Clash of the Titans: Angry Beatles vs. Joyous Beatles
The Beatles were one of the most marvelously eclectic bands of the early rock era, with a song to fit pretty much any mood. And with Pixar's new feelings-driven movie Inside Out bowing to historic box office numbers, we've decided to dedicate this Clash of the Titans to a couple of Beatles classics on opposing sides of the emotional spectrum.
In the movie, viewers are taken inside the inner life of an 11-year-old girl named Riley, whose family's move from Minnesota to San Francisco sets off a string of events that throws her emotions into chaos, sending Joy (Amy Poehler) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) on a perilous journey through the vast expanses of Riley's psyche and leaving Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) alone at the controls.
For this Clash of the Titans, we narrowed our focus to Anger and Joy, and picked a song to sum up each side of the emotional divide — starting with "Run for Your Life" for Anger. Originally recorded for the band's 1965 Rubber Soul LP, "Run" is a hot blast of jealousy that cops a line from Elvis Presley's "Baby, Let's Play House" to warn, "I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man." John Lennon, who was the main songwriter on the track, later disavowed it — and addressed jealousy more elegantly on his solo cut "Jealous Guy" — but if it's Fab Four anger you're after, "Run for Your Life" certainly sets a mood.
On the other side, we have one of the sweetest Beatles songs: "Here Comes the Sun," written by George Harrison during the sessions that produced Abbey Road. Ironically, the tune's upbeat sentiment came out of Harrison's mounting dissatisfaction with being a Beatle in general; as he later admitted in his autobiography I, Me, Mine, he wrote it while wandering around the gardens at Eric Clapton's estate during a day off from the band, relieved over "not having to go see all those dopey accountants" who were making it "like school, where we had to go and be businessmen."
So which Beatles track gets your vote? Check out both songs below, and remember: You can vote once an hour for your favorite. This Clash of the Titans will stay open until June 28, 2015, at 11:59PM ET.
Listen to the Beatles' "Run for Your Life"
Listen to the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun"
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