Text · Motif
Americanism
American place names, slang, or cultural references - often consciously affected.
11
songs
It is in the words of eleven songs, from 1963 to 1969, almost the whole of the writing. It sits thickest on Beatles For Sale, two of its fourteen tracks. It begins on 'Roll Over Beethoven' and finishes on 'Come Together'. Two of them are 'Matchbox' (southern blues idiom) and 'Rock and Roll Music'. Paul sings lead on five of the eleven, against four for John, with George on one and Ringo on one. On 'Back in the U.S.S.R.' it is Inverts Chuck Berry's homecoming-to-USA trope. On 'Bad Boy': barber shop, laundromat, jukebox, hula hoop. Of those, 'Kansas City / Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!' has interjections vocal on it, one of only four of their recordings that do.
See alsoLyric shape:[ADV] inLyric shape:[ADV] in [WORD]Cover origin:Rock and RollRecurring words:rockingLyric shape:you [WORD] itRecurring words:shootLyric shape:[ADV] in theLyric shape:[NOUN] down
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Beatles songs with 'Persona' also have 'Americanism' about 4.4x as often as the catalogue average (4 of 18, vs an overall rate of 11 in 217 songs).
Analysis
By Year
Song count per year
By Songwriter
% of each member's catalogue with this tag (by writing credit)
By Era
Early0 · 0%
Mid-period1 · 17%
Late5 · 83%
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Songs(6 of 11)
Year
Album
Writer
Lead vocal(s)
| # | Title | Year | Album | Lead Vocal(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lovely Rita | 1967 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Paul | 'Meter maid' is US slang |
| 2 | Back in the U.S.S.R. | 1968 | The Beatles (The White Album) | Paul | Inverts Chuck Berry's homecoming-to-USA trope |
| 3 | The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill | 1968 | The Beatles (The White Album) | John | 'All American, bullet-headed Saxon mother's son' |
| 4 | Rocky Raccoon | 1968 | The Beatles (The White Album) | Paul | American West setting |
| 5 | Get Back | 1969 | Let It Be | Paul | Tucson, California, 'grass' |
| 6 | Come Together | 1969 | Abbey Road | John | 'Coca-Cola', 'roller-coaster', 'mojo filter' |
Lovely Rita
1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·Paul
'Meter maid' is US slang
Back in the U.S.S.R.
1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·Paul
Inverts Chuck Berry's homecoming-to-USA trope
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·John
'All American, bullet-headed Saxon mother's son'
Rocky Raccoon
1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·Paul
American West setting
Get Back
1969·Let It Be·Paul
Tucson, California, 'grass'
Come Together
1969·Abbey Road·John
'Coca-Cola', 'roller-coaster', 'mojo filter'
Updated