How Come Together Came Together

John Lennon was one spinal cracker, alright. Who else would LSD guru Timothy Leary ask to write a campaign song for his ill-fated gubernatorial run against Ronald Reagan in 1969? Lennon set out to write a song based on Leary's campaign slogan, Come Together, Join the Party. His original lyric began, "Come together right now, don't come tomorrow, don't come alone." Leary felt the words were awkward and the song unusable. Little matter; the aspirations of the PhD psychologist-turned drug advocate would soon come to an end when he was imprisoned for marijuana possession. But by now John had a good title. And he ended up writing one of his edgiest, self-described gobbledygook songs, ever.

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Hela, Heba Helloa, Everybody

Forty-five years ago today, The Beatles' "Hello, Goodbye" was the number one song in America. For me, the best part of the tune is the sing-along ending coda, "hela, heba helloa." I just love the way it chug-chugs along. (Those words, written by Paul McCartney, mean absolutely nothing in any any foreign language, by the way). "Hello, Goodbye" was the first Beatles single to trick us with a fake ending, then restart with a completely different rhythm. The band referred to the coda as the Maori Finale, due to its tribal sound.

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From Finland to Jamaica, Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting But Me

While dance clubs around the globe were blasting "Kung Fu Fighting," I was fighting Kung Fu blasting. This early disco hit, which topped the U.K. charts on this date in 1974, was recorded in ten minutes and took singer Carl Douglas a mere two takes to complete. Here's a look at three funny, funky cover versions of the song.

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From Bullfrog to Bulldog: A Beatles Gem From Their Post-Pepper End Days

"Hey Bullfrog."  That was the original working title of the piano-driven Beatles song that ended up being called "Hey Bulldog" when Paul, for some unknown reason, began barking during the recording. This video shows one of the last times the fab four came together in the studio and really rocked as a unit.

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