Things We Love Today: The Beatles’ H Songs

Welcome back, Park Cadets, to the glittering pageantry of Things We Love Today: The Beatles. This is our ongoing breakdown of each and every commercially-released Beatles studio track from their core albums. We’re talking anything from Please Please Me through Let It Be, along with the three “Threetles” tunes from the Anthology collection.

We’re not necessarily reviewing each song; instead we’re focusing on one thing we love from each tune. Even if it’s a tune we don’t like all that much. And believe me, The Beatles may or may not be the greatest band in the history of popular music [they are though], but they have released a few clunkers.

But even when the clunkers clunk about, they still have something to love and admire within.

And since we’re doing this in alphabetical order, today we are going to focus on the Hs. Why not both the Hs and Is? Because there are a zillion Beatles tunes that start with an I. And I might have to break that one up into two parts.

But for now, the Hs are approaching the plate, so let’s get crackin’, shall we?

Happiness Is A Warm Gun — This is such a wonderful track, almost a portmanteau of styles or a mini-medley of shorter passages that coalesce into a deeply satisfying whole. Assuredly one of the White Album’s standout tracks, this tune offers so many pleasures that narrowing it down to a single thing to love feels like an exercise in futility. Still, I’ll go with John’s brilliant a cappella vocal that links the final chorus to the outro. That “Happiness is a warm, yes it is…. GUNNNNNNNNNNNN!” Boom. Nailed it.

Hello, Goodbye — I adore this song beyond measure, but I would be remiss to say that I think it would have been even better if it ended right before the “Hey-la, Hey Hel-lo-ah!” outro. But minor quibble. Again there’s much to love here, but if I had to choose one element to spotlight? I’ll go with Paul’s “Why why why why why why why, do you say, goodbye, goodbye?” during the instrumental breakdown. Musically or lyrically, there’s not much to it. But it not only works so well in that one moment, the moment would be lacking without it.

Help — Help is one of those songs that features one of the Fabs’ favorite constructs: where they open the song with a refrain that is NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN. And it’s outstanding. Because the song is a huge emotional cry of need and yearning, a plea for empathy from a 24 year old Lennon. I point that out because by that age he had lived a multiple lifetimes of human emotion and experience. That intro solidifies his emotional plea in a way that contextualizes the entire song.

Helter Skelter — Remember when Bono was so schmucky arrogant that he announced [paraphrased] “Charles Manson stole this song from The Beatles; we’re here to steal it back!”… just before U2 launched into the lamest cover of Paul’s White Album proto-metal stunner imaginable? Yeah uh thanks dude, but the song never needed your Great White Savior help. That’s my aside for this one. One thing to love on this track? Shoot. This song is a 1968 head-bangin’ joy from start to finish. But Paul’s cheeky delivery of “You may be a lover, but you ain’t no dancer” is taking the prize on this one. That’s the hook cementing the song into legend.

Her Majesty — Sneaking this on to the end of Abbey Road is such an ironic meta moment. A song fragment that could have (or even should have) been attached to the Side 2 Medley was instead tucked away, only to sneakily emerge after the glorious warmth of the medley has just started to fade. Almost as if Paul was trying to intimate, “Hey guys, well, The Beatles are done, stay tuned for McCartney next April!” Cynical, I know, and that wasn’t the intention at all. But always sort of felt that every time I heard Her Majesty. Anyway, it’s Paul’s fingerpicking on the acoustic that draws my ear every time.

Here Comes The Sun — Oh, ladies and gentlemen, PLEASE. This is not only the best song on Abbey Road, one of George’s best songs, one of The Beatles’ best songs…. zowie, it’s one of the best songs ever recorded. It’d be so much easier to point out all the things I don’t like, because there aren’t any. Here Comes The Sun is perfection. So what to do here? I’ll simply go with what feels right immediately, which is the lovely solo acoustic guitar line that ends the song after the final chorus. After all the majestic beauty that precedes it, it ends with simplicity and melodic joy, culminating in that triumphant strumming of an A major chord.

Here, There, and Everywhere — Paul was so on fire on the Revolver album, the intensity of which can’t even be quantified. On a single album he recorded Eleanor Rigby, Good Day Sunshine, For No One, Got To Get You Into My Life, and the sweet earnestness of Here, There, and Everywhere. And like Help above, we have an intro that is never repeated in the song again. Kind of a fun thing to point out, but not my favorite element of the song. And I’d be remiss if I chose anything except those lush harmony vocals during the verses, courtesy of John and George. Like whiskey and chocolate.

Hey Bulldog — Man, this is just one of those great album tracks from Yellow Submarine that doesn’t get as much traction from the layperson as it should. However, Beatlenerds like myself are all over this puppy. No pun intended. Again, so much to adore here, but I’m going with John’s ringing solo on this one (using George’s Gibson SG). Musically it’s not overly complex; mostly chord phrasings on the higher strings. Technically, it’s bright, brash, and straightforward. Melodically, it’s absolute perfection. John knew instinctively it doesn’t take much to make a solo memorable. He proves it here.

Hey Jude — OK I mean, this is only the band’s biggest-selling single of all time. And it’s more than just a classic, the song is practically a standard at this point in time. You’d think isolating one single thing to love about Hey Jude would be difficult. Arduous, even. But nope. This one’s easy. And it’s two lines: “And don’t you know that it’s just you / Hey Jude, you’ll do.” What a beautifully reassuring and life-affirming statement of love and support from Paul to Julian as his parents are splitting up. I’m not crying, you’re crying…

Hold Me Tight — I’m so thankful to Julie Taymor’s “Across The Universe” movie for opening with this track, because it pulled a deep cut from With The Beatles and tossed it into the spotlight with great success. What an addictive toe-tapping rocker of a tune. By the time you get to the call-and-response chorus — the one thing I love most about this track — you are completely locked in to this tune.

Honey Don’t — Ugh. Rockabilly. A Carl Perkins cover. With all due respect to rockabilly and Carl Perkins fans, but I just never really enjoyed this tune at all. But I’ll give credit where credit is due, because you can practically hear the smile on George’s face as his Country Gentleman guitar is so completely in its element. His playing on this tune is assuredly on point, from his licks during the verses and choruses and a most tasteful and appropriate guitar solo. Rock on for Ringo one more time George!

Honey Pie — Why is this song so… well, if not exactly unliked by Beatles fans, it’s very much a criticized or ignored one. I’ll never understand it. This is Paul so beautifully and masterfully in his element. Pastiching British music hall style, Honey Pie is an absolute delight. I love the scratchy gramophone flourish during the intro, those Tin Pan Alley chords, dreamy 1920s/30s-era woodwind fills, and I could just keep going. And John again does a great solo, simple and jazzy and perfectly fitting the tune. But I’m giving it to Paul’s vocal performance here. Very posh, a little theatrical, and with just enough camp to really sell the tune better than a million fawning bloggers could ever dream to accomplish.

Well there it is my friends, The Beatles’ H tunes from soup to nuts. Coming up next: the Is have it. Stay tuned, and Jai Guru Deva Om to you all.