An End and a Beginning

Throughout their touring years, the Beatles released a succession of singles and albums that marked them as an innovative force in the recording studio. “I Feel Fine” was a single that featured a short burst of high-pitched noise at it's beginning, which turned out to be the first deliberate guitar feedback ever used on a record. “Help!” the title song from the soundtrack and film of the same name, was a confessional song written by John which illustrated his state of mind in the wake of Beatlemania:

When I was younger, so much younger than today,

I never needed anybody's help in any way.

But now these days are gone, I'm not so self-assured,

Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

“Norwegian Wood,” from their Rubber Soul album, featured a sitar, which is an Indian instrument shaped somewhat like an elongated guitar. “Yesterday,” a Paul composition, was the first Beatles single to feature only one of the group performing—Paul, alone with a guitar.

One of the reasons for the increasing diversity of their music was the fact that John and Paul weren't writing as many songs together. In their early days they had collaborated on most of the group's songs, especially the first hit singles. Now, while they would assist each other with bits of songs—helping each other finish a musical or lyrical part they were stuck on—most of the ideas would come from one or the other of them. Still, it was obvious that Lennon and McCartney, the core songwriters, were very well matched. “Part of the secret collaboration,” recalled Paul, “was that we liked each other. He'd sing something and I'd say ‘Yeah’ and trade off on that.”