11:4 One After 909

OK I'm finally ready to roll up my sleeves and get into Let It Be's oldest tune One After 909.

It's a very unassuming blues tune. Is there anything of interest lurking underneath?

The melody is very conjunct, based almost entirely on 4 notes (A B C# D). As the key is B major that means we're hearing the b3 (D) and b7 (A) clash with various chord tones in blues approved fashion (check out the b7 on travelling on that LINE ). That's bluesifying your melody (ticket 22)

Lyrically it's an intriguing blend of clever and stupid. We've got an original title, we have to wait until the bridge to find out the 909 is a train, but we never find out what number of his baby's train IS! Other parts are nonsensical - is he travelling on that line or waiting at the station? And what does she need to move over for? (is he a train?).

As always Lennon & McCartney increase the stickiness by seeding the song with repeated phrases and words in different parts of the song (ticket 24)

move over once/twice/honey
I begged her
Only fooling round
Pick up my bags

Musically, my favourite part of the arrangement are the stops which accent the vocals (ticket 30) on the “move over once/twice” section

The verse structure is an extended and mutated 12 bar blues (tickets 19 and 33) with a bridge (creating a long AABA structure – ticket 26)

B7 B7 B7 B7
B7 B7 B7 B7
B7 B7 E7 E7
B7 F#7 B7 B7

It's a pretty courageous choice staying on the I chord for so long, but the stops help avoid monotony.

The bridge's chord progression is unusual - a more standard bridge would use the v of V movement which crops up in many jazz classics like I Got Rhythm.

D#7 D#7 G#7 G#7 C#7 C#7 F#7 F#7 - B7

D#7 is the 5th of G#7, is the 5th of C#7, is the 5th of F#7, is the 5th of B7 (which would be the first chord of the verse)

What we get instead is

E7 E7 B7 B7 C#7 C#7 F#7 F#7

repeated, giving us a 16 bar 'middle eight' (?!). I suspect they get away with this because they had underused E7 in the verse so it still felt fresh as an option going into the bridge.

How thought out was this on Lennon's part? As it was one of his earliest songs I think he was working on pure instinct.

Verdict. It's a fun little blues song with no great lessons to impart. Lennon and McCartney didn't hold it in high regard. The lyrics are just as dumb and illogical as She Came In Through The Bathroom but my tolerance for that kind of thing is inversely proportionate to how serious the song takes itself. It's hard to hate this little guy - he means well.

The Best Of Let It Be (pt.2) - One After 909

One After 909 occupies a pretty unique place in rock history.

It was a song that was recorded just after their first album (during the From Me To You sessions) but appeared on their final release (Let It Be) instead – a full 7 years later. The first version was released (on Anthology 1) about 20 years after the second, meaning in almost everyone's perception the 'cover version' is the original. I can't think of another song by any band that has the same convoluted history.

LIB – A raucous version from the famous rooftop concert featuring Billy Preston. The band swing the rhythm, McCartney plays a root/fifth bass line pretty much throughout. The lead guitar (Harrison) is panned right. The track ends with applause from the handful of people on the roof and Lennon sings a line of Danny Boy. There are no Spector overdubs.

LIBN – A light remix of the LIB version. Very slightly louder overall, drums louder but Harrison's guitar is panned more center making it harder to distinguish between the guitars. The track fades quickly in order to cut the applause and Lennon's comment. McCartney's BVs are lower but Lennon's off mic “ad libs” are much louder.

A1 - A composite of takes 4 and 5 recorded on 5 March 1963. The song is played in straight time, the intro is F# E B instead of B, Lennon is playing acoustic. McCartney plays constant 8th notes on bass (or tries to! - see below). Ringo adds 8th notes on the bass drum in the 'move over once' breaks.

A1 - A composite of outtakes. Take 3 breaks down when McCartney is unable to keep up playing fingerstyle. An argument ensues about suitcase between John, Ringo & Neil Aspinall. Take 4 breaks down when Lennon comes back in 4 bars early after the solo. More arguing. Take 5 is the solo till the end (but fades out early).

There's hardly anything to pick between LIB & LIBN but LIB just edges it because the lead guitar is clearer and it doesn't have that awkward fade on the end. The outtakes on A1 are hilarious and well worth a listen. The complete version on A1 is the best in my opinion, even though it clearly has more in common with I Saw Her Standing There than Get Back. The take has an energy that LIB never achieves and though the playing is equally as ropey, it's because they're inexperienced youths rather than jaded rock stars playing in sub zero winds.

Best version: Anthology 1

abbreviations

LIB - Let It Be
LIBN - Let It Be Naked
A1 - Anthology 1

Thanks to The Beatles Bible for background info