John Lennon openly acknowledged his musical debts to idols such as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan, and one riff he came up with proved so compelling that he wanted to use it across an entire album. While writing The Beatles' 1964 single "I Feel Fine", Lennon based its guitar riff on the rhythm of Bobby Parker's blues track "Watch Your Step", and became so enamoured with the groove that he tried to work it into every song on the record.

His bandmates, however, resisted the idea, so it was agreed that Lennon would instead write one standalone song built entirely around the riff, resulting in "I Feel Fine". The track marked one of Lennon's more technically ambitious efforts, combining a tricky riff with layered vocal harmonies, and is held up as evidence that he was a far more accomplished musician and songwriter than his reputation as a "rhythm guitarist" sometimes suggests.