Beatles News
Every closed door leaves another waiting to be opened. When The Beatles split for good in April 1970, drummer Ringo Starr was more than prepared to embark on a new musical journey. Starr may not have been part of the prolific John Lennon-Paul McCartney songwriting partnership, whose volatile yet productive collaboration yielded roughly 180 songs for the band. With only two Beatles songwriting credits (or four, if you could include his co-writes), Starr seems like the last Beatle who would pursue a solo career.
Yet, with fewer creative constraints and more time at his disposal, the "song-first" drummer learned to trust his instincts over perfection. When he followed his heart into experimenting with different genres, it led him to create one highly misunderstood song — one that, contrary to popular belief, was inspired more by frendship than by hatred.
Ringo Starr Embraced '70s Glam Rock Realness in "Back Off Boogaloo"
They say drummers aren't great songwriters, but Starr seems to enjoy proving that wrong — even if it took him some time to find his footing. Before The Beatles split in 1970, Starr wrote his first song for the band, "Don't Pass Me By," which he originally worked on around 1963-1964. It was his first, and one of the few solo compositions he contributed to the group. However, the song sat in the vault for years before finally appearing on the 1968 album, The White Album.
Source: collider.com/Dyah Ayu Larasati
The album included two hit singles, the title track and “Jet.” It went to #1 in the U.S. and the U.K. and remains McCartney’s most successful non-Beatles album.
The cover featured McCartney, his wife, Linda McCartney, and guitarist Denny Laine posing as escaped convicts alongside actors James Coburn and Christopher Lee, British boxer John Conteh, U.K. broadcasters Michael Parkinson and Clement Freud, and English entertainer Kenny Lynch.
McCartney celebrated the 50th anniversary of the album by reissuing it in February 2024.
A documentary about McCartney’s post-Beatles career, including the formation of Wings, debuted on Prime Video in February. He also looked back at his time in Wings in the book Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, which came out in November.
Source: kslx.com
Because they arrived on the scene around the same time and sported two vastly different images, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were often painted as enemies. In actuality, the two bands maintained a cordial relationship, occasionally indulging in friendly rivalry.
As a matter of fact, The Beatles provided The Stones with one of their earliest singles. But only after they first deemed that they didn’t want to put the song out there in that same way.
The frenzy that started to greet The Beatles in late 1962 in Great Britain soon enveloped The Rolling Stones when they started their recording career a year later. Whereas The Fab Four came across as polite and happy-go-lucky, The Stones put forth more of a bad-boy image.
But both enjoyed dizzying levels of success. And even when some in the press tried to imagine some sort of animosity between the two groups, they actually harbored no ill will toward each other at all. They regularly interacted in London as the beat music craze rolled through England in 1963.
One area where The Beatles enjoyed a pretty good head start on The Stones was the songwriting department. The Stones mostly relied on cover songs for their early material. Meanwhile, John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote most of the stuff for The Beatles. And, in one case, they donated a single to The Stones.
Lennon and McCartney wrote the song “I Wanna Be Your Man” for Ringo Starr to sing. Since Starr didn’t write his own material, The Beatles’ chief writers tried to make sure there was something for him to sing on each album. They planned it for their second UK album, which would be titled With The Beatles when released in late 1963.
How the song ended up in the hands of The Stones is somewhat debated. Paul McCartney remembered members of The Stones randomly driving by in a cab and picking up Lennon and him on the way to the studio. In this version of the story, Mick Jagger and company asked if the two Beatles had any songs they might want to hand over. That led to them offering “I Wanna Be Your Man”.
Other principals, including members of The Stones, remember Lennon and McCartney actively pushing the song to the band, with Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham acting as intermediary. In any case, The Stones recorded their version and released it as their second UK single in November 1963. “I Wanna Be Your Man” hit No. 12 in the UK, their first Top 20 hit.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia
Every artist has songs they can’t stand, and for The Beatles, that song was “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”. Recorded at a time when the band was already struggling, the song appears on The Beatles’ Abbey Road album. It was a bit of a pain to make, according to drummer Ringo Starr.
Starr told Rolling Stone, “It was the worst track we ever had to record. It went on for f***ing weeks. I thought it was mad.”
The year was 1969, and Lennon had been in a car crash with his wife, Yoko Ono, weeks prior. She accompanied Lennon to the studio for some of the recording, which probably didn’t help matters. McCartney, who wrote the song, also kept having new ideas throughout recording, which annoyed Beatles like George Harrison.
Harrison even admitted, “After a while we did a good job on it, but when Paul got an idea or an arrangement in his head ….”
Other Beatles expressed a similar sentiment. Lennon said he “hated it,” and that the track was done “a hundred million times.”
It took The Beatles four lengthy sessions to complete “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”. The Story Behind the Song.
Even though the recording of “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” was incredibly difficult, it’s ironic once you learn the song’s meaning. When Paul McCartney set out to write “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”, he had become interested in the works of Alfred Jarry. After hearing his play “Ubu Cocu,” McCartney was inspired. He wanted to write a song about a character (Maxwell) who also lives in Jerry’s fictitious universe.
“I don’t know, to me, the silver hammer is like a medical thing, it’s a little bit ominous,” McCartney shares in his podcast A Life In Lyrics. Apparently, Maxwell was a medical student, and his silver hammer is kind of like a reflex hammer. You know, the kind the doctor uses to check your knees. However, this hammer works a little differently. Maxwell’s hammer comes up from behind and greets its victims (Joan, the teacher, and the judge) with an unhappy fate.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Kat Caudill
The Beatles' timeless sound keeps pulling in 18-29-year-olds across North America through streaming, TikTok trends, and endless cultural pull. Here's why their catalog hits different in 2026.
The Beatles changed everything. For young fans in North America today, their music isn't just oldies—it's the blueprint for modern pop, sampled on TikTok, blasted in memes, and dominating Spotify playlists. Born in Liverpool in 1960, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr exploded onto the scene with raw energy that reshaped global culture. Decades later, their influence pulses through hip-hop beats, indie tracks, and viral challenges, making them essential for anyone scrolling streaming apps or hitting festivals.
Why does this matter now? In 2026, with algorithms pushing classics to Gen Z, The Beatles rack up billions of streams yearly. North American listeners, from LA clubs to Toronto dive bars, rediscover them via covers, remixes, and social buzz. Their story of friendship, fame, and innovation feels relatable amid today's creator economy chaos.
Why does this topic remain relevant?
Source: ad-hoc-news.de
Fifty-six years ago today, music changed forever when the most iconic rock band in history had its farewell reach No. 1 on the charts. 'Let It Be' by The Beatles topped the chart right after the band broke up forever.
The Beatles' 'Let It Be' Hit No. 1 on April 11, 1970
On March 6, 1970, The Beatles released the song 'Let It Be' as a single, roughly two months before the album of the same name came out. It didn't take long for it to become a success as it entered the chart on March 21, before going on to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 11, 1970. Following that, it would stay on top for two weeks.
'Let It Be' was the second last The Beatles song to reach the top of Billboard's main chart. 'The Long and Winding Road/For You Blue' would later hit No. 1 on June 13, 1970. Still, 'Let It Be' arguably was the band's true farewell hit because of the news that broke one day before it dominated the chart.
On April 10, 1970, The Beatles effectively came to an end, even though the public didn't know it at the time.
Paul McCartney's debut solo album, 'McCartney,' was released on April 17, 1970. While promoting it, the legendary singer, songwriter, and bassist announced he was taking a break from The Beatles one week earlier on April 10. He added that he didn't foresee the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership ever becoming active again, even though he left open the possibility that the band could continue.
Since McCartney explicitly stated he wasn't "done with The Beatles," devoted fans were left hoping the group would create more music. There is no way to know if the band ever would have reunited if John Lennon hadn't been killed a decade later, in 1980. However, there is no doubt that after McCartney made his announcement, The Beatles never recorded or performed as a full band again.
The timing of the two events is fascinating to look back on. On the day that McCartney shared his news, 'Let It Be' was only hours away from completing its climb to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Some might argue that his timing was perfect since he stepped away at a moment of triumph, ensuring that the biggest band in rock music history ended on a high note. On the other hand, the fact that The Beatles ended when they were still at the top of their game is heartbreaking. Knowing they were still capable of producing iconic songs like 'Let It Be' makes fans wonder what could have come next.
Source: Matthew Thomas/yahoo.com
Bursting with some of the most audacious - and at times challenging - songs the Beatles ever recorded, their eponymous 1968 double-album (aka, the White Album) demonstrated just how far John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr had widened the boundaries of contemporary pop.
It was also the album which most markedly revealed the distinct individuals the Beatles had grown into. Essentially creating music for the album as four (arguably three… with a floating Ringo, sorry Ringo) solo artists, the band still needed each other to serve as vital competitors. Their ideas swimming in a contentious marketplace of potential Beatle songs.
The ‘let’s record everything you’ve got in one day’ production-ethos that had been relied upon to track the bulk of the Beatles’ debut (amazingly, just five years prior in 1963) was a far cry from the overdub-laden, exploratory production techniques applied to the Beatles late-60s work.
By 1968, albums weren't just records of a beat combo's usual live set. These were now culturally significant statements.
In-keeping with the era's spirit of invention and disruption, the Beatles' new material needed to push and challenge conventions, as established by its trailblazing predecessor, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Although this double-album revealed an ever-widening gulf between these four men, it also underlined how expansive the Beatles had made their musical playground. The White Album contained tracks which cribbed from the conventions of heavy blues rock, vaudeville, reggae, pastoral folk, brain-taxing avant-garde experimentation and even drunken saloon bar piano.
Source: musicradar.com/Andy Price
A new collection of George Martin's archival manuscripts and scores offers a rare glimpse into the creative genius behind The Beatles' iconic sound.Union Today
A new book and audio collection titled 'George Martin: The Scores' is set to unveil a treasure trove of archival manuscripts and scores from the legendary producer's decades-long career, including previously unseen material from his work with The Beatles. While the inclusion of Paul McCartney's James Bond theme 'Live and Let Die' has sparked some debate, the comprehensive set promises to offer music enthusiasts a unique glimpse into the creative process behind some of the most iconic songs of all time.
Why it matters
George Martin's contributions as a producer were integral to the success of The Beatles, and this new collection provides a rare opportunity for fans to delve into the behind-the-scenes work that shaped the band's groundbreaking sound. The release also comes at a significant time, as it marks what would have been Martin's 100th birthday, making it a meaningful celebration of his enduring legacy in the music industry.
Source: nationaltoday.com
In his role as producer, Don Was has often had to play the diplomat, especially when he found himself caught in the crossfire of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. But they weren’t the only stars he had to mediate between.
In 1990, while behind the desk for Bob Dylan’s Under the Red Sky, he found himself at the center of disagreement over a guitar solo between the folk rock legend and one of his guest collaborators, George Harrison.
“I learned a lesson pretty early on,” Was says in conversation with Rock & Roll High School . What was the lesson? Well, as he puts it, it was “benign honesty.”
“George Harrison came in to overdub guitar in the song,” he explains. “I'd never met George Harrison before. The room was aglow with personality and charisma.
“And Bob, I guess, on a previous record, had only let George play an overdub one time, and then he cut him off. So, as we’re walking into the control room, George Harrison said to me, ‘Don't let him do that again. Give me a chance to play it a few times,’ which Bob overheard.”
Was plays the comment as being “jocular” and fun, rather than it coming from a place of malice. Then, without much warning, the engineer hit record. Without even hearing the song before, or having even tuned up, Harrison cut a take.
“All things considered, George played a respectable solo; he was digging his way out of not knowing what key it was in,” Was recalls.
“We get to the end, and Bob says, ‘Okay, that's great. Thank you,' [clearly eager to move on]. George Harrison turns to me, and he says, ‘Wait a minute, what do you think, Don?’ And Bob goes, ‘Yeah, what do you think, Don?’ Time slowed down.”
Source: yahoo.com/Phil Weller
The Beatles ripped up the rulebook in many ways.
One of these was that, after their first album was rushed together to cash in on their first couple of hits, they decided not to put singles on albums, or to issue album tracks as singles. The reason for this was simple: they felt it was unfair on fans to have to buy the same song twice.
They didn’t stick to the rule religiously – for example, both their movie soundtrack albums (1964's A Hard Day’s Night and Help! from the following year) feature singles, as they were put out to promote the films.
But had they wanted to, they could easily have doubled their total of number one hit singles. Here, we break down which songs they could have used – it’s hard to imagine any of them not hitting the top spot.
The Beatles themselves only really controlled what was released in their native UK. Other territories could issue their songs however they chose, so for the purposes of this article, we only focus on what was (and wasn’t) a single in their home country.
1. Twist & Shout (1963)
Most people would be forgiven for thinking that ‘Twist & Shout’ was a Beatles original, but they’d be wrong. This staple of their live show was actually a cover version of the 1962 Isley Brothers hit – itself a cover of a 1961 recording by a group called The Top Notes – produced by Phil Spector.
And although The Beatles’ UK and US record labels (Parlophone and Capitol respectively) never issued ‘Twist & Shout’ as a single, Chicago’s VeeJay label had picked up the rights to some of their 1963 recordings after Capitol had initially passed on the band. And so it did come out as a single in the US on a subsidiary of VeeJay, where it was one of five Beatles songs in the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1964.
Source: classical-music.com
