Rinehart Jewelry Blog

Rinehart Jewelry Blog
March 7th, 2014
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you nostalgic songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, we feature the Beatles performing their chart-topping hit, “I Feel Fine.” In the joyful tune about a young man in love, the Fab Four sing, “Her baby buys her things, you know / He buys her diamond rings, you know / She said so / She's in love with me and I feel fine.”

beatlesifeelfine

Released 50 years ago, “I Feel Fine” rose to #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart and was part of a magical year for the upstart Beatles who, after their U.S. debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, dominated the music scene. At one point in 1964, the Beatles occupied the top five positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and boasted 14 songs in the top 100.

Besides the diamond jewelry reference, "I Feel Fine" is notable for being the first song to use squealing guitar feedback in a studio recording. Normally, audio feedback would be considered an error in the studio, requiring a retake or removal in the editing process.

As Paul McCartney tells it, “John had a semi-acoustic Gibson guitar. It had a pickup on it so it could be amplified… John leaned his guitar against the amp and it went, 'Nnnnnnwahhhhh!' And we went, 'What's that? Voodoo?’”

It was feedback, and the Beatles were hooked.

McCartney told record producer George Martin that it sounded great and asked if they could have it on the final recording. 'Well, I suppose we could,” said Martin. “We could edit it on the front.”

And that’s how the very unconventional first note on “I Feel Fine” was born.

Lennon, who was responsible for the feedback goof, was reportedly proud of his trailblazer status, saying, "I defy anybody to find a record... unless it is some old blues record from 1922... that uses feedback that way. So I claim it for the Beatles. Before Hendrix, before The Who, before anybody. The first feedback on record."

The Beatles went on to become what many agree was the greatest and most influential act of the rock era. The Beatles are the best-selling band in history, with 177 million certified records in the U.S. and 600 million records worldwide.

We invite you to enjoy the video of the Beatles performing “I Feel Fine.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along. And don’t miss the groundbreaking feedback effect that starts the song.

"I Feel Fine"
Written by John Lennon. Performed by the Beatles.

Baby's good to me, you know
She's happy as can be, you know
She said so
I'm in love with her and I feel fine

Baby says she's mine, you know
She tells me all the time, you know
She said so
I'm in love with her and I feel fine

I'm so glad that she's my little girl
She's so glad, she's telling all the world

That her baby buys her things, you know
He buys her diamond rings, you know
She said so
She's in love with me and I feel fine, mmm

Baby says she's mine, you know
She tells me all the time, you know
She said so
I'm in love with her and I feel fine

I'm so glad that she's my little girl
She's so glad, she's telling all the world

That her baby buys her things, you know
He buys her diamond rings, you know
She said so
She's in love with me and I feel fine
She's in love with me and I feel fine, mmm, mmm