Beatles News
Little Richard might’ve inspired The Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.” Paul McCartney said he tried over and over to get the song’s vocals just right.
John Lennon liked “Oh! Darling” but he felt it had a flaw.
Paul McCartney could do an impression of Little Richard. A sound engineer said Little Richard might have inspired The Beatles‘ “Oh! Darling.” Paul shared his memories of crafting the song.The 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now says Paul was always a Little Richard fan. He memorized all of Little Richard’s hits. Paul felt Little Richard could write several rock ‘n’ roll songs in a row with ease while The Beatles struggled with that, at least during their early days.“I could do Little Richard’s voice, which is a wild, hoarse, screaming thing, it’s like an out-of-body experience,” he said. “You have to leave your current sensibilities and go about a foot above your head to sing it.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
It’s not a stretch to say The Beatles completely altered the pop music landscape. Their sweet pop hits won over young fans and reached the top of singles charts in England and the United States. The albums from their studio period remain all-time classics, and some of the most famous songs weren’t singles. Interestingly, the first album The Beatles played on (and the first single) wasn’t one of their records.The Beatles cut their teeth playing clubs in Hamburg, Germany, in the early 1960s. George Harrison once said the nascent band had no clue what they were doing until they went to Hamburg. The rigorous performing schedule helped mold The Beatles into the band they became. (Adding Ringo Starr on drums didn’t hurt).
Source: Jason Rossi/cheatsheet.com
Well, one of them. Sir Paul McCartney recounted his life and time with the legendary ’60s English rock group at Yale University on Thursday while celebrating his new book: “The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present.”
McCartney was joined by editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon and the Neil Gray Jr. Professor of English at Yale Landon Hammer. The trio discussed McCartney’s new book, which delves into 154 songs from all stages of his career: the decade with The Beatles, Wings, and his solo albums.
Fans got a behind-the-scenes look at why certain lyrics were written, the inspiration behind them, and what he thinks of the words now.
SOurce: Olivia Perreault/wtnh.com
The Monkees musician Peter Tork had the excellent opportunity to play with and learn from some of the most iconic musicians of the 1960s and 70s. One of his most memorable jam sessions included Ringo Starr, who played the drums, while Peter handled the keyboards. In an interview, Peter said he was grateful to have learned “so much” from The Beatles percussionist.
Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, and Davy Jones crossed paths with the Fab Four several times. Mike and John Lennon became fast friends when The Monkees member scheduled a meeting during a trip to London with his wife, Phyllis.
In his biography “Infinite Tuesday,” Nesmith spoke of his first meeting with Lennon and their subsequent friendship. “Before I arrived in London, I had not met John Lennon and didn’t even know how to contact him. So I thought if I could meet him, it would be a great addition to the trip,” Nesmith wrote.
Source: Lucille Barilla/cheatsheet.com
Brandon Toews of Drumeo explored the truly underrated genius of Ringo Starr, noting how Starr instinctively knew how to accompany each song from the drum’s point of view.
Drummer, singer, songwriter, bandleader, rock ‘n’ roll pioneer…Ringo is responsible for making drumming look cool and inspiring countless people to take up the instrument. …BUT… Is Ringo Starr one of the greatest drummers of all time? Or is he only famous because he was a member of The Beatles?
Toews also pointed out how Starr’s left-handedness on a right-handed kit gave him his signature style.
In the words of Ringo, “I’m no good on the technical things. I’m your basic offbeat drummer with funny fills because I’m really left-handed playing a right-handed kit”. …While this may be true, it didn’t stop him from coming up with drum fills that were original musical and ultimately memorable.
Source: Lori Dorn/laughingsquid.com
Paul McCartney wrote a song that made him feel “optimistic” following The Beatles‘ split. For a while, he didn’t know what to do with himself. How do you follow The Beatles?
You can hear Paul’s desperation to keep The Beatles alive in their song “Get Back.” He thought they could stay together if they tried returning to their roots. However, John Lennon couldn’t contain his excitement about moving on and leaving Paul behind. He was done living in the past.
Eventually, Paul couldn’t deny that The Beatles had grown apart. All their other financial problems aside, they’d become four extremely different people. So Abbey Road was their final album, and Paul quickly got to work on his debut solo album. Despite seeming ready to move on, Paul had entered a rut.
During a 2016 interview with Mastertapes for Radio 4 (per the Guardian), Paul revealed he drank heavily and often contemplated quitting music after The Beatles split. It was a dark period for Paul; he didn’t know what to do next.
Source: Hannah Wigandt/cheatsheet.com
The “Fab Four” are also fathers, with each Beatles member getting married and having at least one child. When Ringo Starr has his first son with Mo Starkey, he chose a name that sounded “western” — even if he didn’t think it was a cowboy name.
Here’s what the drummer said about his child’s name.
Which members of the Beatles have children?
All four Beatles members were married at one point, the first of whom was John Lennon. He wed his college sweetheart after she became pregnant with their first son, Julian.
The couple eventually divorced (with Paul McCartney writing “Hey Jude” for Lennon’s son), and Lennon had a second child with Yoko Ono.
McCartney has five children — Heather, Mary, Stella, James and Beatrice McCartney. Four of those were with his late wife, Linda McCartney.
George Harrison’s only child is Dhani Harrison, through his marriage with his second wife, Olivia, born in 1978. The Beatles’ drummer, Ringo Starr, married his girlfriend Mo Starkey (then Maureen Tigrett) after she became pregnant with their first child.
Source: Julia Dzurillay/cheatsheet.com
Ringo Starr needed time to find his voice in The Beatles, but he was no stranger to using it. He complained about being ignored during the making of Rubber Soul. His bandmates rewarded him with a larger role on the record. The drummer used his voice again later. Ringo hated The Beatles’ drug use being covered by the press (though not because it made him look bad), and he said something about it.
Ringo Starr announces his Concert for All Generations at a 1989 press conference in California.
Not counting the amphetamines German club promoters fed them to keep them going during marathon performances, The Beatles first got high with Bob Dylan in a New York hotel room in 1964. The Fab Four were hardly strangers to other illegal substances for the rest of their career.
All of them tried LSD. John Lennon developed a heroin addiction. Paul McCartney used cocaine for a time but stopped when he realized he hated the side effects. George Harrison and his wife Pattie Boyd had their house raided by police searching for drugs.
Ringo said drugs accelerated the pace at which The Beatles changed their sound. They went from writing sweet pop songs to experimenting with tape loops, backmasking, orchestras, and eastern instruments.
Source: Jason Rossi/cheatsheet.com
Some of The Beatles‘ songs that became huge hits are mostly forgotten today. On the other hand, some of The Beatles’ songs that remained album tracks are as popular as ever. Notably, a very famous Beatles album track has its own music video.
5. ‘A Day in the Life’
“A Day in the Life” is one of The Beatles’ most acclaimed songs and one of the most important songs in the history of psychedelia. It even had a star-studded music video featuring appearances from Mick Jagger and Mike Nesmith. Despite this, the song was never actually a single.
Fans can find a lot in the song by reading between the lines. Much of the song’s lyrics revolve around mundane things like going to the movies or combing one’s hair. The music turns horribly sinister at several points in the track. Perhaps the song is about how so many horrible things lie behind banality.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
The Beatles broke up in 1970 after releasing their 13th and final album, Let It Be. The band had been having a lot of problems in the years that preceded, with incessant arguing and even lawsuits filed against one another. But John Lennon knew the heartbreaking split was coming years before it actually happened.
Lennon felt the band's days were numbered from August 27, 1967, when Brian Epstein died.
Epstein was the band's manager, and the man who discovered The Beatles down a dusty alleyway in Liverpool, UK. He pushed them to change their look, replaced their drummer with Ringo Starr, and got them their first number-one singles. He was extremely close with every member of the band - particularly Lennon - so when he died in 1967 the Fab Four were devastated.
Epstein was found dead at his home aged 32. He suffered a combined alcohol and barbiturate overdose. The death was ruled accidental.
Lennon spoke candidly about learning of Epstein's death, and what he felt it meant for the band.
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
