"Every Little Thing"

Because yester-day was the 40th anniversary of Elvis' death, I've been listening to his music lately.  This evening I learned the chords and about half of the solo for "That's All Right," and I discovered a feature that I think might have influenced the Beatles.

I referenced the version of "That's All Right" that the Beatles did on the BBC (slightly retitled to "That's All Right (Mama)") and found that they performed the song in the same key that Elvis did:  A major.  In both Elvis' version and the Beatles' cover, the beginning of the solo alternates between a diatonic ascent starting on a low E and phrases higher up on the guitar neck.  In tablature, this ascending phrase is:

E|-0-2-4-5-

As a phrase, I don't think this is that distinctive; however, "Every Little Thing" from Beatles for Sale structures it the same way: the beginning of the solo alternates between this phrase and phrases higher up on the guitar neck (although I think the phrases are played on two separate instruments).

I checkt the chronology, and the Beatles' cover of "That's All Right" does precede "Every Little Thing."  According to the liner notes of Live at the BBC, it was recorded 2 July 1963 and transmitted 16 July 1963.  According to Mark Lewisohn's The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, "Every Little Thing" was recorded in late September 1964.

It seems relevant to note that the Beatles' cover of "That's All Right" also includes this phrase in the bass part.  Their version starts with that phrase where Elvis' version begins simply with guitar strumming.

"Lucille"

I listened to the first disc of Live at the BBC to-day.  Introducing "Lucille," Brian Matthew - the presenter - says, "The Beatles, with Paul McCartney paying tribute to the Everlys with 'Lucille.'"  It struck me as a bit odd that it's the Everly Brothers' version of "Lucille" that's mentioned.  On the second disc of Live at the BBC, the Beatles do perform the Everlys' "So How Come (No One Loves Me)," but it seems to me that Little Richard, who did the original version of "Lucille," was a greater influence.  The Beatles covered a number of his songs:  "Ooh! My Soul" on the BBC (which is also on Live at the BBC), "Long Tall Sally" (with a instrumental quotation of "The Girl Can't Help It") on the Long Tall Sally EP, and "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey" on Beatles for Sale.

I compared four recordings of "Lucille":  Little Richard's original, the Everly Brothers' cover, and two versions that the Beatles did on the BBC (one on Live at the BBC and the other on On Air - Live at the BBC, Vol. 2).  Little Richard's is in C major, as are the two versions by the Beatles, but the Everlys' is in G major.  As far as the key goes, it does seem like their version of "Lucille" is based more on Little Richard's than the Everlys'.