Around the time of the making of the album,
The Beatles were asked what direction that they thought they were going in.
John and
Paul, jokers that they were, said that they were focusing on "
comedy songs." They were half-joking, but this album reflects that idea quite a bit. The most obvious example is on
Drive My Car and
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), which both end in an ironically
humourous kind of way.
Michelle could also fit into this category, as
Paul said that he had originally written it as only a few bars of "
joke French tune" that he played and
recited in terrible
French. And
Girl features the words "
tit tit tit tit tit..." repeated in the background of the
chorus throughout the song. And, they were clearly joking by threatening the woman's life in
Run For Your Life.
The major reason for this alleged change in direction for the group was that they felt that they were running out of things to write about. Romance songs (She Loves You, Love Me Do, P.S. I Love You, etc.) had about run their course, and they had to start thinking of new places to go. Hence, they take the romance songs to new places with Norwegian Wood and Drive My Car, by integrating new things (like George Harrison's new sitar) into the songs, and making lyrics that told a story. This was partially in an attempt to imitate Bob Dylan, but they also felt it necessary.
To me, this record represents the last record of The Beatles' early period, and was the last album to really feature songs made for the teenyboppers. Following this, on Revolver, everything changed. But here, on this album, is where it first began.