Beatles FAQ

"one of the Beatles most dispensable items". [8] Run for Your Life’, I always hated ... because it was a song I just knocked off Lennon Remembers Few would argue with this assessment. Thomas Ward diplomatically suggests that it is one of the Beatles most dispensable items".[8] while Ian MacDonald is characteristically forthright ('a dismal track'). 'Run for Life' was the first song recorded for what would become Rubber Soul. It was 'knocked off' during a break between the filming of Help and their return to Abbey Road in October 1965. Words One reason Lennon was later embarrassed by the song was what MacDonald calls its 'lazily sexist lyric'. Even allowing for the different social climate, 'you better run for your life ... or that's the end' has an unpleasant menacing edge. The words and the sentiment came from the old Elvis song 'Baby, Let's Play House'. There was a line on it; I used to like specific lines from...

The Beatles cheerfully sang 'Roll Over Beethoven' in their pre-fame stage show. The Chuck Berry anthem also appears on their second album. But if Ludwig was not safely out of copyright, his legal team would most likely have a solid royalties claim. In one of his last interviews, John Lennon revealed how the great German composer provided direct inspiration: 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'. The Beatles version retains the key and key change, plus the pattern of arpeggios. Lennon also added some bass notes and of course and 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. .

People always ask us how we sit down and write a song. Well, first we sit down. Then we write a song. 

  Despite their local success in Liverpool and Hamburg — and Brian Epstein’s best efforts — The Beatles struggled to get their first recording contract.

The last time The Beatles played together for an audience was in the famous rooftop performance in January 1969. This was not, however, a concert in the conventional sense, with tickets available to the public.  August 29th, 1966 — Candlestick Park in San Francisco The Beatles’ last ever US date proved a downbeat occasion. It was held in the Giants stadium, a particularly unsuitable venue. A huge fence separated the crowd from the band and there were chaotic dressing room arrangements. Despite the continuing popularity of the band, only 25,000 of the 42,000 seats were sold — partly because of high prices. The disconnect between young fans and now forbiddingly remote idols is made apparent by concert’s compere ‘Emperor’ Gene Nelson: Candlestick Park in August, at night, was cold, foggy and windy. …The Beatles were taking their time to get out. I was trying to entertain a crowd that was shouting, ‘Beatles, Beatles, Beatles.’ The dressing room was chaos. There were loads of people the...

Nam Ngô Composition has always been  an instinctive process for Paul McCartney, with inspiration coming from unlikely sources:

  John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote a large number of songs in their teens - up to 200 according to some estimates. Many disappeared without trace - a Wimpole Street spring clean by Jane Asher put paid to a pile written on scrap paper.  Others, like Lennon's  'Hello Little Girl' f eatured in their live act but were then given to other artists to cover. These were generally off-cuts not deemed quite up to scratch, though arguably some like   'World Without Love ' and ' Love of the Loved'  deserved a seat at the top table.  Songs revived and recorded By  Beatles For Sale  Lennon & McCartney were exhausted and running out of new material. At this point Paul revisited  'I'll Follow the Sun'  which he had written in the year following his mother's death. “I wrote that in my front parlour in Forthlin Road,” McCartney told Mark Lewishon. “I remember standing in the parlour, with my guitar, looking out through the lace curtains of th...

John Lennon teases clue seekers and his bandmate  Written days after the death of Brian Epstein, the lyrics of 'I am the Walrus' have confused everyone, including their author - read full story here In his 1971  Rolling Stone  interview, Lennon tries to explain the McCartney reference in Glass Onion:  Here's another clue for you all. The Walrus was Paul.  Is Lennon teasing his bandmate? Or having a pop at the rapidly growing army of conspiracy theorists? Interestingly, Glass Onion was a genuine collaboration between John and Paul. The theme (an attack on the 'pseuds' over-interpreting Beatles' lyrics) sounds typical of Lennon but in fact came from McCartney. Their relationship was fraying but here they come together in a howl of complaint about how Beatles' lyrics were avidly scoured for hidden messages.   Ian Macdonald disapproves. He suggests that the 'sour A minor melody' and snarling tone of the song express the intent of they lyric" - a ...

John's harmonica playing was a key feature of several early Beatles tracks - most notably on Love Me Do and Please Please Me. By 1964 however, he was becoming increasingly wary of using it as a lead instrument. “So we started using [the harmonica] on ‘Love Me Do’,’ just for arrangement, because we used to work out arrangements … And then we stuck it on ‘Please Please Me’ George Martin liked the distinctive element that the harmonica added. He encouraged The Beatles to use it in the following two single. They did so reluctantly. and then we stuck it on ‘From Me to You,’ like that. … It went on and on, it got into the gimmick, and then we dropped it. It got embarrassing.” Dylan  There was another reason why the harmonica was became personally embarrassing for John Lennon. This was that Bob Dylan was so closely associated with the instrument. Lennon's musical relationship with Dylan was always uneasy. The harmonica was never fully put away, however. It plays a striking role in dri...

Gets you a nice car, though Candle in the Wind/Goodbye England's Rose by Elton John is the fastest ever selling single in the UK o date. Released on the 13 September 1997, a week after the funeral of Princess Diana, it sold 658,000 in a single day. Over the week this figure rose to 1.55 million, but then fell rapidly. Profits for  Candle in the Wind/Goodbye England's Rose were donated to charity. It was not a commercial release in this respect - and has been treated as a memorial subsequently.  Can't Buy Me Love In terms of worldwide sales,  Can't Buy Me Lov e holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest selling single. The first new release following The Beatles visit to America in February 1964, its advanced sales were an unprecedented 2.7 million. Released on March 21, 1964, it was No. 1 for five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It  stayed on the chart for a further 10 weeks.  In the U.K, “Can’t Buy Me Love” peaked at No. 1 for 3 weeks on the official...