Beatles News
Don Bradman, the greatest cricketer of all time, was once asked if he reckoned he could have maintained his batting average of 99.94 against the fearsome West Indian bowling attack of the time. Oh no, he said. Not a chance. He’d probably be hitting in the 50s, like the very best batsmen of the time. But then again, he added, he was in his late 60s so it was unrealistic to expect better.
That’s the position Paul McCartney occupies in the world of pop. No, at 82 years old he is not going to make a new Revolver or Abbey Road. And no, he can’t do the Little Richard scream like he used to 60 years ago. But he is still, as they say in sport, the Goat. The undisputed champion of the world. One of the four men who invented the concept of the guitar band as we now know it, writer of dozens of the best-loved songs in the world.
Consider this: McCartney played for the best part of three hours on the last night of his Got Back tour, and these were among the songs he either wrote or had a large part in writing that he did not play: ‘Yesterday’, ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘The Night Before’, ‘Paperback Writer’, ‘Michelle’, ‘We Can Work it Out’, ‘Penny Lane’, ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’, ‘Hello, Goodbye’, ‘She’s Leaving Home’, ‘A Day in the Life’, ‘The Fool on the Hill’, ‘Back in the USSR’, ‘Birthday’, ‘Why Don’t We Do it in the Road?’, ‘The Long and Winding Road’. Clearly, for almost any other artist those songs alone would be a greatest hits set of astonishing magnitude. That’s how far ahead of the game McCartney has been.
Source: spectator.co.uk/Michael Hann
John Lennon and Paul McCartney had one of the most prolific and influential songwriting partnerships of modern musical history, but it didn’t come without its pitfalls. As the duo—along with George Harrison and Ringo Starr—progressed further in their tenure as the Beatles, differences in approach, style, and preference began to arise. By Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, virtually everyone had some sort of grievance about another, whether on a musical or personal level.
Although there are many ways to illustrate the differences between Lennon and McCartney, one of the most succinct examples is “Lovely Rita,” the third track on the B-side of Sgt. Pepper’s.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s Musical Differences, Put Plainly
Even before learning who wrote the Sgt. Pepper’s B-side, anyone vaguely familiar with the Beatles’ repertoire could likely guess that Paul McCartney was the man behind “Lovely Rita.” From its character-driven narrative to its fantastical expansion of reality, everything about the song screams “McCartney.” Lovely Rita, meter maid, nothing can come between us, McCartney croons in his love song to a parking meter attendant.
According to McCartney in The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, he came up with the idea for “Lovely Rita” paradoxically. “Nobody liked parking attendants or meter maids, as they were known in that benighted era. So, to write a song about being in love with a meter maid—someone nobody else liked—was amusing in itself,” McCartney recalled. “I was thinking it should be a hate song. But then I thought it would be better to love her.”
Source: americansongwriter.com/Melanie Davis
After Beatlemania swept the globe, many of the members’ children found the rampant popularity affected their own upbringings.
The Beatles was founded in 1960 by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Both before and after the group’s disbandment eight years later, the musicians each became fathers.
“I’ve always just tried to give my kids a bit of guidance if they seem to need it — but that was mainly when they were younger. Now that they are older, they’re guiding me,” McCartney, a father of five, said in a January 2023 interview on his website. “They don’t need so much guidance these days but if there’s ever a problem, I’m very happy to be the guy they come to.”
He added at the time, “You’re just there to help, and I suppose, have fun with — we do have a lot of fun. Now they’re older, we can have a drink together.”
However, it hasn’t all been rosy memories for the kids. Julian, the eldest son of the late Lennon, told The Guardian in January 2025 that he and his mother had “nothing to do with the Beatles” after John left. (Julian is the son of John and first wife Cynthia. John also shares son Sean with second wife Yoko Ono.)
Source: Miranda Siwak/aol.com
As previously reported, two members of Cheap Trick, guitarist Rick Nielsen and drummer Bun E. Carlos were invited by producer Jack Douglas to play on the John Lennon album that ultimately turned out to be the last one issued during the former Beatle's lifetime: 1980's "Double Fantasy."
Ultimately, their contributions to the song "I'm Losing You" did not make the original album but were issued years later as part of the 1998 box set, "John Lennon Anthology."
But during an interview with Booked on Rock, the author of the Cheap Trick book, "American Standard: Cheap Trick from the Bars to the Budokan and Beyond," Ross Warner, discussed that at least Nielsen was paid an extremely high compliment by Lennon during the sessions.
"John had said something to the effect of, 'I wish I'd had this guy on 'Cold Turkey,'" Warner said (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). "'Cause Eric Clapton, A. was addicted to heroin, and B. didn't really deliver the solo."
Originally released as a single in 1969, "Cold Turkey" did in fact feature Clapton on lead guitar, in addition to Lennon on vocals and guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass, and none other than Ringo Starr on drums.
It also remains one of Lennon's most raw and rocking songs: from both a lyrical and performance standpoint. As a result, it was also a favorite of Cheap Trick's, according to Warner. "'Cold Turkey' is like one of Cheap Trick's earliest covers. They loved that. It's 100% like what their sound was kind of founded on: crunchy and subversive. Robin [Zander], before they started writing their own songs, could do a perfect imitation of almost anybody."
"It was funny because the story about why they didn't appear on the album was that John apparently had said something like, 'This sounds too much like 'Cold Turkey,'' Warner continued. "Had Cheap Trick known that or had Bun and Rick known that — that would have been the ultimate compliment, right? I mean, that's exactly everything they would have wanted to hear."
Source: Ultimate Guitar
One Paul McCartney song is a disjointed mess about water and food and freedom. Here is how the track in question compares to Paul's other post-Beatles hits.
One Paul McCartney song is a disjointed mess about water and food and freedom. It’s not surprising that the “Say Say Say” singer wrote an oddball song. What’s surprising is that the track reached No. 1 in the United States. Here is how the track in question compares to Paul’s other post-Beatles hits.
1 Paul McCartney song won’t make sense no matter how many times you hear it
If you look at the list of Paul’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits, you’ll see an interesting mix of songs. Some are perfectly normal, easy-listening songs, like “My Love” and “Ebony and Ivory.” Other tunes on the list are a tad experimental, such as “Band on the Run” and “Coming Up.” However, only one of the tracks on the list is bizarre on every level: “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey.”
Firstly, the song is lyrically incoherent. It starts as an apologetic ballad addressed to someone called Uncle Albert. Who is Uncle Albert — and what was the narrator supposed to do for him? We’re never told.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
George Harrison‘s comeback to the top of the music world was one of the great Beatles-related stories of the late 1980s. After years of seeming reluctance toward sustaining a music career, he rallied with the one-two punch of a hit solo record and the formation of the Traveling Wilburys.
“Cloud 9,” the opening title track (although the LP was spelled Cloud Nine) to his mega-successful 1987 album, could be interpreted as someone reaching out to a lover. But in reality, Harrison was addressing everyone in the audience who found inspiration in his music over the years.
If you didn’t know any better, you would have been forgiven for thinking his official name was “The Reclusive George Harrison” since that was how much of the world referred to him circa 1985 or so. At that time, the former Beatle didn’t seem to harbor all that much interest in trying to make his way back to pop stardom.
Ever since the first flush of activity in the early ’70s that came following The Beatles’ breakup, including a couple of very successful albums and even a tour, Harrison had largely shied away from the spotlight as much as possible. While he still sporadically made records, he didn’t do much at all to promote them. And then there was a five-year gap between Gone Troppo in 1982 and Cloud Nine in 1987.
Little did the outside world know, however, that Harrison was girding his loins for a return to the public eye, enlisting ELO’s Jeff Lynne to produce Cloud Nine. While his taste for promoting his music came and went, he never lost his love of making it. In fact, as quoted in the Timothy White book George Harrison: Reconsidered, the act of creating art for public consumption was at the heart of the lyric for “Cloud 9”:
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
“Blackbird” is one of the deepest songs by The Beatles when it comes to the meaning behind the tune. The track is all about the civil rights movement that was taking place in the United States during the end of the group’s time together. In the decades since its release, it’s become a classic, and now, finally, a smash.
The Beatles’ cut finally flies into the top 40 in the United Kingdom for the first time this week. The tune reaches that important region—which often declares when a song becomes a hit—on one list as it surges. It also manages to launch within that tier on another tally, as the group doubles up with the half-century-old composition.
“Blackbird” rises into the top 40 on the Official Singles Downloads chart, hitting a new high in its second frame on the list. This week, the cut pushes from No. 96 to No. 31, gaining quite a bit of ground in only a few days as British fans continue to buy the cut.
The beloved production also debuts on one other chart in the U.K. “Blackbird” simultaneously opens at No. 35 on the Official Singles Sales ranking, which includes all forms of purchases, not just downloads.
Despite being one of The Beatles’ most memorable tracks, “Blackbird” is new to the U.K. charts. The song only reached any list for the first time last week, when it hit the Official Singles Downloads ranking. Now, it’s doubled the total number of tallies it’s reached in the band’s home country.
“Blackbird” marks the seventh top 40 hit on both of those charts for The Beatles. That may seem like a small sum for a band as popular and commercially successful as the Fab Four, but they released almost all of their biggest tunes long before the Official Charts Company introduced either list.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
When reporting on projects that have not started filming, it's always best to wait for the official press release if you need confirmation on casting. While some trust IMDb, it's too easy for bad actors to edit the cast lists randomly; there are also last-minute circumstances when an actor needs to exit a project due to unforeseen conflicts, and the production has to scramble to recast. However, Sam Mendes' Beatles Quadrilogy of movies seems to have had most of its cast confirmed, not by the production, but by the people who were in the other productions they're going to give up to star in the four interconnected biopics.
We first reported on this in early December 2024, when Barry Keoghan (Saltburn) was confirmed to play Ringo Starr. Considering Starr himself revealed the casting, it seems safe enough, even though the project refused to confirm anything; as multiple outlets pointed out, the deal had yet to be signed, necessitating keeping officially mum.
However, since then, two more castings have been confirmed... by the writers and directors of the projects they'll be leaving behind. Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers) was first when his Gladiator II director, Ridley Scott, was asked about Gladiator III. Scott replied Mendes had already filled Mescal's dance card to play Paul McCartney.
Source: tellyvisions.org/Ani Bundel
It remains a fascinating exercise to wonder how John Lennon and Paul McCartney felt about each other’s songs.
Bands, and especially a band’s primary songwriters, are famously competitive. This explains why it’s so difficult to keep even the most successful groups together. Even the world’s greatest rock band couldn’t survive themselves.
George Harrison felt it as he began creeping out from behind the giant shadows of Lennon and McCartney. However, Lennon did praise McCartney’s songs in an interview conducted by writer David Sheff. Sheff had visited Lennon and Yoko Ono in August 1980 at their home in The Dakota on an assignment for Playboy.
Sheff’s interview appeared in Playboy on Dec. 6. Two days later, Lennon was shot and killed in front of his New York apartment. Sheff’s three-week conversations with Lennon and Ono were later compiled in his book All We Are Saying (2000). The book documents the last major interview with the couple.
If Lennon were alive today, these McCartney-penned classics might have made his playlist.
Source:americansongwriter.com/Thom Donovan
After The Beatles broke up in 1970, the world was in mourning. A few years later, the now-defunct group did something unusual: they released two albums on the same day. These compilations of their biggest hits have gone on to rank among the most successful singles collections of all time, and they regularly find their way back to the charts—including this week in the band’s home country.
The Beatles see both of their 1973 compilations return to a pair of charts at the same time. Both 1962-1966 (usually referred to as The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (AKA The Blue Album) find their way to the music charts in the United Kingdom at the same time—just like when they were brand new. The two sets appear on multiple lists, landing close to one another on a pair of rosters.
1967-1970 is the bigger hit between the two on both rankings. On the main list of the most-consumed albums in the U.K., the singles-packed offering is back at No. 42, almost returning to the top 40. 1962-1966, meanwhile, comes in at No. 59 on that same list, which operates with a consumption model.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
