Beatles News

Though they would reform for the Anthology releases a decade after this “absolute rubbish” performance, The Beatles did “reunite”.

At the wedding of Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd, three of the four Beatles got together to perform for the first time since their impromptu rooftop gig. Almost a decade on from their tumultuous split and Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison got back together on stage. Harrison, who had been married to Boyd, finalised their divorce in 1977 but remained a close friend. He would marry Olivia Arias in 1978, and remained with her until his death in 2001. But he still attended Boyd’s wedding, with Clapton and Harrison remaining friends despite the infidelities between them.

Clapton had written the hit track Layla for Harrison’s then-wife, while the so-called quiet one would begin an affair with Starr’s first wife, Maureen Starkey. Despite the messy personal relationship between the group, Starr, Harrison, and McCartney attended Clapton’s wedding and gave what would can be considered the last-ever performance of The Beatles.

Though they were missing John Lennon, the band would take to the stage of Clapton and Boyd’s we details

The Beatles understandably reached back to unused material from their time together while completing early solo projects. With so much musical talent, some very good stuff got left on the cutting-room floor.

Songs that the Beatles took the longest to finish include four entries from Paul McCartney's first LP after their split in 1970. There are three more from George Harrison's and one from John Lennon's, as well.

But the Beatles had long made a habit of resurrecting unreleased material, with Lennon and McCartney including songs they'd started in their teens on band recordings. They also turned to legacy material when they found themselves struggling creatively, first because overwork and then later amid growing interpersonal issues.

After their breakup, the group's three main songwriters continued to dig around in the vaults. None of them was more determined to complete older unissued tracks than Harrison. He was still releasing songs he'd started but never finished with the Beatles into the '80s.

In compiling this countdown of 25 Beatles songs that took the longest to finish, we focused as much as possible on starting with their first run throughs of the material during band sessions. (Recollec details

It’s been 60 years since The Beatles released Help!, their fifth British LP. Perhaps because it was attached to a chaotic movie, or maybe because it was followed up by a series of masterpiece albums, this 1965 LP doesn’t quite get its proper due.

The Beatles were transitioning away from the simplicity of their early stuff into much more lyrically and musically complex work. Here are some tidbits about the making of the album that you might not have known.

“Yesterday” now stands as one of the most important songs in pop music history. It showed that a rock band need not release music reliant on the instrumentation we usually associate with the genre. And thanks to the touch of producer George Martin, it demonstrated a way for strings to be incorporated into a pop music structure without overdoing it. Still, The Beatles felt a little self-conscious about the whole thing at the time of its release. That’s why they chose not to release it as a single in England. In America, where they had less control over their catalog, it did come out as a single. And it soared to dizzying levels of success in the process.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia

details

A demo version of the John Lennon song Imagine has left fans wondering if the former Beatle knew he “had a hit on his hands”.

The title track of Lennon’s 1971 album would be released to critical acclaim from the press and public. Imagine would make it to third on the Billboard 100, and while it would never top the charts in the UK or US, it would become one of Lennon’s best-known solo songs. Fans believe Lennon knew he “had a hit on his hands” because of how well-formed the song is during its demo phase. Others have praised the early version of Lennon’s much-loved song as a “wonderful listening” experience that highlights the “beauty” of the song.

One comment underneath the YouTube upload of the Imagine demo reads: “He obviously knew he had a ‘hit’ on his hands. It’s so perfect and fully formed: the lyrics, the melody, the chords. He really delivered a masterpiece.”

Another agreed, adding: “There is always something wonderful listening to demos. Often they capture the rawness and beauty of the melody and lyrics. As this does…” Other listeners were full of praise for the early years of a song details

The Beatles have never completely vacated the charts in the United Kingdom — at least not for long. Whether as a band or via the solo work of its members, the impact of the biggest band of all time can always be felt. Reissues, vinyl exclusives, and one-off special surges in popularity keep the music of all four artists coming back. This frame, it’s John Lennon who returns to a pair of tallies with one of his most direct and politically-charged solo statements.  “Power to the People” Is Back

“Power to the People,” credited to John Lennon, Yoko Ono – as simply John & Yoko – and the Plastic Ono Band, is back on two U.K. singles rankings. The track returns at No. 29 on the Official Vinyl Singles chart and at No. 36 on the Official Physical Singles list. A top 40 comeback more than half a century after the tune’s drop is the kind of surge any artist hopes for.  A Late Arrival to the Charts

 Though “Power to the People” was first issued in 1971, it didn’t become a charting hit in the U.K. until April 2025. It debuted that month on both the Official Vinyl Singles and Official Physical Singles charts, and even found roo details

During her 70-year reign, it would be easier to ask which celebrities Queen Elizabeth didn't meet. She rubbed shoulders with everyone from Elton John to Lady Gaga at events like the Royal Variety Performance, movie premieres and charity galas. She also presented plenty of honors during royal investitures, and in 1965, she awarded the members of The Beatles with their MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire). According to Craig Brown's biography Q: A Voyage Around The Queen, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison—who were in their early twenties at the time—had quite the crush on Queen Elizabeth before their trip to Buckingham Palace.

The late Queen was just 27 during her 1953 coronation, and Brown wrote that the four Beatles "had entertained lustful thoughts about the young Princess Elizabeth" when they were teenagers. In 2017, Paul McCartney reflected on their feelings about the monarch during an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, sharing, "They were very formative teenage years, and The Queen was, sort of, 24 or something, so, to us, she was a babe."

"We were like, 'Phowar!'" he continued, adding "there was a certain lustfulness in us teenagers" when it came to Elizab details

Both Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney are doing something they've never done when it comes to the new biopics that are in the works, and that's not only backing the project but actively getting involved. They are both promoting the films on their social media, and Starr, in particular, has had several meetings with the cast and crew. Recently, while he was interviewed during a show in celebration of his 85th birthday, he opened up about his feelings regarding Barry Keoghan being cast to play him in the biopic. He said he doesn't know exactly how he will choose to play the part, but that he has "spent time with him" and was reassured that the Irish actor "knows what he's doing."

"He's fabulous. He has a great love of The Beatles."

Ringo Starr's involvement in the upcoming movies extends beyond just meetings with the cast. He's also been working closely with the writers and has spoken candidly whenever he disagrees with their decisions. In a recent interview with Variety, he revealed that Sam Mendes had given him the chance to read the four scripts and had asked for his thoughts. Some things, Starr admitted, were not up to his standards. Especially the characterization of him and his family. “He had a writer & details

The Mets will honor the 60th anniversary of the Fab Four's performance at Shea Stadium, where they will host the Mariners on Aug. 15 for The Beatles Night at Citi Field.

The 1965 performance was a milestone because The Beatles became the first rock band to perform a major stadium concert. A 50-minute documentary titled "The Beatles at Shea Stadium" captured the show. At the time, the multipurpose stadium was home to the Mets and New York Jets.

The celebration will begin with a performance by 1964 the Tribute in front of Shea Bridge at 6:15 p.m. ET. The first 15,000 fans to enter Citi Field will receive an exclusive Shea Stadium replica.

The first pitch will be thrown by members of the game-day staff who worked the famous concert. A themed fireworks show will be held after the game.

Source: espn.com/Jesse Rogers

Read More>>>

‘Grow Old With Me’: A Look Back at the Song That Brought John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr Back Together Again

During the making of Ringo Starr’s 2019 album What’s My Name, his producer Jack Douglas brought up the Bermuda Tapes: had he heard the message John Lennon had left for him on them?

These tapes were demos recorded in the summer of 1980 that went unreleased by John, who died in December of that year. In them, he enthusiastically states that one of the songs would be “great!” for Ringo.

The message seemed to have come out of nowhere but would act as a major inspiration almost forty years later.

“That’s why I love life,” Ringo says. “Things just arrive!”

He says the song he heard following the message was beautiful. Why it was left unfinished, they will never know — but Ringo was up for the task.

In the studio, he recorded vocals and piano. And when his friend and fellow Beatle Paul McCartney came into town, he asked him to come and work on it with him. Over the years, the two had continued to collaborate, and asking Paul to join in on this track just made sense.

“He can only enhan details

Cultivating just the right environment for the studio is not always an easy task, considering all the external distractions, sicknesses, and general mindlessness that can cause a recording session to turn sour. Fortunately for Tom Petty, George Harrison was on hand while the Florida rocker was tracking what would become one of his most iconic and inspiring hits, “I Won’t Back Down.”

The context in which Petty wrote the song already added a significant layer of emotional distraction. The Full Moon Fever single was Petty’s direct response to a harrowing attack he and his family endured at their California home, which made revisiting the song as cathartic as it was uncomfortable. Moreover, Petty was incredibly sick the day that they were going to lay down the vocal track. Enter George with the ginger.
Save any obvious exceptions, like major trauma and injury, one of the worst things that can happen to a singer on the day of a recording session is to get a head cold. Singers’ instruments are their bodies: the lungs, diaphragm, larynx, sinuses. If mucus or inflammation affects any of these elements of the vocal passageway too strongly, it won’t just ruin a take. It can make it to details

What more can be said about The Beatles? In many ways, the Liverpool, England-born group symbolized the 1960s. They came around in a big way around the time when the decade began, and they departed as a group when the decade concluded. They evolved over that short time from a bubblegum pop band to a psychedelic, cerebral group.

But perhaps what distinguishes The Beatles most of all is that they wrote so many songs that people like to sing along to. Below, that’s exactly what we wanted to dive into. We wanted to highlight three of those catchy songs. Indeed, these are three Beatles songs we just can’t stop singing along to in our spare time.
“Yesterday” (Single, 1965)

The song that came to Paul McCartney in a dream, “Yesterday” has since become one of the Fab Four’s fan favorite tracks. On it, McCartney sings over a strummed acoustic, remembering and lamenting the loss of love. In the past, things seemed so much easier and clearer. But today—it’s just so difficult. That’s the message he croons in this straightforward but sublimely catchy song that the band released right there in the middle of the 1960s. Today, we all know the words.
“I W details

Why Did The Beatles Leave Out "If You’ve Got Trouble"?

As many know, Starr was the band’s drummer and was not much of a singer. But for every project and album they released, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison wanted Starr to shine on at least one song for experimental reasons. But when it was time to record “If You’ve Got Trouble,” many issues arose. Why “If You’ve Got Trouble” was scrapped from Help! was pretty simple. The song did not make much sense, and the lyrics were all over the place. Compared to the songs on the album, such as “Help!” and “Yesterday,” “If You’ve Got Trouble” fell short. It was of poor quality, and it left the band with no choice but to reject it from the album.
"Act Naturally" Replaced "If You’ve Got Trouble" on The Beatles' Help! AlbumThe-Beatles-Eight-Days-a-Week-The-Touring-Years

Instead of releasing “If You’ve Got Trouble,” they released a cover of “Act Naturally” for the UK version of Help!, which was first performed by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos in 1963. It was recorded months after they scrapped “If You’ve Got Trouble&rdqu details

On a sultry summer night in 1965, 55,600 people took part in a historic musical and cultural event. It was Aug. 15, the day The Beatles played the very first major stadium concert at Shea Stadium in Queens. This week marks its 60th anniversary.

The Beatles had already become popular at home in England, although “popular” is perhaps an understatement. Young people were screaming, crying and fainting in the band’s presence, and it seemed that mass hysteria followed everywhere they went. One British tabloid, the Daily Mail, coined a name for the phenomenon: Beatlemania.

Beatlemania first hit U.S. shores when the four lads from Liverpool arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Feb. 7, 1964, just two months after the assassination of the 35th president prompted a name change for the facility. The band would be exposed to a wider audience through their performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” two nights later.

The sold-out performance at Shea Stadium the following year, which set world records both for attendance and for revenue, was the peak of Beatlemania. According to concert promoter Sid Bernstein’s 2002 memoir “It’s Sid Bernstein Calling,” Joh details

Paul McCartney has always been generous in giving credit where it’s due. Throughout his legendary career, he has openly acknowledged the artists who inspired him, but one musician stands out above the rest — Brian Wilson. Wilson’s masterpiece, “God Only Knows,” is a song McCartney once described as “brilliantly done.”

In a 2007 interview with BBC Radio 1, McCartney opened up about why this Beach Boys classic holds such a special place in his heart.

“It’s one of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it,” McCartney confessed. “It’s really just a love song, but it’s brilliantly done. It shows the genius of Brian.”

Coming from the man who penned “Yesterday,” “Let It Be” and “The Long and Winding Road,” this wasn’t just casual praise — it was the greatest tribute.

McCartney’s admiration for Wilson’s composition went far beyond words. The track directly inspired some of the Beatles’ most beloved songs. “God Only Knows” served as the blueprint for McCartney’s own “Silly Love Songs,” which incorporated the sa details

1969 was a bit of a heavy time for Paul McCartney. He was desperately trying to keep The Beatles together via a project that would force them to play together once again. Maybe it was only natural that his mind would wander off to more innocent days.

It was around that time that McCartney started writing the teenage-themed “The Back Seat Of My Car”. Although he’d never record it with The Beatles, he and his wife Linda would eventually make it the closing track of their 1971 album Ram.
Taking a “Back Seat”

On The Beatles’ 1968 double LP The White Album, individual members often went their separate ways in the studio to record songs without input from the others. With the Get Back/Let It Be project that began in early 1969, Paul McCartney sought to bring everyone back together into a tight musical unit.

He did this via an album that they planned to build from scratch in rehearsals, all while being filmed. As we know, the project ended up exposing more rifts than repairing them. After the rooftop concert at the end of January, the album/documentary was put on ice for over a year, by which time the band had broken up.

Band members were encouraged to bring what details