MovieChat Forums > The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978) Discussion > Songs - Rutles and Beatles

Songs - Rutles and Beatles

posted 18 years ago by splat99
27 replies | jump to latest

Part of the genius of Neil Innes in The Rutles is that he was able to create entirely new melodies and lyrics, yet most songs can be instantly linked to the actual Beatles song they are based on. Some are a little further away, but can be still "figured out." There are a few that I'm still not sure of. Below is a listing of the songs on the CD, and the songs they are based on (I'm 100% certain on most, about 75% on a few, and a couple I don't know at all.)

Goose Step Mama - Some Other Guy
Number One - Twist and Shout
Baby let Me Be - ?
Hold My Hand - I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Blue Suede Schubert - Roll Over Beethoven
I Must Be in Love - Cant Buy Me Love
With A Girl Like You - If I Fell
Between Us - ?
Living In Hope - Octopus' Garden (probably the "loosest" connection here.)
Ouch! - Help!
It's Looking Good - ?
Doubleback Alley - Penny Lane
Good Times Roll - I think that's the one with the sitar - know the Beatles song but can't think of the name
Nevertheless - ?
Love Life - All You Need is Love
Piggy In the Middle - I Am the Walrus
Another Day - ?
Cheese and Onions - not sure, though "Yellow Submarine" is a loose possibility
Get up and Go - Get Back
Let's Be Natural - ?

Any feedback (filling in the ? and/or where you think I may be wrong) would be appreciated...

"It's like one of those crazy-ass Austrailian wooden Frisbees" - Randy Hickey

[–] matwsussx 18 years ago

Hold My Hand is mixture of I wanna hold your hand, She Loves You and the intro is from Eight Days a Week. Lets Be Natural always reminds me of Dear Prudence. Good Times Roll is Lucy in Sky With Diamonds

[–] splat99 18 years ago

Now that you mention it, I think you're right on Dear Prudence. And of course Good Times Roll is LSD - I had forgotten the melody to that one when I was perusing the list (but then I re-listened to the CD over the weekend.

"Cheese and Onions" actually has a closer resemblance to "A Day In The Life," thanks to the crescendo at the end and the last big note (which is much shorter than "Day"'s final note, of course.

"It's like one of those crazy-ass Australian wooden Frisbees" - Randy Hickey

[–] laurence01 18 years ago

Hold my hand is not "I wanna hold your hand" The intro is "eight days a week" the verse is the chords of "all my loving" and the chorus is "she loves you". Just because it is could hold my hand does not mean it is based on "i wanna hold your hand. Also "living in hope" is "don't pass me by" from the white album". Nevertheless is "the inner light", and "whithin you without you",

[–] splat99 18 years ago

What do y'all think of "Elanor Rigby" for "Another Day?"

"Get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy" -- The Tragically Hip

[–] Pharaoh-in-de-Nile 18 years ago

I used to think 'Good Times Roll' (the one with the Sitar) was like 'Norwegian Wood' or 'Tomorrow Never Knows', however I now think that it sounds most like 'Love You To' myself.

"The face of evil is ugly to look upon. And as the pleasures increase, the face becomes uglier."

[–] splat99 18 years ago

Actually, "Good Times Roll" is not the one with the sitar - I was mistaken there. "GTR" is the Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" parody.

"Get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy" -- The Tragically Hip

[–] Pharaoh-in-de-Nile 18 years ago

Ok. What is the one with the Sitar called in 'The Rutles'...It's definately like 'Love You To'...It's one of the closest comparisons.

"The face of evil is ugly to look upon. And as the pleasures increase, the face becomes uglier."

[–] Andi09 18 years ago

I believe Cheese And Onions has the technical feeling of Sexy Sadie with the radio-like sound (don't know the correct term) of Nasty/John's voice, the back vocalizing harmony and all. Anyway, compare!

| ''But where's the ambiguity?... It's over there, in a box!'' |

[–] Andi09 18 years ago

'Between Us' surely is one of the most 'originally' created songs but among the early Beatles tunes, ' 'Til There Was You' seems similar, at least a little! But this is in fact out of desperation to find a Beatles equal to every Rutles song! ;)

| ''But where's the ambiguity?... It's over there, in a box!'' |

[–] ifj85 18 years ago

Now then, Rutlists!

As for your list of songs, here's my particular inferences;

Between Us ---- AND I LOVE HER
Living In Hope ---- DON'T PASS ME BY
It's Looking Good --- I'M DOWN ( Shea Stadium ) & I'M LOOKING THROUGH YOU
Good Times Roll --- LSD ( deffo, la! Come on! )
Nevertheless --- WYWY & LOVE YOU TO
Another Day --- MARTHA MY DEAR
Let's Be Natural --- DEAR PRUDENCE
Baby Let Me Be --- never heard of it, is it only available on the USA version?

P.S. Has anyone heard anything further about Eric Idle's idea of a post-Rutles pseudo-doc. I believe it was about his character's descent into depression and the subsequent emergence of a new Pornopunk outfit named 'Dirk McQuickly & Wangs'. Please respond should you have any info. Meanwhile, I'll lay off the acid....erm, man!

[–] ifj85 18 years ago

Oops! I mean tea ofcourse. x

[–] knawdas 18 years ago

Something like this...

Goose-Step Mama = Some Other Guy
Number One = Twist And Shout
Baby Let Me Be = ?
Hold My Hand = All My Loving
Blue Suede Schubert = Roll Over Beethoven
I Must Be In Love = A Hard Day's Night
With A Girl Like You = If I Fell
Between Us = ?
Living In Hope = Don't Pass Me By
Ouch! = Help
It's Looking Good = I'm Looking Through You
Doubleback Alley = Penny Lane
Good Times Roll = Lucy In The Sky
Nevertheless = Love You To
Love Life = All You Need Is Love
Piggy In The Middle = I Am The Walrus
Another Day = Martha My Dear
Cheese And Onions = A Day In The Life
Get Up And Go = Get Back
Let's Be Natural = Dear Prudence
Major Happy = Sgt. Pepper
Rendezvous = With A Little Help From My Friends
Questionnaire = I can't remember, but there is some of "Imagine" in it
We've Arrived = Back In The USSR
Lonely Phobia = Things We Said Today
Unfinished Words = nothing really... but it mentions a number of phony Beatles song titles that have cropped up over the years
Hey Mister! = the closest I can think of is Bungalow Bill; the ending is Helter Skelter
Easy Listening = Octopus's Garden
Now She's Left You = ?
The Knicker Elastic King = Getting Better
I Love You = ?
Eine Kleine Middle Klasse Musik = Come Together; the ending is Lovely Rita
Joe Public = Tomorrow Never Knows
Shangri-La = too many to mention! There's even a few Neil Innes songs and an Oasis song in there...
Don't Know Why = Free As A Bird
Back In '64 = When I'm Sixty Four
My Little Ukelele = Honey Pie

[–] filcath 17 years ago

'Between Us' is 'I need you' (by George Harrison!) from the Help! album/movie.

[–] srjow 17 years ago

I figure that (some) Rutles tracks can be compared to phases or musical flavours of the Beatles' output, rather than one song in particular. 'Between Us', for example, I see as equivalent to the next few songs after the title track from the Help album. Had it really been a Beatles' song it would have come from that period in their career. 'I Need You' is in there for sure. 'Goose Step Mama' is definitley of the Cavern phase, but 'Some Other Guy' especially? Maybe - I haven't heard the latter in a while.

I put 'It's looking Good' in the same bracket as 'Between Us': from the Help phase of their career/development. It has the flavour of 'Another Girl' without exactly sounding like it - is some guitar from 'Act Naturally' in there too, or the earlier 'I'll Cry Instead'?.

'Living in Hope' begins like Don't Pass Me By but really just sums up several Ringo songs. That technique is in essence what the Rutles numbers are about, as exampled by lines like 'Please, please hold my hand' or songs called 'Blue Suede Schubert'. I can hear All My Loving in Hold My Hand as well as the numbers referred to by other posters.

I bought the first Rutles CD after realising that 'Only Natural' is a beautiful song and indeed, 'Dear Prudence' was playing in my head after Watching All You Need is Cash - but 'Only Natural' opens with (sung) notes very similar to those that begin 'Julia', also from the White Album.

Anyhow, the Rutles stuff is superior in my mind to 'Free as a Bird'. If these tracks had been later discovered as a collection of Beatles' out takes they would have been HUGE. I have no problem with brilliant parody or lampoons, as a thread elsewhere wonders.

[–] laurence01 16 years ago

There is also a little known beatles song called "The Inner Light", this is much closer to "nevertheless" than any of the ones already stated.

[–] BlackGoldMustang 16 years ago

Very good songs, nonetheless.

"Instant Karma's gonna get you"

[–] ftgplus4 16 years ago

"Easy Listening" is more like "Act Naturally" (even though the Beatles didn't actually write that).

[–] BlackGoldMustang 16 years ago

7. With a Girl Like You = If I Fell/Devil In Her Heart
11. It's Looking Good = I'm Looking Through You/I Don't Want To Spoil the Party
20. Let's Be Natural = Dear Prudence/Julia

"Instant Karma's gonna get you"

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] BlackGoldMustang 15 years ago

Cheese and Onions always sounds similar the backing track of Lennon's Give Me Some Truth too. Genius songs.

"Instant Karma's gonna get you"

[–] matwsussx 15 years ago

exactly what i said yesterday on another Rutles thread. word for word in fact. great minds.....

[–] TheGraveLittleToaster 15 years ago

In my opinion...

Goose Step Mama - Some Other Guy
Number One - Twist And Shout
Baby Let Me Be - Slow Down
Hold My Hand - I Wanna Hold Your Hand/She Loves You/All My Loving
Blue Suede Schubert - Roll Over Beethoven
I Must Be in Love - A Hard Day's Night/Can't Buy Me Love/You Won't See Me
With A Girl Like You - If I Fell
Between Us - And I Love Her
Living In Hope - Act Naturally/Don't Pass Me By
Ouch! - Help!
It's Looking Good - I'm Looking Through You/I Feel Fine
Doubleback Alley - Penny Lane
Good Times Roll - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Nevertheless - Love You Too/Within You Without You
Love Life - All You Need is Love
Piggy In the Middle - I Am The Walrus
Another Day - Martha, My Dear
Cheese And Onions - A Day In The Life/Sexy Sadie
Get Up And Go - Get Back
Let's Be Natural - Dear Prudence

Major Happy's Up And Coming Once Upon A Good Time Band - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Rendezvous - With A Little Help From My Friends
Questionnaire - The Fool On The Hill
We've Arrived (And To Prove It, We're Here) - Back In The U.S.S.R.
Lonely-Phobia - Things We Said Today
Unfinished Words - Glass Onion
Hey Mister! - I Me Mine
Easy Listening - Octopus's Garden/Don't Pass Me By
Now She's Left You - You're Going To Lose That Girl
The Knicker Elastic King - Getting Better
I Love You - Till There Was You
Eine Kleine Middle Klasse Musik - Come Together
Joe Public - Tomorrow Never Knows
Shangri-La - Really just a pastiche of many, many songs...
Don't Know Why - Free As A Bird
Back In '64 - Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Lullaby - Maggie Mae
Baby, S'il Vous Plait - Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand/She Leibt Dich
My Little Ukelele - Honey Pie
Under My Skin - Mr. Moonlight (Actual cover of "I've Got To Get You Under My Skin" by Cole Porter)
Rut-A-Lot - Medley of Rutles tunes

Imitation Song - Imagine

"Adolph Hitler is still alive. I slept with her last night."

[–] laurence01 15 years ago

Another one no one has mentioned. Although it is obvious that "Piggy in the Middle" is "I am the Walrus". The fade out chords are the fade out chords of "Hey Jude".

[–] BlackGoldMustang 14 years ago

I really like 'Between Us'

"Instant Karma's gonna get you"

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] HARDDRlVER 7 years ago

You forgot 'you need feet'!

[–] SteveRes (474) 6 months ago

That isn't a Rutles recording, it's a Bernard Bresslaw single from 1958.