Now, I've been hearing that song literally since I was a baby, and I can remember as early as about age 3 wondering why they were saying, "that's the end up little girl". (It took me about 17 years to learn that they weren't actually saying up.) However, now I'm learning that song for guitar class and I can't help but wonder why they made this song. It seems like a jerk/chauvenist/stalker's theme song. I wonder what their motivation was for writing it. As a criticism for the attitude? Was that actually a popular attitude at the time? Does anyone know the background to this song?
2006-08-29 18:49:50 · 7 answers · asked by debbie 4 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music
Please note that I did say that I know they are not saying "end up". I thought that when I was three, so please don't waste your time writing a whole paragraph educating me on this. Thanks.
2006-08-29 19:08:01 · update #1
But to the one that did do this:
Good explanation as to the reason for the emphasis; you explained yourself well.
2006-08-29 19:10:52 · update #2
It was a reflection of a cultural attitude--indeed, that of a jerk/chauvinist/stalker. I'm sure they knew people like that; they grew up in a pretty tough neighborhood.
2006-08-29 18:57:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's sung as though he was very mad, and jealous. And that "that's the end" is a threat. "You better run for your life if you can". Sound like a threat to kill a lover that cheated. I think it was an effort to make the Beatles sound a little more rebellious, and dark, because they were being compared to the raunchy Rolling Stones and the Who who were a bit harder edged than the Beatles. That song is just a throw away album track but it's funny because if another group were to release it as a single it probably would have been a smash hit.
But I think it's a typical jealous lover song, he's just really making it real, because that's what a jealous lover really feels like doing if he or she finds out they are cheating.
2006-08-30 02:02:11 · answer #2 · answered by The Bible (gives Hope) 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Remember - it was a different time and there wasn't as much awareness before the women's movement. And I wouldn't take it too seriously - "run for your life" was an expression, kind of like "you're gonna get a beatin"" on My Boyfriend's Back. I don't think tjey ever meant to sound like they were really going to kill someone. They were just under the gun many times to put out a lot of songs and it probably fit the music. I dislike that about pop music because it happens alot and has alot of influence.
However - I read a quote many years ago from John Lennon who said " I always hated "Run for Your Life."
2006-08-30 02:01:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes it is just a pop song written from the point of view of a jealous posessive boyfriend. Compare this with "Every Breath you Take" by The Police.
Good songwriters (and I'm not saying this is one of John Lennons better songs) can get inside the mind of a character like any good writer
2006-08-30 01:59:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I always took that song to be pretty tongue-in-cheek. You don't think any of the Beatles would actually kill anyone, do you? (Although Lennon DID have that solo hit "Jealous Guy" so perhaps he did have issues with jealousy)
If Phil Spector co-wrote that song it would be creepy as Hell, though!
2006-08-30 02:45:55 · answer #5 · answered by heargodlaugh 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think they tried to imagine different states of consciousness when they wrote their songs. None of them were perfect by any stretch of the imagination either so it's possible that one of them experienced a state of mind similar to what was described in the song.
2006-08-30 01:53:46 · answer #6 · answered by synchronicity915 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no
2006-08-30 02:25:42 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋