Beatles News
Towards the end of the Beatles’ career, it would’ve been hard to imagine George Harrison had much good to say about his time with the band. He, like his other bandmates, was burnt out to the point that calling one of the biggest bands of all time quits seemed like a good option. Nevertheless, he eventually looked back on his time being “fab” with softer eyes. Uncover the meaning behind “When We Was Fab,” below.
Back then long time ago when grass was green
Woke up in a daze
Arrived like strangers in the night
Harrison released this track in the late ’80s, delighting many Beatles fans for the mention–even if it was slightly covert. Harrison recalls his time with the band and likens it to the idealist view of grass being greener on the other side. Though Harrison’s music career was still up and running, it didn’t evoke the exact same mystique that the Fab Four did.
And while you’re in this world
The fuzz gonna come and claim you
But you mo’ better wise
When the buzz gonna come and take you away
Take you away, take you away
Overall, this song has a positive tone to it. Though it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, Harrison has a much better view on his stint with the foursome than he would’ve in the wake of their breakup.
Source: Alex Hopper/americansongwriter.com
The Beatles could swell their pretty small collection of Grammy trophies.
The Beatles definitely have no need for gongs and baubles, with their back catalogue and cultural impact more than speaking for itself.
It's always nice to be recognised though, and after it stormed the charts around the world on its release last year it's no surprise that the Fab Four's 'Final Song' 'Now and Then' has been nominated for the 2025 Grammy Awards. Bigger than Jesus? What actually happened with The Beatles' most controversial moment
The song was 45 years in the making. An original John Lennon recording was given to the then-surviving Beatles by Yoko Ono in the early 1990s as they assembled their Anthology project.
While the "Threetles" of Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr completed recording on the Lennon songs 'Free As A Bird' and 'Real Love', they abandoned work on 'Now and Then', in part because of the technical limitations of the time.
After several hints over the years, the advances in de-mixing technology used during the Get Back documentary series meant that McCartney and Starr could finally finish off the song, which was finally heard on November 2, 2023.
Source: Mayer Nissim/goldradio.com
At times, fame can get in the way of a creative pursuit. The audience’s expectations are proportionate to the amount of fame an artist can amass, potentially leaving that artist in fear of disappointing their listeners. If the Beatles’ fame was unprecedented, then the expectations put on them were equally so. Towards the middle of their career as a group, the band felt stagnant, unable to flex their creativity. All that changed when they made Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Find out why the creation of that album was so freeing for the Fab Four, below.
The Beatles assumed characters while making Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The concept record saw them create under a new banner. In return, their music benefitted from the freedom of “not being the Beatles.” According to Paul McCartney, they found a new stride while writing this record that revamped their love for making music.
“Over our meal we were talking about salt and pepper which was misheard as Sgt. Pepper,” McCartney once wrote. “I then had the idea for the song ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ and thought it would be interesting for us to pretend, during the making of the album, that we were members of this band rather than The Beatles, in order to give us a fresh slant.”
Source: Alex Hopper/americansongwriter.com
Music has an interesting way of making opposites attract. Whether it be a mutual fondness for the same song or a respect for another person’s talent or taste, music has the power to bring people together in a way no other means does. That being so, it unexpectedly brought together two iconic musicians and created a relationship worth mentioning. The relationship in question is between Waylon Jennings and John Lennon.
On the surface, Lennon and Jennings couldn’t be farther apart on the musical and general life spectrum. One dude is an outlaw country singer from Texas and the other dude is a pop rocker from England. In a way, you might have a better chance of making a dog and a cat get along. However, throw all of these face-value judgments aside, as when Lennon and Jennings met they took quite a liking to each other.
Even though the two resided in different genres, they were of similar age. Thus, they surely shared some of the same musical influences such as Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, and Little Richard. Although, their first interaction and newfound relationship had nothing to do with music. Rather, they just liked each other as good-humored dudes with a similar edge.
Source: Peter Burditt/americansongwriter.com
The Beatles legend Sir Ringo Starr has announced his first full-length album in six years, which is a country record produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett
Despite having to cancel the remainder of his US tour due to health issues and nearing his 85th birthday, Sir Ringo Starr is not letting anything slow down his creative output. The Beatles drummer has been releasing a few EPs recently, but he's now announced his first full-length album in six years.
Donning a cowboy hat, the Liverpool native is embracing his inner cowboy with Look Up, an album produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett. Set to drop on January 10, 2025, Sir Ringo lends his voice and drumming skills to all 11 tracks, and even co-wrote the closing song Thankful, which features Alison Krauss.
The first single, Time On My Hands, is available now for streaming.
Source: George Simpson/themirror.com
John Lennon won Grammys both as a member of The Beatles and as a solo artist. He collected several prizes during his lifetime, and perhaps even more following his death. The rocker is nominated again this year, as is one of his two children.
Sean Ono Lennon has been nominated for his first Grammy, and he joins his family tradition in the honor. The youngest son of the late musician is up for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, which is awarded to the art directors who produced a physical product that stands out as especially inventive or creative. The musical act that wrote and recorded the work is not necessarily nominated, unless they also played a role in the art direction.
Sean is nominated for the work he did on the recent re-release of his father’s album Mind Games. The set was shared again earlier this year as a deluxe collectible box set that features half a dozen CDs.
Lennon’s youngest son, whom he shared with wife Yoko Ono, is a first-time nominee at the 2025 Grammys. He’s up for the specific category alongside Simon Hilton, and the two will share the award, should they win.
Sean is the second of Lennon’s children, and both have now been nominated for Grammys. Julian, the Beatle’s first child with Cynthia Lennon, enjoyed a short but successful music career shortly after his father’s passing in the early ‘80s. He was once nominated for Best New Artist, an award he lost to Sade.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
From his early days in the Beatles to his work with contemporary artists in the 21st century, Paul McCartney has built his entire career on his incomparable ability to craft songs into a bona fide earworms. Whether a catchy lyrical cadence, a perfectly hummable tune, or something so oddly memorable you can’t help but sing it back to yourself after you hear it, McCartney is certainly a master at writing a hook.
To be clear, we’re not specifically talking about McCartney songs that one could use as a masterclass in songwriting—although there are several of those to choose from. We’re talking about pure, unadulterated hooks that seem to permanently lodge themselves in our brains, regardless of whether the song has the most poignant lyrics or groundbreaking chord progression.
Source: Melanie Davis/americansongwriter.com
Here's how the voting process works for the Grammy Awards, which involves Recording Academy members made up of producers, musicians, songwriters and engineers.
The Beatles’ latest and final song, "Now and Then," achieved two Grammy nominations, putting them back in the Grammy spotlight after nearly three decades. Known as the "last Beatles song," "Now and Then" uses original vocals from John Lennon, recorded in 1970 and preserved through artificial intelligence.
This innovative approach allowed Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to add fresh instrumentals and vocals to create a unique track that also includes guitar recordings from the late George Harrison.
The Beatles are nominated in two prominent Grammy categories this year:
Record of the Year: Competing alongside Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish, the Beatles’ nomination signals their enduring influence in music.
Best Rock Performance: Recognized for their distinctive rock sound, "Now and Then" also earned a nomination in this category, bringing together contemporary and classic rock fans.
Source: FOX TV Digital Team/fox5dc.com
The late legendary music producer, songwriter, and composer Quincy Jones established his entire career on sticking to his guns, whether in the studio or in his speech, which is why the phone call between Jones and Paul McCartney following Jones’ scathing comments about the Beatles is somewhat surprising. (But to be fair, it wasn’t necessarily more surprising than what Jones had to say about the Fab Four in the first place.)
While it’s unclear whether the press really fabricated Jones’ comments or he simply wanted to smooth things over with an old pal, his subsequent chat with Macca proved there was no bad blood between the musicians in either case.
The Producer Didn’t Mince His Words About The Fab Four
Highly educated, technically proficient jazz musicians denouncing their more ragtag, rock ‘n’ roll counterparts is certainly nothing new. Miles Davis did it with the Steve Miller Band. Years later, Quincy Jones did the same thing with the Beatles. The producer’s scathing comments about the Fab Four in a 2018 interview with The New Yorker caused quite a stir, and it’s easy to see why. Jones’ hot take was piping hot.
Source: Melanie Davis/americansongwriter.com
One notable strength of the Paul McCartney-John Lennon creative collaboration was their ability to push each other and keep the other in check—the latter of which McCartney had to exercise when Lennon proposed they both undergo an alarming medical procedure that some proponents (including Lennon) believed could enhance mental strength and well-being.
Fortunately for both Beatles, McCartney was having none of it. He rejected Lennon’s suggestion and, as he would later explain in a 2018 interview with GQ, his bandmate knew McCartney well enough to know that his decision was final.
In the late 1960s, the New Age movement began touting the supposed benefits of trepanation, an ancient practice of boring a hole into the skull to increase mental strength and overall well-being. Dutch librarian and self-trepanner Hugo Bart Huges helped usher in this alarming medical movement with his 1964 work, “The Mechanism of Brainbloodvolume (‘BBV’),” also known as “Homo Sapiens Correctus.”
The paper, which Huges presented in scroll form, claimed that humans’ bipedal nature prevented adequate blood flow in and out of the brain. Trepanation, Huges argued, reversed gravity’s effects on blood flow to the brain, resulting in greater mental well-being and a “permanent high.” Huges performed this questionable medical practice on himself in 1965 using a foot-operated electric dentist drill and what we have to assume was an overwhelmingly strong stomach.
Source: Melanie Davis/americansongwriter.com
