HOW I CAME ACROSS THIS ALBUM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe it’s easier to talk about how I didn’t<\/em> come across this album, or how I managed to avoid it. Well, when I was a kid\u2014I guess in the year 2000, when I was 12\u2014a compilation called 1<\/em> came out. Here’s a Reddit post about it<\/a>. Now, until about age six\u2014and my school music teacher introduced me to Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and most importantly, Boyz II Men\u2014I thought the only four musicians in the world were Mozart, Beethoven, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. My parents obviously listened to more music than that\u2014Vivaldi and Creedence, for example\u2014but that’s what under-six me knew. I’m pretty sure we mostly listened to Abbey Road<\/em> and White Album<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By 12, I had already purchased Enema Of The State<\/em> and Licensed To Ill<\/em>, so I was starting to learn a thing or two about the relevant texts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, I knew I needed to understand The Beatles. Along came 1<\/em>, a compilation of the 27 Beatles songs that charted number one, which felt like a good starting point. Do I care about charts? No. But I will argue that Greatest Hits albums are a fine way for kids to get into decades-old bands, or at least bands that have become cultural institutions. HOWEVER. You should eventually move beyond the greatest hits, which I haven’t really done with The Beatles. I love Abbey Road<\/em>, that’s a perfect record. I like White Album<\/em>, and Sergeant Pepper<\/em> is fine, if not as good as Pet Sounds<\/em>. Still, I haven’t done the pop records, which is wild, because I love The Beatles’ pop phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TRACK BY TRACK<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You ready to get poppy? Kick off your shoes for a sock hop? Do some pale imitations of Sister Rosetta Tharp? <\/p>\n\n\n\n A Hard Day’s Night<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my all-time favorite Beatles songs, a perfect<\/em> Beatles pop song. In and out in 2:34. Solid chord progression with the Platonic Ideal of a middle eight.1<\/a><\/sup>Perfect guitar solo\u2014minor pentatonic with a little right hand flair and a 12-string guitar to keep things interesting. There’s lore behind that opening chord that’s pretty interesting. The lesson to take away from that opening chord (I can’t believe they opened the record with that chord, what heroes) is that you shouldn’t start or end songs with something obvious, if you can help it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-5.png\")