In this song, Paul McCartney plays the role of a poor sap wallowing in his misery. But the joke is on him, which the arrangement and backing vocals make clear. When he sings, "I'm down," John Lennon and George Harrison retort in mocking fashion, with lines like "down on the ground." It's as if they've heard too much of his bellyaching and they're sick of it. A telling line is, "How can you laugh when you know I'm down?" You can only have so much sympathy for someone who won't help himself. After that, you have to laugh.
Paul McCartney wrote this in the style of Little Richard. American R&B singers like Richard were a big influence on The Beatles.
John Lennon played the Hammond organ on this track. It was the first time Lennon played any kind of keyboard on a record. When The Beatles played this live, he often played an electric piano instead.
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