Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I stand before you to defend the reputation of the Beatles’ 1964 cover of “Mr. Moonlight.” Since its first appearance on Beatles for Sale, fans and critics have derided the track as corny, cheesy, and overdone, unworthy of the band’s otherwise stellar recordings.
Music theorist Alan W. Pollack summarizes common criticisms: “It must be something about the self-consciously campy vocal, lugubrious Hammond organ, and generally queasy blend of dooh-whop [sic] and Latin musical styles.” But is “Mr. Moonlight” guilty of these crimes? Should it be labeled as one of the worst Beatles songs of all time? Its backstory and a closer look at the Beatles’ performance may influence your musical deliberations.
First, I present the facts of the case:
In 1962, bluesman William “Willie” Lee Perryman’s group Dr. Feelgood and the Interns (pictured below) issued a single appropriately titled “Dr. Feelgood.” The b-side, written by Interns guitarist Roy Lee Johnson, was a bluesy ballad entitled “Mr. Moonlight.” Neither song charted, but the Beatles discovered the obscure track, similarly to how they found unfairly neglected American R&B artists Arthur Alexander and Larry Williams.
By the time the band embarked on their stint in Hamburg, they decided to incorporate little-known covers into their stage act to separate them from competing groups. When playing gigs like the Star Club in 1962, they would play few originals and more offbeat covers like “Besame Mucho,” “Lend Me Your Comb,” and, of course, “Mr. Moonlight.”
In just two years, the Beatles found themselves at the center of the Beatlemania hurricane. While securing material for their fourth studio album Beatles for Sale, they resurrected some of the songs from their early set lists, one of them being “Mr. Moonlight.” Fans may be surprised to learn that producer George Martin voiced no objection to this choice, as it became a popular number for “beat groups” of the time. The Hollies recorded their version of the tune in 1964, and acts such as the Lovin’ Spoonful and Aretha Franklin drew inspiration from Dr. Feelgood and the Interns. Since “Mr. Moonlight” had received enthusiastic responses at early live shows, the Beatles apparently felt the song would fare well on an album.
Recording took place during two days: August 14, when they recorded four takes; and October 18, when they recorded four more. John Lennon sang lead and played acoustic rhythm guitar; Paul McCartney sang harmony vocals and played bass and the organ; George Harrison performed lead guitar and played African drums; and Ringo Starr rounded out the four on percussion. In his book Here, There and Everywhere, EMI recording engineer Geoff Emerick recalled Lennon recording his vocal part: “His searing vocal introduction sent shivers down my spine, even though it took him several tries to nail it,” he wrote.
Instead of Harrison playing a slide guitar on the last two takes, McCartney performed a dramatic Hammond organ solo. Emerick claimed that previously Harrison experienced trouble executing the guitar solo: “Not the notes he was playing, but the odd, sped-up tremolo sound he was using, in faithful imitation of the Dr. Feelgood version that had been a minor hit a couple of years previously.” While Lennon and Emerick approved of the unconventional sound, Martin “insisted that it was simply too weird. After some discussion, it was decided to overdub a cheesy organ solo instead. Even though I loathed the sound, I was most impressed to see Paul playing it — up until that point, I’d had no idea that he could even play keyboards.” When editing commenced on October 27, Martin and engineer Norman Smith created the final version by merging takes four and eight, then mixing for mono and stereo.
Since Beatles for Sale’s release, the prosecution — or critics, in this case — have heaped scorn upon the cut. AllMusic’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine dubbed it “arguably the worst thing the group ever recorded.” Pitchfork’s Tom Ewing seemed at a loss to describe the song, as he figured somehow “the ugliness of its organ solo [was] surely deliberate.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I can understand how the straight-out-of-a-roller rink sound of the Hammond organ tainted the track. But should “Mr. Moonlight” be found guilty of cheesiness because of one flaw? No, and I ask that the following be entered into evidence:
• Exhibit A: Lennon’s vocal performance. Can anyone make a better case for Lennon being one of the great rock vocalists by hearing his opening line? When he shouts “Mr. Moonlight,” one can hear his cords shredding a la “Twist and Shout.” This technique perfectly sets the mood for such heart-rending lines as “Mr. Moonlight, come again please; here I am on my knees, begging if you please — and the nights you don’t come my way, I’ll pray and pray more each day.” Interestingly, Lennon clearly based his singing closely on the original recording. Listen to the phrasing in the Dr. Feelgood version here.
• Exhibit B: The group’s harmonies. Beatles for Sale tracks like “No Reply” and “Baby’s in Black” llustrate how much Lennon and McCartney had developed their close harmonies. As this track fades out, one can hear the duo experimenting with chord changes and different harmonies on the title phrase alone.
• Exhibit C: The Beatles’ original live version. Judging from an admittedly murky recording from their 1962 Star Club appearance, the group’s original intent was to hone the song’s rougher edges. While Dr. Feelgood and the Interns emphasized the bluesy, R&B feel of the track, the Beatles highlighted its pure rock elements. In the live recording, Harrison plays the guitar solo, which maintains the song’s consistency. When Martin substituted the Hammond organ on the studio version, it totally destroyed “Mr. Moonlight’s” moody atmosphere. In retrospect, the group should have stood their ground and stuck with Harrison’s melodic guitar solo.
As you begin deliberations, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I ask you to put aside all prejudices as you pull out your Beatles for Sale copy. Focus on Lennon’s shiver-inducing vocals, the patented Beatles harmonies, and Harrison and Starr’s gentle percussion. Think of McCartney’s Hammond organ solo as a rare misstep that should not reflect badly upon “Mr. Moonlight’s” general sound. Find the track not guilty of being one of the Beatles’ worst songs, “’cause we love you, Mr. Moonlight.”
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- A Rare Beatles Cover Proves John Lennon Was Wrong About His Voice - November 26, 2024
- How John Lennon Came Roaring Back on the Beatles’ White Album - November 22, 2023
Thanks for one of the fuller explanations and more reasoned-out backgrounds to the song I’ve read. When I was 10 it was the last track on my copy, and my penchant for skipping it (hey–I was 10!) was facilitated by the fact that it was the last cut on side one. I will, however, give it a more judicious listen now.
One of the Beatles’ worst songs, although Lennon’s vocals were great. They should have substituted “Leave My Kitten Alone” for it.
I agree. “Mr. Moonlight” is awful, regardless of John’s typically strong vocal and this revisionist article. The Beatles’s cover of “Leave My Kitten Alone,” on the other hand, really rocks. And John’s voice on that is terrific.
You must start with the premise: You can’t criticize The Beatles!
I like it.
I liked it before the author’s highly reasoned argument, but I didn’t need to hear that argument anyway; I always liked it, figuring it was just another direction the Beatles were branching out in, and to my ‘untrained’ ear, hugely successfully.
Why does it have to be analysed to death anyway????
I like it because – it sounds great.
Nothing wrong with Mr. Moonlight. The weakest tracks on Beatles for Sale are Ringo’s (Honey Don’t) and George’s (Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby). Sorry Ringo and George but there’s nothing very interesting vocally about either one of those.
Beatles for Sale has some under rated tracks: What You’re Doing, I’ll Follow the Sun, Everything Little Thing, and No Reply are all excellent.
I have never enjoyed an article more!The whole ‘Deep Beatles” catalogue is brilliance !!THE best article and description of ‘Mr.Moonlight” I have ever read..and I’ve been listening to that song since I was about 4 or so,due to my older brothers..A hearty Thank You,Kit..from a Beatlemaniac from way back…..
John’s vocal intro: shredded bliss…..’nuff said.
I always liked Mr. Moonlight. Somebody else must have liked it too (Dave Dexter Jr. maybe?) because it was chosen for the 1965 American EP “4 by The Beatles” on Capitol along with the 2 Carl Perkins songs Sara doesn’t like-Honey Don’t and Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby (I think they’re excellent). Perhaps that’s why nobody bought that EP at the time! The Author Kit OToole failed to mention the original takes of Mr. Moonlight that appears on the Beatles Anthology 1 which has George’s original guitar solo instead of Paul’s “cheesy” organ. Perhaps the Beatles should have went with that version. Besides if Mr. Moonlight didn’t appear on Beatles For Sale (and the American version Beatles ’65) we wouldn’t know how clever they were to follow I’ll Follow The Sun with Mr. Moonlight !
Lennon was incapable of recording a bad vocal, but most fans seem to consider this the worst track they ever recorded. I see no particular reason to disagree.
I agree with Kit. I think Lennon’s vocal is so superlative, so essential, that it makes up for the other “deficits” of the song.
One reason why early Beatle albums are generally superior to albums by the likes of the Animals or Kinks or Hollies, etc. is that, unlike those other albums Beatle albums are not tarnished by gimmicky material that dates poorly. In other words, Beatle albums don’t have the likes of Mr. Moonlight on them. Mr M is scorned because it leaves itself open to easy critique and yes, that Hammond organ is easy to point at and roll eyes over.
That said, heck, I like Mr M anyway! And perhaps that it is the only such track in the Beatles early years is what makes it so forgivable. It’s a very different kind of song and sound. It adds to their range. It’s a great vocal and, hey, I can enjoy virtually any and all Beatles.