Beatles News
The Beatles might have spurred a sea change in rock and roll when they arrived on the scene, but they didn’t create their sound from complete scratch. They were a product of their influences: Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Fred Astaire …
Wait, Fred Astaire? Well, it’s partially true, at least when it comes to the White Album track “Honey Pie.” It’s a song where Paul McCartney indulged his love of classic Hollywood musicals, and didn’t even bother updating the sound for 1968. The Beatles never shied away from paying homage, sometimes pretty obviously, to the music that had a big impact on them. Obviously, the rock and roll that bubbled up in the late ‘50s cast a big spell on them, but that was not by any stretch the only genre that steered their artistic sensibilities.
It’s important to remember these four guys were all born in the early 1940s, and spent many years of their childhood listening to music far removed from rock and roll, in part because that genre hadn’t really been invented yet. That range of influences is part of what made their music so special.
When it came to “Honey Pie,” which appeared on the White Album in 1968 and features a jazzy ensemble of saxophones and clarinets as well as a clever little John Lennon guitar solo, Paul McCartney went back to the Golden Age of Hollywood for his inspiration, as he explained in his book The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present:
“I was definitely thinking of Fred [Astaire] and the whole world of the silver screen when I was writing ‘Honey Pie.’… If I’d have to choose anyone, I’d be very happy to be thought of as a channeler of Nat King Cole or Fats [Waller] or Fred. I don’t think there’s any denying the idea of being a medium. I definitely dreamt ‘Yesterday,’ so I’m sure I’ve channelled many other songs.”
The Meaning Behind the Lyrics of “Honey Pie”
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
The Beatles had a ton of fans, many of whom never had the chance to interact with the Fab Four other than to scream at them from a distance or fawn over them via a television screen. But there were a lucky, loyal few who had the opportunity to make the acquaintance of the group’s members and cross paths with them on a somewhat regular basis.
George Harrison immortalized these folks in the song “Apple Scruffs,” which is found on his classic 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass. It’s a charming, heartfelt performance by Harrison, dedicated with surprising affection to these intrepid fans.
Because he was generally allowed just one or two of the songs he wrote on any Beatles album, George Harrison found material piling up when he prepared to start his solo career. But that didn’t stop him from writing even more fresh songs for possible inclusion on All Things Must Pass. “Apple Scruffs” was one of those latecomers.
Even though The Beatles were deteriorating circa 1970, the four men still had business to conduct at Apple, the company they had formed with much fanfare a few years earlier. Harrison often groused about these requirements, especially as more and more of the meetings at Apple involved lawyers trying to sort through the band’s various entanglements.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
John Lennon might have been older, but Paul McCartney had more talent on guitar when the two met as teenagers in 1957. It was that talent that earned him Lennon’s respect and a spot in his skiffle group, the Quarrymen. And, as McCartney reveals in a 1999 interview, it was all due to one song.
It was July 6 of that year when their fateful meeting took place at St Peter's Church Hall fête in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton, where Lennon lived with his Aunt Mimi. McCartney only attended the event because of his mate Ivan Vaughan, who was a friend of Lennon’s.
“He used to be in one of the little skiffle groups that John was in,” McCartney told British TV host Michael Parkinson in a 1999 interview for his BBC talk show, Parkinson. “So he said you should come along to this thing. You know this group's playing, and my mate John's in it.”
The Quarrymen were a rough-and-tumble skiffle act consisting of Lennon and a group of musical friends from the Quarry Bank High School. McCartney and Vaughan arrived in time to catch the band's afternoon set and see Lennon sing “Come Go With Me,” by the Del Vikings. Lennon didn’t know the words and improvised them, which McCartney found both amusing and impressive.
Source: Christopher Scapelliti/guitarplayer.co
Paul McCartney’s musical career is arguably the most decorated and triumphant of all time. So much so, that one doesn’t even have to look at his statistics or his song history to know that to be true. However, when one does look into his numbers, the magnitude of McCartney becomes even more amplified. Since entering the sphere of popular music with The Beatles in 1963, McCartney has had 32 No. 1 hits, 27 No. 1 albums, 25.5 million RIAA-certified units, and a plethora of accolades and awards.
Needless to say, there is a reason McCartney became one of music’s first billionaires. Furthermore, there is a reason he is often considered the most successful musician of all time. That being so, it seems when a musician needed a huge hit they would just call up McCartney. Although, it seems McCartney also just likes to collaborate. With these two notions in mind, here are three Paul McCartney collaborations that became huge hits.
“Ebony and Ivory”
Released in 1982, the song marked the first collaboration between McCartney and Stevie Wonder. Given the song’s star-studded cast, it was bound to be a hit from the very start. However, the song’s quality seemingly did a majority of the work and to this day it is a classic tune for both McCartney and Wonder.
Upon its release, the song sat at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 11 weeks and reached the No. 1 spot in the UK, Ireland, and Germany. Furthermore, in 2008, Billboard ranked the song as the 59th best song of all time to grace the Billboard Hot 100.
Source: Peter Burditt/americansongwriter.com
Ringo Starr has a secure place in music history as a member of the Beatles, but the legendary drummer and singer isn’t resting on his laurels.
Starr, 84, is releasing a country album, “Look Up,” on Jan. 10, 2025. The first single from the project, “Time On My Hands,” was released on Oct. 18, featuring Starr’s distinctive vocals. (Listen to the song in a lyric video below.)
Grammy winner T Bone Burnett, a roots music powerhouse, was Starr’s primary collaborator on the album, producing all 11 tracks and writing or co-writing most of them. It’s Starr’s first full-length album since 2019, and the followup to a 1970 record with strong country influences, “Beaucoups of Blues.”
“I’ve always loved country music,” Starr said via a press release. “And when I asked T Bone to write me a song, I didn’t even think at the time that it would be a country song — but of course it was, and it was so beautiful. I had been making EPs at the time and so I thought we would do a country EP — but when he brought me nine songs I knew we had to make an album. And I am so glad we did. I want to thank, and send Peace & Love, to T Bone and all the great musicians who helped make this record. It was a joy making it and I hope it is a joy to listen to.”
Several guest artists from the country, Americana and bluegrass worlds are featured on “Look Up,” as well: Alison Krauss, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Lucius and Larkin Poe.
“I didn’t want to do one of those records like Post Malone just did, where there’s a face card added onto every song, because I felt it was beneath Ringo,” Burnett said in a interview with Variety. “Really, why throw celebrity at Ringo Starr? But I did want to bring some young energy in. So I went to who I thought were some of the best young country musicians. Molly plays and sings on four songs and Billy plays and sings on three. Billy Strings plays some incredible heavy metal guitar in there.”
Source: al.com
It’s a pretty big stretch to call any of The Beatles’ songs “underrated.” That being said, there are a few tracks here and there from the Fab Four’s discography that rarely get widespread praise. We think they’re worth a listen or two. Let’s take a look at four of the most underrated songs by The Beatles!
The 1967 B-side to “All You Need Is Love” was obviously overshadowed by the hit it was released with. Still, “Baby You’re A Rich Man” deserves more love than it has gotten. It’s a fantastic mutual collaboration between John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with a psychedelic energy to it that stands out.
It’s loaded with effects, synth sounds, and a beefy chorus that you won’t find in many of the Fab Four’s other songs from that era. Allegedly, Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones contributed some backing vocals to the track. Though, that’s never been confirmed.
Source: American Songwriter
John Lennon and Yoko Ono's relationship had many ups and downs. One of those downs was the time that Lennon had sex with another woman at a party while Yoko was able to hear them. This ended up in their break up, which eventually left Lennon feeling miserable. Thankfully, Paul McCartney was there for Lennon, which led to him reuniting with Yoko years after their breakup.
This whole relationship drama was narrated by Elliot Mintz, a close friend of Lennon and Yoko's. Mintz talked about the couple's mishaps in his memoir, "We All Shine On: John, Yoko, and Me."
Described as "loud, raucous sex," the whole breakup was triggered after Lennon's infidelity with a woman during a Jerry Rubin party in 1972. "Throughout it all, Yoko sat on the sofa, in stunned, mortified silence, as other guests began awkwardly getting up to leave — until they realized that their coats were in the bedroom where John was having sex," Mintz wrote, according to Fox News.
From New York To Los Angeles
After Lennon's infidelity, he started a relationship with May Pang in 1973. While Mintz believes Yoko never arranged the relationship, Pang has stated that Yoko "took advantage" of her and set the whole thing up. Lennon and Pang moved out of New York to distance themselves from Yoko and continued their 18-month relationship in Los Angeles.
Source: Alejandro Josan/wideopencountry.com
The Beatles made music that transcended their generation, touching lives for decades to come. There’s more than a hint of the uncanny in their work at times – layers of hidden meaning that seem to touch on unmasked areas of the subconscious.
Still, when the band reconvened in the mid 90s they could scarcely have imagined how deeply it would affect them. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr were gifted a cassette by Yoko Ono, featuring home made demos recorded by the late John Lennon.
Deciding to record two of these for the Anthology project, the trio worked alongside producer Jeff Lynne on ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’.
Right from the start, the reconvened group knew how difficult it would be to measure up their illustrious past – especially without John Lennon in tow. Paul McCartney explained…
“She was there with Sean … and she played us a couple of tracks. There were two newies on mono cassettes which he did at home … [s]o I checked it out with Sean, because I didn’t want him to have a problem with it. He said, “Well, it’ll be weird hearing a dead guy on lead vocal. But give it a try.” I said to them both, “If it doesn’t work out, you can veto it.” When I told George and Ringo I’d agreed to that they were going, “What? What if we love it?” It didn’t come to that, luckily. I said to Yoko, “Don’t impose too many conditions on us, it’s really difficult to do this, spiritually. We don’t know, we may hate each other after two hours in the studio and just walk out. So don’t put any conditions, it’s tough enough.”
With the single set for release, the three musicians took part in a photo shoot – keenly aware of the loss of John Lennon, and the memories the session had evoked.
Source: clashmusic.com
Paul McCartney, former member of The Beatles, will perform live in Costa Rica on November 5, 2024, as part of his highly anticipated Got Back tour. McCartney fans can look forward to his first Costa Rican concert in nearly a decade, following his unforgettable 2014 show. Before the concert, the music legend will take time to explore the natural beauty of Costa Rica.
The legendary musician will arrive in Costa Rica a few days prior to his concert on a private flight. While the destinations McCartney plans to visit remain undisclosed, concert producers have confirmed that he is eager to experience the country’s natural wonders, including its beaches and volcanoes.
McCartney first performed in Costa Rica in 2014, and according to concert producers, he has been in love with the country ever since. This year, he plans to enjoy a brief holiday exploring the country’s most beautiful landmarks before taking the stage for his Got Back tour concert.
“We are arranging a tour of Costa Rica’s interior, showing Paul some of the most stunning sights the country has to offer. He’ll fall even more in love with Costa Rica than he did during his first visit,” said Andrés Guanipa, director of Move Concerts Costa Rica.
Fans attending the November 5 concert will also have a unique opportunity to meet Paul McCartney in person. Ten lucky fans will participate in an exclusive meet and greet with the music legend and get to attend his pre-concert soundcheck, where McCartney will perform songs not included in the main concert.
Event producers confirmed McCartney’s return to Costa Rica was confirmed in record time. “Paul loved his experience performing in Costa Rica in 2014, and when planning his 2024 Latin American tour, adding Costa Rica between his Colombia and Mexico stops was a natural choice,” added Guanipa.
Source: ticotimes/ticotimes.net
There never was nor could be another pop manager like Brian Epstein, the young record salesman from Liverpool who discovered The Beatles and with them changed the course of popular music and culture for ever.
When Brian took them on in 1962, no one could understand his faith in what seemed the weirdest of pop groups with their fringed foreheads, eccentric repertoire (from Chuck Berry to Fats Waller) and left-handed bass player whose instrument resembled a violin mated with a giraffe.
His declaration that one day they'd be 'bigger than Elvis Presley', then the ultimate pop superstar, was met with pitying smiles.
But he was way off beam: after only two years in his hands, they'd be bigger than any earthly instrument could measure. Pop artists' managers until then had been a nondescript bunch, known to the public – if indeed they were – for ruthlessly exploiting and defrauding their naive young proteges.
Brian was of an utterly different stamp, with his immaculate tailoring, 'BBC accent' and old-fashioned insistence on honouring agreements and giving value for money.
Now his monumentally successful but hauntingly sad life has inspired a biopic titled Midas Man – after the mythical king whose touch turned everything into gold – which begins streaming on Amazon Prime next week.
Souce: Philip Norman/dailymail.co.uk
