Beatles News
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
Between 1973 and 1975, John Lennon and Yoko Ono separated for a period he later called his “Lost Weekend.” During this time, he dated his assistant, May Pang, and the pair moved to Los Angeles together. The two had a loving relationship, so Pang was upset when John Lennon referred to it as his “Lost Weekend.” According to Pang, the former Beatle did apologize for calling their relationship this.
Pang started working at Apple Corps., the company founded by The Beatles, at the age of 19, and she shortly became the assistant to Lennon and Ono. The couple started having marital problems in 1973, and Ono approached Pang asking her if she could start a relationship with Lennon. Pang repeatedly said no, but Ono was adamant about orchestrating everything.
Lennon and Pang did start dating, and they moved to LA together. Lennon was still having a rough time being away from Ono, and his drinking problem worsened, leading to several public drunken outbursts. However, “Lost Weekend” also saw a musical explosion from the former Beatle as he released three albums: Mind Games, Walls and Bridges, and Rock ‘n’ Roll. The “Lost Weekend” ended in early 1975 when Lennon abruptly reconciled with Ono.
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
John Lennon was in the midst of an incredibly successful solo career when he was assassinated on Dec. 8, 1980. While his music career was cut short, he had some unreleased tapes made into a posthumous album. Later, a few of John Lennon’s unfinished songs were utilized for The Beatles Anthology, but Paul McCartney stopped one song from being released.
After The Beatles ended, each member began their solo career. John Lennon had a long stretch of success for five years before taking a break, beginning in 1975. However, he returned in November 1970 with Double Fantasy, an album that hit No. 1 worldwide. One song he and Yoko wanted to put on the album was “Grow Old With Me,” but due to a tight deadline, they decided to save it for the following album, Milk and Honey.
“We were working against a deadline for the Christmas release of the album, [and we] kept holding “Grow Old With Me” to the end, and finally decided it was better to leave the song for Milk And Honey so we won’t do a rush job,” Ono said
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
Join us as we take a little trip down the Strawberry Fields of history and dig up some tasty bits of Beatles trivia. This article could probably be turned into an entire book, but there are probably too many books on The Beatles already so, we're going to condense it down to less than 600 words.The Beatles didn't use Fender guitars until 1965. By that point they had already recorded four [and a half] albums. This was allegedly done to distinguish themselves from The Shadows, who were known to use Fender instruments and featured guitarist Hank Marvin. On the Gibson side of things, The Beatles' use of the Epiphone Casino propelled the guitar to massive global sales, surpassing the Gibson equivalent, the ES-330 during Beatlemania.Wu Tang Clan's 2007 album "The 8 Diagrams" featured a guest appearance by George Harrison's only son, Dhani. The first single off that album was a re-working of the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" entitled "The Heart Gently Weeps".
Source: Justin Beckner/ultimate-guitar.com
