Beatles News
“We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it." – this is how John Lennon, one of the foremost musicians of the 20th century, described the aspect of love.
As Valentine’s Day celebrates love, grand gestures, today’s quote by John Lennon shifts the focus to something deeper — effort. In 'The Beatles' founder's words, love is a gift, but also like a “precious plant” that needs constant care and nurturing.
What Lennon's quote means? Lennon’s quote reminds us that love is a living element – not an object – something that does not survive on autopilot mode.
Through his analogy, John Lennon compares love to a ‘precious plant’. In doing so, Lennon strips away the fantasy often attached to romance. A plant does not thrive on admiration alone – it needs watering, sunlight and regular care. If neglected, it withers. Love works the same way.
The quote suggests that love is not self-sustaining. It asks for emotional presence, patience and care. Relationships rarely collapse in a single dramatic moment – more often, they weaken gradually when attention fades and effort becomes occasional. People assume love will “get on by itself.” But Lennon argues otherwise.
In his words, love is not just a feeling — it is a responsibility. It must be nurtured through communication, kindness, forgiveness and time.
On the occasion of Valentine’s Day – which is celebrated on 14 February every year – Lennon's message feels especially relevant: the celebration is meaningful only if backed by everyday effort. John Lennon's philosophy about love
Lennon often spoke openly about love. As the founder of The Beatles, who later continued as a solo artist – love was a recurring theme in John Lennon's music as well as interviews. Songs like ‘All You Need Is Love’ reflected his belief in love as a transformative force.
About John Lennon
Although he lived a relatively short life, John Lennon gave the world timeless music. One of the foremost musicians of 20th century, Lennon redefined pop and rock music with his band The Beatles.
In the mid-1950s, Lennon formed his first band, The Quarrymen (after Quarry Bank High School, which he attended) who, with the addition of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, later became The Beatles.
Lennon was married twice – first to Cynthia Lennon, and then he married Yoko Ono in 1969 – with whom he remained until his death in 1980. On December 8, 1980 , John Len non was shot by a former fan who was enraged by the musician's "more popular than Jesus" comment and his perceived “lavish lifestyle”.
Over four decades have passed since Lennon died, but his words of wisdom still inspire people all over the world.
Source: Sudeshna Ghoshal/livemint.com
The Forgotten Song Paul McCartney Wishes Was His. Unlike many of his peers, McCartney has never been a musician who kept his compliments to himself. He’s always been generous with his words about his fellow musicians and their work.
In one conversation, McCartney nodded to several songs he wished he had a part in. “There’s always a couple that I hear that I think I’d have liked [to have written,” McCartney pondered. “I liked Sting’s ‘Fields Of Gold,’ and I thought: ‘Y’know what, I should have written that’…How dare he? I told him: ‘You stole my song.’ I thought that was a nice one, y’know?”
While he mentioned several songs, there was one he put an importance on from the ’20s.
“I don’t really want to have written anyone else’s songs, but, as a fantasy question, I love ‘Stardust’ by Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish,” McCartney once said. “It’s a beautiful song.”
When thinking of songs McCartney could be envious of, the mind immediately goes to a blues number, given the Beatles’ affinity for that genre. However, McCartney’s sound has always been diverse, so it stands to reason his listening habits would be the same.
“Stardust”
“Stardust” is a jazz standard that has been recorded and performed countless times. But the most enduring rendition comes from Nat King Cole in 1957. Sometimes I wonder why I spend / The lonely night dreaming of a song / The melody haunts my reverie / And I am once again with you, the lyrics to this timeless love song read.
McCartney did get to arrange a version of this song for Ringo Starr’s debut solo album, Sentimental Journey. McCartney’s love for this standard is plain to see, as evidenced by the stunning version he gave to his former bandmate.
Source: Alex Hopper/americansongwriter.com
The 33-year-old Irish actor, who portrays Ringo Starr in a four-part Beatles film series, has acquired an Alsatian for personal protection. Keoghan has spoken about dealing with intense public attention, especially following his breakup with American pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter, 26. Social media clips show him engaging Duke with a blue chew toy.
A trainer from Lawless K9 shared, "During a recent visit, we got to get some great bonding in with Barry and Duke, and they got the opportunity to work together, which was really nice to see. Barry naturally picked it up fast. "Plenty more to come from Duke, lots of training and development.
He has been nurtured and trained by us to make sure he is a well-rounded dog, and his protection training is done correctly over time and not forced.", reports the Irish Mirror.
Keoghan, known for his role in the thriller Saltburn and a Bafta winner for The Banshees of Inisherin, recently flaunted the mop-top hairstyle he's sporting to play Ringo at a red carpet event.
All four Beatles films, each spotlighting a different band member, are set to be released simultaneously in 2028. Paul Mescal will portray Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, and Joseph Quinn will take on the role of George Harrison.
Source: Saskia Rowlands, Ayaan Ali/irishstar.com
It's not at all easy to choose favorites, as there are just so many to choose from. What makes it a bit simpler would be the albums Band on the Run and Venus and Mars, which in this writer's opinion are McCartney's post-Beatles masterpieces. Material from those two records take up the majority of this list, but it's still difficult to pin down which of those tracks to put here. "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" is a lovely anthem that also serves as an intricate and unpredictable callback to "Jet" (which is great in itself). "Rock Show" is fun, but also has a terrific mini-jam at the end that's driven by a piano riff worthy of the gods. There are also more easy-going songs like "Listen to What the Man Said" and "Bluebird," but anyone can choose their favorites and not be wrong. Ranked by complexity, cohesion, and catchiness, here are McCartney's ten best post-Beatles songs.
10 "Mrs. Vanderbilt"
'Band on the Run' (1973)
The bassline in "Mrs. Vanderbilt" is just as exciting as the acoustic guitar; together they create an excellent foundation for a song that is relatively simple in structure and avoids being over-produced. McCartney's playfully hurried vocals in the first verse are the perfect start to the song. Interestingly, that unique delivery isn't repeated in any other part of the song, yet the transition to the normal melody doesn't feel jarring whatsoever.
9 "Spirits of Ancient Egypt"
'Venus and Mars' (1975)
Transitioning out of "Venus and Mars (Reprise)" is a song that proves you can fit a surprising amount of material into a tight three minutes. It's a little number called "Spirits of Ancient Egypt," and it's one of the best examples of this album rocking as hard as any other exemplary record of its time. The song begins softly, priming us for something that's going to get heavy soon. When the whole band picks things up, we know we're on for another fun ride.
This is another killer bassline, not to mention how Wings could have such memorable main vocals without them even being sung by McCartney. Though it's hard to describe why, it just feels like the right call to have Denny Laine sing lead in the verse. The former Beatle's voice does feature prominently in the chorus, however, which offers a nice brief suspension from the hustle and bustle of the verse. Venus and Mars is just one banger after another, and "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" ranks among the best of them.
Source: J.S. Gornael/collider.com
The world is extremely familiar with the Fab Four–four musicians from Liverpool formally known as the Beatles, who emerged in the 1960s and changed the course of rock ‘n’ roll forever with their innovative songwriting, varied discography, and hit-after-hit reputation. The Beatles set the standard for every artist who followed in their footsteps, which is why the upcoming biopics must showcase the group’s legacy with the utmost respect – but is Hollywood up for the job?
Sam Mendes, the director of Hamnet (2025), 1917 (2019), and American Beauty (1999), is set to direct a series of four separate Beatles films to be released in April 2028. The cinema extravaganza will retell the band’s compelling history, with each film dedicated to the unique perspective of each member. This past January, the first pictures from the biopics were released to the public, showing the cast’s “transformation” into the iconic rock stars.
Casting was announced back in March 2025, featuring Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and none other than Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. Well-known actors Mia McKenna-Bruce, Saoirse Ronan, Anna Sawai, and Aimee Lou Wood have also been confirmed to star as the spouses of The Beatles. Even so, it is not the female cast that fans are critiquing.
Looking back, the eternal rock band is no stranger to the world of film and TV. The Beatles have been featured in countless documentaries and biopics; they’ve even been parodied in several movies. The film Nowhere Boy (2009), starring Aaron-Taylor Johnson as John Lennon, zoomed in on Lennon’s hardships during young adulthood and the formation of the band that would remain relevant decades later. In 2021, the documentary The Beatles: Get Back (2021) premiered on Disney+, displaying real-time footage of the band throughout the making of their last record. Even with the recognition they garnered over the years, no one had ventured to create a proper biopic for the Fab Four—similar to Bohemian Rhapsody or A Complete Unknown—until now.
Source: Strike Tallahassee
The announcement that Farhan Akhtar will play Ravi Shankar comes with an image most people already recognise: Shankar on stage at The Concert for Bangladesh, quietly changing the rules of what popular music could be used for. That moment in 1971, when George Harrison helped organise the first major charity concert in rock history at Shankar’s urging, was not a late-career footnote. It was the culmination of an influence that had begun years earlier, when a sitar entered the Beatles’ world and refused to behave like a pop instrument.Ravi Shankar did not merely lend the Beatles a sound. He introduced them to discipline, to seriousness, and to the idea that music could carry moral weight without becoming spectacle. The sitar was not a prop
When the sitar entered Beatles music, it was immediately treated in the West as a symbol. But to Ravi Shankar, it was never symbolic. It was a demanding classical instrument rooted in lineage, years of apprenticeship, and a relationship between teacher and student that left no room for shortcuts.That difference in attitude created an early tension. Shankar would later say of the first sitar-heavy Beatles track, “I was very shocked. I didn’t like it at all.” He added, with characteristic bluntness, that it sounded “so terrible” to him.
The honesty matters. This was not a guru indulging a pop experiment. It was a classical musician refusing to flatter fame.What changed his mind was not the sound, but the sincerity behind it.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
It appears likely that 2026 will be a busy year for Paul McCartney, who may tour again as well as release a new album for the first time in years.
During a Q&A following a screening of the new Prime Video documentary, Man on the Run, in New Orleans, Louisiana, McCartney's longtime manager, Scott Rodger, provided updates on the former Beatles member (via Calico Skies Radio).
According to Rodger, McCartney is planning on touring later in the year. While the full list of countries he will visit was not revealed, Rodger said he would visit Japan. If this is true, this will mark McCartney's first concerts in Japan since the 2018 leg of the Freshen Up Tour.
Additionally, Rodger mentioned that McCartney's next album is complete. What's holding it up from being released is the cover artwork. It sounds like McCartney is taking his time organizing it.
When will Paul McCartney tour in 2026?
If McCartney tours in 2026, it will likely occur late in the year. Over the last two years, McCartney has only performed from September to December. The 2022 leg of the Got Back Tour did start in the spring, but it may be too close to announce spring tour dates.
In 2025, he announced his 2025 slate of shows in July. The tour began on Sept. 29, 2025, with a show in Palm Desert, California. He similarly began teasing his 2024 leg of shows in June 2024.
All of this to say — expect McCartney to begin teasing his next tour over the next couple of months. It's unclear if McCartney intends to continue the Got Back Tour, which began in 2022. With a new album on the way, is it possible he begins a new tour in support of his next album?
It's also unknown when his new album will come out. His last proper studio album, McCartney III, was released on Dec. 18, 2020. It has been a half-decade since his last album, so fans are eagerly awaiting his next one.
Source: Andrew Korpan/clutchpoints.com
Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best as The Beatles' drummer in 1962. Rumors cited jealousy, but Lennon insisted Best was fired for poor drumming. Best's popularity with female fans fueled speculation about his departure.
Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing drums for The Beatles except for Ringo Starr.
While Starr may not have been in the band’s original lineup when the group was first starting off, he nevertheless lived up to his position within the Fab Four, pairing remarkable well to the musical talents of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
Yet to this day, most music fans can’t help but wonder what history might have been like if Starr’s predecessor, Pete Best, had remained in The Beatles as the group achieved increasing popularity the world over.
Among the founding members of The Beatles, Best served as the band’s drummer from 1960 to 1962. Though a decent enough performer, Best’s fellow bandmates apparently viewed Best’s abilities as a drummer with indifference, believing he lacked the proper talent to be a member of The Beatles.
Over the years, many hypothesized that The Beatles’ firing of Best owed largely due to his female fanbase, with some claiming Paul McCartney was “jealous” of Best’s natural good lucks and remarkable connection to their audiences.
“Pete had been an extremely popular Beatle, despite his ex-band mates’ misgivings about his drumming ability and his personality,” Starr recalled in Ringo: With a Little Help (via Far Out Magazine). “The group’s female fans, in particular, dug Pete’s brooding good looks.”
Source: Richard Chachowski/parade.com
Director Sam Mendes is rounding out the call sheet for “The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event,” his upcoming cinematic extravaganza about the wildly popular British band.
“Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” star Farhan Akhtar will portray influential Indian composer Ravi Shankar, “Bohemian Rhapsody” actor Lucy Boynton is joining as British actress and girlfriend of Paul McCartney Jane Asher, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” breakout Morfydd Clark will play John Lennon’s first wife Cynthia Lennon, and “Industry’s” Harry Lawtey has been cast as the band’s original bass guitarist Stuart Sutcliffe. They’ll star alongside Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harrison Dickinson as John Lennon, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison in “The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event.”
As the title suggests, Mendes is making four separate movies — one from each Beatles member’s point of view — that will intersect to capture the band’s improbable journey from Liverpool to the center of global culture, leading to their 1970 breakup. This marks the first time that Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film. All four installments will debut on the big screen in April 2028.
As previously announced, Saoirse Ronan, Anna Sawai, Aimee Lou Wood and Mia McKenna-Bruce are playing Linda McCartney, Yoko Ono, Pattie Boyd and Maureen Starkey, respectively. Meanwhile, James Norton will play the band’s influential manager Brian Epstein and Harry Lloyd will portray the legendary producer George Martin.
Source:Rebecca Rubin/variety.com
The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, born Richard Starkey, married hairdresser Maureen Cox at Caxton Hall in London.
Beatles manager Brian Epstein served as Ringo’s best man, with John Lennon and George Harrison both acting as witnesses.
The couple had three children, future drummer Zak Starkey, born in 1965, Jason Starkey, born in 1967, and Lee Starkey, born in 1970.
The couple divorced in 1975. Cox died from leukemia in December of 1994.
Cox will be portrayed by British actress Mia McKenna-Bruce in Sam Mendes’ four Beatles films, The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event, which will hit theaters in April 2028. Starr will be played by Barry Keoghan.
In April 1981, Starr married actress Barbara Bach, who he met on the set of the film Caveman. They are still married to this day.
Source: Jill Lances/1430wcmy.com
