The Best Song We've Ever Made (Please Listen To It) is a 1970 single by The Rutles. It was the b-side of the massive hit single Let It Rot.
Background[]
The song was written in 1962 by Ron Nasty. He did not tell any other members he wrote it. He recorded the main with a tape recorder in his bathroom, then secretly brought it into the studio the next day. When all the other members had left the studio, Ron would record overdubs without the help of producer Archie Macaw, explaining the song's rough nature. Ron was obsessed with the song, causing him to progressively record more and more overdubs in secret over the course of the next 7 years. Ron considered it the best song he's ever written, which inspired the title.
Structure[]
The song lasts 9 minutes and 10 seconds, making it the longest Rutles song ever released. The first 3 minutes consist of Ron playing Maple Leaf Rag on his piano and singing the repeated phrase "This is the best song I've ever written". The next 2 minutes have a chorus of Ron's 20 overdubbed voices, all singing the same phrase as before. The beat speeds up and the song transitions to a music hall-inspired piece where instruments slowly get added on to each other for the remaining 5 minutes. Ron said in an interview "I had bought a bunch of kazoos, trumpets, weird instruments that I didn't know how to play. This was kind of my way of showing Macaw that they were all necessary for my art."
Release[]
The Best Song We've Ever Made (Please Listen To It) was released on the b-side of Let It Rot in 1970. The b-side was originally meant to be Momma Bee, but Ron switched out the tapes and artwork in secret, the day before the singles were pressed. Critics originally bashed the song, but it has grown to be a cult classic among fans.
Personnel[]
Ron Nasty - Lead vocals, piano, backup vocals, lead drums, backup drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, kazoo, trombone, trumpets, xylophone, violin, cello, slide whistle, production, engineering