“It’s Only Love” – Episode 97 with Elli Rader

John Lennon called It's Only Love a lousy song with abysmal lyrics. But is he right?

Peter and Kenyon are joined by their long-time friend Elli to take a closer look at this late addition to Help! and figure out what works, what doesn’t, and whether Lennon judged it too harshly.

The conversation turns toward how artists make their work and how old, cringy experiments can become embarrassing with time. Kenyon, Peter, and Elli each bring in an old poem and read it aloud in a beautiful shaming ritual that will now live on the internet forever. Along the way, they consider whether failed work is simply part of the creative process, how artists develop higher standards, and whether John Lennon was too hard on his music.

What we cover:
- The writing and recording of “It’s Only Love”
- The unusual intro guitar effect
- Hoshika Rumiko’s visit to the Beatles’ recording session
- The song’s release history
- George Martin’s orchestral version "That's A Nice Hat"

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