The Beatles’ arduous breakup often overshadows the love and camaraderie the Fab Four had for one another, but John Lennon’s go-to pep talk for cheering up the band in their early years is a heartwarming window into a time before fame, scandal, and psychedelics. Pre-Beatlemania and post-Quarrymen, the future Fab Four were hard-working musicians trying to cut their teeth.

And as anyone who has tried to dedicate their lives to music for any amount of time can attest, that endeavor can be taxing on the spirit. When that happened for the Beatles, Lennon stepped in. John Lennon’s final major interview took place in his New York City home in August 1980, just three months before Mark David Chapman would murder the ex-Beatle on the front steps of that very residence. In the sprawling conversation, Lennon talks about his perception of himself, his former band, nearly every Beatles tune, and musings that oscillate between profound and vain.

While discussing his general outlook on life, Lennon offered an example of his optimism in the face of hardship—something he exercised often throughout his tragically short life. He subtly references his “motto” in “Strawberry Fields Forever&rd details

Ringo Starr may have contributed the least in terms of songwriting to The Beatles, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a stellar drummer. In fact, there are a few songs by the Fab Four through the years that really showcase his drumming talent. Let’s look into four times Ring Starr proved he was a genius drummer for The Beatles!
1. “Something”

“Something” is one of George Harrison’s best songwriting efforts, and even marginal fans consider it one of The Beatles’ very best songs. Ringo Starr shines as a drummer on this track with drum fills that are both simple but very prominent. If you get a chance to listen to the isolated drum track, it’s really impressive. His iconic “slinging shoulder” influenced a number of rock drummers who followed in his footsteps as well.
2. “She Said, She Said”

John Lennon penned this tune for the 1966 album Revolver. One could say this song marked the band’s departure from pop music fodder and their entrance into psychedelic, experimental works. Due to an in-studio argument, Paul McCartney left and isn’t featured on the recorded track. However, Starr managed to make up for his absence details

The Beatles rose and fell long before streaming music was even a thought. Today, their music is some of the most-streamed of any band in the entire world. It’s comforting, in a way. No matter when a particular beloved band exists, their music can be immortalized indefinitely through the internet. Let’s look at the top five most-streamed Beatles songs of all time, and why a whole new generation of listeners likely love them.

John Lennon’s 6 Favorite Beatles Songs
1. “Here Comes The Sun”

The 1969 Abbey Road classic “Here Comes The Sun” (specifically the 2009 remastered version) has been streamed a whopping 1.4 billion times on Spotify as of 2024. It’s not just one of the most-streamed Beatles songs of all time; it’s the most-streamed Beatles song ever.

This track is likely so deeply loved by new listeners because of its cheery, positive lyrics and excellent production quality. It’s also been used in a movie or two through the years, so some uninitiated youngins likely heard it there first.
2. “Let It Be”

The 2009 remastered version of “Let It Be” from the 1970 album of the same name has been streamed 719 m details

The other two Beatles. While Paul McCartney and John Lennon often got most of the publicity in the Fab Four, the Liverpool, England-born rock band would not have been what it became had it not been for their lead guitarist and drummer.

Yes, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were integral. And they knew it and, as a result, they believed in one another, which is why they boast some tremendous collaborations in and out of the band. Here below, we wanted to dive into three such songs. A trio of tracks that display the chemistry and synergy between Harrison and Starr. Yes, these are three of the best songs by the duo.

Such a vivid, simple song, this track is almost like a children’s storybook put to music. Written by Ringo with some help from Harrison, the song is almost like a cute episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. And while Harrison assisted on the track, he famously said of their work on it, “‘Octopus’s Garden’ is Ringo’s song. It’s only the second song Ringo wrote, and it’s lovely.” Released on The Beatles’ 1969 LP Abbey Road, Ringo also sings the song in his signature cartoonish voice, offering lyrics about playing on the floor of the ocean. He bellows,< details

The entry was published in the book 'Living in the Material World' by his widow, Olivia Harrison.  George Harrison's 1969 diary reveals the moments before and after he left the Beatles

The Beatles, a pioneering band known for exploring various music styles, faced a turning point one fateful afternoon. Tensions were already high among the bandmates, but a heated argument with Paul McCartney pushed George Harrison to his breaking point. Harrison, who practiced Transcendental Meditation, decided to walk away from the band. Later that day, he penned a short diary entry that has since become significant for Beatles fans.

That afternoon, the four Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—were working on their track “Get Back” at Twickenham Film Studios, with cameras recording their session. Beatles music publisher Dick James visited them and discussed Northern Songs’ recent purchase of the Lawrence Wright Music catalog with McCartney and Starr, according to BeatlesBible.

Following this, McCartney played several piano tracks for James, including “The Long And Winding Road,” “Let It Be,” “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,&r details

On August 23, 1964, The Beatles performed for the first time at the Hollywood Bowl. With that legendary performance, they unwittingly advanced the now-familiar outdoor concert. A gig John Lennon called “marvelous.”

“I’ve Written This Song, but It’s Lousy”: The Story Behind “I Feel Fine” by The Beatles

Martin Lewis, a renowned Beatles historian, told Variety the 1964 Hollywood Bowl show was the first of three concerts The Beatles performed at the venue. The following year, they played two more. “Obviously it not only was a big deal for The Beatles, but I think it really kicked off the outdoor rock concert. By the next year, it was stadiums and beyond,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lewis examined the period leading up to their debut at the Hollywood Bowl. He views The Beatles’ rising popularity in the United States as a pre-internet version of going viral. Said Lewis, “On Christmas Day ’63, no one had heard of them. But from then till February 9th (of 1964), in those 45 days, they’d become the biggest thing ever.” A reported 73 million people watched The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Tickets for the first s details

The Beatles arrive at Friendship Airport before performing at the Civic Center in Sept. of 1964.

On Sept. 13, 1964, John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr hit a one-day stop in Charm City on their first tour of the United States, playing two concerts at the Baltimore Civic Center, now known as CFG Bank Arena.

According to the Maryland Center for History and Culture, an estimated 26,000 fans packed into the venue between the two concerts. Over 70 police officers were lined three-deep in the orchestra pit ahead of the stage.

Following the concert, the Beatles had an all-night private party at the revolving restaurant at the top of the Holiday Inn. They left by limousine to travel to Pittsburgh, the next leg of their 32-performance tour.

Source: Hannah Gaskill/baltimoresun.com

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Paul McCartney is one of the most famous men on the planet today, and he could claim that kind of notoriety back in 1970 as well. You’d think his life at the time would have consisted of a series of parties and celebrations.

But due to the tumult caused by the infighting and eventual breakup of The Beatles, McCartney was much more inclined at the time to stay close to home with his wife Linda, away from the rest of the world. That desire comes to the fore on “Every Night,” one of the finest songs on McCartney, his solo debut album.  A “Night” to Remember

Even though The Beatles’ breakup was announced in conjunction with the release of the McCartney album in April 1970, it had been a done deal for quite some time by that point. John Lennon had given his notice back in September 1969 at a group meeting. The band just decided not to publicize it since they still had product in the pipeline.

The breakup devastated McCartney, as he underwent a period of heavy depression and drinking in its wake. He had been the one who had tried to keep the band afloat as the members pulled in different directions. But his reluctance to go along with the other three members in choosing details

Some myths apparently never die. For some, it’s called conventional wisdom.

The conventional wisdom that Yoko Ono broke up the most famous pop group in history is a myth that surely should have faded away by this point. Yet, it hangs around, like the last stubborn dinosaur taking a breath long after the comet hits.

John Lennon and Ono first met each other in 1966. At the time, The Beatles were in a stage of transition. The group had gone from mop-top uniformity into splintering paths that would yield their most iconic work, but it marked the subsequent growing apart that would spell the end of the group.

But somehow it wasn’t the group growing into different people, nor was it creative or business differences – it had to have been the woman hanging around. Ono was quite the sitting duck in the blame game that followed the group’s dissolution.

Ono is perceived as a wrench in the works of The Beatles unit, yet the group’s eventual demise was already set in motion by the time she showed up. Her frequent presence in the studio was dubbed by the other Beatles as ‘intrusive’, but there is little to suggest much intrusion beyond her mere presence and giving an o details

Paul McCartney famously penned “Hey Jude” for John Lennon’s son, Julian. Subsequently, it became one of the Beatles’ most famous tracks. Even today, decades after its release, it remains a classic and an inspiring anthem in the rock space.

Though McCartney penned this song, Lennon apparently fought for one key lyric to stay in. He marked the line as his favorite in the entire song. Find out which line that is, below.

Hey Jude, don’t make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.

While McCartney was mocking up what would become “Hey Jude,” Lennon and Yoko Ono gave their two cents on the project–at the request of Macca.

“John and Yoko came to visit and they were right behind me over my right shoulder, standing up, listening to it as I played it to them, and when I got to the line, ‘The movement you need is on your shoulder,’” McCartney once said. “I looked over my shoulder and I said, ‘I’ll change that, it’s a bit crummy. I was just blocking it out,’ and John said, ‘You won’t, you know. That&rsqu details

The Beatles may have broken up over half a century ago but now Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Ringo Starr and the estates of the late great John Lennon and George Harrison have made a huge announcement that is 60 years in the making.

For the first time in decades, the Fab Four are bringing their 1964 US albums together for a new mono vinyl box set to celebrate 60 years of Beatlesmania.

Originally compiled for US release between January 1964 and March 1965, seven iconic Beatles albums have been analogue cut for 180-gram audiophile vinyl from their original mono master tapes to release globally on November 22.

Meet The Beatles!, The Beatles’ Second Album, A Hard Day’s Night, Something New, The Beatles’ Story, Beatles ’65 and The Early Beatles have been out of print on vinyl for almost 30 years.

The seven mono albums are being released in a new eight-LP box set titled The Beatles: 1964 US Albums In Mono, with all available individually, except for The Beatles’ Story.

 As shared in the Beatles announcement: “On February 7, 1964, scores of screaming, swooning fans gathered at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to catch a glimpse of John, Pa details

Mono, an 8LP vinyl box set of Beatles’ albums compiled for U.S. release between January 1964 and March 1965 by Capitol Records and United Artists.

The seven albums (The Beatles’ Story is a double) are as follows:

Meet The Beatles!
The Beatles’ Second Album
A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Something New
The Beatles’ Story (2LP)
Beatles ’65
The Early Beatles

As is reasonably well known these days, Capitol rushed out many of these records which featured different track listings to any of the UK counterparts, often including what were non-album singles in the UK. This gave American audiences a similar, yet completely different, introduction to the to the Fab Four in th early part of their career. This continued until 1967 when Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the first album to feature an identical running order on both sides of the Atlantic.

All the albums in the new box set have been analog cut for 180-gram audiophile vinyl from their original mono master tapes. New vinyl lacquers were cut by Kevin Reeves at Nashville’s East Iris Studios. If you need more details, here you go: “ details

In 2000, Beatles nut Mark Stanfield achieved the rare feat of releasing a genuinely good Beatles film. He’s the writer behind Two Of Us, an imaginative exercise that dramatised the legendary night, in 1976, when Paul McCartney visited his formerly estranged pal John Lennon at the latter’s apartment in New York. Directed by Let It Be filmmaker Michael Lindsay-Hogg, it’s become a cult favourite among those in the know.

Now a professor at the University Of Minnesota, Stanfield has reworked the film into a new play starring Barry Sloane (Shameless) as John and Jay Johnson (who played John’s cousin Stan Parkes in biopic Nowhere Boy) as Macca. Partly inspired by the 1981 movie My Dinner With Andre, it gives fascinating insight for Fabs fans, as well as a thought-provoking drama that explores universal ideas about fractured relationships, regret and reconciliation. No: he doesn’t fancy doing one for the Gallagher brothers.

Hi Mark! Of all the Beatles periods, why did you focus on this one in particular?

Mark Stanfield: “Back in the ‘90s, I had seen an interview that Paul did on the Charlie Rose show. I couldn’t help but notice that when they brought up the subject details

Selecting a favorite Beatles track (or tracks) is wholly dependent on the listener’s unique experience and tastes, and John Lennon’s favorite Beatles songs are no exception.

While the Fab Four’s highly public and equally arduous breakup in the late 1960s and early ‘70s might’ve made it seem like the Beatles were irreparably at odds with one another, the musicians were still able to give credit where credit was due—with the odd diss track or sideways comment in an interview, of course.

Lennon’s reputation for saying exactly what was on his mind almost preceded his musical legacy, which is how we’ve come to find which Beatles songs he despised and, conversely, the ones he loved. Let’s take a look at songs that fit in the latter category.
“Help”

John Lennon wrote “Help!” for the 1965 Beatles’ musical comedy of the same name. In a 1980 interview with Playboy, Lennon said, “I didn’t realize it at the time. I just wrote the song because I was commissioned to write it for the movie, but later, I knew I was really crying out for help. It was my fat Elvis period.”

He expressed similar sentiments in a details

Even the eternal optimist Paul McCartney expressed frustration after the fact about Red Rose Speedway, the 1973 album he made with his band Wings. In the chaos of recording and touring, Macca felt that he left behind a better album somewhere on the cutting-room floor.

Still, Red Rose Speedway solidified Wings as a commercial entity after some singles released in 1972 started them in that direction. Here’s a look back at an album that despite McCartney’s misgivings, feels now more like a near-miss than an absolute clunker.

When Paul McCartney decided to start up a band about a year after The Beatles announced their breakup, he dove in without too much forethought. Wings’ debut album (Wild Life) was hustled out in 1971. Considering Macca’s Beatles history, fans expecting something grand and ornate were surprised to find the album sounding somewhat ramshackle and tossed-off.

That was how McCartney had planned it, but critics clearly didn’t accept the album in that spirit. The good news is Wings righted the ship with a series of non-album singles that did well in 1972, at the same time as they were doing a lot of touring to gather chemistry.

While all that was happening, details

Some people deal with interpersonal conflict via fisticuffs, and others do so with art—George Harrison’s “Isn’t It A Pity” places the ex-Beatle firmly in the latter category. Harrison’s iconic track from his 1970 solo release, his first post-Beatles breakup, was his alternative to resorting to violence.

Although Harrison wrote the song years before the Fab Four split, under the shadow of their disunion, Harrison’s “Isn’t It A Pity” took on a whole new context. But through all of its various iterations over the years, the Quiet Beatle’s message of non-violent conflict resolution remained the same.  The Inspiration Behind George Harrison’s “Isn’t It A Pity”

George Harrison’s first solo album after the Beatles’ infamously arduous breakup was bursting at the seams with creative inspiration—so much so that Harrison released the first two singles as double A-sides: “Isn’t It A Pity” and “My Sweet Lord.” Both singles quickly became two of Harrison’s most popular tracks that would hold their cultural status for decades to come.

In his 1980 memoir I Me Mine, Harrison details

While The Beatles were still together, they all worked on side projects. John Lennon released albums with Yoko Ono, while Paul McCartney and George Harrison both worked on movie soundtracks. Harrison also made an album called Electronic Sound, an avant-garde synthesizer experiment. Ringo Starr released Sentimental Journey two weeks before McCartney released the statement to the press that officially brought an end to the group.

After The Beatles broke up, they all began working on solo projects. Of course, the music press would over-examine the lyrics and pick out where each member of the Fab Four was singing about their former comrades or their situations. Some of these prods were warranted, while others were not. Jabs seemed to go back and forth from album to album until John Lennon and Paul McCartney met up in 1972 and talked about how it would be better for all involved if they stopped taking shots at each other in song. That certainly didn’t stop the press from looking for more underlying meanings in their songs. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Let Me Roll It” by Paul McCartney and Wings.

Source: Jay McDowell/americansongwriter.com

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Two rare and unique Beatles memorabilia items, discovered as part of BBC One’s The Travelling Auctioneers, are set to go under the hammer.  Autographs from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are expected to spark major interest when they go up for auction at The Swan in Tetsworth, near Thame on Monday.

The Travelling Auctioneers, the hit BBC One show with Christian Trevanion as the main presenter, is bringing its auction event to Oxfordshire.

The auction at The Swan will showcase hundreds of unique and high-quality items, offering something for every collector and enthusiast.

From silverware and antique furniture, to vintage 1920s cameras and a variety of jewellery, and Chinese items, the auction promises to be an exciting event.  They include an original set of autographs from The Beatles, signed by all four members - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

This one-of-a-kind piece features all four Beatles’ autographs in blue biro on lined paper.  It also includes a hand-drawn portrait doodle with an arrow labelled "John Beatle".  The reverse contains another portrait doodle, making this item a rare and exciting f details

When EMI signed a recording contract with The Beatles, it was a new frontier for the band as they went from being on top of the hill in Liverpool to the bottom rung of the ladder in the bigger picture. Rabid fans lining up to see them at the Cavern Club were sure to purchase a new record by their hometown heroes, but nationwide success was not guaranteed. The Beatles regularly made the roughly 225-mile drive to London to record with producer George Martin at Abbey Road Studios before they secured living quarters closer to the musical epicenter.

Just as they had cleaned up their image when Brian Epstein took over as their manager, The Beatles felt a need to behave when they entered the hallowed halls on Abbey Road. The engineers were older and more business-minded than the scruffy musicians from the north who played rock ‘n’ roll music. The Beatles looked at these studio technicians as authority figures who were rarely in the mood for joking around or experimenting with different sounds or techniques. Martin appreciated their sense of humor and allowed the group to push the boundaries of what was acceptable at the time. Of course, it didn’t happen all at once, but as the band found success on the charts details

The Beatle wrote that he 'hope life begins at 40' in the letter written in 1979. In December 1980 - two months after his 40th birthday - Lennon was murdered. The letter will go under the hammer at RR Auction of Boston, Massachusetts.

A poignant letter penned by John Lennon saying he 'hopes life begins at 40' just mere months before he was murdered has emerged for sale for £30,000.  The Beatle also says he wishes for a little less 'trouble' in his life when he reaches the milestone in the letter to his cousin Liela Birch.  He then talks about the 'many b******s I've met in the last 40 years or so' when lamenting people who he felt were after his money.  He was tragically shot dead by Mark Chapman outside his New York apartment in December 1980, two months after his 40th birthday.

He writes: 'I'm 40 next year - I hope life begins - ie I'd like a little less 'trouble' and more - what?'

Source: Francine Wolfisz/dailymail.co.uk

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A hurricane couldn’t stop them. Segregationists didn’t even slow them down. Disputes with a musicians’ union and some rogue filmmakers were just temporary roadblocks.

The Beatles were coming to Jacksonville, come hell or high water.

Sept. 11 marks the 60th anniversary of the Fab Four playing to a screaming crowd at the old Gator Bowl stadium. They played for about 30 minutes, but the echoes linger six decades later.

It's a show that almost didn't happen for a number of reasons: Hurricane Dora had just roared through town, bringing President Lyndon Johnson in to survey the damage; the band nearly canceled in a dispute with stadium management, which wanted to segregate the audience; and a group of rogue filmmakers caused the band's road manager to threaten cancellation if they didn't stop shooting unauthorized footage.

Thousands of fans, having paid $4 and $5 for a ticket, couldn't make it to the show because power was out in large parts of the city. The band played a 30-minute set in conditions so windy that Ringo Starr's drums had to be nailed to the stage so they wouldn't topple over.

Source: jacksonville.com

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Their concert lasted only 30 minutes, but the Beatles’ one and only visit to New Orleans 60 years ago this month still brings vivid memories to many. On Sept. 16, 1964, the Beatles played their sold-out concert at City Park Stadium, later renamed Tad Gormley Stadium. It was one of 24 stops on their 32-day North American tour.

Beatlemania hit New Orleans just before 3 a.m. that day, when the chartered plane carrying the Fab Four — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr — touched down at the airport in Kenner. Like most everywhere they went, the band was mobbed by fans when they arrived at the Congress Inn, a motel on Chef Menteur Highway in New Orleans East. They held a press conference, where Mayor Victor Schiro presented them with keys to the city, proclaimed it Beatles Day and made them honorary citizens.

At the Beatles’ request, they were visited that night at the stadium by Fats Domino, who met them in their trailer. Meanwhile 12,000 frenzied fans grew impatient during the opening acts, which included Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Jackie DeShannon, the Bill Black Combo and the Exciters. By the time the stars took the stage, the crowd was hysterical and hu details

Songwriting is a delicate balance between vulnerability and universality, as Paul McCartney learned while working on the “angst-ridden” song he wrote to make himself feel better after a particularly arduous time in his life. After all, the more commercially available the music, the finer the line between sounding desperate and speaking to everyday experiences.

Luckily, McCartney was able to work through his initial concerns that he was leaning toward the former and continued writing this quintessentially Paul tune, angst and all.  Paul McCartney Wrote This Song To Help Feel Better.

When Paul McCartney first sat down to write what would later become the opening track of his 2018 release Egypt Station, he worried that he was creating a song that was too “angsty.” In an interview with GQ, McCartney said he feared the song sounded too desperate. But eventually, he realized he enjoyed angsty music, so why wouldn’t others?

“People like that,” he said. “I like that. So, I’m gonna write something. You can often take a moment you remember where you had, let’s say, an argument, and you think of that situation, and you work it out in the song. Just by details

Ringo Starr is getting ready to kick off another tour with his All Starr Band, and he just gave fans a peek behind the scenes at rehearsals for the trek.

In a new video, Ringo shared clips of him and his band at work rehearsing the song “Matchbox.” He also revealed that there’s something very special about the drum kit he’ll be playing on the tour, noting it’s the same model he played when The Beatles were on The Ed Sullivan Show.

 “I had the small kit because I wanted to be seen,” he explained. “But then I had the great idea and said why don’t you give me a rostrum, and they built the rostrum and I’m up there having a great time.”

For this leg of the All Starr Band tour, Ringo will be joined by Toto’s Steve Lukather, Men At Work’s Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette and Buck Johnson.

The tour kicks off Saturday in San Diego and wraps Sept. 25 in New York City. A complete list of dates can be found at ringostarr.com.

Source: ABC News/deltaplexnews.com

It was another Monday afternoon in September in Pittsburgh, with the usual industrial smoke scenting the air on a day that had seen drizzle and fog.

At exactly 4:36 p.m. on that day in 1964, the wheels of a Lockheed Electra aircraft traveling from Baltimore hit the runway at Greater Pittsburgh Airport, as the airport was then known. There to greet the passengers were an estimated 4,000 people, hordes of reporters, and two limousines and an escort of six police cruisers.

The Beatles had come to town.

Plenty of concerts in Pittsburgh’s history have gained legendary status, whether it’s a newly-electric Bob Dylan cranking up “Like a Rolling Stone” at the Syria Mosque in 1966, Elvis Presley belting out his hits at a New Year’s Eve show at Civic Arena seven months before he died, or Bob Marley playing his last concert ever at the Stanley Theatre eight months before he died. But perhaps the most legendary of them all is the Beatles’ Sept. 14, 1964, appearance at Civic Arena, the only time the Fab Four played Pittsburgh.

The stop in Pittsburgh 60 years ago was part of a 24-city, 32-concert blitz across North America six months after John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George details