Beatles News
When Todd Rundgren first released his song “Hello It’s Me” as a B-side with his band Nazz in 1968, it managed to peak at No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, then reentered the chart at No. 66 months later. After Nazz—which pulled it’s name from the Yardbirds’ 1966 song “The Nazz Are Blue”—disbanded in 1969, Rundgren revisited “Hello It’s Me” on his third solo album Something/Anything? in 1972 and took the more uptempo version to No. 5 on the chart.
Despite it’s chart history, when Rundgren joined Ringo Starr with his All-Starr Band, he performed “Hello It’s Me” a few times but eventually retired it on their tours.
“Originally, Ringo wanted me to do “Hello It’s Me,” and I just felt that the song, in the context of what the rest of the band was playing, didn’t represent the message I wanted to convey,” said Rundgren. “‘Hello It’s Me’ is a kind of a selfish song. It’s me, me, me. It’s all about me. I’m in charge, and all this other stuff.”
Hello, it’s me
I’ve thought about us for a long long time
Maybe I think too much but something’s wrong
There’s something here, doesn’t last too long
Maybe I shouldn’t think of you as mine
Seeing you or seeing anything as much I do you
I take for granted that you’re always there
I take for granted that you just don’t care
Sometimes I can’t help seeing all the way through
It’s important to me
That you know you are free
‘Cause I never want to make you change for me
Think of me
You know that I’d be with you if I could
I’ll come around to see you once in a while
Or if I ever need a reason to smile
And spend the night if you think I should
Source: Tina Benitez-Eves/americansongwriter.com
Original drummer Pete Best and his younger brother Roag have converted one of the earliest venues where the Beatles performed into a short-term rental property.
The Casbah Coffee Club hosted the early Beatles nearly 40 times, after John Lennon's previous Quarrymen band played there on seven nights. The venue at 8 Haymans Green in Liverpool opened in 1956 in the basement of Best's family home and was run by his mother Mona.
She'd initially tried to book a residency with the Les Stewart Quartet, which featured a young George Harrison, but they suddenly split up before opening night. "George basically turned 'round and said: 'I happen to know a couple of guys who aren't doing anything,'" Pete Best tells The Guardian. "They turned out to be John Lennon and Paul McCartney."
There are now five AirBnB units above the club, each named after the original members of the Beatles – Lennon, Best, McCartney, Harrison and doomed founding bassist Stuart Sutcliffe. Roag Best, later revealed to be the son of Beatles road manager Neil Aspinall, has been renovating the property with his sibling for more than three years.
How Much Is the Casbah Club AirBnB?
Rooms are roughly $200 a night and each has been decorated with exclusive Beatles memorabilia, including band photos, classic posters and old instruments. Bookings have already drawn people from throughout the U.K., as well as Scotland, Canada and the U.S.
There's no suite devoted to Ringo Starr, who later replaced Pete Best as the Beatles were nailing down a final take on their debut single "Love Me Do." "Everything we do is about being authentic and the Beatles that performed and partied here were John, Paul, George, Pete and Stuart," Roag Best told The Guardian. "Ringo was never a member when he was here."
Source: Nick DeRiso/ultimateclassicrock.com
As part of International Beatleweek, that celebrates The Beatles in Liverpool, we take a look at how the renowned pop band not only changed the landscape of music, but fashion too.
After an infamous trip to Hamburg, Germany, the band’s manager, Brian Epstein, decided to dress the band in matching made-to-measure suits.
“These suits, often in dark hues and paired with ties and crisp white shirts, were meticulously crafted to present a unified, polished image,” says London-based fashion expert Fausta Urte Geigaite, “this bespoke elegance set them apart, offering a fresh, accessible look that appealed to both the youth and the establishment.”
Although the suits were a way to tidy their appearance, the band themselves were quite mischievous, and in a way The Beatles were the perfect contradiction. Clean cut in their appearance but rebellious in their nature; the band’s fashion helped appeal to both parents and teens.
As the band grew – so did their styles. Psychedelia became a pool of inspiration for liberals and free thinkers of the decade. Influenced by fin de siècle Art Nouveau, Victoriana and circus imagery – psychedelia’s diverse sources found a direct parallel with The Beatles’ fashion and musical eclecticism. The band’s music began to implement heavily effected sounds, Eastern intervals and avant-garde tape looping. Visually, the four grew out their mop haircuts and wore brightly coloured military suits, famously exhibited on the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover.
Source: irishnews.com
John Lennon and Yoko Ono's son Sean Ono Lennon has come to the defense of Doug Emhoff's daughter.
Kamala Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, of his kids—Ella Emhoff and Cole Emhoff—discussing the 2024 presidential election. Lennon addressed negative comments on the video, reshared by X user @MarioNawfal.
"I think people triggered by this video are blinded by partisans bias. I mean as politicians go this is pretty sweet," Lennon began his lengthy post on Wednesday. "Almost none of the judgmental comments are by people who have any clue what it would be like filming something, anything, under the magnifying glass of national scrutiny. Just saying 'Hi my name is …' can be very challenging. At the very least you can tell his kids are comfortable with him, and he is with them."
The 48-year-old continued, "I make fun of politicians all day and night, but this is not the video that would make me do that. Also—y'all are way too judgmental of the daughter's look. She seems like a cool geek. There are way worse things to be."
"There are serious things we can attack politicians for," Lennon concluded. "Having an awkward and sweet family should not be one of them."
At the time of publication, Lennon's message had racked up more than 15,000 views.
Source: Megan Cartwright/newsweek.com
There are a lot of kids who get introduced to the music of The Beatles by their parents, and now the legendary group is out to teach those kids how to play their music, as well.
Children’s guitar brand Loog just announced a new partnership with Apple Corps Ltd. to launch The Beatles + Loog Collection, made up of nine new kid-sized, Beatle-inspired three-string guitars, six acoustic and three electric.
Each of the acoustic guitars, recommended for children ages 3 and up, are designed to represent different stages in the Beatles’ career, including 1967, the Revolver era and their “Yellow Submarine” era. The electric guitars come in black, blue and white, and are good for children 6 and older.
“I started Loog not only to help kids play guitar, but also to foster curiosity around music – I can’t think of a better way for them to start their musical journey than with John, Paul, George and Ringo,” Rafael Atijas, founder and CEO of Loog, shares. “I’m beyond thrilled and honored to partner with The Beatles in our mission to get kids learning, playing and falling in love with music.”
Each Beatles-themed guitar comes with a Beatles strap, as well as picks, pins and stickers dedicated to the band. There’s also an activity book with Beatles games and trivia, and each guitar comes with access to a special Beatle section in the Loog app.
Source: ABC News/kshe95.com
"This is Paul McCartney, he knows who I am," the rapper recalls of meeting the music legend.
There probably aren’t too many celebrities left on Snoop Dogg’s bucket list, but he checked a major one off earlier this year when he met Paul McCartney for the first time.
Fresh off performing at the Olympics’ Closing Ceremony, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre recently sat down with Complex, and The Doggfather reflected on having the chance to link up with The Beatles legend, where the respect was mutual.
“I did a little concert for somebody in Hollywood. Paul McCartney was there. I never met him before, but I’m a f–king fan of The Beatles,” he began. “I know Jimmy [Iovine] know him, I know Dre know him. I’m in the back smoking and they’re like, ‘Sir Paul would like to meet you.’ I’m like, ‘Oh for real? Hold on.’
Snoop continued, noting he didn’t know McCartney is also a cannabis connoisseur. “I put the blunt out, cuz walk in the room like, ‘Don’t put that down!’ He give me a hug and he meet me and I’m like, ‘F–k, Paul McCartney know who the f–k Snoop Dogg is!'” recalled the rapper. “This is Paul McCartney, he knows who I am. That’s the experience I love is when the people you respect, respect you.”
Source: Michael Saponara/billboard.com
Unknown to many, George Harrison hardly felt like a core member of the Beatles, as John Lennon and Paul McCartney would reportedly dominate creative conversations and push their ideas onto the rest. This, coupled with other factors, led to the group’s split, starting with Ringo Starr’s exit.
George and Lennon would connect over drugs though, as that seemed to be their only thing to bond over. It was also a good sight for George as he observed the band frontman in his natural state, hence understanding him better.
George Harrison was shocked by the true John Lennon revealed to him that might have seemed “crazy”. George would come to learn about his bandmate’s mental health struggles after the release of the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album in the ‘70s. He was shocked to realize there was more to Lennon than he thought, even when they shared acid between each other.
Lennon’s album laid bare his past trauma, childhood, and insecurities, which made George Harrison believe that Lennon was crazy. “It wasn’t until he made that album about Janov, primal screaming, that I realised he was even more screwed up than I thought,” Harrison mused.
Source: newsbreak.com
Fun fact: What was the first Canadian city the Beatles set foot in?
You'd be wrong if you answered Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver.
On August 18, 1964, 60 years and one day ago, the Fab Four made an unscheduled stop in Winnipeg, drawing more than 1,000 fans to the airport.
However, it wasn’t an impromptu concert; the band was traveling from London to San Francisco to start their first major North American tour and needed to fuel their plane in Winnipeg.
John Einarson, a Winnipeg music historian, said the plane's arrival was tipped off to radio stations in Winnipeg.
"Literally hundreds and hundreds of kids head immediately to the airport," Einarson said.
More than 1,000 Beatles fans in Winnipeg gathered at the Winnipeg airport hoping for a glimpse of the band when the plane carrying them stopped in Winnipeg to refuel on August 18, 1964. (Photo courtesy John Einarson)
The band’s manager, Brian Epstein, coaxed the band to step outside the plane and appear on the tarmac, speaking to several reporters talking with fans.
Einarson said he did tours of music history in Winnipeg, and when sharing the story of the airport stop, he had a woman tell him her story of the Beatles.
Source: winnipeg.ctvnews.ca
Time and time again through the years, the BBC has opted to ban The Beatles’ songs. For one reason or another, some of which were warranted, the BBC banned quite a few of The Fab Four’s biggest and lesser-known tracks.
One of those tracks happened to be “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” from the hit 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. If you’ve heard or read the lyrics to the song and understand the 1960s’ brand of drug innuendo and double entendre, you can probably guess why the BBC decided to ban it.
“Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” was banned by the BBC for its use of drug-related lyricism. Some readers might be confused by this; what could possibly be wrong with the lyrics of “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite”?
Why Did The BBC Ban The Beatles’ “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite”?
The notably psychedelic song references not one, but two slang words for drugs. Specifically, the lyrics “Their production will be second to none / And of course Henry the Horse dances the waltz” contained two references to drug slang.
“Henry” was often used to describe the particular weight one would like to purchase of drugs. It’s a direct reference to the English king Henry the VIII, as in an “eighth” of an ounce of a particular drug. “Horse” has historically been used to refer to a long list of drugs, including the ones mentioned previously.
Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com
It’s quite a joy that Paul McCartney is still doing interviews nowadays, mainly because he has such a good sense of humor. Back in 2019, Paul McCartney made an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The two talked about The Beatles and music in general. During the conversation, Colbert asked McCartney if he had a favorite cover of one of The Beatles’ songs. He also jokingly noted that there was a “right” answer.
For reference, The Beatles’ discography is currently considered the most-covered of any band or artist of all time. There are thousands of covers on that list, and McCartney didn’t give a direct answer. He did, however, playful poke fun at a handful of musicians who covered “Yesterday”, the famed 1965 single from Help!
“So I said to one of our guys, ‘Well, get me the top 10,’” McCartney said with a laugh. “Just what you think are the best 10. So he did, and it was like Sinatra, Elvis, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye. I think I like Marvin’s [cover of ‘Yesterday’] best.”
McCartney went on to say that Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, and Frank Sinatra all changed the lyrics to “Yesterday” in their recorded covers.
“In the middle [of ‘Yesterday’], I go ‘I said something wrong,’” McCartney quoted the lyrics of the song. “All of them said ‘I must have said something wrong.’ They’re not owning up!”
Colbert joked that it was akin to someone apologizing with “I’m sorry if anyone was offended”, to which McCartney agreed.
Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com
