Today the Beatles are still well known for their hit songs and albums back from the 1960s. But why didn’t they stay together longer than that? Even though the White Album was a huge success, it also hinted towards the end of the Beatles. This 2-disc hit was long past due and left Beatles fans thirsty for more. The album was ninety-four minutes of pure entertainment. The individual songs on the album, background stories, and relationships held during the recording of this album are thought to be some of the main reasons as to why the Beatles broke up.
The White Album was the Beatles first and only double album. It consists of 30 songs but none of which were similar to their songs in previous albums. Instead of the strong songs composed of the team of Lennon and McCartney, their songs were written individually and were more diverse. According to Rolling Stones magazine, each member had grown in creativity. Lennon’s relationship with Yoko Ono had put a spark in his writing and “his creativity apparently revivified by the relationship”. (Gilmore, 2009) Even Ringo and Harrison were beginning to
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write their own music. Ringo had written one song and Harrison had a total of four songs which gave him a boost of confidence knowing that he could do so well without the help of the others. With that, none of the members were willing to let any of the others take control or even critique their music. (Gilmore, 2009) There had been so much tension between the members during their recording that they had recorded in three separate studios. They had referred to one another as their “supporting musicians” which led to even more problems amongst the group. Lennon storming out on rehearsals, Ringo quitting after being belittled by McCartney, Harrison bringing in Eric Clapton to record “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on his own, and McCartney’s attempt to take absolute control over the band are just a few recorded incidents that took place during the recording of this album. “In later years, McCartney would refer to it as ‘the Tension Album.’” (Gilmore, 2009) There are some background stories in the Beatlesongs book by William Dowlding that hint towards the tension that had built up between the members and may have led to their breakup.
During the recording of the song “OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA”, McCartney wanted to release it as a single but it was overridden by the votes of Lennon and Harrison. Also in some of Lennon’s songs that he had written, Yoko Ono had been on backing and harmony vocals and was occasionally given a solo. This could have caused tension between the rest of the members and Lennon if it wasn’t agreed to by the others. Also Harrison’s gutsy move to bring in Eric Clapton to play guitar for his song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” created some noise and heat from the other members. These background stories of the making of the White Album are just a few incidents that may have led to the breakup of the
band. When it came to relationships during the recording of this album there were a few people at blame. According to the Beatlesongs book, Harrison had blamed the tension that was present between the fab four on their wives and current lovers for creating distance between the musicians. (Dowlding, pg. 219) Ringo and McCartney agreed with this statement, it was Lennon who tried to persuade journalists that none of the relationships during the recording of the White Album had experienced any difficulties. I think this may have been a cover to help protect Yoko Ono from receiving any blame for the Beatles breakup. Yoko Ono had made herself present for everything. Every rehearsal, every meeting, and even every potty break that Lennon had to take, Ono was right on his heel with every step that he took. According to Mansfield, a mutual friend of the Beatles, Yoko had a huge influence on the Lennon and her presence took the pressure and conflicts to another level. She had to have a say in everything and everything that was said to Lennon went through Ono’s first before Lennon could give any feedback. “It wasn’t really John speaking to you anymore – you felt like it was more like Yoko” said Mansfield. (Field, 2015) It was previously mentioned that there had been a lot of tension between the Beatles during the recording of the White album and according to beatles-history.net; most of the tension resides in Yoko Ono’s presence. But the tension wasn’t only created by Lennon’s relationship with Yoko. McCartney was also experiencing some tension with his relationships with Jane Asher and Linda Eastman. When he first met Linda Eastman he had already been engaged to Jane Asher. But because of the actresses conflicting schedule, and the fact the McCartney had been cheating on Asher, their relationship had been terminated. He then took initiative and asked Linda Eastman to marry him after she had become pregnant with his child. His experience with these relationships had caused him to become distant with the group and may have been causing his short fuse and high temper. (Beatle-History.net) Even though the Beatles had huge success from the making of the White Album, it was also a huge influence on the breakup of the band. Between the switch to making their own music, the stories behind it, and the relationships that affected them, it was just a matter of time before they would actually split up. It just became too much. After trying to ignore unwanted comments from Ono and other wives and also dealing with McCartney’s need to take over, it was just too much to bear. I believe that their need to do their own thing was the main reason the band split up.
Success was hard for the Beatles started as the Quarrymen then turning into the Silver Beatles and touring through Germany playing long hours’ day and night at different clubs and venues. In fact, and article written by Andrew Romano from the Daily Beast states that one of Gladwell’s theory is revolved around Hamburg during their intense hours of playing. He states that after the Beatles had reached their point of fame during 1964, they had performed a total of twelve hundred times which Gladwell states” the idea that excellence at performing a complex task requires a minimal level of practice”. According to Gladwell this is what allowed them to become they greatest rock band of all time. Although this was Beatles point of greatness, once returning to Liverpool they still had a point to prove the world. After Brian Epstein spent many days convincing different labels, being rejected by the same record labels, changing their style, and cleaning up their act for the music industry, they were finally able to sign a label with United Kingdom’s leading music record company during May of 1962. By October of 1963, the Beatles had the opportunity to appear on the Sunday Night At the Long Palladium. During this time, if one was able to perform here you had reached a high point in the
I’m here today to discuss, compare, and contrast the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, two of the best rock and roll bands from the 1960s. During the British Invasion, both of these bands had a lasting impression worldwide inspiring many of the current artists today. Although both bands are similar, they have many differences.
Although most of the singing was by Paul, John Lennon wrote most of the songs in the album. The only song John Lennon starred in the album was
The album begins with the hard-rocker “Come Together”. The song is a perfect example of John Lennon’s rock influence in the Beatles. “Come Together” is a song that’s popularity has been revived due to its appearances in many commercials. Its trademark chorus, “Come together right now over me”, is known just about everywhere. Ringo’s heavy drums and John’s deep poetic lyrics drive the song, while Paul’s voice and George’s sharp guitar contribute to the body of this song. John Lennon was well known for his creative lyrics. His mind provided lyrics for such insightful songs such as “Across the Universe” and “A Day in the Life”.
The Beatles are known, respectively, as the fathers of modern pop music. After their first #1 hit “Please Please Me” was released in 1963 the Beatles were set in motion to become one of the most influential groups of musicians to ever rock our world. With over forty-nine records, 37 #1’s, and thirty- four number one albums (the highest amount of any band in history), there is no denying that they made a monumental ripple in the musical world. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr surprisingly all come from humble beginnings in a town that, until their superstardom, was barely noticed on the map. Liverpool, being kn...
The Beatles are an iconic English rock band and are widely regarded as the “foremost and most influential act of the rock era” (Unterberg). Formed in Liverpool in 1960, the Beatles were comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, with Stuart Sutcliffe on bass guitar in January and Pete
The Beatles and the Beach Boys are two of the most recognized, well-known and most popular musical acts of the 1960’s right through to the 1970’s. I will be focusing on the group acts rather than solo performers such as John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison of the Beatles, who took their own stylistic approach to their music after the Beatles’ separation. Each group’s arrangement and use of instruments classify them as part of the overall associated sound and typical subject matter of songs in the 1960’s, yet remain different enough to distinguish between each group’s desired sound.
John Lennon had reached remarkable success and fame as a member of The Beatles. He, along with McCartney had written some of the most popular songs of their generation; “All My Loving”, I Want to Hold Your Hand” “We Can Work it Out” and “Come Together” are just a small...
The Beatles were best known for there 1950’s Rock and Roll. Later on, they experimented in several music styles; ranging from pop ballads, Indian music, psychedelia, and finally hard rock. The Beatles consisted of four men, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The hippie movement and the use of drugs heavily influenced The Beatles, creating a deeper meaning to their songs. McCartney and Lennon found inspiration for the song “Blackbird” when they were exploring India in 1968. An accusation about the song “Blackbird” was simply that they had heard a blackbird singing; however, while being on LSD, a psychedelic drug, they borrowed the music of a blackbird and turned it into a symbol of the hardships African American women faced during the Civil Rights Movement. Other influences such as classical components helped further The Beatles’ music career to new heights. The Beatles were known to write complex songs with deep meanings. Songs off the White Album could be interpreted to have a surface level or metaphorical meaning. “Blackbird” was about discrimination and misfortune the African American women faced during the Civil Rights Movement.
...on April tenth, 1970. The official break up of the band was in court and it was a sad day for Beatles fans across the world (Glassman).
Martin, Marvin. The Beatles: The Music Was Never the Same. New York: F. Watts, 1996. Print.
Throughout their years at the top they were shrouded in mystery and intrigue, and seemed to leave behind a trail of question marks wherever they went. They were not a “public” band (they didn’t hire a publicist until their 9th US tour, almost five years after their formation!); they continually distanced themselves from the media, instead relying on word of mouth and their often-astounding live performances to promote themselves. Not surprisingly, this low profile led to wild rumors about their lifestyles and habits and as a result little was known about the men behind the music.
The White album was released in 1968.It’s blank cover frames the endless possibilities that imagination brings while listening to the songs, giving the audience a more personal and limitless perspective of the songs they listen to. The album has a total of 30 songs, and they all tell a story and are very clear, in comparison to past songs like Johns “I am the Walrus”. The album kicks off with “ Back in the U.S.S.R” a response to the many patriotic songs established in the era. It is a very upbeat and specific a narrative like song written by Paul. The same goes for the following songs on the first side of the White album. How...
When people think about the 60’s the majority of them all think about the Beatles. The Beatles is a band that made Rock and Roll a totally, different type of music. Even though The Beatles were such a hit, as time went on they started to fall apart. Over 50 years later, the Beatles are still classified as one of the best band of all time.
The Beatles wrote hundreds of songs throughout their long career and many of which had the same main ideas in them. Those two ideas seem to standout in most of their songs, and they are the ideas of peace and love. They were so passionate about these two ideas especially world peace, that they became avid participants and leaders in the anti-war movement, against the War in Vietnam. It seemed strange ...