Beatles News
Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote the vast majority of The Beatles' songs and were the creative leaders of the group. The two often wrote in tandem in the early years before artistic differences in the second half of the 1960s saw them write more independently and then present songs to one another for tweaks and edits.
About their writing partnership Wilfred Mellors wrote in 1972: "Opposite poles generate electricity: between John and Paul the sparks flew. John's fiery iconoclasm was tempered by Paul's lyrical grace, while Paul's wide-eyed charm was toughened by John's resilience."
But it wasn't just John and Paul who wrote the band's songs. George Harrison was also an accomplished songwriter - even though he had to fight to make his voice heard at times, with Paul and John assuming creative control.
In the early days, the Wavertree-born star had written some songs that The Beatles recorded and was given a quota of compositions for each album. But in the band's later years he delivered classics like 'Something', 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and 'Here Comes the Sun'.
In total, George wrote 22 songs that The Beatles recorded. Drummer Ringo Starr also provided two of his own compositions - famously 'Octopus' Garden' as well as the 1968 track 'Don't Pass Me By'.
The latter song featured on 'The White Album' and was the first song of Ringo's that the band had recorded. However, the drummer had pitched it to the band not long after he joined - and the idea of recording it was mentioned in interviews in 1963 and 1964.
In 'The Beatles Anthology', Ringo explained the song's origins, saying: "I wrote ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ when I was sitting round at home. I only play three chords on the guitar and three on the piano.
"I was fiddling with the piano – I just bang away – and then if a melody comes and some words, I just have to keep going. That’s how it happened: I was just sitting at home alone and 'Don’t Pass Me By' arrived.
"We played it with a country attitude. It was great to get my first song down, one that I had written. It was a very exciting time for me and everyone was really helpful, and recording that crazy violinist was a thrilling moment."
For whatever reason it took until 1968 for it to be recorded. The country rock tune came together over a number of sessions in June and July of that year, with Ringo singing.
It had been recorded with the working titles 'Ringo’s Tune (Untitled)' and 'This Is Some Friendly'. The Beatles' producer George Martin also wrote an orchestral introduction for the song, which he explained was a result of the band not knowing what to do with it.
Mr Martin explained: "It was for John that I did an off-the-wall introduction, because we hadn’t a clue what to do with Ringo’s song.
Source: liverpoolecho.co.uk/Dan Haygarth
When it comes to legendary producers, George Martin has to be at the top, mostly because he helped invent the role. The classically trained arranger and studio magician shaped The Beatles’ sound while reshaping what a record producer could be. These 10 tracks are a testament to his genius, showing off his ability to turn tape, strings, and sonic experimentation into musical history. Here’s to the man behind the curtain.
“A Day in the Life” – The Beatles
A breathtaking final track for ‘Sgt. Pepper’s,’ Martin orchestrated one of the most audacious climaxes in rock history. That swelling 40-piece orchestra? That thunderous piano chord? That’s George Martin making chaos into beauty.
“All You Need Is Love” – The Beatles
Broadcast live to the world in 1967, Martin turned what could’ve been a chaotic moment into something timeless. He wove in La Marseillaise, Bach, Glenn Miller, and even a Beatles quote—proving love and production both benefit from a little imagination.
“Eleanor Rigby” – The Beatles
No drums. No guitars. Just a haunting string octet arranged by Martin and a tale of loneliness sung by Paul McCartney. Martin elevated the band’s storytelling ambitions and showed pop could be chamber music, too.
“I Am the Walrus” – The Beatles
Lennon’s surreal lyrics met their match in Martin’s fearless production. From tape loops to swirling orchestras to a live radio feed, this is studio madness held together by a man who understood how to harness the absurd.
“Live and Let Die” – Paul McCartney & Wings
Martin reunited with McCartney for this James Bond theme, delivering one of the most explosive orchestral rock arrangements ever. It’s cinema, drama, and swagger—everything Bond and McCartney should be.
“Strawberry Fields Forever” – The Beatles
Two takes—one mellow, one bombastic—blended together by Martin’s studio sorcery. This psychedelic masterpiece was stitched together like a dream, and it still sounds like one. Martin made the impossible seamless.
“Yesterday” – The Beatles
It’s easy to forget how revolutionary this was: one Beatle, one acoustic guitar, and a string quartet arranged by Martin. It helped redefine what a pop ballad could be and became one of the most covered songs of all time.
“Help!” – The Beatles
This isn’t just a catchy title track. Under Martin’s guidance, it turned into a powerful blend of pop immediacy and emotional weight, with Lennon’s cry for help masked by musical brightness. Martin knew when to step in—and when to let the feelings come through.
“Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End” – The Beatles
Martin’s masterstroke on Abbey Road was making this suite feel like one breath. He tied together Paul’s lullaby, Ringo’s only drum solo, and that triple guitar duel with elegance. The real end of The Beatles—and Martin made sure they went out like gods.
“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” – The Beatles
Inspired by an antique circus poster, Lennon dreamed it up—and Martin made it fly. Organs, harmoniums, tape loops, and calliopes swirl into a Victorian fever dream. Without Martin, this would be just text on paper.
Source: thatericalper.com/Eric Alper
There is a debate amongst Beatles fans as to which album should be considered the band’s last. It’s like the Star Wars fans and their omnipresent “chronological or release date” debate. Is Let It Be their final album or is it Abbey Road? Whatever camp you fall in, we’d like to take a trip back to 1970 and the release of the frustratingly recorded Let It Be. Learn more below about the album the Beatles gave up on.
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
After the release of “The White Album”, the Beatles took some time off to get their creativity up and running again. They came back together with the expressed goal of making another album. Only the album was painstaking, leading to the band rejecting it twice.
Let It Be was once Get Back. The band originally named this collection of songs after “Get Back”, a driving rock anthem that went No. 1 on the charts in 1969. The project was documented in a film, which was later restored by director Peter Jackson. The accompanying visual provided a never-before-seen look into the creative process of one of the most beloved bands of all time. It also revealed some of the struggles the band was going through behind closed doors.
Glyn Johns was the original producer of Get Back. On top of their in-fighting making song selection more difficult than it needed to be, the band felt Johns’ production was sub-par. It ultimately moved them to scrap the project altogether.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Alex Hopper
The Beatles’ John Lennon started writing songs about and for Yoko Ono a couple of years after they met in 1966. She was his muse, the object of his affection, and a frequent collaborator during his solo career. Most people know about the heavy-hitters that Lennon wrote about Ono during his time in The Beatles, but there are a few underrated deep cuts from his solo career that not every fan may be aware of. Let’s look at one of his most famous odes to Ono, as well as a few solo deep cuts.
1. “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
A standout track from the 1969 album Abbey Road, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” is one of several odes to Yoko Ono that don’t directly name-drop her. Rather, Lennon wails about his adoration for the woman in question (Ono), referencing how “heavy” she is. For those who weren’t around in the 1960s, that was a slang term for someone with heavy emotional weight and intelligence.
2. “Oh Yoko!”
John Lennon penned this tune about Yoko Ono back in 1971 for his album Imagine. Obviously, this is a song about Ono, but it gets buried under other heavy-hitters on that album, such as the title track and “How Do You Sleep?”
Nicky Hopkins contributed his piano talents to the track, and Phil Spector sang harmony. Fun fact: This song would mark the last time Lennon would play the harmonica on a formally released recording.
3. “God”
“God” appears on Lennon’s first post-Beatles album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, from 1970. This tune references quite a few themes, from The Beatles to the concept of God. In the song, Lennon states that he does not believe in many things (magic, yoga, kings, Bob Dylan, Jesus, and others), but he believes in himself and his wife, Yoko Ono.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Em Casalena
John Lennon’s “Imagine” is one of the most popular songs of all time. However, popularity typically comes with a price, and Lennon is no stranger to that paradigm. Released in 1971, Lennon’s subversively inspiring song became an anthem for the dreamers, for the rebels, and for really anyone and everyone who had a bone to pick with the systemic issues of society. Though, evidently, that entailed a lot of trouble. A lot of trouble that lasted for quite a long time.
The lyrics of Lennon’s “Imagine” will likely remain relevant for as long as anyone can guess. That is how he designed it, as the themes the lyrics articulate are not specific to a time or place. Rather, they are specific to the human, spiritual, and governmental phenomena that have transpired throughout history. That being so, the contents of the song are timeless and will seemingly always remain relevant.
While John Lennon strives for peace, understanding, and mutuality in the song, he does so in a fairly divisive way. In the song, he denounces religion, government, and personal possession. Thus, it comes as no surprise that people and companies took issue with the song. Though surprisingly, these parties took issue with the song far after it was released.
Of course, John Lennon’s song was polarizing upon its release. However, it was so idealistically potent that people and companies took issue with it more than 20 years after its release as well. Specifically, the two major radio stations that banned the song from the airwaves were Clear Channel Communications (now iHeart Media) and the BBC.
Clear Channel Communications banned the song after 9/11. The company included the song on their “do not play” list along with several other politically subversive singles. Given the political climate of the United States post 9/11, the CCC banned this song due to the fact that it contrasted the national ideals of the United States during wartime. In essence, it was seemingly viewed as anti-American.
As a matter of fact, the BBC banned the song for the exact same reason, as they banned the song in 1991 during England’s participation in the Persian Gulf War. Like the CCC, the BBC banned the song given that it juxtaposed the patriotic ideals the country was trying to uphold during the time of war.
Source: americansongwriter.com
It appears as if another Beatles reunion is in the works, as Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have been revealed as part of the star-studded cast of a 3D CG-animated adaption of a children’s adventure book penned in part by McCartney himself, according to Forbes.
Inspired by 2005’s “High in the Clouds,” written by McCartney, Geoff Dunbar and Philip Ardagh, the film’s roster features a who’s who from the worlds of film, television and music, including: Himesh Patel, Celine Dion, Hannah Waddingham, Idris Elba, Lionel Richie, Jimmy Fallon, Clemence Posey, Pom Klementieff and Alain Chabat.
Described as “a tale about the power of family and freedom of expression through music,” the story follows Wirral, a teenage squirrel, “who embarks on an extraordinary journey to set music free, after accidentally sparking a revolution against Gretsch, the bossy diva-owl who has banned all music from his town,” as reported in Variety.
The film is co-produced by McCartney, who will also be aboard to write and compose several of the film’s original songs, the report said.
The last time McCartney and Starr worked together was on 2023’s “Now and Then,” bitter sweetly billed as the Beatles’ final single.
The track included fresh material from both surviving members, and featured archival recordings of John Lennon and George Harrison, recorded before their deaths.
The song earned the pair a Grammy for “Best Rock Performance” and was nominated for “Record of the Year.”
A release date for “High in the Clouds” has yet to be revealed.
Source: silive.com/Scott R. Axelrod
It wasn’t often The Beatles took formal votes on decisions, as most things were discussed and agreed upon as a group. But in 1969, during a recording session that should have been routine, Paul McCartney found himself on the receiving end of something that hadn’t happened before: all three of his bandmates siding against him, and the issue was Allen Klein.
After the death of manager Brian Epstein, the band was left with a gap in leadership. Soon, John Lennon was quickly won over by Klein’s pitch, and George Harrison and Ringo Starr agreed.
But McCartney remained unconvinced. He wanted the band to be represented by Lee Eastman, his future father-in-law and a respected entertainment lawyer. The moment came when Klein turned up at Apple and asked the band to sign his contract on the spot. He said he had a board meeting the following morning and Paul asked to wait until Monday.
“I said, ‘Well I’m not going to [sign it now]. I demand at least the weekend. I’ll look at it, and on Monday. This is supposed to be a recording session, after all,’” McCartney later recalled in All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words.
But the other three pushed back, and then someone suggested a vote.
McCartney didn’t think it would be unanimous: “I said, ‘No, you’ll never get Ringo to’. I looked at Ringo, and he gave me this sick look like, Yeah, I’m going with them.” The vote went three to one, which meant Lennon, Harrison and Starr signed with Klein, while McCartney didn’t. “That was the first time”, he said. “And they all signed it. They didn’t need my signature.”
It wouldn’t be the last time he felt sidelined. Months later, after finishing his debut solo album McCartney, he was visited at home by Ringo Starr, who wanted them to delay the release of the album so that 'Let It Be' could come out first.
“They eventually sent Ringo round my house at Cavendish with a message: ‘We want you to put your release date back, it’s for the good of the group’”, McCartney said in Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. “And he was giving me the party line - they just made him come round”.
Source: express.co.uk/Maria Leticia Gomes
Barry Keoghan is preparing to play Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes’ Beatles biopics, but he’s not quite ready to show off his drumming skills.
In an interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Wednesday night, Keoghan shared that he’s finally met the music legend face to face. “I met him at his house and he played the drums for me,” he said, adding: “He asked me to play, but I wasn’t playing the drums for Ringo.”
The “Saltburn” actor reminded Kimmel that Starr was in fact the one to leak his casting to the press back in November. “He let the news out,” Keoghan said. “He was like, ‘Barry is somewhere doing drums. I think he should stop and not do anymore.'”
Keoghan said meeting Starr was “one of those moments when you’re just in awe” and he “just froze.”
“When I was talking to him, I couldn’t look at him. I was nervous,” Keoghan said. “But he’s like, ‘You can look at me.’ And again, you’re playing Ringo Starr. My job is to observe and take in the mannerisms and study.”
Keoghan will be playing Starr across four separate Beatles biopics directed by Mendes, which are set for theatrical release in April 2028. Alongside Keoghan, Paul Mescal is playing Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson will star as John Lennon and Joseph Quinn is portraying George Harrison.
Of embodying Starr, Keoghan said he wants “to humanize and bring feelings to it and not just sort of imitate,” adding that their interaction “was absolutely lovely” and they “just sat in the garden chatting away.”
Source: variety.com/Ellise Shafer
Unless you’re a Beatles aficionado (and/or saw Peter Jackson’s revealing documentary miniseries, The Beatles: Get Back), you would never be able to pick up on the deep tensions between John Lennon and Paul McCartney that were reaching a fever pitch during the Let It Be and Abbey Road sessions, which would make up the two final Beatles albums. On either record, from a surface-level vantage point, the band was as cohesive and creative as ever.
But dig a little deeper, and the fractures breaking the Fab Four apart become more apparent. The band’s reactions and recollections in later interviews shone a light on the dissonance that was slowly increasing in volume as they barrelled toward their final goodbye as one of the world’s most pervasive and influential rock bands.
Two songs on Let It Be, the final album the band released despite starting its sessions prior to Abbey Road, highlight the mounting conflict between the band’s primary songwriters.
John Lennon Had Harsh Words For These Beatles Songs Off Their Final Album
Generally speaking, the songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney is what made the Beatles so prolific and unique. When their relationship began faltering, so did everything else. The final recording sessions were full of fights, clashing egos, and the occasional walkout. Even years after Let It Be came out, the musicians could recall with cutting clarity the parts they did and didn’t like about the recording process (and the songs themselves).
For example, in one of his final interviews before his death, Lennon told David Sheff that he never thought the title track to Let It Be sounded like a true Beatles song. Despite the songwriting credit going to Lennon and McCartney, the former Beatle said the song was the latter’s. “What can you say?” Lennon mused to Sheff. “Nothing to do with the Beatles. It could’ve been Wings. I think it was inspired by “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.” That’s my feeling, although I have nothing to go on.”
Source: americansongwriter.com/Melanie Davis
Had The Beatles been able to successfully fulfill the vision they originally conceived for the album that was released over a half-century ago as Let It Be, we might not have seen that LP as we now know it.
Fresh off the recording and release of The White Album (a/k/a The Beatles) in late 1968, the foursome reconvened early in the new year to work together in a more straightforward fashion than on that double set and Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band of 1967.
Notwithstanding the production of a feature length film (or the idea of a live performance bandied about at various points), the emphasis was on simplicity, the goal to capture the quartet as they played and sang together, without much, if any, subsequent elaboration via overdubbing or effects.
Hindsight of fifty-five years suggests the Beatles would most likely have achieved this goal with the astute guidance of manager Brian Epstein and/or long-time studio producer George Martin. But the former had passed suddenly in August of 1967, leaving the group essentially rudderless, while the latter had been shunted aside during the recording sessions of the previous year, an oversight that unfortunately continued here in favor of then-young engineer Glyn Johns.
Source: glidemagazine.com/By Doug Collette
