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TL;DR:

  • Steven Van Zandt said The Beatles’ “We Can Work it Out” is the best song Paul McCartney wrote.
  • He discussed the personality of some of the song’s instruments.
  • Each member of the Fab Four contributed to the track in some way.
The Beatles in suits
The Beatles | Central Press / Stringer

Steven Van Zandt is a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. He said The Beatles‘ “We Can Work It Out” is a “wonderful combination” of all members of the Fab Four. In addition, he discussed meeting Paul McCartney.

The E Street Band’s Steven Van Zandt said The Beatles saved his life

In a 2022 interview with Stereogum, Van Zandt discussed his introduction to the Fab Four. “The Beatles were the beginning of my life,” he said. “I was just drifting around searching for my identity, as one does when you’re young. I was not particularly attracted to any of the options I was offered.”

He said he wasn’t interested in sports or going to college. Then he saw The Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show and it opened up a whole new world to him. He felt The Beatles saved his life in a sense.

Why Steven Van Zandt likes The Beatles’ We Can Work It Out’ so much

Van Zandt named “We Can Work It Out” as his favorite song Paul ever wrote. “I know John worked on the bridge, and I learned from reading Paul’s lyrics book that George suggested the three-quarter waltz time in the bridge,” he said. “It’s a wonderful combination of those three guys, and of course Ringo as well.

“It’s something for me that’s sentimental as well as being a great composition,” he added. “The quality of his voice was just spectacular on a couple of songs around that time. This, ‘The Night Before,’ and ‘Another Girl.’ Maybe it was a different microphone, or whatever he’d been doing that day or night. I love those pre-synthesizer keyboards, too; they had their own personality.”

Van Zandt said one of the greatest moments of his life was when Paul came on stage with his band, Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul. He said he had to compartmentalize and just think of the cute Beatle as a fellow musician. Paul complimented Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul. Van Zandt said that was the greatest moment of his life.

How each member of the Fab Four contributed to ‘We Can Work It Out’

The 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now includes Paul’s recollections of “We Can Work It Out.” He said he wrote it as a country song before George suggested it should sound more like a German waltz. John helped Paul write the track and they completed its bridge together.

Paul did not highlight Ringo’s contributions to “We Can Work It Put.” On the other hand, Ultimate Classic Rock says Ringo contributed to the song’s rhythm and classifies the track as a group effort.

“We Can Work It Out” is a classic song and it meant something to Van Zandt.

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