Mr. Moonlight

Religion turns up in the lyric ('I'll pray and pray more each day' - worship of the moon), next to the motifs of magic and love, and it is on more of the Beatles' 1968 records than any other year's. The writing reaches for personification (moonlight as a 'Mister' who delivers a girl), which also turns up in 'Till There Was You', a year earlier. Oddly enough, the title names somebody (Personified moon as 'Mr.').

'Mr. Moonlight' runs near 85 BPM in F♯ major, and it is a R&B and rock and roll piece from beginning to end. The song is strophic, meaning the same music each time with new words and no chorus at all, like sixteen others of theirs, such as 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy' and 'Matchbox'. As it happens, the chords run B → F♯ → B → F♯ → D♯7 → G♯m7 → C♯7 → F♯, a shape 'Hold Me Tight' also uses, there as B♭ → F → B♭ → F → D7 → Gm → C7 → F. One more thing, this song plays D♯7 → G♯m7 → C♯7 → F♯ and 'Honey Pie' plays E7 → Am7 → D7 → G, the same progression in different keys, which 'I Will' also makes.

The session was at EMI Studio 2, cut in four takes during the August 14 session, then revisited in October when Harrison's guitar solo was wiped and replaced with McCartney's Hammond organ overdub. The Beatles worked on it from 14 August to 18 October 1964. The Hofner 500/1 on it was McCartney's bass, and 1964 is the year he reached for it most. Double tracked vocal was used on it, as on 139 of their records. It shares its session day with one others, the 55th and 56th of their career.

Roy Lee Johnson wrote it and Lennon sings lead. It was played the way the band normally lined up, with Lennon on acoustic guitar, McCartney on bass, Harrison on electric guitar and Starr on percussion. The record has a Hammond organ solo overdub on it, most at home in their 1965 writing.

This track was never released as a single, arriving instead with Beatles For Sale, December 4, 1964. In America it arrived eleven days later, on Beatles '65, a Capitol record. This track was the 27th of 35 released in that year, and the 61st they ever made.