The ‘Paul McCartney is Dead’ Hoax

The car crash at the end of Revolution 9.  The funereal-looking yellow flower arrangement in the shape of a left-handed bass on the cover of Sgt Pepper.  A barefoot Paul, eyes closed and out of step with the other Beatles, in the zebra crossing on the cover of Abbey Road. In the same shot, the Volkswagen Beetle with its license plate reading LMW-28IF. The eerie spoken references to death that could be heard when certain recordings were played backwards.   

Some “clues” were chilling; others – in retrospect – seem silly. Taken all together,

The “Bigger than Jesus” Scandal

After almost fifty years, the grainy, black-and-white footage still has its eerie, disquieting power. A group of teenagers  –  the young men neatly dressed in shirts and slacks, the young women in Peter Pan collars and glossy “flip” hairdos – applaud wildly and cheer each other on as they stamp dozens of vinyl records into  jagged shards and fling the pieces into trash cans.   

It is August of 1966, and John Lennon’s comment that the Beatles are now “bigger than Jesus” has infuriated many Americans, particularly throughout the South.  Christian youth groups gather in parking lots and fields to burn Beatles albums and souvenirs in bonfires; Ku Klux Klan members hoist signs and shout for vengeance, and owners of radio stations rail against “anti-Christian foreigners” and ban the playing of Beatles records. The Beatles camp begins to receive death threats; joining the fray, the Vatican issues an official condemnation.   

Was Beatles Song ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ Really About LSD?

With its dreamy, sitar-accented verse and lyrical references to brilliant colors and hallucinogenic images, the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” is one of several songs marking the Beatles’ foray into the area of psychedelia. Written in 1967 as a track on “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” this deceptively simple song stands as another shining example of the compositional wizardry of Lennon and McCartney, the intelligent contributions of Ringo Starr and George Harrison, and the prodigious skills of producer George Martin.   

The Beatles’ ability to work together to deliver a great song is very much in evidence on this recording.  John’s languid vocal melody on the verse is underpinned by a cryptic, hypnotic figure played on an organ — recorded in such a way that it mimics the sound of a celeste or harpsichord – while George Harrison’s use of sitar and tambura imparts a mystical Eastern flavor.  Ringo Starr’s crisp drumming in the chorus lifts the song to a new, energetic level that allows the hook to burst out at the listener.   

The Beatles Discography – Day Tripper

“Day Tripper,” an uptempo song recorded by the Beatles on October 16th, 1965, clearly illustrates the band’s collaborative abilities, and reflects the giddy heights they could attain when they effectively combined their musical and lyrical gifts.   

Released as a double A-side single on December 3rd of that same year (the flip side was the impressive “We Can Work It Out”) the song scored on both sides of the pond, quickly soaring to No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 5 on the American Billboard Hot 100, becoming a classic amongst the Beatles discography.   

Although “Day Tripper” was recorded at the same time as Rubber Soul — and is clearly musically and stylistically consistent with many of the album’s tracks — it doesn’t appear on RS. However, it can be found on the 1966 album Yesterday and Today. In 1973, it was included on the 1962-1966 Beatles compilation, a.k.a. The “Red” Album.   

John Lennon Songs

What comes to mind when you think of the songs of John Lennon? From his earliest recordings with his fellow Beatles members; the years struggling to make an impact socially on the changing world, to his deeply devoted love for Yoko Ono and his son, Sean, John Lennon’s anthology is a vast array of laments, prayers and hopes for a better world.   

John’s most famous songs emerged mostly after his split with The Beatles. In some ways his output was limited and lacked strong commercial success, but John always had issues with his fame, coming from a working class background. He focused on lyrics that perhaps ranged in subject, except when he wrote about his relationship with Yoko. Of the Fab Four, John was the one most often viewed as the most meaningful and soulful of the group. 

Paul McCartney Songs

When you think of the greatest popular music composers of all time, few come immediately to mind.  However, there is one man who is the epitome of popular song writing and performing; a founding member of The Beatles, Paul McCartney.   

Amazingly, 32 Paul McCartney songs have reached number one on the Billboard Top 100 chart!   

Paul’s writing and composing skills have extensively grown from his original compositions’ as a young man growing up in Liverpool.  His first efforts have often been labeled as light and “silly” love songs, which some may consider to be true when you think of Paul McCartney songs such as: Love Me Do, She Loves You, and Please, Please Me.   

In his co-writing compositions, John Lennon and Paul McCartney gave credit and royalties quite easily to each other, not allowing egos to interfere with their early success.   

George Harrison Songs

George Harrison was the ‘quiet’ Beatle, the one whose work was often over-shadowed by that of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

From the age of sixteen, George Harrison joined Lennon and McCartney in the Liverpool group known as the Quarry Men, as lead guitarist and occasional songwriter. 

George had a lyrical style and made every note he played count.  In the early years, every album of The Beatles featured at least one Harrison song including early offerings: Love You Too, Do You Want to Know a Secret and the cheeky hit Taxman – featuring on the Revolver album in 1966. Taxman was the only George Harrison song that opened a Beatles album.

As George Harrison matured he became more experimental in his choice of instruments. The Indian sitar is a signature sound George brought to the group.