Songs by the Other George – Part One

The Beatles’ manager and musical muse George Martin died a few weeks ago at the age of 90. Managers typically book gigs, keep the boys out of trouble, and often time sit in the recording studio during sessions and give their opinion about how a song is being laid down. George Martin’s influence in the studio for the Beatles was legendary. Check out part one of ‘Songs by the Other George’ and you’ll see exactly what we mean…

“Yesterday” displays George Martin’s love of the string section, as you’ll hear the staccato string section in the chorus. At first the boys hate it (hey they were rockers), but it is easily one of the most recognizable orchestral tunes in all of pop music.

“Love me Do” was written by Paul at the tender age of 16. George Martin wanted the harmonica in the song, but at one point John (who was the lead singer and harmonica player) had to do both – which was physically impossible, so George did something never done before. He ‘over dubbed’ or used two tape machines with different tracks to allow John to play the harmonica and sing simultaneously.

“A Day in the Life” became a collaborative work between Paul and George Martin, as two distinct stories had to be tied together. Paul wanted a 40 piece orchestra to make the transition and George Martin agreed, writing the score. Do you want to guess who played the Harmonium that provided the final powerful E cord? Yup, it was George Martin.