Oh That Magic Feeling
@beatles208.bsky.social
Discussing every Beatles song from 1 to 208, one per day. All posts by @olneyce
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Celebrating the Beatles, from #208 to #1
Join me as I spend 2026 taking a song-by-song journey through the Beatles catalog
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Is there really anything new to say about the Beatles? The most famous, most scrutinized, most discussed musical act in history?
I think there is. A lot more.
Join me while I spend 2026 discussing each and every Beatles song.
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
I think there is. A lot more.
Join me while I spend 2026 discussing each and every Beatles song.
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
The first of a record-setting eleven number 1 songs on the German charts for the #Beatles. And the only one sung in German open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
188. Komm, gib mir deine Hand
Beatlemania kommt nach Deutschland
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February 5, 2026 at 9:08 PM
The first of a record-setting eleven number 1 songs on the German charts for the #Beatles. And the only one sung in German open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
Out of all the pre-Revolver Ringo songs that dominate the bottom of my list, Matchbox is my favorite. Though I wouldn't describe it as the best open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
189. Matchbox
A throwaway Ringo cover is rescued by a killer rhythm track and some inspired George Martin piano-playing
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February 4, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Out of all the pre-Revolver Ringo songs that dominate the bottom of my list, Matchbox is my favorite. Though I wouldn't describe it as the best open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
The Word is one of the coolest (and funkiest) songs in the #Beatles catalog. It just doesn’t happen to one of my favorites open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
190. The Word
One of the most interesting, if not one of the best, songs from Rubber Soul
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February 3, 2026 at 11:43 PM
The Word is one of the coolest (and funkiest) songs in the #Beatles catalog. It just doesn’t happen to one of my favorites open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
Is this the worst guitar solo in the #Beatles discography? It has to be, right? open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
191. Slow Down
A very promising start crushed by first ballot inductee to the guitar solo Hall of Shame
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February 3, 2026 at 2:05 AM
Is this the worst guitar solo in the #Beatles discography? It has to be, right? open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
Act Naturally is almost the perfect Ringo vehicle: because it simply allows him to be himself. Whether that makes it a fully successful *song* is another question open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
192. Act Naturally
They'll make a song about a man that's sad and lonely, and all he's gotta do is act naturally
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January 29, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Act Naturally is almost the perfect Ringo vehicle: because it simply allows him to be himself. Whether that makes it a fully successful *song* is another question open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
The quintessential example of a song that only exists because they made it a double album. And a pretty good argument for that decision, too open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
193. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road
Slightly naughty and a little bluesy, it's more a fragment than a full song. Thankfully it also doesn't overstay its welcome
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January 28, 2026 at 5:28 PM
The quintessential example of a song that only exists because they made it a double album. And a pretty good argument for that decision, too open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
For You Blue is a nice enough song. But it’s pretty weird that it, of all the available Harrisongs, actually ended up on Let It Be.
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open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
194. For You Blue
A somewhat listless 12 bar blues song matches the premise of the Get Back project without bringing much heat
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January 27, 2026 at 5:13 PM
For You Blue is a nice enough song. But it’s pretty weird that it, of all the available Harrisongs, actually ended up on Let It Be.
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open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
It is a truly wonderful historical curiosity that the #Beatles were forced to record German-language versions of two mega-hits open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
195. Sie Liebt Dich
The past is a foreign country, especially when it's sung in German
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January 26, 2026 at 1:51 PM
It is a truly wonderful historical curiosity that the #Beatles were forced to record German-language versions of two mega-hits open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
It's about 30 seconds worth of killer songwriting stretched out to fill two minutes worth of song. But it's a pretty great 30 seconds, so you can't really complain open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
196. I Wanna Be Your Man
For a song that inspired tales of the incredible Lennon/McCartney songwriting chops, there's not very much 'song' here
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January 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM
It's about 30 seconds worth of killer songwriting stretched out to fill two minutes worth of song. But it's a pretty great 30 seconds, so you can't really complain open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
Wild Honey Pie would never had made the cut on a standard #Beatles album. Whether that's a feature or flaw is mostly a matter of perspective open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
197. Wild Honey Pie
A song fragment that's perhaps a bit more interesting than it is enjoyable
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January 21, 2026 at 1:47 PM
Wild Honey Pie would never had made the cut on a standard #Beatles album. Whether that's a feature or flaw is mostly a matter of perspective open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
One of my least favorite #Beatles songs is beloved by many others (including Paul himself). What gives?
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198. She's a Woman
I appreciate Paul's love for Little Richard, but that doesn't mean I like this song
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January 20, 2026 at 5:41 PM
One of my least favorite #Beatles songs is beloved by many others (including Paul himself). What gives?
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
What Goes On is often brought up as a candidate for worst #Beatles song. Is it really that bad? open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
199. What Goes On
The weakest song on Rubber Soul actually illustrates something important about the rest of the album
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January 19, 2026 at 2:14 PM
What Goes On is often brought up as a candidate for worst #Beatles song. Is it really that bad? open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
A reflection on how my favorite Beatle has shifted over my lifetime. Also: why all the criticisms of Paul are both valid and wrong at the same time open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
"Who is your favorite Beatle?"
The arc of Beatles fandom is long but it bends toward Paul McCartney
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January 16, 2026 at 1:25 PM
A reflection on how my favorite Beatle has shifted over my lifetime. Also: why all the criticisms of Paul are both valid and wrong at the same time open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
Paul called You Know My Name his favorite #Beatles song, which was probably sort of a joke, but also sort of serious open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
200. You Know My Name (Look up the Number)
It's more a Goons skit than it is a song, which is both a feature and a bug
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January 15, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Paul called You Know My Name his favorite #Beatles song, which was probably sort of a joke, but also sort of serious open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
In early 1965, Paul McCartney was on the verge of hitting the best songwriting groove of his life. But he wasn't *quite* there yet open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
201. Another Girl
Paul insists this song was not filler. What this post presupposes is: maybe it was
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January 14, 2026 at 6:05 PM
In early 1965, Paul McCartney was on the verge of hitting the best songwriting groove of his life. But he wasn't *quite* there yet open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
Larry Williams is a fascinating artist, and it's pretty obvious why the #Beatles (especially John) loved his songs. It's a just a shame the covers didn't fully bring them to life open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
202. Bad Boy
A Larry Williams cover that unfortunately can't quite convince the listener of its importance
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January 13, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Larry Williams is a fascinating artist, and it's pretty obvious why the #Beatles (especially John) loved his songs. It's a just a shame the covers didn't fully bring them to life open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
The history of conversations about popular music, in one image
January 13, 2026 at 1:35 PM
The history of conversations about popular music, in one image
Beatles for Sale has a lot of covers, and this is definitely one of them
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open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
203. Honey Don't
90 seconds of good fun stretched out into three minutes of boredom
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January 12, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Beatles for Sale has a lot of covers, and this is definitely one of them
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open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
Saving space for a Ringo song on (almost) every album is one of the secret weapons that made the Beatles so special. Even if some of the songs weren't exactly flawless open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
204. Boys
The first 'Ringo track' sets a good precedent, even if it doesn't entirely work on its own
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January 8, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Saving space for a Ringo song on (almost) every album is one of the secret weapons that made the Beatles so special. Even if some of the songs weren't exactly flawless open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
Little Child is almost the definition of an early throwaway song, but there's still plenty here to love open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
205. Little Child
A classic early-period vocal from John rescues a thoroughly mediocre song
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January 7, 2026 at 2:20 PM
Little Child is almost the definition of an early throwaway song, but there's still plenty here to love open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
I don’t particularly enjoy listening to Dizzy Miss Lizzy, but it’s certainly a fascinating song open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
206. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
The only thing more inexplicable than the album sequencing is that guitar riff
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January 6, 2026 at 2:35 PM
I don’t particularly enjoy listening to Dizzy Miss Lizzy, but it’s certainly a fascinating song open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
There are so many 'missing' covers in the Beatles discography--all the songs they loved but never officially recorded. Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby is sort of the opposite: a song that might be more highly regarded if they'd never done an official version open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
207. Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby
The least essential cover from an album filled out with inessential covers
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January 5, 2026 at 3:03 PM
There are so many 'missing' covers in the Beatles discography--all the songs they loved but never officially recorded. Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby is sort of the opposite: a song that might be more highly regarded if they'd never done an official version open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
My least favorite Beatles song is actually still a pretty good song
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open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
208. Hold Me Tight
The 'worst' Beatles song isn't even really that bad
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January 1, 2026 at 5:39 PM
My least favorite Beatles song is actually still a pretty good song
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
Is there really anything new to say about the Beatles? The most famous, most scrutinized, most discussed musical act in history?
I think there is. A lot more.
Join me while I spend 2026 discussing each and every Beatles song.
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
I think there is. A lot more.
Join me while I spend 2026 discussing each and every Beatles song.
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
Celebrating the Beatles, from #208 to #1
Join me as I spend 2026 taking a song-by-song journey through the Beatles catalog
open.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Is there really anything new to say about the Beatles? The most famous, most scrutinized, most discussed musical act in history?
I think there is. A lot more.
Join me while I spend 2026 discussing each and every Beatles song.
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...
I think there is. A lot more.
Join me while I spend 2026 discussing each and every Beatles song.
open.substack.com/pub/beatles2...