The title is deceiving. A lot of the songs on the album share a happy vibe, but it’s the story that brings it down. We’ve already experienced the Beatles on the verge of breaking up during the Get Back sessions, and it’s present here once again. You’re hearing what is a final farewell from the Fab Four. And it shows, because the second side of the album ends with what I consider one of the, if not the, best endings in Beatles history. When the medley comes on, it starts rather calmly and at ease. That is until we get to “Polythene Pam” and “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window.” It starts to feel rushed, and I don’t blame them. You could interpret it as them wanting to end it. They don’t want to drag it out anymore and want to quit. The rushed feel lets you know it’s going to end, but not before it takes us back to a calmer tone. “Golden Slumbers” and “Carry That Weight” both feel like them comforting us before it all ends. They let us know it’s going to be alright, even if it is the end. Which is a fantastically well-communicated message, even if you don’t link it to the Beatles’ end. Which brings us to the end: the final song on the album. “The End” is a perfect celebration of the Beatles as a band. Which is something we should do more often: celebrate an ending. After listening to Abbey Road, you’ve celebrated the end of the Beatles. The first part of the album is better musically, but not conceptually. This is George’s best work during his time in the Beatles and might have just given him the boost he needed to get the best solo career out of all four. “Here Comes the Sun” is one of the best Beatles songs ever written, and “Something” is not only one of the best Beatles songs; it’s one of the best love songs. George Harrison is an incredible songwriter. He was just in a band with even better songwriters. You can point at me, laugh at me, or shoot me in the head, but I believe “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” and “Oh! Darling” are two of the greatest Paul songs. While “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” might be a hot take, there is an overall love for “Oh! Darling” and Paul’s vocals on the track. And I absolutely agree. There was a little bit of bluesiness from the Get Back sessions left, and it paid off. The song feels like a love song, because it is one, but it feels like the 50th. It feels like Paul has been writing these love songs for a decade now and still hasn’t got the girl. He’s aching, exhausted, down on his knees, and still cries out to her. The rhythmically staccato guitar enhances this feeling by imitating a clock ticking as he wastes more time on this girl. The small, shy augmented chord the piano plays on the break feels like the girl giving a single glance, which empowers Paul to keep singing. Paul McCartney might have written too many, but he is the best at love songs. I’ve always had the feeling John was absent on Abbey Road. Maybe because he had already made up his mind about leaving. He opens the album with “Come Together,” which is funny because the Beatles were falling apart. While I enjoy the song, it never really appealed to me as an opener. It never compared to “Magical Mystery Tour,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Taxman,” or “Drive My Car.” “Because,” another John track, shows beauty in aching out of love. The Fab Four show us again how good their harmonies can sound. And the chords Lennon wrote sound, as mentioned before, achingly beautiful. This beauty in aching contrasts lovely with “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” This is pain. Pain of having the girl and still wanting more of her. It’s suffering while in love, and it’s a beautiful concept not explored enough in music. It isn’t exactly greed, nor is it gluttony. It’s hard to describe, yet I know exactly what it means. John Lennon was absent on the album, but he definitely left his mark nonetheless. There’s only one Beatle left, and I have to say, “Octopus’s Garden” is perfectly rated. It’s a good song, not as good as the others, but it serves as a nice break from the aching and pain John and Paul are giving us. It fits neatly in between “Oh! Darling” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” The whole song kind of makes me feel like Ringo was the child of a divorce. The Beatles’ divorce, I mean. He wants to hide away, back to the time of the Yellow Submarine. Which brings us back to the sad part of the album: the Beatles’ end. Ringo didn’t do it a lot, but he brought us joy with every one of his songs.