I've avoided doing this for three journals in a row, namely due to being unable to figure out how to talk about each song for this playlist and how they're Beatlesque. For this post onward regarding the topic of Beatlesque playlists, I'm going to instead change up the format bit. Amongst the changes will include not restricting each playlist to fourteen songs (but there will still be one track per artist), and rather than talking about each song individually, I'll be talking about how the playlist came together. So, here's the third Beatlesque playlist (but seventh chronologically), Return to the Dollhouse!
- No Myth (Michael Penn)
- Sowing the Seeds of Love (Tears for Fears)
- About a Girl (Nirvana)
- The Loving (XTC)
- Ship of Fools (World Party)
- There She Goes (The La's)
- Drown in My Own Tears (The Smithereens)
- Keeping the Dream Alive (Münchener Freiheit)
- Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz)
- I Don't Mind at All (Bourgeois Tagg)
- You (Bad Religion)
- Into Temptation (Crowded House)
- Roam (The B-52's)
- God Part II (U2)
- Don't Stop (The Stone Roses)
- I'll Be There for You (Bon Jovi)
By the end of the 1980s, there was a wave of 60s nostalgia, and all of a sudden, the Beatles were a big deal once again. What further helped was that George Harrison and Paul McCartney each received a revival in their respective solo careers with Cloud Nine and Flowers in the Dirt, as well as George playing with the Traveling Wilburys, possibly the last great supergroup to exist. Ringo Starr, of course, would resume his musical career following his stint with Thomas the Tank Engine and form his All-Starr Band.
Out of the tracks I've picked for Return to the Dollhouse, a reference to the working title for The White Album, "Sowing the Seeds of Love" and "There She Goes" seemed to be the most obvious choices for inclusion; the former sounds like it could've easily come from the Sgt. Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour era, and the latter wouldn't have sounded out of place in the earlier albums. "The Loving" also recalls 1967 in its guitar intro and lyrics, and "You" makes a shout out to "We Can Work It Out", as well as Paul's "Maybe I'm Amazed".
While some of the songs recall the 60s, it also makes it clear that it was recorded in the 80s, combining retro throwbacks with the modern sound of the time, not dissimilar to Cloud Nine and Flowers in the Dirt, making Return to the Dollhouse a unique listening experience. With the variety of artists and musical styles present, it also doubles as a sequel to both Sgt. Pepper and The White Album, almost like the love child of both albums.
And now, for the songs that didn't make the cut: XTC's "Collideascope" was cut in favor of "The Loving"; the Beastie Boys' "The Sounds of Science" sampled several Beatles songs, which disqualified it for inclusion; and Elvis Costello's "Veronica" was a songwriting collaboration with Paul McCartney, which also meant that it couldn't be included.
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