It’s safe to say that The Beatles were one of the most influential bands from the Twentieth Century popular music scene. While everyone knows a lot of their hits, namely ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Come Together’, ‘Let It Be’, here are some lesser-known facts about the Fab Four.
BBC
1. The Beatles got their name from Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Time Magazine
For some reason, the band always liked the idea of an insect’s name for their band name. They were fans of Buddy Holly and the Crickets. They settled for Beetles and since John Lennon loved puns, he altered the spelling of to “Beatles”.
2. Lennon’s father was not around for much of his early life but came back when his son became famous
NME
For much of his earlier life, John Lennon’s father wasn’t around. John’s father Alfred Lennon, was a merchant mariner who had a strained relationship with his wife. John was mostly raised by his aunt.
When The Beatles were the new big thing in the pop scene, John’s father tried to reconnect with him. He also tried to make a novelty recording to capitalize on their fame.
3. John Lennon was disappointed when he met his hero, Elvis Presley
Daily Express
As a teenager, John Lennon was infatuated with Elvis Presley. He was also a big reason why Lennon pursued a career in show business later on. Back in the day, young John would dress like Presley. He’d also comb his hair back in a similar fashion.
Upon becoming famous, the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, arranged for them to actually meet with Elvis in the States. Even though the meeting was friendly, the musicians managed to cram in a brief jam session. John Lennon was of the opinion that Elvis was disinterested and wasn’t especially engaging in person.
4. Music for the song ‘Yesterday’ was written before the lyrics
Far Out Magazine
Yesterday, Paul McCartney’s song had its music written even before the lyrics. McCartney was using a working line with lyrics that sounded something like – ‘scrambled eggs, oh my baby how I love your legs’. These were later replaced by ‘Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.’
5. The Beatles faced multiple difficulties in getting signed by a major record label
The New York Times
Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ manager had to work hard to secure his lads a recording contract. A label that’d be big enough to make ’em real stars. Not everyone in the industry saw the true potential in the Beatles that Epstein did which is why it wasn’t easy enough.
Ultimately after a lot of struggles, EMI took a chance on the Beatles, and the rest as we know it, is history.
6. Songwriting credits were shared in a unique way
uDiscover Music
The frontmen of Fab Four had a rather unusual agreement where they’d both get songwriting credits for tunes even though only one of them had written it.
7. George Harrison lived in the United States briefly before the Beatles were famous
The Gilly/Tumblr
Harrison’s sister was married to an American. The couple lived in Herrin, Illinois, a small town in the Midwest for a while. Harrison had also visited them in the United States before the Beatles were famous. He played the guitar on stage with some local bands at the time.
8. Eleanor Rigby was real
BBC
One of McCartney’s most memorable songs “Eleanor Rigby” is all about a lonely old woman who dies in a church while there’s no one to mourn her. McCartney claimed that he got the name from actress Eleanor Bron, who appeared in the Beatles film Help!
The world later learned that there’s a gravestone for a lady named Eleanor Rigby, located near St. Peter’s Church in Liverpool. This is the place Paul first met John Lennon back in 1957. Funnily, Paul and John would hang around in the cemetery before they were famous. There’s a possibility that the name was in his mind subconsciously. Either that, or maybe it’s just an eerie coincidence. Guess we’ll never know.
9. Eric Clapton played the guitar solo for “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Far Out magazine
Harrison had a feeling that his other bandmates weren’t giving his song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” the desired attention. On his way to the studio, Harrison asked his good friend Eric Clapton to come along and play on the track for them.
“I said, ‘Eric’s going to play on this one,’ and it was good because that then made everyone act better,” Harrison said. “Paul got on the piano and played a nice intro and they all took it more seriously.”, said George Harrison.
10. The song “Let it Be” is inspired by Paul McCartney’s mother
The lyrics “Mother Mary” in the song refers to Mary McCartney, Paul’s mother who died when he was at a young age of 14 years. She usually intervened between Paul’s fights with his brother by telling them –
“Let it be, boys”.
The song was written at a time when the Beatles were constantly fighting with each other. That’s when Paul remembered his mother’s words.
11. John Lennon had an LSD revelation
GQ
In 1968, when John Lennon was recently inspired by LSD, he called for an emergency meeting at their Apple headquarters in London.
“I’ve got something very important to tell you,” Lennon says. “I am Jesus Christ. I have come back again.”
12. A record’s record!
BBC
The Beatles have sold more records than Tupac, Bob Marley, Nirvana, the and Kanye West combined by over 30 million units. Woah! Now that’s some record of a sale, innit?
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