Welcome to Stroll Down Penny Lane, where we celebrate the life and music of Paul McCartney. In this series we investigate the creation stories behind his songs. We discover that there is often an autobiographical aspect to his songs. And in our examination of his compositions, we also discover what it is that causes such an immediate connection with his music. We are a proud part of Pantheon, the podcast network for music lovers.
https://strolldownpennylane.com/podcast/
episode 4: Episode 4: Michelle
Episode 4 Michelle – where voodoo meets the devil!
In this chapter in our podcast series we explore the creation story for this song, Michelle. We also uncover how Paul McCartney’s bass playing was transformed by his experience in the recording of Michelle. Finally, in this episode we will explore an unusual subject – the voodoo and the devil in this song, Michelle.
So settle in for a story that will knock your socks off!
Songs
Michelle, Lennon and McCartney; performed by Stroll Down Penny Lane (Joe Anastasi, Mike Sugar, Winter, Mark Abbott)
Twenty Flight Rock, Eddie Cochran, performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Getting Closer, Paul McCartney; performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
La Mer, Charles Trenet, Albert Lasry; performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
La belle Vie; Sacha Distel, with French lyrics by Jean Broussolle; performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
That’s Amore; Harry Warren and Jack Brooks; performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Money Honey, Jesse Stone; performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Jailhouse Rock, Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller; performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
La Vie En Rose, Édith Piaf (lyrics), Louiguy and Marguerite Monnot;; performed by Stroll Down Penny Lane (Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar)
Purple Haze, Jimmy Hendrix; performed by Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Till There Was You, Meredith Wilson; performed by Stroll Down Penny Lane (Joe Anastasi, Mike Sugar, Winter, Mark Abbott)
I Put a Spell on You; Screamin’ Jay Hawkins; performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Another Day, Paul McCartney; performed by Stroll Down Penny Lane (Joe Anastasi, Mike Sugar, Winter, Mark Abbott)
Patience, Guns N’ Roses; performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Moment of Truth, Bill Conti, Dennis Lambert & Peter Beckett; performed by Joe Anastasi and Mike Sugar, of Stroll Down Penny Lane
Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Richard Wagner
Tristan und Isolde, Richard Wagner; Conductor: Wilhelm Furtwangler; Philharmonia Orchestra
The End, Lennon and McCartney; performed by Stroll Down Penny Lane (Joe Anastasi, Mike Sugar, Winter, Mark Abbott, Matt Twain)
Sources:
Recording the Beatles; Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew; Curvebender; 2006.
Beatlesongs; William J. Dowling; Simon & Shuster, New York, 1989.
Here, There and Everywhere, Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey; Gotham Books; New York; 2006
Paul McCartney, Many Years from Now; Barry Miles; Secker &Warburg; 1997
McCartney, Christopher Sandford; Carroll and Graf Publishers; 2006
Paul McCartney, the Life, Philip Norman; Little Brown and Company; 2016
Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles, Dominic Pedler; Omnibus Press; 2003
The Beatles; Hunter Davis; McGraw-Hill; 1968
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions; Mark Lewisohn; Hamlyn (a division of the Octopus Publishing Group); 1988
All You Need Is Ears, George Martin, with Jeremy Hornsby; St. Martin's Griffin; 1979
This is Your Brain on Music, The Science of a Human Obsession; Daniel J. Levitin; Plume; 2007
Paul McCartney After the Beatles; Understanding Michelle; Adrian Allan; 2020
Michelle History; Beatlesbooks.com
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley, Peter Guralnick, Little Brown, 1994
Careless Love, the unmaking of Elvis Presley, Peter Guralnick, Little Brown, 1999
Music Historian Peter Guralnick — Serious Jibber-Jabber with Conan O'Brien; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZY7L0p2Gj0
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins; Songfacts
I Put a Spell on You, Wikipedia.
Dominant seventh sharp ninth chord, Wikipedia.
What is the ‘Hendrix Chord’? Fender; articles, tech-talk; Purple Reign: the ‘Hendrix Chord’
McCartney: Yesterday … and Today, Ray Coleman; Boxtree Ltd; 1998.