1 Overlooked Gem Song From Every Beatles Album
2. You Never Give Me Your Money - Abbey Road
John Lennon is famous for his introspective songwriting and George Harrison was never shy about putting his spiritual beliefs or financial gripes right there in his lyrics. By contrast Paul McCartney is sometimes unfairly accused of being lyrically shallow, writing silly love songs or hiding behind characters.
Abbey Road meanwhile is the album that saw George emerge from Lennon and McCartney’s shadow, with Something, Here Comes The Sun and Lennon’s Come Together most often singled out for praise.
Paul’s best contributions come as part of the epic side two medley, and while that carefully linked set of song fragments is warmly regarded, the individual sections rarely get the attention they deserve. Have a listen to You Never Give Me Your Money and you’ll find that as well as being a melodic tour de force it gives us a deeply personal lyric hiding in plain sight.
At the time the band is as slowly falling apart John was more interested in exploring projects with Yoko, George was keen to step out of Lennon and McCartney’s shadow and Ringo was acting in movies. Paul was the happiest of all four to still be a Beatle and had the most to lose from the band’s dissolution.
The song’s title is a reference to band's legal and financial difficulties, as they tried to steady their company Apple, attempted to hold on to their musical copyrights and argued amongst themselves over who should manage the group. The song is preoccupied with with escape, wanting to step on the gas and drive away, whilst also longing for a happier, simpler time.