Flashback Friday: "Ticket to Ride" - The Beatles (1965)

Ah, The Beatles.

It's sort of crazy to look back and think just how much The Beatles dominate our cultural mindset of popular music. Sure you've got your Justin Biebers and your Lady Gagas, but after 5 years or so in the limelight nobody really seems to be talking about them anymore. People still remember The Beatles though, and in honour of Sir Paul McCartney's 73rd birthday, let's take a look at one of their songs. Above is "Ticket to Ride".

Now it's kind of funny, because there was actually a bit of a dispute on who wrote this song, concerning Paul McCartney. The song is credited to Lennon-McCartney, but both Lennon and McCartney insisted that their contribution was greater than the other's. Whichever the case may be, however, "Ticket to Ride" is still a kickass song.

The Beatles' Help! album is probably one of their most important as a band because of songs like this. You can still hear the pop influences of their early stuff, but there's something new creeping over the horizon. Something that would continue to define their sound for the latter half of the 60's.

That's right, this is where they start getting into psychedelic rock, culminating with albums like Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour. You can definitely hear the beginnings of that in "Ticket to Ride". The instruments sound grittier than before, and the drums pound harder. Still retains a lot of pop rock from their early days, but also offers something new.

Besides that, I also love the song as a standalone. It's got a really relaxed vibe to it; It love the guitar in this song. But then the lyrics are about a girl leaving... and she don't care.

It all provides a wonderful song that takes you on a journey, even though it's really only about one thing. The music helps to do that. I love the song on its own, and I love what it means for The Beatles.