'I'm So Tired,' The Beatles: I Freakin' Love This Song

Posted on Oct 6th 2010 6:30PM by Pat Pemberton
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Andrew Maclear, Redferns / Getty Images

'I'm So Tired,' The Beatles
From 1968's 'The Beatles' (The White Album)

I'm ashamed to admit that I fell for the Beatles during the 'Twist and Shout' scene in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off.' Not that I didn't love the movie -- I'm just embarrassed I wasn't into the Beatles sooner.

I blame my parents, who simply didn't get the world's greatest band. Dad never made it past the Everly Brothers, and Mom went into a musical fugue until the Bee Gees, then checked out of new music for good when New Wave arrived.

So the movie inspired me to buy the rereleased 'Twist and Shout' single. That fall, my first semester in college, I used what was left of my college loan money to buy more Beatles music – first, greatest hits, then the real stuff.

Critics said the songs on the White Album sounded like a bunch of solo records, but I always thought it showed the maturing Beatles branching out as individuals. 'I'm So Tired,' in particular, expresses John Lennon's unique, defiant character.

During the band's soiree to India, Lennon was free of drugs but suddenly afflicted with insomnia. In this raw tune, Lennon expresses his desire for shut-eye and, more subtly, skepticism about the supposed guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. His building frustration in the bridge is palpable. And when yells, "I'm going insane!" you're convinced -- this guy really needs some effing sleep! Those "solo" critics should listen to Paul McCartney's loose harmonies and Ringo's stumbling drums, which add brilliantly to the heightening chaos.

While 'Twist and Shout' reflected an ambitious Lennon excited to reach the top, 'I'm So Tired' reflects a harried Lennon on the brink of something else.