Beatles News

With Paul McCartney releasing his first solo album in over five years, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, and the Beatles’ four-film biopic’s main cast already announced, it seems only natural that the actor who’s transforming into Macca – Paul Mescal – had a chat with the legend about his songwriting process. And luckily for the rest of us, it was captured on camera.

“I teach some kids up in my old school in Liverpool, and that's like the first thing [they ask]. I don't know how to do this, which is not very inspiring. I haven’t got a formula,” McCartney tells Mescal.

“They used to ask me and John [Lennon], ‘How’d you do it? Who writes the music, who writes the words?’ I don’t know. To me, I think any story or song you’re gonna do, it’s gotta involve memory. With the Beatles, we always tried to write something different.”

Lennon still serves as a source of inspiration for McCartney – especially considering his upcoming album turns a lens inward and revisits the formative years that not only shaped his own life but the very foundation of the Beatles.

“I ran into this guy called John Lennon, and he w details

Imbuing spiritual philosophy into music was a practice George Harrison started back when he was still a mop-topped Beatle with tracks like “Within You Without You” and “I Me Mine”, so it’s no surprise that he continued this songwriting tradition into his solo career. In fact, two of his first major wins as a solo artist were spiritual numbers, one of which he later referred to as a “prayer and personal statement.”

For many folks, their minds might wander to Harrison’s first No. 1 hit post-Beatles, “My Sweet Lord”. The 1970 chart-topper sounds like a word-for-word prayer, right down to the “hallelujah” refrains. But the one Harrison felt was an even stronger impression of his spiritual state was his second No. 1: the 1973 track “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” from Living In The Material World.

Whereas “My Sweet Lord” was adoring and reverent, “Give Me Love”, as the title would suggest, was more about his hopes and immaterial desires. “Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life,” the song begins. “Keep me from birth, give me hope, help me cope with this heavy details

Pattie Boyd says George Harrison once got upset that she was on the cover of a magazine without him
On a recent podcast, Boyd spoke about whether intense publicity during the height of The Beatles' success affected their marriage
"He couldn't believe that they would put me on the paper and not him," Boyd said of her former husband

Pattie Boyd is opening up about her relationship with The Beatles' George Harrison — and how the late musician once got "jealous" of her own publicity.

The model and photographer, 82, appeared on a recent episode of the podcast Miss O’Dell: Abbey Road to Tulsa Time, hosted by Chris O’Dell. On the podcast, Boyd spoke about whether intense publicity during the height of The Beatles' success affected their marriage.

"I know George was rather upset one time when I was on the cover of one of the trashy newspapers, you know, because I was wearing whatever I was wearing — something mad — and he couldn't believe that they would put me on the paper and not him," Boyd said.

She added: "Jealousy comes in many, many different forms. It's very odd."

Boyd first met Harrison in 1964, on the set of A Hard Day's Night. The pair married i details

Paul McCartney sat down with Paul Mescal, the actor who portrays him in the upcoming films about the Beatles, to discuss his new album.

The two Pauls sat down “In Conversation” for an exclusive short film posted by Amazon. In the 10-minute chat in the same restaurant the album trailer was filmed, the rocker and the actor talked about the nostalgic The Boys of Dungeon Lane.

“How do you feel about being interviewed?” Mescal asked McCartney.

“It depends if I like the person. Which is where we’re running into a problem already,” McCartney joked. “No, I find if I like who I’m being interviewed by, it comes easy.”

Mescal asked McCartney about his songwriting process on The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which features lyrics made up of memories but still “in the present tense.”

“I haven’t got a formula,” McCartney said. “They used to ask me and John [Lennon], ‘How’d you do it? Who writes the music, who writes the words?’ I don’t know. To me, I think any story or song you’re gonna do, it’s gotta involve memory. With the Beatles, we always tried to write som details

The rock legend in the autumn of their years who chooses to release a new album is well advised to get themselves an angle. If the music that made you legendary was written and recorded long ago – and is highly unlikely to be displaced in the public’s affections by anything you do now – it’s good to have something that suggests a sense of purpose, beyond just adding to an already vast back catalogue for the sake of it.

We’ve recently seen it with Bob Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways, rooted in its jawdropping 17-minute survey of American political history, Murder Most Foul; and with Bruce Springsteen’s Only the Strong Survive, with its canny covers of soul and R&B classics. And an angle is clearly something that has occurred to Paul McCartney, too. From its title referencing a road in the suburb of Liverpool where McCartney spent his early childhood, to the circumstances of its launch – the first single Days We Left Behind was premiered not on YouTube or Spotify but BBC Radio Merseyside – his 27th studio album has been presented as a nostalgic look back at what you might call his pre-Fab years.

The idea has certainly generated excitement and not a little emot details

The Beatles’ 1969 magnum opus, Abbey Road, has the same sort of “love it or hate it” legacy as other mega albums like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Diehard fans will accuse people of choosing the “sell-out” option when they list these albums as their personal favorites, and in some cases, these fans will even argue that the album’s no good.

As silly and subjective as this mindset is, it’s easy to see why albums that have been elevated to such high regard also have an immense amount of pressure to be absolutely perfect. Abbey Road is no exception, with many fans criticizing some tracks for being less-than-ideal offerings from the Fab Four.

That includes these four tracks—although, personally speaking, I can’t get enough of them.
“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”

Not even the rest of The Beatles liked “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”, but that’s where I disagree with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. This Paul McCartney number is catchy, morbidly funny, and a great example of how effective groove switches can really be. My personal favorite part of the song is whe details

Earlier this week, model, photographer, and ex-wife of George Harrison, Pattie Boyd, appeared on the inaugural episode of Miss O'Dell: Abbey Road To Tulsa Time, a new podcast hosted by music industry icon Chris O'Dell, who worked with everyone from the Beatles to the Stones to Bob Dylan. Around the 33-minute mark, O'Dell asks Boyd about the ambitious Beatles biopic project from Sam Mendes that’s currently in the works. Aimee Lou Wood was cast to play Boyd in the upcoming film, which Boyd learned about not because Mendes, or anyone working on the project, reached out to her. And, she does not seem happy about it.

“Now, I might be completely wrong, but I would have thought it would be polite to mention it to me or let me know that they got someone who’s going to be playing me. Don’t you think they’d let me know? Well, I haven’t been contacted by anyone,” she said. “I could have really told them great stories. But I don’t think they want to know. I think they want to create something that’s completely different, like a different story.”

Boyd added that the forthcoming biopics seem to have “nothing to do with the truth. Nothing to do with what r details

It’s no secret that President Donald Trump has gotten some intense backlash from notable figures in pop culture, and this even includes the one and only Paul McCartney.

The Beatles icon recently talked about American politics during a podcast interview, where he began making some comments on the current presidential administration. During the interview, he spoke about how he felt Americans were only getting more violent, angry, and more, especially in “Trump’s America.” Though he didn’t dwell on the current state of the country’s politics for long, what he said struck a nerve with some social media users, who weren’t into his comments. Read more about the situation below.

Paul McCartney Calls Out 'Trump's America' & Says Americans Are 'At Each Other's Throats'

Easily one of the most influential musicians in the world is Paul McCartney, whose music, both during his years with the Beatles and afterward, has brought people from all walks of life together for decades.

In addition to his music, Paul has also built a reputation for being more outspoken politically, especially these days, with the controversial Apprentice star as president. Recently, he was details

You might think it would be a thrill to inspire a Beatles song. Well, only if it were a complimentary track. If you landed on their bad side, especially John Lennon’s, you might end up immortalized for all the wrong reasons.

In 1968, Lennon wrote a stinging rebuke that wound up on The White Album later that year. Ironically, it targeted a person who had only recently been the subject of Lennon’s sincere admiration.
A Fateful Retreat

The Beatles headed to India in 1968, intent on studying meditation from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. After the death of their manager Brian Epstein the previous year, the band was seeking new challenges and inspirational guidance.

John Lennon was all-in with the project when he arrived. He felt that the Maharishi, who seemed to always be smiling, was as good a guru as any to follow. Lennon and the other Beatles received their mantras and did their meditating. They spent the idle hours writing dozens of songs, many of which appeared on The White Album later that year.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia

Rea details

George Harrison was known as the "Quiet Beatle," but his songwriting spoke volumes.

The Beatles icon, who passed away in 2001, wrote 22 tracks for the Fab Four, a few of which remain among their most memorable. Unlike many of his peers, Harrison was more reserved and introspective. He wasn’t drawn to the glitz and glamour of fame; instead, he thrived on genuine connection and spirituality. Some of his Beatles songs show this side of him, while others might catch you off guard.

Paul McCartney and John Lennon handled most of the group’s songwriting, with many tracks credited as McCartney-Lennon originals. Ringo Starr, the band's drummer, contributed just two songs.

In an interview, commenting on Harrison as a singer and a songwriter, Lennon once said, "George didn’t even use to sing when we brought him into the group; he was a guitarist. He wasn’t in the same league for a long time. That’s not putting him down, he just hadn’t had the practice at writing that we had.”

A decade later, Harrison was the first Beatle to hit No. 1 as a solo artist following the band's breakup in 1970 with "My Sweet Lord." If that's not proof of his exceptional creativity and lyri details

Paul McCartney old and new, ancient and contemporary, come together on The Boys of Dungeon Lane, the 27th studio album of his post-Beatles career. The melodious pop genius of his youth and the venerable elder statesman of rock culture look back with rheumy, sentimental eyes on the memories and influences of his youth.

“Grandpa Paul sounds old,” you might think during the opening bars of As You Lie There. Really, every one of McCartney’s 83 years can be detected in his shaky, thinning voice, reminiscing saucily about a teenage crush over dreamy acoustic chords.

Yet in a snap he can bring the past sharply into the present with musical flourishes akin to colourising a black-and-white film, his own deft harmonies rising to expand his vocal timbre, his sustained electric guitars snaking nimbly into the flourishing bass and thumping drums of the greatest one-man band in pop history. When McCartney hits the high chorus of the epic, shapeshifting As You Lie There, then unleashes a joyous background roar of “yeah yeah yeah” with that Little Richard wail and mop-top head shake, you hear the very same joyful enthusiasm he brought to the Fab Four when he embarked on his recording career in 1962 details

While on the whole the '70s are known for uplifting disco numbers and epic rock hits, music groups did put out a few quiet, sad tunes in the decade. The publication Far Out recently shared a list of the "five most tragic songs of the 1970s."

The ranking, published on May 21, featured devastating '70s hits likeJim Croce's "Time in a Bottle" and "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor. George Harrison's 1970 song, "Isn't It a Pity," which deals with the end of a partnership, was named the "most tragic song" released in the 1970s. According to the publication, Harrison shared some insight into the lyrics of the song, off his 1970 record All Things Must Pass, while writing his autobiography, I, Me, Mine.

"‘Isn’t It a Pity’ is about whenever a relationship hits a down point. It was a chance to realise that if I felt somebody had let me down, then there’s a good chance I was letting someone else down. We all tend to break each other’s hearts, taking and not giving back," shared the former Beatle in the book, published in 1980.

Harrison played some of the seven-minute song during a 1974 interview on Rock Around the World with Alan Freeman. After he was finished singing, Harrison said the t details

Paul McCartney, a surprise guest on the final episode of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” provided a poignant capper to the series by being given the ceremonial honor of turning out the lights in the Ed Sullivan Theater, a location with which he has plenty of history.

The final number had McCartney and Colbert singing the Beatles‘ classic “Hello Goodbye,” accompanied by Elvis Costello, former band leader Jon Batiste and current band leader Louis Cato, eventually joined on stage by a parade of staffers dancing through and around the stag in a line, as the house band finally gave the ’60s tune a New Orleans-style coda.

Then Colbert was seen in a filmed bit taking McCartney backstage to the electrical breakers, where the legendary rocker was seen flipping a switch that not only turned the lights out but sent the Sullivan Theater into a green interdimensional portal introduced earlier in the show by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The symbolic gesture followed McCartney’s stint as the show’s final interviewee as well as last musical performer, in which the host asked him to share stories about his first visit to the theater 62 years ago.

“Hello Goodbye& details

Ringo’s rhythm and voice have provided the soundtrack for multiple generations. From his groundbreaking work with The Beatles to a remarkable solo career featuring 20 studio albums between 1970 and 2023, plus a recent string of popular EPs, Ringo brings an unparalleled musical legacy to every stage, making each concert on his tour a historic event.

Ringo's creativity shines beyond the music. He's an accomplished actor with over 15 film credits and an Academy Award®, an author of eight books, a visual artist with multiple global exhibitions, and even a photographer. His annual July 7th Peace and Love initiative has blossomed into a worldwide movement, and in recent years, Ringo was knighted, received an honorary degree as a Doctor of Music from Berklee College of Music, and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame with the Joe Chambers Musicians Legacy Award.

In January of this year, Ringo released Look Upopens in a new tab, his first country album in more than 50 years, which earned him his first top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, as well as landing him on multiple other Billboard charts. In the UK, the album secured Starr his first solo #1 album on the Official Country Chart, overt details

A tour to help heal the rifts between members of The Beatles had been suggested by Paul McCartney, but amounted to nothing, the veteran songwriter has claimed.

McCartney, who would leave the band in the late 1960s, had hoped that getting back on stage with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, might help the band work through the problems laid bare in documentaries Let It Be and Get Back. But it appeared the tensions were too much for the Fab Four, with Lennon confirming his departure from the group privately to his bandmates. McCartney, who would go on to form Wings and later enjoyed a successful solo career, commented on his hopes of getting The Beatles back on the road and why it never came to pass.

In response to criticism from Philip Norman in his book, Shout!, the Blackbird songwriter says he tried his best to keep the band together in the late ’60s.

He said: “What the book says, about me being the great manipulator simply isn’t true. Nothing happened in The Beatles unless everyone wanted it to happen. But when there was a decision to be made, somebody had to say it out loud — and that usually turned out to be my job. I accepted it.

“I certainly wasn&r details