Beatles News
George Harrison’s songwriting abilities were limited in his time with The Beatles. The primary reason was that John Lennon and Paul McCartney handled most songwriting duties. Due to this, Harrison became apprehensive about pitching his songs because he didn’t want to seem like he was competing for power.
The Lennon-McCartney songwriting duo was responsible for a majority of The Beatles’ most successful and iconic hits. Their early hits include “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Harrison had an interest in songwriting but wasn’t confident in his ability. His first song for The Beatles, “Don’t Bother Me”, debuted on 1963’s Meet The Beatles.
In his autobiography, I, Me, Mine, Harrison said he wrote “Don’t Bother Me” as an “exercise” to see if he could write a song. While he doesn’t look back fondly on the song, it did inspire him to keep writing until he could write something he liked.
“I don’t think it’s a particularly good song, it mightn’t even be a song at all but at least it showed me that all I needed to do was keep on writing and then maybe eventually I would write something good,” Harrison said. “I still feel now ‘I wish I could write something good.’ It’s relativity. It did, however, provide me with an occupation.”
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
The statue has returned to Stanley Street atop a new bench
A statue inspired by a Beatles song which had an "unfortunate accident" has been returned to public display after repairs, a council has said.
The Eleanor Rigby sculpture on Liverpool's Stanley Street, which depicts the titular heroine of the Fab Four's 1966 song, was unveiled in 1982.
The city council removed it in January after the bench it sat on was damaged.
The work, which was designed by entertainer Tommy Steele, has returned to the street complete with a new seat.
In January, the council said it was initially feared the statue was damaged on purpose, but "following a review of CCTV footage, we can see that the damage... was an unfortunate accident".
Source: BBC News
When Paul McCartney’s debut solo album, simply titled McCartney, was released on April 17, 1970, it was far from what many expected. Following Abbey Road’s polished perfection, McCartney chose to issue an album of songs, experiments, and sound doodles predominantly made on his own at home. It would launch a solo career spanning five decades – and counting. But first, he had to leave The Beatles.On April 9, 1970, McCartney phoned John Lennon to tell him that he was quitting the band. Lennon had told the group of his own intention to leave the group back in September 1969, though, by mutual agreement, no announcement was made. Now McCartney, too, had decided to up sticks.What McCartney failed to mention to Lennon was that he had just sent a “self-interview” to the nation’s press, all but informing them that The Beatles were over. In this press release, which was sent with promotional copies of his self-titled debut solo album, Paul answered questions he assumed he would have been asked had he done a press conference. As well as talking about the new album, he spoke about The Beatles’ future – or lack of it.
Source: Paul McGuinness/yahoo.com
Generally speaking, The Beatles had a run that spanned about a decade from 1960 to 1970, and in those 10 years, the Fab Four released 13 studio albums, toured the world a couple of times, starred in motion pictures, gave up touring in 1966 to become an even more successful studio band, and touched the global population with their evolving creativity. Yet by the end of the 1960s, the band succumbed to bitter internal disagreements amongst themselves, resulting in that beautiful era coming to a close.
Behind the scenes, John Lennon was the first to quit The Beatles in September 1969 before they officially announced their disbanding in 1970. After they broke up, Lennon and Paul McCartney found themselves caught up in a long-lasting feud that, thankfully, ended before John’s death in 1980.
Source: doyouremember.com
Paul McCartney is a genius for telling an intriguing story in a song. Many of his tracks, like “She’s Leaving Home” and “Eleanor Rigby”, tell fictionalized stories about people he either knew or read about. One song from Paul McCartney’s solo career sounds like a stalker wrote it, and even he admits it’s almost like Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.
In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul McCartney explained the origin behind “Eleanor Rigby”. The singer-songwriter grew up in Liverpool and knew many old ladies who lived in his neighborhood. There was one woman who he spent some time with, helping her with errands and other needs. She lived by herself, and McCartney wrote the titular character from her perspective.
“I found out that she lived on her own, so I would go around there and just chat, which is sort of crazy if you think about me being some young Liverpool guy,” McCartney wrote. “Later, I would offer to go and get her shopping. She’d give me a list, and I’d bring the stuff back, and we’d sit in her kitchen. I still vividly remember the kitchen because she had a little crystal radio set.”
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
Rock legend Paul McCartney was forced to take out a restraining order against talk show host James Corden. It is alleged that following Sir Paul’s appearance on Corden’s carpool karaoke TV show, Corden’s behavior grew increasingly erratic.
McCartney has been granted a temporary restraining order against James Corden who claims that he is related to the former Beatle. Paul’s lawyer, Maxwell Hammer submitted paperwork to a London court on Tuesday to seek protection against Corden who has “been harassing McCartney for months,” according to TMZ.
Corden reportedly trespassed onto Paul’s property six times in the last month. According to court docs Corden attempted to make contact with the star each time. It is stated that Corden swam in Sir Paul’s swimming pool and took a shower in his house.
Source: Madhouse Magazine/madhousemagazine.com
The Beatles wrote their music and won over fans with their charm, but they couldn’t have reached their level of success without the people who worked with them along the way. Producers, assistants, managers, and former bandmates all helped The Beatles become the biggest band in the world. While they didn’t receive as much recognition as the band, some people who helped lift The Beatles to success have become the subjects of both documentaries and fictional movies. Here are five to check out.
At 17, Freda Kelly scored the job that thousands of people would have given anything to have. She became the secretary to The Beatles and the head of their fan club. She was also one of the few people to work with them for the entirety of their time together as a band.
In 2013, she was the subject of the documentary Good Ol’ Freda, which examines her incredible, often-overlooked career. After moving on to different jobs, Kelly rarely spoke of her time with the band.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney is back on the Billboard charts this week with a new hit that helps him accomplish something he’s never done before–which is hard to believe is still possible at this point for someone so successful.
The former Beatle debuts on two of Billboard’s dance charts with a new single titled “Say Say Say.” This is a remarkable achievement for the superstar, who has never before appeared on either of the two charts mentioned below during his illustrious six-decade-long career.
“Say Say Say” is an updated version of the song McCartney originally released with Michael Jackson in 1983. This time around, McCartney and Jackson are both credited, along with producer Kygo, who created the accompanying music for the original vocals. The new version is a fast-paced dance number that has clearly resonated with fans and listeners and introduced the cut to a new generation.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
Classic rock bands don’t get any more iconic than The Beatles. The band’s catalog is arguably unmatched, and their album sales and cultural impact are second to none. Still, bandmates Paul McCartney and George Harrison were taken by surprise when Jimi Hendrix covered one of The Beatles’ songs just a few days after its initial release. Here’s what we know about it.
Hendrix only released a few studio albums during his career. But his musical mastery was apparent to all. Certainly at the time, Hendrix made an impact. However, if there was ever any doubt about his legacy, the decades since his tragic death at age 27 in 1970 definitely clear that up. Today, Hendrix is considered one of the best musicians in history.
According to BeatlesStory, The Beatles were already great admirers of Hendrix by 1967, the year his first album released.
Source: Robert Yaniz Jr./imdb.com
John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the co-leaders of The Beatles. However, McCartney would admit Lennon was the primary leader, as he and George Harrison looked up to the “In My Life” singer. While Lennon’s leadership would wane as his interest in the band diminished, there is one quote he used to cheer up the band that proved he was an excellent leader, better than ever he might have thought.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney became friends while growing up in Liverpool. Lennon was the elder of the two, and McCartney saw him as an older brother. Lennon invited him to join his band, The Quarrymen, which later included George Harrison. Ringo would join The Beatles later, but Paul and George both looked up to Lennon for leadership.
In an interview with Playboy, McCartney elaborated on Lennon’s role as a leader and that anytime he complimented them was a special moment.
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
