Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift: Sweet Home Quarantine Week 6-The Beatles

The Beatles in Magical Mystery Tour, 1967.

The 6^th installment of Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift’s at-home concert series, titled “Sweet Home Quarantine,” was an all-Beatles show. It aired on April 22, 2020. Robyn and Emma’s shows can be viewed through the Stageit website. Hitchcock has always been an acolyte of the Fab Four’s psychedelic years, and it was a pleasure to hear him examine their back catalogue. Lest you think that it was all “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and Lennonesque surrealism, the setlist had a few surprises in store.

Robyn and Emma opened with “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” which I certainly wasn’t expecting. It was delightful, and it segued into the second song, the always lovely “Dear Prudence,” a nice match for Hitchcock’s guitar playing and voice. I wasn’t expecting Robyn to play anything pre-Rubber Soul, but he threw in “She Loves You,” which sounded fab and gear. Emma then got her solo turn for a beautiful take on George Harrison’s “Something.” The more I hear Robyn and Emma sing together, the more I’m hoping for a duets album, or a solo Emma Swift album. Or both! 

Robyn did a lovely version of another Paul song, “Things We Said Today,” one of those album tracks that would have been a hit single for a lesser band. Next up was another George song, “Old Brown Shoe,” another one of those hidden Beatle gems. Robyn and Emma sang a lovely version of John’s “Across the Universe,” and then Robyn threw us all a real curveball when he and Emma sang “Band on the Run.” What, Robyn Hitchcock singing Wings? But it worked very well. They also sang another post-Beatles tune, “Photograph,” a big hit for Ringo that he co-wrote with George. Robyn and Emma did “A Day in the Life,” which worked surprising well, even without the orchestral climaxes. I’m so used to hearing “A Day in the Life” end with the big crescendo and that final crashing chord that it was jarring to just hear it suddenly end with Robyn and Emma singing “I’d love to turn you on.” The show closed with “The Ballad of John and Yoko.” It was 50 minutes of excellent music and groovy times.