Beatles News

Mick Jagger: I stupidly took John Lennon’s advice not to meet Elvis

Stones singer says Beatle put him off speaking to Presley after being disappointed by ‘the King’. It was the great rock and roll encounter that never happened.

The two hip-swivelling singers – one British, one American – could have talked for hours about their musical influences, rabid fans and, of course, colourful love lives.

Yet when Sir Mick Jagger had the chance to meet Elvis Presley, he did the unthinkable and turned it down, after “stupidly” taking advice from another music legend: John Lennon. The Rolling Stones singer has revealed that the Beatle had warned him not to meet his hero after his own disappointing encounter with Presley.

Sir Mick, 82, said the Beatles had been introduced to Presley in Los Angeles, and Lennon had been so underwhelmed he told him more than once he should avoid meeting the King.

Sir Mick said he did not want to shatter his illusion of what Elvis would be like, but admitted he had made the wrong decision.

He said on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast: “No, I never met Elvis. You know why? I’ll tell y details

Although his solo work made an immeasurable impact, there wasn’t a lot of John Lennon’s post-Beatles output when you get right down to it. If you don’t count the two experimental albums with Yoko Ono before the band broke up (and you do count the posthumous Milk And Honey), there are just eight solo albums in his catalog.

And yet there are still some amazing songs that flew somewhat under the radar. Here are four that we love that you might not know that well.

“Look At Me”

More than most artists, John Lennon realized that a song could feature a relatively simple structure and still turn out to be quite affecting. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he had a voice that could pierce through even the humblest backing to create something haunting. That kind of effect certainly comes to the fore on “Look At Me”. Whereas much of the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album in 1970 features Lennon grinding out tough arrangements with Klaus Voorman and Ringo Starr, this track is just John and his finger-picked acoustic guitar. Originally written in India, you could easily imagine “Look At Me” sneaking onto The White Album. But it works just fine in the solo settin details

The music world suffered a great tragedy on November 29, 2001, when George Harrison died at just 58 years old. The lead guitarist of the Beatles, Harrison is still one of the most influential musicians in modern music, but to Paul McCartney, he was so much more. As McCartney told Uncut, "He was my little baby brother." Just days before Harrison died, McCartney went to visit his former bandmate one last time. The two weren't as close as they had been some 40 years prior, but the love was still there and, as McCartney explained, "it was lovely, really lovely, and the years just stripped back."

When McCartney and fellow Beatle Ringo Starr visited him in New York, Harrison was dying of cancer. The three men who had shared an experience that no one else could ever truly understand talked of old times, having a few laughs and shedding a few tears. Harrison, having spent the last year traveling to clinics from Minnesota to Switzerland to New York in the hopes that the disease could be stopped, complained about the constant travel, wishing that he could just stay in one place and rest. McCartney called back to their shared childhood in Liverpool, suggesting, 'We should go to Speke Hall.' And he's going, 'Oh, that'd be great...' details

George Harrison was a lot more than just a pop songwriter. He was a musician on a spiritual quest. Here are three of his most reflective songs, to help you if you’re on a quest of your own. “Within You Without You”

“Within You Without You” can be found on The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper album. This song was written by Harrison and uses a variety of Indian instruments. In this tune, the Quiet Beatle delivers an honest message about how true change comes from within.

Try to realize it’s all within yourself
No one else can make you change
And to see you’re really only very small
And life flows on within you and without you.
“Living In The Material World”

In 1973, Harrison released his album Living In The Material World. Most of the publishing royalties from this album go to his charity, the Material World Foundation, which supports charities like Shelter, UNICEF, NSPCC, and more. The title track of the album explores the phrase “material world” from a different angle.

“…I wrote a song called ‘Living In The Material World’ and it was from that I decided to call the foundation the Materia details

The music of the 1960s continues to shape the sound of the industry today. During that decade, fans were entertained by iconic groups like The Zombies, The Yardbirds, The Animals, The Monkees, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, The Kinks, and the Beach Boys. But even with each group leaving a lasting mark on music, nothing compared to the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Taking their stardom to heights never seen in history, Mick Jagger recently explained who he considered the most “prolific” songwriters of that time.

Recalling that historic decade of music, Jagger noted how no band, singer, or songwriter could compete with the talents of Paul McCartney and John Lennon. “They were the most prolific songwriters of that time. They wrote all these songs for themselves, which are all huge hits that were coming out all the time.”
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If completely dominating the music industry wasn’t enough, Jagger added how the two wrote songs for more than themselves. “They were writing and giving songs that they made as demos for all these disparate people, like Cilla Black and this one and that one — all had huge hits with songs which the Beatles wrote, details

Ringo Starr spoke to PEOPLE about collaborating on the 2026 duet “Home to Us” with Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney. “Home to Us” marks the first time both artists have performed full vocals on a song as just a duo. The song is from McCartney’s 20th solo studio album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which came out on May 29

Ringo Starr opened up about what’s so special about his 2026 duet, “Home to Us,” with Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney.

At his Peace and Love 86th birthday event in Beverly Hills, Calif., on July 7, Starr discussed working with his fellow Beatle, 84, on their new song from McCartney’s latest album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane.

“Well, it’s the first time we’ve ever done it like a couple — we’re both singing it. I’ve sang a few choruses on his tracks. He’s played on my tracks. He’s come over with the bass,” Starr exclusively told PEOPLE.

He jokingly added, “It’s not like we don’t know each other.” Starr went on to sing McCartney’s praises after collaborating again.

“I loved it because we were in this band together, and it’s details

While the beloved British band the Beatlesare known for feel-good, jaunty tunes, the group, consisting of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, the lateJohn Lennon, and the late George Harrison, had some darker numbers throughout their decade together.

For instance, the publication Collider released a list of the "10 scariest Beatles songs, ranked." The list, published in December 2025, included Beatles tunes like 1968's "Helter Skelter," "I Am the Walrus" from 1967, and "Run for Your Life," which came out in 1965. According to Collider, the Beatles' song "Revolution 9," off their 1968 album, is the scariest song released by the band. The publication reported that the song is almost upsetting because of its jarring static consisting of manic laughter, unexpected crashes, excited clapping, and sparse, incomprehensible conversations.

Lennon, who died in 1980 at the age of 40, discussed making "Revolution 9" in a 1974 interview. Lennon described the song, which lasts 8 minutes and 22 seconds, as "the weird one" and "like an action painting." He also explained that the song was recorded with the help of tape loops.

"I had a lot of tape, loops which is just a circle of tape, if people don't understand it, that repeats details

Rolling Stones icon Keith Richards has spoken about his relationship with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, claiming that he "really misses being in a band".

Chatting to Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Richards said: "You know I've realised that Paul really misses being in a band. And his joy of just being in that context is great. So if there's any more songs to do, I'll let you know, Paul."

The conversation came as part of the promo run for the Rolling Stones' new album Foreign Tongues, which is out July 10 and features a wide range of world-famous contributors including Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, The Cure's Robert Smith and, of course, McCartney himself.

A recent trailer posted on YouTube showed the band's three remaining members — Richards, Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood — on top form in the studio, an incredible 64 years after the group first formed.

They're joined by new drummer Steve Jordan, who appears to have slotted in seamlessly following the loss of original member Charlie Watts back in 2021.

"It was Charlie Watts that did suggest to me that if ever I was gonna work with another drummer, it should be Steve Jordan," Richards said. "I'm sure Charlie Watts is beaming do details

John Lennon might have developed his passion for playing music by listening to American rock ‘n’ roll stars. But by the time he was famous enough to be asked to appear on television, he had no problem denouncing those same artists for a laugh. In June 1963, the artist in Lennon’s crossfire was the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley.

Lennon was invited to appear on the BBC television program Juke Box Jury, in which celebrities would rate new singles a “hit” or a “miss.” Although The Beatles were technically one year out from their major debut in the States on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Fab Four were already sparking Beatlemania across their native United Kingdom.
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 To the delight of the crowd (and to the surprise of no one who knew Lennon), the Beatle dubbed every record a “miss,” including Elvis Presley’s latest single, “Devil In Disguise.” Lennon remarked that Presley was “like Bing Crosby now.”

Source: americansongwriter.com/Melanie Davis

Rea details

Mick Jagger praised the Beatles' role in the Rolling Stones' history and music history as a whole in an interview that aired on SiriusXM's Classic Vinyl channel on Thursday. He also discussed how Paul McCartney had joined the Stones to record two songs, Hackney Diamonds' "Bite Your Head Off" and "Covered in You," which will appear on the band's new album, Foreign Tongues, out tomorrow.

"They were the most prolific songwriters of that time," Jagger said of the Beatles. "They wrote all these songs for themselves, which are all huge hits that were coming out all the time. Plus they were writing and giving songs that they made as demos for all these disparate people, like Cilla Black and this one and that one — all had huge hits with songs which the Beatles wrote, including us, so we were all really happy to get them and it just made them into this huge writing machine, you know, that they were amazingly prolific."

McCartney and John Lennon gave the Stones "I Wanna Be Your Man," which became the Stones' second single, in 1963. It was a Number 12 hit for the group in the U.K. The Beatles recorded their own version of the song, which Ringo Starr sang, for With the Beatles that same year. Cilla Black recorded the details

The Beatles’ landmark performance at Shea Stadium on 15 August 1965 transformed the economics and logistics of live rock concerts, while exposing the technical limitations of concert sound that would reshape the industry for decades.

When The Beatles walked onto the field at Shea Stadium in New York on 15 August 1965, they were not simply playing another concert. Before a record crowd of 55,600 fans, the band staged what is widely recognised as the first major outdoor stadium rock concert, establishing a blueprint for the modern stadium tour despite battling audio technology that was not yet capable of keeping pace with Beatlemania.

The concert became a defining moment in live music history for reasons that extended well beyond the performance itself. Promoted by Sid Bernstein, the event grossed a then unprecedented US$304,000 and demonstrated that rock music could successfully fill major sporting venues. Every aspect of the production, from transporting the band by helicopter to deploying 2,000 security personnel, reflected the unprecedented scale of the event.

While artists including Elvis Presley had previously appeared in outdoor stadiums such as the Cotton Bowl and Spokane Memorial Stadium dur details

Ringo Starr has celebrated his 86th birthday by receiving an honorary degree from the University of Liverpool.

The Beatles star said he was "really honoured" to be conferred as an honorary doctor of music at a private ceremony in Los Angeles.

Starr - whose real name is Sir Richard Starkey - urged all graduates back in his home city to "follow your dreams" like he did when he chose to become a full-time drummer despite his parents' disapproval. The ceremony took place before Starr's annual "Peace & Love" birthday celebration in Beverly Hills Park.

He said: "I want to thank the University of Liverpool for this honorary degree and for coming all the way to LA to bestow it - I'm really honoured." While he now lives in California, Starr said he would "always love" his hometown.

"I've been thinking back on my life a lot lately and when I chose to become a drummer full time my family discouraged me," he said.

"And they could have been right but they weren't - it all worked out. "So to all the graduates back in Liverpool - I send peace and love and want to say don't be afraid to follow your dreams, or take that right turn and see where it goes.

"It could lead to an hono details

George Harrison sat in the shadow of two lyrical titans in Paul McCartney and John Lennon during his early career with the Beatles.

However, he started to break out just as the band started reaching the end of its shelf life. While Lennon was the most popular Beatle at the time, Harrison was starting to come into his own with two major writing credits on Abbey Road.

Something became a No. 1 hit and showed Harrison had the chops to sit with the best in the business, even his own bandmates. But that wasn't his only hit on the record.
'Here Comes The Sun' Recorded 57 Years Ago

Harrison also wrote Here Comes the Sun, which the Beatles started recording 57 years ago today without Lennon, who was recovering from a car accident in the Scottish Highlands.

Discussing the Abbey Road track, Harrison explained: “‘Here Comes The Sun’ was written at the time when Apple was getting like school, where we had to go and be businessmen: ‘Sign this’ and ‘Sign that’. Anyway, it seems as if winter in England goes on forever; by the time spring comes, you really deserve it.”

He continued: “So one day, I decided I was going to sack off Apple, and I went details

Ringo Starr proved that age really is just a number as the Beatles legend celebrated his 86th birthday in Beverly Hills on Tuesday.

Looking remarkably youthful in a black leather jacket, white jeans and his trademark tinted sunglasses, the drummer appeared to have barely changed over the decades as he took centre stage for his annual Peace and Love celebration, joined by his wife Barbara Bach and a host of famous friends.

The music icon smiled as he greeted hundreds of devoted fans gathered at Beverly Gardens Park before leading his now-traditional "Peace and Love" chant, a birthday ritual he has celebrated every year since 2008.

"It's LA. I love LA, I love the light, and we're pretty much guaranteed a beautiful day like today," Ringo told the crowd before the celebration got underway.

The annual event has become one of Beverly Hills' best-loved traditions, but it started far more modestly. "We started in Chicago with like 40 people," Ringo told The California Post. "We gave the crowd little cakes and by 8 p.m. that night they were on the internet being sold for a grand."

Now, the celebration attracts hundreds of Beatles fans from across the country, all eager to celebrate one of mus details

Happy birthday, Ringo Starr!

The beloved Beatles drummer and actor turns 86 on July 7, 2026, and has quite a lifetime to look back on. Here, in honor of his latest milestone, take a look at his life and career in photos, from being in one of the biggest bands in history to marrying Barbara Bach and raising his three children.

Born in Liverpool, England, on July 7, 1940, Richard Starkey was the lone child of Richard Starkey and Elsie Gleave, who split when he was young. At 6 years old his appendix ruptured, leading to a year-long hospital stay. Years later, at 13, he was again hospitalized with tuberculosis, but discovered percussion through his therapy, regularly playing a small drum, LIFE reported in a biography of the star.

“When I was 13, I only wanted to be a drummer,” Starr said on his official website.

Source: people.com/Kate Hogan

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