#165 - Your Mother Should Know with Mike Viola (singer, songwriter, producer)

Ranking The Beatles

Happy 1 year birthday to us! Thanks to everyone who's joined us on this ride so far! We're releasing this episode 1 year + a day on from our first episode, and we couldn't be more chuffed to have made it this far. We're so glad you're all here with us!

Paul's made no bones about his admiration for the music of his parents' generation, the music hall numbers his family loved that must've filled the Macca home, either on record or when dad Jim played during family gatherings. He claimed to have written "When I'm 64" when he was 14, so it's safe to say he's always had a soft spot for this style of music, though John may have scoffed at it (though his brilliant guitar solo on "Honey Pie" shows that he knew EXACTLY what it needed, so he was better versed than he admits). During one of those Macca family gatherings in 1967, Paul came up with "Your Mother Should Know," a tribute to women before his generation, whom he thought, may be a bit hipper and wiser than the growing generation gap may think. The song serves as the big song & dance number which finishes the Magical Mystery Tour film, and much like the film itself, can be a divisive entry in the Beatles' catalog. As mentioned by our guest this week, to put out a song like this during the height of psychedelia & rock and roll, well, it's a pretty punk rock move on Paul's part.

We're joined this week by one of our favorite singers & songwriters, Mike Viola, who first entered the scene in the late 90s with his band Candy Butchers, and as the singer on the song "That Thing You Do!" from the Tom Hanks' directed film. In addition to writing songs for films such as "Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story," and "Get Him To The Greek," Mike is an in-demand songwriter and producer, having worked with artists such as Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco, Mandy Moore, Shania Twain, Dan Wilson & Semisonic, The Monkees, and more. We chat with Mike about what makes this song tick and why it's such a classic Paul song despite some of its quirks, creativity being born out of trauma, basing one's entire music career on Ram, meeting Paul (legit some of the best meeting-Paul stories ever), and his absolutely fantastic new album, 2020's Godmuffin, which we at RTB strongly suggest you pick up because it's wonderful. Follow Mike at https://www.mikeviola.com, on Instagram @themikeviola, and on Facebook.com/mikeviolamusic.

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Songs featured this week include:

• Nice To Know You (Candy Butchers - Hang On Mike)
• That Thing You Do! (The Wonders - That Thing You Do! Soundtrack)
• USA Up All Night (Mike Viola - Godmuffin)
• Creeper (Godmuffin)
• Dear Boy (Mike Viola, Tim Christensen, Tracy Bonham w/ The Damn Crystals - Pure McCartney)
• All You Can Eat (Godmuffin)
• Drug Rug (Godmuffin)
  

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