The Beatles: Note By Note

Note By Note Series

A Beatles podcast that goes song-by-song through every Beatles release in chronological order. We focus on the music itself, breaking down what you’re hearing and why it works.

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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166 episodes
Updated July 24

Episodes166

Newest first

March 13 · 42 min
Ticket To Ride - Lecture Series 84 (bonus)
This Beatles Lecture Series argues that Ticket to Ride is built on contradictions: the words keep flipping between heartbreak and irritation while the track itself feels bright enough to sound like a shrug. Once you hear how “not caring” can read like a mask instead of confidence, you’ll stop taking the song’s attitude at face value. Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 6 · 1 hr 38 min
Yes It Is - Episode 85
On this Beatles podcast, Note by Note goes deep on Yes It Is and why it lands like a private confession. We explore the emotional core, the craft behind the recording, and how this B-side fits into the bigger "cry for help" thread. We cover: -Storytime: Peter and Kenyon band history and origin story -Comparisons: Yes It Is next to This Boy and the A-side Ticket To Ride -Recording details: how the session evolved, including choices around vocals and takes -Music theory: harmony and chord movement, with a focus on why the chorus feels so intense ]-Sound and texture: George’s volume pedal and how production shapes the mood Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 6 · 1 hr 20 min
Ticket To Ride - Episode 84
Season 2 kicks off with Ticket To Ride on this Beatles podcast, and it turns into one of those conversations where the song keeps getting bigger the longer you sit with it. We jump through personal memories, the emotional push and pull of a happy-sad track, the feel of that unforgettable guitar line, and a few surprising detours that shed more light on this song's role in the Beatles canon. We cover: -How Ticket To Ride hits different as grown-ups -The rhythm, groove, and musical choices that give the track its tension and momentum -Lyrics, title meaning, and how our brains mishear songs we swear we know -A pop culture thread that unexpectedly preserves a piece of Beatles history Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 21 · 1 hr 29 min
Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby - Episode 83 with Dan Rivkin (They May Be Parted)
A Beatles podcast where a “throwaway” closer turns into a full-on investigation with Dan Rivkin, the guy who went second-by-second through the Get Back Nagra tapes. If you’ve ever skipped “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” this episode is a serious attempt to make you hear why it matters. We cover: - Dan Rivkin’s Nagra-tape method and why it changed Get Back study - Beatles for Sale’s closer, George’s vocal, and what the song is doing as an ending - Rex Griffin vs Carl Perkins vs The Beatles: what’s actually shared and what’s not - October 18 session details: one take, overdubs, and early STEED echo on vocal - Storytime: the 1964 “Another Beatles Christmas Show” pantomime and the live set Dan Rivkin's website: https://theymaybeparted.com/ Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 14 · 1 hr 26 min
What You're Doing - Episode 82 with Raymond Schillinger (You Can't Unhear This)
This week on our Beatles podcast, we bring in a fourth voice and it gets delightfully nerdy fast. Guest Raymond Schillinger from You Can’t Unhear This joins us to re-hear “What You’re Doing” like it is hiding in plain sight. We cover: - Why “What You’re Doing” feels like a throwaway song - The song’s girl group fingerprints in the call and response vocals - The bass fill at the end, maybe the first time the Beatles had one - Recording breakdown: the September 1964 sessions - Seltaeb, NEMS, Stramsact, the lawsuit, and the merch money fallout Raymond's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@YouCantUnhearThis Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 14 · 39 min
What You're Doing - Lecture Series 82 (bonus)
In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, Kenyon argues that “What You’re Doing” is less a breakup complaint than a song about powerlessness, where the core question is not why it hurts, but what is even being done to you. You will start hearing how the lyric framing, the repeated phrasing, and even the band’s stylistic choices work together to make that confusion feel like the point. Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 7 · 1 hr 35 min
I Don't Want To Spoil The Party - Episode 81 with Dr Terry Hamblin
In this Beatles podcast episode, we argue “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party” only works because every Beatle leaves a crucial fingerprint. With special guest Dr. Terry Hamblin, we hear the song as a full-band fusion, not just a “John song.” We cover: - Songwriting origins on the 1964 North American tour and the country western frame - The September 29, 1964 session and the nine takes vs nineteen takes confusion - A debated vocal mystery and a Beatles first - Musical fingerprints: flat seven movement, the middle eight, Ringo’s toms, and George’s solo - Storytime on 1964 live TV performances, including Blackpool Night Out, Shindig, and Not Only...But Also Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 7 · 40 min
I Don't Want To Spoil The Party - Lecture Series 81 (bonus)
In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, you’ll hear “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” as an early moment where Lennon’s usual hurt-and-retaliate script gets quietly rewritten into something more adult, centered on the blunt turn of “I still love her.” Kenyon argues the music backs that up by dodging the neat, satisfying landing you expect and letting a more confident lead line reshape the mood, so the whole song feels like a story that refuses to be finished. Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 31 · 1 hr 23 min
Every Little Thing - Episode 80 with TJ Byrnes
Every Little Thing is a Paul McCartney song that could fool you into thinking it is a John song, especially with John’s voice so forward in the verses. In this Beatles podcast episode of Note By Note, Peter, Kenyon, Josh, and guest TJ Byrnes break down the timpani punch, the Anthology 4 takes, and why this deep cut never quite plays by pop rules. We cover: - Recording sessions, the redo, and what Anthology 4 reveals in takes 6–7 - Timpani as a claimed Beatles first, the piano credit debate, and the AKG D19 C drum mic switch - How it gets compared to What You’re Doing and the shift to arranged guitar solos - 1964 UK tour storytime, including the mid-tour nine-hour EMI session TJ Byrnes Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaqdTns-CVdVUMSk7xBhhmw Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 31 · 32 min
Every Little Thing - Lecture Series 80 (bonus)
In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, Kenyon argues that Every Little Thing never fully settles, like it keeps dodging the clean landing you expect from a Beatles love song. You come away hearing the whole track as intentionally unresolved, both in the melody and the chord changes. Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 24 · 58 min
Honey Don't - Episode 79
On this Beatles podcast episode of The Beatles Note by Note, we start with Honey Don’t and end up in some surprisingly detailed territory. If you like songwriting context, studio specifics, and a few 1964 detours that explain why certain songs stuck, this one is for you. We cover: - Where Honey Don’t came from, and how the Beatles folded it into their live set before giving it to Ringo - The last Beatles for Sale recording session and how quickly they put the track together - A version-by-version compare: Carl Perkins, the Beatles, and John’s Plastic Ono Band jam - Ringo’s 1964 tonsil surgery story and the strange press attention around it - The “Ringo for President” campaign and what it said about youth culture at the time Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 17 · 1 hr 31 min
Words Of Love - Episode 78 with Chris McGovern (The Gen-X Muse)
A Buddy Holly deep cut turns into a surprisingly big conversation in this Beatles podcast episode. With guest Chris McGovern, also known as the Gen X Muse, we dig into why “Words of Love” hits so differently on Beatles for Sale. We cover: - What Buddy Holly meant to the Beatles - Who may or may not be singing - The packing case Ringo plays - The recording session details - A retrospective of Brian Epstein's youth The Gen-X Muse: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/chris-h-mcgovern Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 10 · 1 hr 29 min
Eight Days A Week - Episode 77 with Josh Goodwin
You would not expect a psychoanalyst to pick Eight Days a Week as the song to talk about, but once he explains why, it clicks. In this Beatles podcast episode, we dig into why their newest hit at the time still feels like an intentional throwback, with little “odd” details that make it more interesting the longer you listen. We cover: - Who actually wrote it, and where the title “Eight Days a Week” may have come from - The intro they could not get right, and why the released version fades in - The musical move that makes the song feel slightly unresolved (in a good way) - How and why it became a U.S. #1 single, plus the Beatles for Sale EP context - A quick Help! pre-production storytime: “Eight Arms to Hold You” and how the film got its final shape Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 10 · 32 min
Eight Days A Week - Lecture Series 77 (bonus)
Eight Days a Week looks like a straightforward love lyric, but this lecture argues the real surprise is how many of the song’s rules quietly break at once, especially in the middle eight where the meter feels unbalanced, the harmony refuses to follow a clean pattern, and the time even drops out. You’ll also hear why the harmony moves works so well, and how the whole track can feel like a pivot point between early pop Beatles and what comes later. Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 3 · 1 hr 11 min
Kansas City - Episode 76 with Agustín Kafka
We recorded this one with our guest Augustín literally out at sea on a cruise ship, which somehow feels perfect for a high-energy cover like Kansas City. In this Beatles podcast episode, we talk Beatles landmarks, the messy songwriting history behind the tune, and why this performance hits the way it does on Beatles for Sale. We cover: - Guest interview with Augustin (Sound and Story), calling in from a cruise ship near Tenerife - Beatles landmarks: 7 Cavendish Avenue, Abbey Road, 57 Green Street, and 57 Wimpole Street - Song history: Lieber and Stoller, Little Richard’s “hey, hey, hey” section, and why credits get messy - Recording on Oct 18, 1964: live take, piano overdub, handclaps, and the fade-out choice - Storytime: the 1964 North American tour and the $150,000 Kansas City show Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 27, 2025 · 1 hr 43 min
Mr Moonlight - Episode 75 with Nancy Howie (Fathom)
Most people skip Mr Moonlight on Beatles For Sale, so on this Beatles podcast we put it on trial. Kenyon and Peter are joined by Nancy to settle it: is Mr Moonlight secretly great, or truly cursed? We cover: - Why Mr Moonlight is the most skipped track on Beatles For Sale - The song’s path back to Roy Lee Johnson and Dr Feelgood and the Interns - Version comparison: Star Club performance vs the Hollies version - Recording comparison: Anthology take with tremolo guitar vs the official release with Paul’s organ solo - Storytime: the 1964 North American tour and the night Bob Dylan got the Beatles properly high Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 20, 2025 · 1 hr 14 min
I'll Follow The Sun - Episode 74 with Alexei Casselle
What happens when an underground Twin Cities hip hop veteran picks the softest song on Beatles for Sale as his favorite track on the album? On this episode we bring in our old friend Alexei, known as Crescent Moon from Kill the Vultures and Mixed Blood Majority, to talk about why I’ll Follow the Sun hits him so hard. We get into his path from early Minneapolis hip hop crews to folk duos busking Dylan style, and how that journey opened the door to the Beatles. We cover: - The wild origin of the song, written by Paul at 16 while sick at home - The stripped down “bedroom pop” feel of the Beatles’ recording, complete with Ringo drumming on his knees - Bad covers of the song - A cursed 7-Up slogan during the "Uncola" campaign Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 20, 2025 · 29 min
I'll Follow The Sun - Lecture Series 74 (bonus)
What if Paul’s gentle breakup song is secretly in the wrong key? In this lecture Kenyon takes I’ll Follow The Sun apart piece by piece, starting with the lyrics and their roots in an earlier Paul song, I’ll Be On My Way. We look at rain and sun as more than mood words. Rain can stand in for Liverpool and Britain, the sun for a brighter, maybe more exotic future, and the relationship sits right in the middle of that tension. Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 13, 2025 · 1 hr 11 min
Rock And Roll Music - Episode 73 with Giggens
In this episode of our Beatles podcast, we invite music critic and musician Giggens into the room to help us pick apart why this cover still hits like a shot of adrenaline. Let's take Rock and Roll Music and make it Beatles. We kick off with our usual on-mic chaos, then settle into the fun stuff: how we frame a song, what we listen for, and why John’s full-throttle vocal changes the game. Along the way we test the line between rock and roll and rock, talk pacing and sequencing on Beatles For Sale, read period liner notes out loud, and let Giggens weigh the musician brain against the critic brain. It is playful, fast, and very us. No spoiler-y deep dives, just the energy of a barn burner, a few ridiculous jokes, and an honest, punchy verdict at the end. If you like hearing passionate people argue about what makes a performance work, this one’s for you. Giggens: https://www.youtube.com/@Giggens Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 6, 2025 · 1 hr 26 min
Baby's In Black - Episode 72
This week on our Beatles podcast, we cover “Baby’s in Black”, not just a normal track on Beatles for Sale. It’s a doorway. Peter and Kenyon step through it and bring listeners along, mixing storytime with close listening and a lot of spirited back-and-forth. They trace a line from early Hamburg nights and an art-school circle to a song that feels old and new at the same time, then dig into why that mood fits this moment in the album. You’ll hear them puzzle out who carries the tune when two voices move as one, why this waltz feel hits differently, and how a few studio choices shaped what we now hear. If you like episodes where the conversation changes how the song lands, this one’s for you. Come for the harmonies, stay for the way longing and loss thread through the whole thing. Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Beatles: Note By Note

Ticket To Ride - Lecture Series 84 (bonus)

Yes It Is - Episode 85

Ticket To Ride - Episode 84

Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby - Episode 83 with Dan Rivkin (They May Be Parted)

What You're Doing - Episode 82 with Raymond Schillinger (You Can't Unhear This)

What You're Doing - Lecture Series 82 (bonus)

I Don't Want To Spoil The Party - Episode 81 with Dr Terry Hamblin

I Don't Want To Spoil The Party - Lecture Series 81 (bonus)

Every Little Thing - Episode 80 with TJ Byrnes

Every Little Thing - Lecture Series 80 (bonus)

Honey Don't - Episode 79

Words Of Love - Episode 78 with Chris McGovern (The Gen-X Muse)

Eight Days A Week - Episode 77 with Josh Goodwin

Eight Days A Week - Lecture Series 77 (bonus)

Kansas City - Episode 76 with Agustín Kafka

Mr Moonlight - Episode 75 with Nancy Howie (Fathom)

I'll Follow The Sun - Episode 74 with Alexei Casselle

I'll Follow The Sun - Lecture Series 74 (bonus)

Rock And Roll Music - Episode 73 with Giggens

Baby's In Black - Episode 72