Beatles News
Paul McCartney claimed his bandmate George Harrison got The Rolling Stones a recording contract with the label that turned The Beatles down. That isn’t all the Fab Four did to kick-start their friends’ careers. Later, The Beatles gave The Rolling Stones a hit song.
In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul recalled a day in the summer of 1963, shortly after The Beatles moved to London, when he and John Lennon admired the guitars on display in shops on Charing Cross Road.
The Beatles were fairly new and they’d only been a part of the EMI family for about a year. They didn’t have any No. 1 hits in the U.S. yet, but they did have a No. 1 in the U.K., “Please Please Me.” Then came their second, “From Me To You” (their first No. 1 on the official U.K. chart).
As Paul and John looked through the shop windows, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards drove by. The Rolling Stones invited to drive them up town. In the car, Jagger told Paul and John that they’d finally landed a recording contract.
Source: Hannah Wigandt/cheatsheet.com
George Harrison became involved in Transcendental Meditation, Indian music, and even wrote a song about the Hindu god Krishna — “My Sweet Lord.” Here’s what this Beatle said about his connection with the country and its culture.
In 1967, George Harrison answered questions for the BBC Radio program Scene And Heard. There, he commented on his close connection with Indian culture and what drew him to this country, in particular.
“When I first noticed that I was interested with the music first of all…,” Harrison said (via Beatles Interviews), “and along with that I’d heard stories of people in caves. Yogis, as they’re known. People levitating and dematerializing. And doing all sorts of wondrous things.”
Source: Julia Dzurillay/cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney and John Lennon helped make The Beatles what they were. They never got to the bottom of each other’s souls, as Macca once said, but they wrote many of the Fab Four’s biggest hits. But not all good things last. Their working relationship was so fractured that Paul said he was too embarrassed to ask John about singing together on “Come Together.”
John Lennon (left) and Paul McCartney announce The Beatles' Apple Corps. company at a press conference in New York in 1968.
Paul and John guided The Beatles to international stardom. Their songwriting talents gave the world hit songs and all-time great albums. But all good things come to an end.
As George Harrison came into his own as a songwriter, he felt stifled when his songs rarely made it on Fab Four albums. That was by design, as John wanted to limit George’s songwriting, according to Macca. That was just one chink in The Beatles’ armor.
As the 1960s closed, the band members had opposing artistic visions, desires to explore solo careers, and fought about money and who should manage the band. Paul found himself at odds with his bandmates on many levels, and he and John drifted apart as The Beatles disintegrated.
Source: Jason Rossi/cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney has a history of making subtle references to drugs in his music. Many songs from his solo career and The Beatles contain lyrics that are euphemisms for marijuana or psychedelics. One song from McCartney’s Band on the Run album was about the enjoyment of “rolling a joint.”
The Beatles had a knack for sneaking drug references into their music. An example of this is “Got to Get You into My Life” from their 1966 album Revolver. Written by Paul McCartney, the song seems like any other love song, but he later revealed the song was an “ode to pot.”
In Barry Miles’ biography Many Years From Now, McCartney discussed how he had developed a hobby of smoking weed during his time with The Beatles. He found the drug to have “literally mind-expanding” effects and wanted to write a song about his enjoyment of pot.
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
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
