We Love Handclaps: "Birthday" by the Beatles

Illustration from John Gould's A Monograph of the Trochilidae, 1849

One of the things I plan to do with this sure-to-be-epic "We Love Handclaps" series is look at the different varieties of handclaps that have made their way into pop music. Double-time handclaps (aka flamenco handclaps) are a particular favorite of mine, and one of the best uses of them ever is in the Beatles' "Birthday" from The White Album. "Birthday" is an interesting song, one of several on The White Album featuring Paul McCartney writing in a hard-rock style and singing in his tough-guy voice, which he had done little of since early Beatles songs like "I'm Down". The song also features a brief section sung by John Lennon after the first verse, somewhat like a bridge but appearing very early and not repeated. This section features flamenco handclaps, as well as increasingly layered vocals, and a drum part that builds in intensity as well.

The result is a tension-building that pushes the song to a higher energy level for its second section - it's quite effective, and the key is those double-time handclaps (produced by the Beatles with Yoko Ono, Pattie Harrison, and Mal Evans). The clapping reprises itself toward the end of the song in a more traditional form, bringing everything together nicely. For a long time, I had trouble really appreciating "Birthday" - like I do with Christmas songs, I automatically filed it under "novelties" in my mind and didn't give it much more thought. It was those flamenco handclaps that eventually brought me around to liking the song quite a bit, although I understand it isn't universally loved. For instance, in 1970 Lennon called the song "a piece of garbage."

"Birthday" by the Beatles