Beatles News
John Lennon was killed on December 8, 1980. The singer and guitarist from The Beatles was murdered outside his home, The Dakota, in New York City by a deranged fan. The 40-year-old left behind two children and his wife, Yoko Ono. But the man who had been his friend since he was a teenager, Paul McCartney, was equally as bereft.
After the news of Lennon's death had been made public, McCartney was asked on the street how he felt about it.
His instant reaction was not what you might have expected. He quickly replied: "Drag, isn't it?"
Fans now know that McCartney had simply not come to terms with the event. He has since spoken out about how he really felt once Lennon's death had been announced.
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
“My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison appeared in a scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. During an interview, director James Gunn explained why he chose to use the song in his film. Notably, Gunn said the song was related to one of the characters in the film.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 features classic hits such as Fleetwood Mac‘s “The Chain,” Cat Stevens‘ “Father and Son,” and the Electric Light Orchestra‘s “Mr. Blue Sky.” According to Rolling Stone, Gunn said the music in the film is supposed to reflect the taste of Meredith Quill, Star-Lord’s mother. “She’s a music lover, but she’s completely not elitist,” Gunn said. “If it’s something that’s thought of as goofy and pop, she likes it. If it’s cool or funk, she likes it.”
Source: cheatsheet.com
Many fans know that George Harrison had a hard time bringing songs to The Beatles. However, some fans probably don’t know that George had another force standing against him, the group’s faithful producer, George Martin, who many refer to as the fifth Beatle.
Knowing that Martin was an integral part of The Beatles’ success, it’s surprising to hear that he was initially very hard on George. Martin “tolerated” him when he came with songs. Now, Peter Jackson’s new documentary, The Beatles: Get Back, has only reaffirmed that Martin wasn’t on team George. The producer didn’t support George in the recording studio, so why should he support him when he suddenly quit?
Source: cheatsheet.com
The Beatles had many of their songs written by the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership. The duo, made of up Paul McCartney and John Lennon, wrote dozens of songs for the band, including Yesterday, Come Together, In My Life, Get Back, All You Need Is Love and many more.
It has now been revealed that the most popular song is a track that was predominantly written by McCartney.
Over 2,000 listeners of Union JACK Radio cast votes on what the best Beatles song of all time is, and today it has been announced.
The poll marked the four best songs from The Beatles, starting with Hey Jude.
The piano-led ballad is followed by the classic banger Eleanor Rigby.
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
It’s Beatlemania all over again: half a century after the Fab Four split, the Liverpudlians are once more dominating the cultural conversation thanks to Peter Jackson’s sprawling seven-hour documentary Get Back. In a recent five-star review, The Independent’s Ed Cumming argued that the film is so revelatory that “any future assessment of the band and its members will have to measure up against the people we see here”.
While Jackson’s film captures the pioneering band during the tumultuous recording sessions for their final record, 1970’s Let It Be, there was still plenty more to come from the four musicians. Over the course of the next decade, John Lennon released seven solo studio albums before he was assassinated by Mark David Chapman on 8 December 1980, 41 years ago this week. An eighth record, 1984’s Milk and Honey, followed posthumously.
These solo records feature some of the most famous and significant work of Lennon’s career, including activist anthems “Give Peace a Chance” and “Imagine” and perennial festive favourite “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”. Look beyond the hit singles and there are still plenty more gems to be uncovered.
Source: independent.co.uk
Convincing the masses to watch a three-part, eight-hour docuseries on a band that broke up over 50 years ago? The only subject monumental enough to make that possible is the Beatles. Peter Jackson’s Get Back follows the band members through the making of the last studio album they would release together, Let It Be, and everything that happened behind the scenes that led to the end, showing never-before-seen footage and giving an in-depth look into the power dynamics among the bandmates. Any casual fan could tell you what became of Lennon, Harrison,
Source: Meredith Moran/slate.com
Mr. Hester is the editor in chief of The City and the author of “Raising a Beatle Baby: How John, Paul, George and Ringo Helped Us Come Together as a Family.”
Paul McCartney is stressing out.
At various points in “The Beatles: Get Back,” the three-part, nearly-eight-hour documentary chronicling the 1969 sessions that would lead to the band’s final public performance, Mr. McCartney is clearly more frustrated at the creative and interpersonal roadblocks to the group’s progress than any of his bandmates are.
But Mr. McCartney is also the Beatle most visibly invigorated by a daunting challenge.
Source: Jere Hester/nytimes.com
After the Beatles disbanded, McCartney emerged as a solo artist, and then formed the band Wings, together with his first wife Linda and Denny Laine. The group’s debut studio album - Wild Life - was remarkably recorded in only eight days and quickly found a place in the top 10 after its release in December 1971. On the album’s 50th anniversary (December 7, 2021) McCartney revealed that there is going to be a reissue of the Wings’ debut LP, this time as a limited edition half-speed mastered vinyl pressing. What fans of the musical genius may not know is that at the height of his fame, McCartney suffered with mental health issues, but instead of facing his demons, he and his fellow bandmates used their craft to make light of the issues.
Source: Lauren Russell/express.co.uk
After the Beatles disbanded, McCartney emerged as a solo artist, and then formed the band Wings, together with his first wife Linda and Denny Laine. The group’s debut studio album - Wild Life - was remarkably recorded in only eight days and quickly found a place in the top 10 after its release in December 1971. On the album’s 50th anniversary (December 7, 2021) McCartney revealed that there is going to be a reissue of the Wings’ debut LP, this time as a limited edition half-speed mastered vinyl pressing. What fans of the musical genius may not know is that at the height of his fame, McCartney suffered with mental health issues, but instead of facing his demons, he and his fellow bandmates used their craft to make light of the issues.
Source: Lauren Russell/express.co.uk
John Lennon was assassinated on December 8, 1980 at the age of just 40-years-old. It had been a decade since The Beatles broke up, but had he truly made up with Paul McCartney before his untimely death? During his last hours, the star gave his final interview and actually had some lovely things to say about his songwriting partner.
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Last year, Express.co.uk spoke with Kenneth Womack, author of John Lennon 1980: The Last Days In The Life.
Instead of focusing on his murder, the book celebrates all the creative activities the Beatle was up to during his final year.
When asked if Lennon and McCartney were truly made up by the time of his death, the author said there was clear evidence that this was the case.
Womack said: “I do think so. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. I think they were good in the ways they needed to be.”
Source: George Simpson/express.co.uk
