Paul McCartney said he used a couple of “naughty” chords in The Beatles‘ “Michelle.” Even though none of The Beatles could read or write music, they loved learning new chords to put in their tunes. They even had funny names for some.
Paul McCartney said he used ‘naughty’ chords in The Beatles’ ‘Michelle’
In his book The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote that the basis for The Beatles’ “Michelle” came from his memory of playing faux French songs at college parties that John Lennon took him to when they were teenagers. Paul wanted to look cool and always brought his guitar to impress everyone.
Édith Piaf’s “Milord,” a 1959 hit, also inspired him. Paul said “Milord” came out of the left field because no one was sure what genre it was.
On top of being an unusual rock song, The Beatles’ “Michelle” uses a couple of naughty chords. One of them is used in “Milord.” It’s an “old trick” of slowing down during the tune. Paul wrote that he must have had a memory of that in “the hopper.”
Another chord Paul used in ‘Michelle’ came from a guy they knew in Liverpool
Paul used another chord in The Beatles’ “Michelle” that came from a guy Paul and George Harrison knew called Jim Gretty, who worked in Hessy’s guitar shop in Liverpool.
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The bandmates liked learning new chords and finding new ways to put them into their tunes. They really admired Gretty’s skills. He would often stand behind the counter and play guitar. At the time, Gretty was way more advanced in his instrument than The Beatles. He taught Paul and George the F chord, a simple F shape, down at the first position, down at the nut. Paul called it “lush.”
Gretty used “two more of his fingers to cover the first two strings up on the fourth fret, which would be A-flat and E-flat, so there was an extra component to the F chord,” Paul wrote. He and George called Gretty’s F chord “F demented.” It would have had an official name like an F augmented ninth “or something,” Paul said.
The tune has a second ‘naughty’ chord that Paul took from a Coasters record
Paul added a second “naughty” chord to The Beatles’ “Michelle.” Along with the “F demented,” Paul added what he thinks may be called the D diminished.
He got it off the Coasters record, Along Came Jones. Then, one of Paul’s friends helped him with the French words. Suddenly, all the elements of “Michelle” fell into place. Paul wrote, “I used these two chords and this melody, and grunted along like a cod Frenchman, and there was ‘Michelle.’”
Even though none of The Beatles knew how to read or write music, they were able to make complex songs. “Michelle” doesn’t seem like a complex song, but once you realize what Paul is doing with the chords and how “naughty” they are, you can see how complicated it is.
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