakier things. But John's getting to where he doesn't want to. He just wants to write twelve-bars. But you can't deny it, I think this is possibly my favourite one on the album. The lyrics are so simple. The harmony was pretty difficult to sing. We had to really learn it. But I think that's one of the tunes that will impress most people. It's really good."
George Harrison

"I wouldn't mind betting Yoko was in on the writing of that, it's rather her kind of writing: wind, sky and earth are recurring, it's straight out of Grapefruit and John was heavily influenced by her at the time."
Paul McCartney

Um, OK?

Belongs in the endless Beatles thread...
Me

One of their / John’s best songs.

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stonehearted
The final song to be recorded for Abbey Road was John Lennon's Because. The song was inspired by Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and featured The Beatles' distinctive three-part vocal harmonies.

Yoko Ono was a classically trained pianist whose interests had moved towards the avant garde. One day in 1969, however, she played Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 – the Moonlight Sonata.

Lying on their sofa listening, John Lennon asked her to play the chords backwards, and wrote Because around the result. While not an exact reversal of Beethoven's piece, it contains a number of musical similarities.

"Yoko was playing Moonlight Sonata on the piano. She was classically trained. I said, 'Can you play those chords backward?' and wrote Because around them. The lyrics speak for themselves; they're clear. No bullshit. No imagery, no obscure references."
John Lennon

"John wrote this tune. The backing is a bit like Beethoven. And three-part harmony right throughout. Paul usually writes the sweeter tunes, and John writes the, sort of, more the rave-up things, or the freakier things. But John's getting to where he doesn't want to. He just wants to write twelve-bars. But you can't deny it, I think this is possibly my favourite one on the album. The lyrics are so simple. The harmony was pretty difficult to sing. We had to really learn it. But I think that's one of the tunes that will impress most people. It's really good."
George Harrison

"I wouldn't mind betting Yoko was in on the writing of that, it's rather her kind of writing: wind, sky and earth are recurring, it's straight out of Grapefruit and John was heavily influenced by her at the time."
Paul McCartney

Um, OK?

Belongs in the endless Beatles thread...
Me

Yes, I know this info too. It's correct, but Yoko did not contribute to the writing apart from making John aware of the Japanese "Jisei" poetry in connection with diseased people. And this style of writing was used for the song.
Isn't it nice to know that part of the becoming alive of this song is even a bit of a mystery to Paul?

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georgie48

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stonehearted
The final song to be recorded for Abbey Road was John Lennon's Because. The song was inspired by Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and featured The Beatles' distinctive three-part vocal harmonies.

Yoko Ono was a classically trained pianist whose interests had moved towards the avant garde. One day in 1969, however, she played Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 – the Moonlight Sonata.

Lying on their sofa listening, John Lennon asked her to play the chords backwards, and wrote Because around the result. While not an exact reversal of Beethoven's piece, it contains a number of musical similarities.

"Yoko was playing Moonlight Sonata on the piano. She was classically trained. I said, 'Can you play those chords backward?' and wrote Because around them. The lyrics speak for themselves; they're clear. No bullshit. No imagery, no obscure references."
John Lennon

"John wrote this tune. The backing is a bit like Beethoven. And three-part harmony right throughout. Paul usually writes the sweeter tunes, and John writes the, sort of, more the rave-up things, or the freakier things. But John's getting to where he doesn't want to. He just wants to write twelve-bars. But you can't deny it, I think this is possibly my favourite one on the album. The lyrics are so simple. The harmony was pretty difficult to sing. We had to really learn it. But I think that's one of the tunes that will impress most people. It's really good."
George Harrison

"I wouldn't mind betting Yoko was in on the writing of that, it's rather her kind of writing: wind, sky and earth are recurring, it's straight out of Grapefruit and John was heavily influenced by her at the time."
Paul McCartney

Um, OK?

Belongs in the endless Beatles thread...
Me

Yes, I know this info too. It's correct, but Yoko did not contribute to the writing apart from making John aware of the Japanese "Jisei" poetry in connection with diseased people. And this style of writing was used for the song.
Isn't it nice to know that part of the becoming alive of this song is even a bit of a mystery to Paul?

What about this part (from the horse's mouth)?

«The lyrics speak for themselves; they're clear. No bullshit. No imagery, no obscure references».

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DandelionPowderman

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georgie48

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stonehearted
The final song to be recorded for Abbey Road was John Lennon's Because. The song was inspired by Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and featured The Beatles' distinctive three-part vocal harmonies.

Yoko Ono was a classically trained pianist whose interests had moved towards the avant garde. One day in 1969, however, she played Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 – the Moonlight Sonata.

Lying on their sofa listening, John Lennon asked her to play the chords backwards, and wrote Because around the result. While not an exact reversal of Beethoven's piece, it contains a number of musical similarities.

"Yoko was playing Moonlight Sonata on the piano. She was classically trained. I said, 'Can you play those chords backward?' and wrote Because around them. The lyrics speak for themselves; they're clear. No bullshit. No imagery, no obscure references."
John Lennon

"John wrote this tune. The backing is a bit like Beethoven. And three-part harmony right throughout. Paul usually writes the sweeter tunes, and John writes the, sort of, more the rave-up things, or the freakier things. But John's getting to where he doesn't want to. He just wants to write twelve-bars. But you can't deny it, I think this is possibly my favourite one on the album. The lyrics are so simple. The harmony was pretty difficult to sing. We had to really learn it. But I think that's one of the tunes that will impress most people. It's really good."
George Harrison

"I wouldn't mind betting Yoko was in on the writing of that, it's rather her kind of writing: wind, sky and earth are recurring, it's straight out of Grapefruit and John was heavily influenced by her at the time."
Paul McCartney

Um, OK?

Belongs in the endless Beatles thread...
Me

Yes, I know this info too. It's correct, but Yoko did not contribute to the writing apart from making John aware of the Japanese "Jisei" poetry in connection with diseased people. And this style of writing was used for the song.
Isn't it nice to know that part of the becoming alive of this song is even a bit of a mystery to Paul?

What about this part (from the horse's mouth)?

«The lyrics speak for themselves; they're clear. No bullshit. No imagery, no obscure references».

Hi Bard,
That was typically John. Big mouth, but very sensitive guy. It often happens to people, who are basically insecure due to painful/frustrating experiences in life. They hide behind daredevilish/sturdy behaviour. But you can be sure that John was devastated by Brian's sudden death.

It sounds like you're trying to make this song fit into your pre-conceived narrative. I can do that, too.

She Came in Through the Bathroom Window - Brian had a bathroom window in his flat. Totally about him.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Brian played guitar!

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georgie48

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DandelionPowderman

Quote
georgie48

Quote
stonehearted
The final song to be recorded for Abbey Road was John Lennon's Because. The song was inspired by Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and featured The Beatles' distinctive three-part vocal harmonies.

Yoko Ono was a classically trained pianist whose interests had moved towards the avant garde. One day in 1969, however, she played Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 – the Moonlight Sonata.

Lying on their sofa listening, John Lennon asked her to play the chords backwards, and wrote Because around the result. While not an exact reversal of Beethoven's piece, it contains a number of musical similarities.

"Yoko was playing Moonlight Sonata on the piano. She was classically trained. I said, 'Can you play those chords backward?' and wrote Because around them. The lyrics speak for themselves; they're clear. No bullshit. No imagery, no obscure references."
John Lennon

"John wrote this tune. The backing is a bit like Beethoven. And three-part harmony right throughout. Paul usually writes the sweeter tunes, and John writes the, sort of, more the rave-up things, or the freakier things. But John's getting to where he doesn't want to. He just wants to write twelve-bars. But you can't deny it, I think this is possibly my favourite one on the album. The lyrics are so simple. The harmony was pretty difficult to sing. We had to really learn it. But I think that's one of the tunes that will impress most people. It's really good."
George Harrison

"I wouldn't mind betting Yoko was in on the writing of that, it's rather her kind of writing: wind, sky and earth are recurring, it's straight out of Grapefruit and John was heavily influenced by her at the time."
Paul McCartney

Um, OK?

Belongs in the endless Beatles thread...
Me

Yes, I know this info too. It's correct, but Yoko did not contribute to the writing apart from making John aware of the Japanese "Jisei" poetry in connection with diseased people. And this style of writing was used for the song.
Isn't it nice to know that part of the becoming alive of this song is even a bit of a mystery to Paul?

What about this part (from the horse's mouth)?

«The lyrics speak for themselves; they're clear. No bullshit. No imagery, no obscure references».

Hi Bard,
That was typically John. Big mouth, but very sensitive guy. It often happens to people, who are basically insecure due to painful/frustrating experiences in life. They hide behind daredevilish/sturdy behaviour. But you can be sure that John was devastated by Brian's sudden death.

I'm pretty sure he was. Thanks.

If memory serves me right, John Lennon's reaction, on hearing of BRIAN'S death was something on the lines of:....'another victim of the drink and drugs scene'.
I suspect he was saddened, but not surprised.
He was obviously devastated by the death of his Mother, Stuart Sutcliffe and also (as were all the Fab 4) by the death of Brian Epstein. But not Brian Jones, I wouldn't have thought.

Do you really think they sequenced the album so as to give some elaborate clue with Brian's birthday?

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peoplewitheyes
Do you really think they sequenced the album so as to give some elaborate clue with Brian's birthday?

I don't need to think anything. If you would take time to check info on the album, which was still in its final stages to be finished in July 1969, sequencing would be a piece of cake. I understand that, after all those decades, some find it strange that this info surfaces noe, but that's how it is. "Charles" thought, that where he kept this very personal info for himself for so long, fans had the right to know the truth.
If you're in the position, check with Paul or Yoko ...

The numerology bit doesn't interest me in the least since I place no stock in it. What I find most troubling is the claim that "Charles" was a connection between Beatles and Stones before either band was formed. I can't think of anyone Andrew Oldham or Jimmy Phelge or Bill Wyman or Keith indicates as a connection between Liverpool prior to January 1960 when Stu Sutcliffe and The Silver Beatles come together and Dartford or London prior to July 1962 when The Rollin' Stones are formed. At the risk of sounding rude, I suspect "Charles" is pulling Georgie's leg and hopefully not Bjornulf's as well. I think the best advice might be to let it be.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-08-23 17:57 by Rocky Dijon.

on the numerology element, it's probably (not) worth mentioning that no Englishman would write a date as month/day...

Now if only they had recorded 28 tracks on that album..

Very little of this rings true -- except perhaps the reference to the Japanese poem for lyrics.

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Rocky Dijon
The numerology bit doesn't interest me in the least since I place no stock in it. What I find most troubling is the claim that "Charles" was a connection between Beatles and Stones before either band was formed. I can't think of anyone Andrew Oldham or Jimmy Phelge or Bill Wyman or Keith indicates as a connection between Liverpool prior to January 1960 when Stu Sutcliffe and The Silver Beatles come together and Dartford or London prior to July 1962 when The Rollin' Stones are formed. At the risk of sounding rude, I suspect "Charles" is pulling Georgie's leg and hopefully not Bjornulf's as well. I think the best advice might be to let it be.

Hi Bill,
You did indeed read that line very well. And you mentioning those different names, I, as an age old Stones fan, understand that that line "would not make sense". But sometimes in life the truth is harder than fiction. I know much, much more than you could even imagine, but privacy needs to be respected when asked for. We anticipated on mails like yours. Some things in life are very hard to believe and if you're old enough, you would understand what I mean to say with that.
Bjornulf knows that I would never put anything like this on his site if it were not true. I have much better things to do in life, than "selling b*llsh*t".
One day ...

Sky of blue sea of green in our yellow submarine

Donovan helped with the lyrics...

Good friend Donovan Leitch relates his input in writing the song. “I helped Paul with the lyrics for ‘Yellow Submarine.’ He came round to my apartment and parked his Aston Martin in the middle of the road with the doors open and the radio blaring. He walked away from the car and came up to my apartment and played me ‘Eleanor Rigby’ with different lyrics and he also said that he had another song that was missing a verse. It was a very small part and I just went into the other room and put together ‘sky of blue, sea of green.’ They had always asked other people for help with a line or two, so I helped with that line. He knew that I was into kids’ songs and he knew I could help. I’m sure he could have written the line himself but I suppose he wanted someone to add a line and I added a line…It was nothing really, but he liked it and it stayed in.”

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peoplewitheyes
on the numerology element, it's probably (not) worth mentioning that no Englishman would write a date as month/day...

Now if only they had recorded 28 tracks on that album..

Great. I love this. I'm not English, but lived in England for quite a while (in Liverpool, of all places). When an English person talks about a date, he/she in general wouldn't say: "I went there on twenty-three March", but rather "I went there on March twenty-three/third". But having said that, English in the UK consists of many local interpretations depending on where one grows up, so who am I to argue. But, just like previous questions, there are still sources who can confirm all that "Charles" wanted to tell. But believe it or not, there are still people around who think the Earth is flat and will never believe it's round.

touche!

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schillid
Sky of blue sea of green in our yellow submarine

Donovan helped with the lyrics...

Good friend Donovan Leitch relates his input in writing the song. “I helped Paul with the lyrics for ‘Yellow Submarine.’ He came round to my apartment and parked his Aston Martin in the middle of the road with the doors open and the radio blaring. He walked away from the car and came up to my apartment and played me ‘Eleanor Rigby’ with different lyrics and he also said that he had another song that was missing a verse. It was a very small part and I just went into the other room and put together ‘sky of blue, sea of green.’ They had always asked other people for help with a line or two, so I helped with that line. He knew that I was into kids’ songs and he knew I could help. I’m sure he could have written the line himself but I suppose he wanted someone to add a line and I added a line…It was nothing really, but he liked it and it stayed in.”

Hi Schillid,
you say "very little of this rings true", but in your second response you basically say with Donovan's story, what is written in my first mail. "Charles" contributed to the song with the fourth verse. It was because they asked him to .. no big deal, but nevertheless a fact.
Interesting that you take Donovan here as an example. For sure you know the "link" between Brian and Donovan ...

John must have hidden his torn up emotions well. He seemed to belittle Brian in 'Lennon Remembers'.

Yes. People with eyes....it is worth mentioning that an English band don,t write dates as Americans do. We still dont to this day.

This story has to be the biggest load of ......I,ve heard this year. Talk about trying to rewrite history. Next georgie48 will be telling us that Paul died in the sixties!

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Kingbeebuzz
Yes. People with eyes....it is worth mentioning that an English band don,t write dates as Americans do. We still dont to this day.

This story has to be the biggest load of ......I,ve heard this year. Talk about trying to rewrite history. Next georgie48 will be telling us that Paul died in the sixties!

Well, some people would say musically, Paul died in the sixties (1969). Excluding of course the Paul written Let It Be album tracks which were released in 1970.
Except for: Maybe I'm Amazed (1970) , Live and Let Die (1973)and a few others.
Mind you , the same could be said about many of his contempories.

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Kingbeebuzz
Yes. People with eyes....it is worth mentioning that an English band don,t write dates as Americans do. We still dont to this day.

This story has to be the biggest load of ......I,ve heard this year. Talk about trying to rewrite history. Next georgie48 will be telling us that Paul died in the sixties!

Mmmm,
Read the first mail again. Didn't it say something about "conspiracies" about Paul's assumed death?
By the way, where is history being rewritten? Nothing has been rewritten, only something, shockingly hard to believe for some or maybe even many people, has been added. Some or even many people will never believe that there is life on Mars, even when a spaceship would return with live samples. There are still many people who believe that Americans fooled the world by "pretending" to have landed on the moon. Yes, sometimes things are very hard to believe, so hard that it has to be "the biggest load of ...".
But don't worry, be happy

Beautiful song.

Interesting story georgie, but I don't buy it - sounds like those 'Paul is dead' conspiracy theories.
Thanks for posting though.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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georgie48

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Rocky Dijon
The numerology bit doesn't interest me in the least since I place no stock in it. What I find most troubling is the claim that "Charles" was a connection between Beatles and Stones before either band was formed. I can't think of anyone Andrew Oldham or Jimmy Phelge or Bill Wyman or Keith indicates as a connection between Liverpool prior to January 1960 when Stu Sutcliffe and The Silver Beatles come together and Dartford or London prior to July 1962 when The Rollin' Stones are formed. At the risk of sounding rude, I suspect "Charles" is pulling Georgie's leg and hopefully not Bjornulf's as well. I think the best advice might be to let it be.

Hi Bill,
You did indeed read that line very well. And you mentioning those different names, I, as an age old Stones fan, understand that that line "would not make sense". But sometimes in life the truth is harder than fiction. I know much, much more than you could even imagine, but privacy needs to be respected when asked for. We anticipated on mails like yours. Some things in life are very hard to believe and if you're old enough, you would understand what I mean to say with that.
Bjornulf knows that I would never put anything like this on his site if it were not true. I have much better things to do in life, than "selling b*llsh*t".
One day ...

Georgie, I know you're hardly new around here and I never accused you of trying to pull something over for attention. I suggested you might have been taken in by someone. I'll take your word you are convinced of your source's integrity. It's not that different from some of Chatoyancy's stories from another era which sometimes fly in the face of Accepted History. It doesn't make it untrue, but it is curious when matters don't align.

However, I'm willing to wait and see if "Charles" offers some sort of explanation of how the two nascent bands connected prior to Andrew working for Brian Epstein briefly. I honestly can't imagine why "Charles" would wish to remain anonymous. A connection between pre-Cavern Club Beatles and the world of Giorgio Gomelsky, Harold Pendleton, Alexis Korner, and Cyril Davies would prove most interesting. Likewise the reason why all concerned chose to ignore this connection in telling their respective histories over the decades.

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Hairball
Beautiful song.

Interesting story georgie, but I don't buy it - sounds like those 'Paul is dead' conspiracy theories.
Thanks for posting though.

Thanks Hairball,

I fully understand that you don't buy the story. I've heard stories in my long life, that I couldn't possibly buy, ever. Sharp analysis, sometimes over years, resulted at times in my eyes opening widely. I still hear myself say "never in my lifetime I would ever believe that "it" is true. But hell, it is".
I am fully convinced that you one day will say the same about this true history of "Because".
Meanwhile enjoy all the great music that is around!

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georgie48

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Hairball
Beautiful song.

Interesting story georgie, but I don't buy it - sounds like those 'Paul is dead' conspiracy theories.
Thanks for posting though.

Thanks Hairball,

I fully understand that you don't buy the story. I've heard stories in my long life, that I couldn't possibly buy, ever. Sharp analysis, sometimes over years, resulted at times in my eyes opening widely. I still hear myself say "never in my lifetime I would ever believe that "it" is true. But hell, it is".
I am fully convinced that you one day will say the same about this true history of "Because".
Meanwhile enjoy all the great music that is around!

Lol...just the skeptic in me georgie - maybe some day the story will be proven as truth and fact.

Someone should ask Paul....or even Ringo....

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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Hairball

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georgie48

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Hairball
Beautiful song.

Interesting story georgie, but I don't buy it - sounds like those 'Paul is dead' conspiracy theories.
Thanks for posting though.

Thanks Hairball,

I fully understand that you don't buy the story. I've heard stories in my long life, that I couldn't possibly buy, ever. Sharp analysis, sometimes over years, resulted at times in my eyes opening widely. I still hear myself say "never in my lifetime I would ever believe that "it" is true. But hell, it is".
I am fully convinced that you one day will say the same about this true history of "Because".
Meanwhile enjoy all the great music that is around!

Lol...just the skeptic in me georgie - maybe some day the story will be proven as truth and fact.

Someone should ask Paul....or even Ringo....

BINGO!
Or Yoko for that matter ...

American blues records were supposedly hard to find in England back in the early days of both bands. Maybe Charles sold or shared some records with members of each band? I'm just trying to figure out some plausible connection.

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marianna
American blues records were supposedly hard to find in England back in the early days of both bands. Maybe Charles sold or shared some records with members of each band? I'm just trying to figure out some plausible connection.

Hi Marianna,

that would make sence, but both bands didn't even exist. Honestly, if I would have read the info (if someone else would have written it) I would have looked at it with total disbelief too. But I would also have asked myself, why would someone "wants" to write something like that. Fact however is, that I wrote it and so from my part there can't be any disbelief, as you will understand. I know for fact that it's true. Nobody is fooling anybody here.
John wrote the song "Because" for a very special person ... Brian Jones. That is the beautiful part of the tragic event. The sad part of it is, that he either couldn't or dared to tell anybody for very personal reasons.