The Beatles had the ‘Write Stuff’
Originally published October 2009
Scarcely a day goes by that I don’t think about the Beatles and their enormous success.
I am continually filled with wonder at how they produced so many great songs in such a short period of time – songs that still sound as fresh as they did in the 1960s.
The world’s greatest ever rock and roll band, which broke up in 1970, is in the public eye again following the releases of the video game The Beatles: Rock Band and the digitally remastered catalog of their albums on compact disc.
To me, what most sets the Beatles apart from the other great bands in rock history is their songwriting. I have been disappointed that this aspect has been overlooked by cinematic biographies of John Lennon, the Beatles’ leader. “Backbeat” (1994) and “In His Life: The John Lennon Story” (2000) both show how the troubled teen learned music from his mother and then began to recruit band mates. But if you believe the movies, the only songs the early Beatles played were cover versions of American rhythm and blues hits. And that isn’t remotely true.
The Beatles’ fortunes took a turn for the better in 1962 when, at the insistence of their record label, they replaced drummer Pete Best (with Ringo Starr) and hooked up with producer George Martin.
Martin has said, “When I first met them they really couldn’t write a decent song. ‘Love Me Do’ was the best they could give me. Yet, they blossomed into songwriters in a way that was breathtaking.”
Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ manager, put the band in eye-catching clothes and controversial hairstyles, but the musicians themselves were responsible for kicking their careers into high gear with original songs.
“Please Please Me,” “She Loves You” and “From Me To You” were tearing up Europe in 1963 but went nowhere on the Billboard charts in the USA. Epstein wanted a hit song to pave the way for a tour of America, and Lennon responded with “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” After American listeners accepted that song, they gleefully embraced the songs that they earlier had ignored.
The first Beatle albums released in the States contained cover versions like “Please Mr. Postman,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “You Really Got A Hold On Me” and “Kansas City.” Before long, though, they didn’t need any such filler.
Paul McCartney, whom I rank as the preeminent singer/composer/musician in rock history, definitely had a knack for writing ballads. His progression of compositions included “All My Loving,” “And I Love Her,” “I’ll Follow The Sun,” “Yesterday,” “Michelle,” “Here, There And Everywhere,” “I Will,” and “The Long And Winding Road.” His pattern of deepening sophistication seemed to climax with “Golden Slumbers” on the “Abbey Road” album.
George Harrison started out with a few simple songs like “Don’t Bother Me” and “I Need You.” By the time the Beatles broke up, however, he had penned “Blue Jay Way,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Here Comes The Sun” and “Something.” Some of his better songs were not included on Beatle albums, but they nicely filled out a three-disc set in Harrison’s debut solo effort.
Lennon, who engaged in a friendly songwriting competition with McCartney, drew his inspiration from amazing sources. After his young son Julian showed him his drawing of a girl floating in the air and said it was called “Lucy in the sky with diamonds,” John quickly retreated and wrote a song about it.
One day when Harrison and Lennon were in an antique shop in Kent, England, John found a publicity poster for a circus. He took it home, wrote a song from it and incorporated all of the poster’s information into “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!”
Who can forget the introspective “In My Life,” with Martin playing a wonderful, baroque piano solo? Two other songs from “Rubber Soul” – “Girl” and “Norwegian Wood” – were among Lennon’s finest compositions. Another one of my Lennon favorites is “Across The Universe” from “Let It Be.”
During the recording of “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band,” John had a song that was incomplete. He approached Paul and asked if he had any ideas about how to finish it. Paul had a song that he thought was pretty good but didn’t have any connection to John’s song. John decided to stick Paul’s piece in the middle of his song, and then the Beatle consortium set about to find a way to tie them together.
Martin connected the songs with a series of empty bars and then filled the bars with strings and horns that soared to an orchestral crescendo.
The result was “A Day In The Life,” the album’s finale. That medley has been called the song that best sums up the musical progress that was made in the first dozen years of rock and roll, and I can’t argue with that.
I think Martin was right. That song, like so many other Beatle compositions, is breathtaking!
