Beatles FAQ

Snatches from two French military marches appear in Beatles songs, both at the suggestion of George Martin .

The Beatles cheerfully sang 'Roll Over Beethoven'. But if Ludwig were not safely out of copyright, his legal team might have had a plausible claim for royalties. In one of his last interviews, John Lennon revealed how the great German composer provided direct inspiration for Because: I was lying on the sofa in our house, listening to Yoko play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on the piano. Suddenly I said, 'Can you play those chords backwards?' Structure The Beatles version retains the key (and key change, as well as the arpeggio pattern) - see here . Lennon also added some bass notes and, of course, a lyric which he claimed was ' clear, no bullshit, no imagery, no obscure references.' You won't find that kind of language in Fidelio, but there is arguably a similarity of intent across the centuries.

Two months after their first US public appearance, The Beatles held all the top five positions in the Billboard Hot 100.

Though John Lennon has described a very difficult childhood in emotional terms, he was more materially affluent than the others. Ringo, in contrast, has frequently paid tribute to his mother (Elsie) and his stepfather (Harry) for creating a very happy home. He nonetheless experienced 'Dickensian misfortune' that made the others count their blessings. Dingle The young Richard Starkey never made it to Mendips at this time - he first met the other Beatles much later in Hamburg. Had he done so, Aunt Mimi would no doubt have 'hidden the spoons', such was the notorious reputation of 'the Dingle', the area he came from.   Mimi would also have been startled by the young Starkey's physical appearance, which showed clear signs of his impoverishment and severe ill-health   Growing up in one of the roughest areas of the city meant that Ringo quickly developed survival skills.  'You learned to keep your eyes down but still watch what was going on,' he would late...

George Harrison and Paul McCartney first met while at secondary school.

Pete Best was sacked from The Beatles in August 1962. Because he did not write any of their material, he has never received royalties. For thirty-three years, he  received no income for the recordings he made with The Beatles 

George Martin wanted The Beatles first single to be  How Do You Do It, a Tin Pan Alley song which he felt had commercial potential.

  "Nobody wanted to play bass in those days."

The Beatles were legally dissolved in court on December 29th, 1974. But they had effectively ended on April 10, 1970, when Paul issued a press release announcing he was no longer working with the group.

Ringo: not a happy bunny in 1968

I am like a chameleon, influenced by whatever is going on. If Elvis can do it, I can do it. If the Everly Brothers can do it, me and Paul can. Same with Dylan. John Lennon I could feel myself climbing a spiral walkway as I was talking to Dylan. I felt like I was figuring it all out, the meaning of life.”  Paul McCartney In their early lyrics, Lennon and McCartney broadly stuck to the Tin Pan Alley  format: essentially,  "I love you/please love me too ."   There were some exceptions. Paul's When I'm Sixty Four, for example, shows the influence of music hall and takes a very unusual perspective for a teenage songwriter.  Generally, though,  the words circled back to the trials and tribulations of romantic love: I Want to Hold Your Hand, From Me to You, etc. Along Came Bob Two factors disrupted this approach. One was practical - there are only so many ways to say 'I love you' and The Beatles' success demanded the rapid production of new material. The...

The Beatles first met Dylan during their second visit to the US in August 1964. He came to visit them in their suite at the Delmonoco Hotel in New York, accompanied by his friend Al Aronowitz.  Eager to please their super-hip guests, The Beatles offered Dylan and champagne and amphetamines. Dylan said that he only drank cheap wine and suggested that they ‘smoke some grass’ Brian and the Beatles looked at each other apprehensively. “We’ve never smoked marijuana before,” Brian finally admitted.  Those British accents Dylan was clearly confused {He} looked disbelievingly from face to face. “But what about your song?” he asked. The one about getting high?” The Beatles were stupefied. “Which song?” John managed to ask. Dylan said, “You know…” and then he sang, “and when I touch you I get high, I get high…” John flushed with embarrassment. “Those aren’t the words,” he admitted. “The words are, ‘I can’t hide, I can’t hide, I can’t hide…'”    From The Love You Make...

'We were cowards when we sacked him,'  John Lennon The  Beatles replaced their drummer,  Pete Best , with Ringo Starr in August 1962 . 

John & Yoko  - Gibraltar wedding photo

In 1962, Brian Epstein was the best man at the hastily arranged wedding of John Lennon and Cynthia Powell in Liverpool. 

In the film Help,  The Beatles live together in the ultimate bachelor pad. Four doors lead into a miraculous shared space, with all mod cons. No boring housework to worry about. 

George Harrison bought what he later called a 'terrible..cheapoo guitar when he was thirteen. His mother, Louise Harrison, has confirmed that learning to play it didn't come easily George tried to teach himself [the guitar]. But he wasn’t making much headway. ‘I’ll never learn this,’ he used to say. I said, ‘You will, son, you will. Just keep at it.’ Progression With characteristic determination, George stuck to the task, literally making his fingers bleed.  Once he had the core chords memorised, he moved on to a Spanish guitar manual,  Modern Guitar Chord Progressions .  Around this time, he noticed an older boy carrying a trumpet on his bus journey from school. The budding musicians fell into conversation   Read more   (4-minute free on Medium)