Beatles News
George Harrison was excited about a song he brought to John Lennon and Paul McCartney. They barely paid attention to it, though.
In The Beatles, one of George Harrison’s biggest problems was the way John Lennon and Paul McCartney treated his songwriting. They had been the primary songwriters for the first half of the 1960s. When Harrison started contributing more songs, they seemed to view it as more of an intrusion than an opportunity for growth. According to Harrison, they hardly paid any attention to what would become one of his best-known songs. George Harrison said John Lennon and Paul McCartney didn’t take 1 song seriously
While Harrison was at his parents’ home, he began using books to write a song.
“I decided to write a song based on the first thing I saw upon opening any book — as it would be relative to that moment, at that time,” Harrison said in The Beatles Anthology. “I picked up a book at random, opened it, saw ‘gently weeps’, then laid the book down again and started the song.”
The resulting song was “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” It would go on to become one of his best-known songs, but Lennon and McCartney hardly paid it any mind at the time.
“We tried to record it, but Paul and John were so used to just cranking out their tunes that it was very difficult at times to get serious and record one of mine,” Harrison said. “It wasn’t happening. They weren’t taking it seriously and I don’t think they were even all playing on it, and so I went home that night thinking, ‘Well, that’s a shame,’ because I knew the song was pretty good.”
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
Fans of The Beatles are in for a treat thanks to Paul McCartney, who says never-before-seen lyrics written by the iconic group are on the way.
On Monday, the former Beatles star, 79, announced the dozens of songs that will be featured in his upcoming "self-portrait" book, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present.
The book — which was first announced in February — will "recount his life and art through the prism of 154 songs from all stages of his career," highlighting 154 songs by The Beatles, Wings, and his lengthy solo career. Notable songs included are "Blackbird," "Live and Let Die," "Hey Jude," "Band On The Run," and "Yesterday."
According to McCartney's official site, the book will reveal previously unreleased lyrics from an unrecorded song by The Beatles, "Tell Me Who He Is." Fans will also get a glimpse at decades-old handwritten lyrics and photographs from McCartney's personal archive.
Source: Vanessa Etienne/ca.movies.yahoo.com
Legendary music producer Sir George Martin, often referred to as the “fifth Beatle,” passed away at age 90.
With a career that spanned more than six decades, Martin produced all but one of The Beatles’ albums, including 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which became the first rock album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Martin won six Grammys throughout his career and had 23 #1 singles in the U.S. In addition to The Beatles, he produced works by such artists as Elton John, Jeff Beck, Kenny Rogers, Cheap Trick and others.
Among his many honors, Martin was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and received a knighthood in 1996.
Martin’s son, Giles Martin, has continued to work with The Beatles, and recently produced their final song, “Now and Then,” which uses vocals Lennon recorded on a demo in the late ’70s, along with guitar the late George Harrison recorded in the mid-’90s, and new recordings from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
The tune debuted at #1 in the U.K. and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Source: kshe95.com
Paul McCartney is one of the most successful songwriters in history. He’s penned almost too many major smash singles to count, and those who have listened to them may begin to notice some similarities between them. In a new interview, the former Beatle admitted that some of his tunes may follow a blueprint he likes to use—or at least one he leaned on early in his career.
“There was a certain formula,” McCartney admitted, up front, when talking about the composition of some of his earliest hits. The rocker clarified what he meant by adding, “the pronoun I, you, me, him, her, my, she…”
McCartney has been known to use—or some might say overuse—pronouns in a certain way in his work. But while some may call that formulaic, he explained that there was a reason behind this decision...and it wasn’t because it was what he and his collaborators were used to, or even that they were simply lazy.
“Because we wanted to contact the fans, there were songs to contact the people with,” McCartney shared when talking about whether or not he felt that his songs were formulaic at the time they were written. He’s referring to many of his Beatles-era cuts, especially some of the earliest examples of their globe-dominating smashes.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
The Beatles‘ “I Will” is a relatively simple song, but it is nonetheless impactful. Paul McCartney has penned many stellar love songs across his career, but this has to be one of his most touching. Check out the meaning behind this song, below.
McCartney has made it clear across his career that he is partial to a silly love song. He enjoys the sappy, sincere sides of music. “I Will” is one of many examples of this affinity.
“There’s a theory that the most interesting love songs are ones about love gone wrong,” McCartney wrote in his book, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present. “I don’t subscribe to it. This is a song about the joy of love…Love might be the mightiest, strongest force on the planet.”
Who knows how long I’ve loved you
You know I love you still
Will I wait a lonely lifetime
If you want me to, I will
McCartney was in a relationship with Jane Asher at the time he wrote this track. While in India together, McCartney made use of a melody he had in his back pocket, writing new lyrics that painted a picture of enduring love. Folk icon Donovan helped him pen the first rough draft of the verses, but ultimately McCartney found them too simple.
Despite being connected to Asher, McCartney delivered the caveat: “Just because I was involved with Jane at the time doesn’t mean this song is addressed to, or about, Jane. It’s a declaration of love, yes, but not always to someone specific.”
Source: Alex Hopper/americansongwriter.com
There’s no doubt Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison had huge success as The Beatles, but their careers certainly didn’t end once the band broke up in 1970.
All four members went on to have successful solo careers, and now Rolling Stone is taking a deep dive into their solo material with its just-released list of the 100 best Beatles solo songs.
The list is compiled by music journalist Rob Sheffield, who knows a thing or two about The Beatles, having written the 2017 book Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World. In a post on social media he said compiling the list was a “true labor of love.”
Topping the list is McCartney’s 1970 classic “Maybe I’m Amazed,” which he wrote for wife Linda McCartney. Sheffield writes that McCartney “wrote his most soulful, passionate, unforgettable love song for Linda, in the aftermath of The Beatles break-up,” adding the tune “captures the moment when their romance was just beginning.”
Source: ABC News/everettpost.com
Unseen colour footage of The Beatles from 1964 shows the backstage footage of the band’s performances.
The reel of 8mm film, which has no sound, shows the legendary musicians performing on Ready Steady Go! and the Around The Beatles television special.
None of the 18 minutes of footage has been previously released or published, auction house Omega Auctions said.
The film belonged to Teddy Fader, who worked as a lighting supervisor for ITV production company Associated-Rediffusion.
A letter transferring copyright from Mr Fader will be provided to the winning bidder.
It will be auctioned on 26 March.
Source: Holly Patrick/independent.co.uk
The Beatles were more than just John Lennon or Paul McCartney. Despite this, some people like arguing some members of the group weren't integral to its success.
The Beatles were more than just John Lennon or Paul McCartney. Despite this, some people like arguing some members of the group weren’t integral to its success. Some of The Beatles even went there. Paul’s comments on the matter almost seem to contradict John’s.
Paul McCartney felt people exaggerated John Lennon’s contributions.
A 1989 article from the Los Angeles Times quotes what Paul said in a pamphlet handed out at his concerts. “The thing I find myself doing — which is a pity really, but it’s just because of the unfortunate circumstances — is trying to justify myself against John, and I hate to do that,” he said. “There are certain people who are starting to think he was The Beatles.”
“There was nobody else,” the pamphlet continued. “George just stood there with a plectrum waiting for a solo. Now that is not true. George did a hell of a lot more than sit waiting for a solo. John would be the first to tell you that. You can’t blame people for feeling that way because it was a hell of a tragedy.” The fact that Paul wanted his audience to read these words shows you how much he felt like he and his bandmates weren’t receiving proper credit.
Paul McCartney felt this subject was ‘awkward’
Paul elaborated on his comments in the pamphlet. “It’s just very awkward talking about this because of what happened to John,” he said. “John is our dead mate and it’s unseemly to try to justify what the rest of us did in the band. But, of course, there are times when you read about how The Beatles was John and these other three guys just sort of stood around.” Even though Paul was one of the biggest celebrities on earth, he felt like the public had a low opinion of him.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
George Martin liked the creative freedom The Beatles expressed on 'Sgt. Pepper.' He thought they took it too far on a later album.
Beatles producer George Martin worked with the band extensively on each of their albums. He got to know the band and their working style well as they grew as artists. While he was typically happy to see their growth, he said they began taking too many creative liberties beginning with one album. He shared why this became a problem for the group. George Martin said The Beatles lost focus on one album
In 1967, The Beatles pushed the limits of what was possible with an album when they released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. They continued to push boundaries with their later albums, which Martin viewed as a problem.
“During Magical Mystery Tour I became conscious that the freedom that we’d achieved in Pepper was getting a little bit over the top, and they weren’t really exerting enough mental discipline in a lot of the recordings,” Martin said in The Beatles Anthology. “They would have a basic idea and then they would have a jam session to end it, which sometimes didn’t sound too good.”
Martin believed this problem bled over into the making of The White Album. He thought the band had too many ideas and was unwilling to try to make the album more cohesive.
“I complained a little about their writing during the later ‘White’ album, but it was fairly small criticism,” he said. “I thought we should probably have made a very, very good single album rather than a double. But they insisted. I think it could have been made fantastically good if it had been compressed a bit and condensed.”
John Lennon said he felt resentful of the same Beatles album
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
“Peace and love” rocker Ringo Starr, 83, is a model of health for men of all ages, having lived a sober lifestyle for 34 years now, along with being vegetarian for around the same time. While many people believe in a life of moderation with an occasional splurge, and there’s nothing wrong with that, the Beatles icon definitely appears to be doing something right, therefore his health habits are worth highlighting.
“I watch what I eat. I’ve been vegetarian for the last 25 years,” Starr told The San Diego Union-Tribune in an earlier interview last May. “I think it’s important and I’m always promoting proper eating.”
The legendary drummer is also serious about his fitness. “I go to the gym. I have a trainer who comes to my home three times a week. And I (work out) myself. On tour, usually I go at least four mornings a week to the gym. So, I think you’ve just got to keep moving and eating right. I do the best I can.”
Though the English musician said his former lifestyle was made up of Coca-Cola bottles in his pocket “loaded with cognac,” it’s evident Starr has been intent on reversing any damage from his younger years.
Starr also suffered health issues earlier in life, as his appendix burst when he was 6, then in his teens, the Liverpool native contracted tuberculosis, a disease caused by bacteria that affect the lungs. Starr spent two years in a hospital, which is where he really started getting into music and his love for drumming began.
Source: Marisa Sullivan/survivornet.com
