Whether you're a hardcore fan like me or you've only heard about them because people like me won't shut up about them, you know the Beatles. The only artists with a comparable career are possibly classical composers.
Their music is still being reworked, earning awards and getting people excited over 60 years after their first release. Just look at the reaction to their soon-to-be-released Anthology 4, the "One to One" documentary, or their upcoming biopics.
If you're into music, chances are you're constantly on the lookout for songs to dedicate. Finding the perfect dedication is a true act of love. It takes effort to scour through album upon album to find the song that captures exactly how you feel about someone. Love (and heartbreak) is probably the topic for most works of literature, especially song lyrics.
These Beatles songs you shouldn't dedicate to your partner
And the Beatles are no exception to this: it took them five or six albums to write about anything besides romantic love. However, not every song is an apt dedication. If you don't know the inspiration behind them, these songs could seem tempting. However, you might change your mind after finding out their backstory. Here are five Beatles' songs you should never dedicate to your partner.
"Martha My Dear"
This McCartney song from their 1968 self-titled album (unofficially known as the White Album) may trick you into thinking it’s about romantic love, with darling lines like “You and me, we’re meant to be for each other” and “You have always been my inspiration, please be good to me.
In fact, when it first came out, many people speculated that it was about Paul’s former fiancée and childhood sweetheart, Jane Asher, seeing as their relationship ended on good terms. Others thought the song was perhaps inspired by his future wife, Linda Eastman, whom he met while still recording the White Album.
But as it turns out, neither one of them was the muse for this heartfelt song, which he actually wrote about his first pet, an old English sheepdog named Martha (though some also believe this song is him speaking to Jane Asher through the dog they had together).
Paul got Martha shortly after he acquired his London estate. He had yearned to have a dog all throughout his childhood, and this dream finally came true at the height of the Beatles’ success. Martha went on to live a long, happy life with Paul and his family. He has never stopped being a dog owner since.
"We Can Work It Out"
Yes, this is originally a song about romance (albeit troubled). But just hear me out here.
Another Lennon-McCartney composition, the single was also inspired by Paul’s breakup with Jane Asher. However, he didn’t finish it all on his own: In a 1972 interview, both John and Paul confirmed that the middle section (the lines “Life is very short and there’s no time for fussing and fighting, my friend”) was written by Lennon when his bandmate became stuck.
So, if you’re thinking of sending this song to your significant other as a peace offering post-argument, just know that its meaning is more complex than it seems.
They couldn’t have known it back then, but the song would take on a whole new meaning after the band’s breakup and Lennon’s subsequent murder. To hardcore Beatles fans, this song became a bittersweet reminder of the brotherhood between four Liverpool kids whose bond would eventually give out under the pressure of success. “We Can Work It Out” is now a haunting cautionary tale about the fleeting nature of life.
"Sexy Sadie"
Don’t let this song title fool you, because it only takes a close listen to pick up on the vitriol that was put into it. Even if you’re just thinking of sending it to an ex, there’s more to it than meets the surface.
It’s no secret that George Harrison had a really close relationship with Ravi Shankar, his sitar teacher, even going as far as saving the production of a documentary about his life. A big fan of Eastern religions and tradition, he insisted that the band go on a now legendary spiritual retreat to Rishikesh (northern India) in 1968, shortly after their manager’s sudden death.
This period was especially vulnerable for the band, and Epstein’s death is often mentioned as a catalyst for their breakup. The trip was initially meant to last several months, though things went south quickly. However, it was a very creative period for the band, eventually resulting in the aforementioned White Album.
The retreat took place under the guidance of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose intentions resulted in a bitter falling out between him and the band. During the trip, he offered to become their manager, arguing that this would convince many to join his transcendental meditation movement.
Of course, they refused, and Lennon especially did not take kindly to the feeling that he had been used. Around this time, Maharishi was also accused of making inappropriate sexual advances towards his female followers and other retreat attendees, which included the actress Mia Farrow. Thus came "Sexy Sadie."
The Beatles were no strangers to controversies, and Lennon was especially known for using witty quips to make word sculptures out of his grudges. He confirmed in this Rolling Stone interview that the song was meant as a criticism of the Maharishi.
Given the song’s context, it’s not hard to see how lines like “Sexy Sadie, you’ll get yours yet. However big you think you are” and “We gave her everything we owned just to sit at her table” refer back to the band’s underwhelming experience in India.
"Dear Prudence"
Remember Mia Farrow was also at the Fab Four’s spiritual retreat? Well, she just so happened to bring her sister along. Can you guess what her name was? That’s right, Prudence Farrow.
As it turns out, during their Rishikesh days, the attendees’ routine consisted of multiple hours of meditation a day. The story varies depending on who you ask. Some say she was sick from the food, others that she would fall into meditative states so deep that she would barely leave her room during their stay.
Either way, her elusiveness became the inspiration for “Dear Prudence,” John’s attempt at nudging Prudence Farrow to “come out to play” and “open up her eyes” (or in other words, leave her room and spend some time with the rest of the group).
In fact, this is what the final spoken section of the song’s demo recounts. In Lennon’s own words, “She was struck by an illness in the middle of her meditation course in Rishikesh, India. No one was to know that, sooner or later, she was to go completely berserk under the care of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.”
"Julia"
“Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it just to reach you” has to be one of the most beautiful lines ever written. It would be really tempting to dedicate this song to a romantic partner… Except John wrote it for his late mother.
Given his messy relationship landscape at the time he wrote it (yep, also during the India retreat), it’s easy to assume it’s a song about romantic love. What many people don’t know is that he had a troubled childhood riddled with drama, which probably contributed to shaping his eccentric personality and relationships.
His mother, Julia Lennon, died suddenly in an accident when he was only 17. This was also shortly after they had reestablished contact. His nostalgia for the past and sense of abandonment often shaped his songwriting, and it casts an entirely new light upon the lyrics of “Julia.”
“Seashell eyes, windy smile, calls me so I sing a song of love” and “Her hair of floating sky is shimmering, glimmering in the sun” are images of a mother he never really stopped missing.
(Honorable mention) "Here Today"
Okay, this one’s not a Beatles’ song, but it’s by a Beatle and also about one. Paul’s 1982 solo album, “Tug Of War,” was released only 2 years after John’s murder. With tender words like “I still remember how it was before, and I am holding back the tears no more, I love you,” he was paying homage to his dear friend after his passing.
He has even gone on record to say that the song actually set his grieving process in motion after a long period of feeling frozen emotionally, making it another song by a Beatle that’s more sad than romantic once you learn its full story.
With so many Beatle’s actual love songs to choose from, maybe don’t go with the one about grieving, motherly love, or one that’s a jab at the Maharishi.