Comments on: Chains

By: The Quiet One

The Quiet One — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 15:38:14 +0000

I was listening to this song today and also heard the noise before I read your comment! It sounds like a soft chuckle to me.

By: Bill Nelson

Bill Nelson — Sat, 21 Jul 2018 22:14:34 +0000

When I was a young lad of 13 I remember hearing a burb/belch in this song. It comes at 1:28 into the song and right before “please believe me when I tell you your lips are sweet”. I’m now 65 years old and have listened to this song many, many times and I still hear it. Can anyone verify?
And no drugs were involved. 🙂

By: wksongwriter

wksongwriter — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 15:23:12 +0000

A huge part of the Beatle “sound” comes from the harmonies and pop feel of the early girl groups.

By: jennifur Sun

jennifur Sun — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 09:46:11 +0000

agree three. love George’s playing on Anna and Johns vocal;

By: Anthony

Anthony — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 19:41:13 +0000

I’ve never enjoyed this song. I’ve tried countless times to warm up to it but just can’t do it.
The song itself is not special by any means and it is no surprise that it was never a commercial success.

As mentioned above by Nico, the Beatles soaked in what they learned with their covers and created Beatles music.
As a somewhat professional musician myself, I know that most songs you write are going to undoubtly draw from things you’ve listened to or covered.

So in conclusion, as much as I dislike this song, it clearly was one of the many tunes that taught the Beatles the groundwork for their own material.

By: ForgetScowl

ForgetScowl — Sat, 29 Nov 2014 05:54:49 +0000

It’s the Beatles demonstration of mastering the sound style of those Brill Building songs or Motown, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, etc. They loved American music to the core. They embraced those depths as treasure and surfaced with the details & nuances as bounty. They brought back to America what they were given and they did it with wit & style which means that just about everything they did in those early days was outstanding.

By: Night of the Living Ted

Night of the Living Ted — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:56:48 +0000

Any legitimate criticism has to be taken in context with the time frame in which this was recorded. In other words, given what we know today, we can’t accurately look at this through the lens of 1963. At that time – it was pretty groundbreaking stuff.

By: Che Stadium

Che Stadium — Tue, 20 May 2014 23:33:18 +0000

Bad lyrics were then, and are now, a dime a dozen. Who cares?! It’s an excellent performance, listen to Ringo’s groove. That hi-hat! Those fills!

By: Che Stadium

Che Stadium — Tue, 20 May 2014 23:26:27 +0000

By far?

By: Gringo

Gringo — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 22:17:26 +0000

absolutely.. i wondered why nobody ever comments on that , the Guitar is devastating when it comes in….I never really figured out if it was John or George’s amp that goes on the blinker…..

By: Nico (@NicoDetourn)

Nico (@NicoDetourn) — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 11:01:57 +0000

Say what you will of the song’s objective quality, what can’t be denied is how much the Cookies’ original version of Chains, produced by co-writer Gerry Goffin, contains so many aspects that we think of as characteristically Beatles.

That “yeah” at the end of each chorus, the arrangement of the harmonies, the feel of the lead vocal (listen to those bridges), the drum fills, are shockingly “Beatles.”

It’s wrong to suggest that they either preformed or recorded these songs out of a compromise obligation to cover the hits of the day. Lenmac obviously loved and emulated this stuff and absorbed it into their DNA. Takes nothing away from their fabness to acknowledge that. They were never shy about it.

The Beatles learned some of their best moves from the girl groups.. and their songwriters… and their producers.

Whooooo!

By: Eric Thiede

Eric Thiede — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 03:15:45 +0000

I agree …. A great cover of a Arthur Alexander tune. Sung with great emotion by Lennon. Nice back up vocals by Paul and George.

By: Alfian Rusdi

Alfian Rusdi — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:15:31 +0000

I think it’s a sweet song, and George sang it sweetly as well..

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:59:05 +0000

To expand on this, once they became famous, the majority of their pre-fame stage repertoire was never returned to, as far as commercially-released recordings were concerned, anyway.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:53:40 +0000

You have to remember, when The Beatles were still a club band, not only did they play what they liked, but they also played the hits of the day, and in the early ’60’s, girl groups were quite popular. To a point, you have to compromise & play something for the audience too. When this was cut, the boys were not yet the world-shakers they later became. Once they hit it big, songs like this were dropped. You never saw them returning to songs like “I’ll Remember You”, “Beautiful Dreamer” or “A Picture Of You ” either.

By: cdesim

cdesim — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 17:23:41 +0000

Love the way the guitar amp breaks up throughout this recording. I don’t think this was an effect they went after and perhaps if they weren’t so busy they may have redone it, but it remained their grittiest record until the “Revolution” single five years later.

By: David Lee Fairey

David Lee Fairey — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:19:32 +0000

George’s voice retains its huskiness from all those gigs played in the Cavern and elsewhere. And that’s why I like Chains – it’s full of youthful exuberance – the boys’ excitement is clearly audible.

And as M. Whitener says above, the harmonies are good.

But is that an organ I can hear just before the second bridge (“I want to tell you pretty baby..”)? Sounds like someone sweeping their hand across the keyboard.

By: vonbontee

vonbontee — Mon, 28 May 2012 20:59:52 +0000

You mad, “Anna” is fab!

By: Aldo

Aldo — Sun, 27 May 2012 05:02:40 +0000

the song is great, and the vocal lead of George too

By: Happiness is a warm gun

Happiness is a warm gun — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:48:12 +0000

“Anna” sucks, I agree, but the dreadful line “And they ain’t the kind that you can see” just makes it impossible for me to listen to this song any further than that.