In 1963, the songs The Beatles released laid the groundwork to establish them as the biggest band in the world. They had a handful of hits that year that completely changed their lives. While they were proud of each release, Paul McCartney said one of these in particular felt like a big step forward for the group. He shared how the introduction of a chord made him feel like they were growing as artists.
Paul McCartney said 1 early Beatles song felt like a step forward for the band
In 1963, The Beatles released their debut album Please Please Me. For years before this, though, McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison had performed together. Lennon and McCartney had long been writing songs and had amassed a catalog of music.
“We’d had a fair bit of practice writing over the years, though our legendary ‘first one hundred’ was probably in reality less than half that amount of songs,...
Paul McCartney said 1 early Beatles song felt like a step forward for the band
In 1963, The Beatles released their debut album Please Please Me. For years before this, though, McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison had performed together. Lennon and McCartney had long been writing songs and had amassed a catalog of music.
“We’d had a fair bit of practice writing over the years, though our legendary ‘first one hundred’ was probably in reality less than half that amount of songs,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Paul McCartney wrote many hit songs for The Beatles but also penned tunes that he intended to give out to other artists. These occasionally made their way onto Beatles records, even if McCartney and John Lennon wrote them with other musicians in mind. One such song was “Misery,” a ballad intended for musician Helen Shapiro. McCartney shared why writing the song was hacky of them.
Paul McCartney said a song he wrote with John Lennon was a hack job
Early in their years as a band, McCartney and Lennon wrote together and wanted to do whatever they could to get their songs play time. This included writing songs for other artists. The Beatles were touring with Shapiro, and they felt she could boost their career by singing a song they wrote. So, they penned “Misery” with her in mind.
“We wrote it for Helen Shapiro because we were going on tour with her and,...
Paul McCartney said a song he wrote with John Lennon was a hack job
Early in their years as a band, McCartney and Lennon wrote together and wanted to do whatever they could to get their songs play time. This included writing songs for other artists. The Beatles were touring with Shapiro, and they felt she could boost their career by singing a song they wrote. So, they penned “Misery” with her in mind.
“We wrote it for Helen Shapiro because we were going on tour with her and,...
- 8/27/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Ringo Starr will celebrate his 83rd birthday on Friday, July 7, but age ain’t nothing but a number to the legendary Beatles drummer.
“Nothing makes me feel old,” he told People of marking his milestone birthday. “In my head, I’m 27.”
As the years have passed, Starr tries to keep everything in perspective. “Wisdom’s a heavy word,” he said. “[Getting older] is what happens, and you try and keep yourself busy.”
Read More: Ringo Starr Shares His Secret To Drumming While Accepting Honourary Degree: ‘I Just Hit Them’
Starr recalled that when he and his fellow Beatles were opening for a singer named Helen Shapiro, he used to chat with members of her band, who were much older than him.
“I was talking to the band and I said, ‘Well, how old are you?’ And the guy says, ‘I’m 40.’ ’40?! And you’re still doing it?'” Starr said. “Little did I know!
“Nothing makes me feel old,” he told People of marking his milestone birthday. “In my head, I’m 27.”
As the years have passed, Starr tries to keep everything in perspective. “Wisdom’s a heavy word,” he said. “[Getting older] is what happens, and you try and keep yourself busy.”
Read More: Ringo Starr Shares His Secret To Drumming While Accepting Honourary Degree: ‘I Just Hit Them’
Starr recalled that when he and his fellow Beatles were opening for a singer named Helen Shapiro, he used to chat with members of her band, who were much older than him.
“I was talking to the band and I said, ‘Well, how old are you?’ And the guy says, ‘I’m 40.’ ’40?! And you’re still doing it?'” Starr said. “Little did I know!
- 7/5/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
The Beatles‘ “She Loves You” remains one of the Fab Four’s most famous songs and one of the most famous songs of the whole decade. Notably, “She Loves You” was inspired by another hit that came out around the same time. The earlier track wasn’t as successful.
The Beatles | Hulton Archive / Stringer Bobby Rydell inspired The Beatles’ ‘She Loves You’ although he was unaware of them
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed the origin of “She Loves You.” “We must have had a few hours before the show so we said, ‘Oh, great! Let’s have a ciggy and write a song!” he recalled.
“I remember for some reason thinking of Bobby Rydell; he must have had a hit that we were interested in,” Paul said. “I remember thinking of him and sitting on the bed in this hotel somewhere with John in the afternoon daylight.
The Beatles | Hulton Archive / Stringer Bobby Rydell inspired The Beatles’ ‘She Loves You’ although he was unaware of them
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed the origin of “She Loves You.” “We must have had a few hours before the show so we said, ‘Oh, great! Let’s have a ciggy and write a song!” he recalled.
“I remember for some reason thinking of Bobby Rydell; he must have had a hit that we were interested in,” Paul said. “I remember thinking of him and sitting on the bed in this hotel somewhere with John in the afternoon daylight.
- 3/10/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Many music fans consider The Beatles as one of the most influential bands ever. They greatly impacted popular music and won over fans worldwide. Still, some fellow musicians hated the Fab Four. One outspoken critic once called Paul McCartney and John Lennon idiots as songwriters. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t above recording one of their songs himself.
(l-r) John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles; British entertainer Kenny Lynch | Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images; McMonagle/Express/Getty Images Kenny Lynch called Paul McCartney and John Lennon idiots after a frustrating songwriting session
It seems hard to believe now, but John and Paul were still novice songwriters even as The Beatles’ popularity grew. The band’s first single, “Love Me Do,” was a top-20 hit in England in 1962. “Please Please Me” nearly reached the top in early 1963. “From Me to You” gave The Beatles their first No.
(l-r) John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles; British entertainer Kenny Lynch | Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images; McMonagle/Express/Getty Images Kenny Lynch called Paul McCartney and John Lennon idiots after a frustrating songwriting session
It seems hard to believe now, but John and Paul were still novice songwriters even as The Beatles’ popularity grew. The band’s first single, “Love Me Do,” was a top-20 hit in England in 1962. “Please Please Me” nearly reached the top in early 1963. “From Me to You” gave The Beatles their first No.
- 3/1/2023
- by Jason Rossi
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Photographer celebrated for his informal portraits of artists, actors and musicians
David Farrell, who has died aged 93, was known primarily for his photographic portraits of the most prominent artists, actors, authors and, particularly, musicians of his time. These ranged from classical performers such as Yehudi Menuhin, Ravi Shankar and Jacqueline du Pré to Louis Armstrong, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He would take his portable darkroom with him to filming locations, where he photographed Albert Finney, Julie Christie, Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson, among others. His main body of work dates from the mid-1950s to the 1980s, by which time he was working primarily in cinema, but he continued with his photography well into the digital age.
Taking Henri Cartier-Bresson's "humanitarian" photography as his model, Farrell specialised in taking portraits in informal situations – he preferred to photograph artists at home or in the studio, rather than in...
David Farrell, who has died aged 93, was known primarily for his photographic portraits of the most prominent artists, actors, authors and, particularly, musicians of his time. These ranged from classical performers such as Yehudi Menuhin, Ravi Shankar and Jacqueline du Pré to Louis Armstrong, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He would take his portable darkroom with him to filming locations, where he photographed Albert Finney, Julie Christie, Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson, among others. His main body of work dates from the mid-1950s to the 1980s, by which time he was working primarily in cinema, but he continued with his photography well into the digital age.
Taking Henri Cartier-Bresson's "humanitarian" photography as his model, Farrell specialised in taking portraits in informal situations – he preferred to photograph artists at home or in the studio, rather than in...
- 2/11/2013
- by Amanda Hopkinson
- The Guardian - Film News
I'm kind of obsessed with Richard Lester's films, which may be all I have in common with Steven Soderbergh, but at least it's something.
Having achieved an Oscar nomination for the short The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1960), shot in a field over a couple of weekends with a cast of friends including comic geniuses Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, Lester shopped his can of film around and was told, basically, "Very nice: when we want a feature length version of that we'll let you know." Since the film was a plotless, abstract series of surreal jokes, Lester quickly surmised that the phone might not ring anytime soon.
But a fellow American in London, Milton Subotsky, offered Lester the job of making a low-budget pop musical, and the rest would have been history if this had been A Hard Day's Night. But that was two years away: Lester's first...
Having achieved an Oscar nomination for the short The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1960), shot in a field over a couple of weekends with a cast of friends including comic geniuses Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, Lester shopped his can of film around and was told, basically, "Very nice: when we want a feature length version of that we'll let you know." Since the film was a plotless, abstract series of surreal jokes, Lester quickly surmised that the phone might not ring anytime soon.
But a fellow American in London, Milton Subotsky, offered Lester the job of making a low-budget pop musical, and the rest would have been history if this had been A Hard Day's Night. But that was two years away: Lester's first...
- 2/7/2013
- by David Cairns
- MUBI
From from the British Pathé newsreel archive, Jon Savage unearths footage of the hip young band who rode the trad jazz wave in 1962, inspired by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band
Reading this on mobile? Watch clip here
This is a charming period piece, from March 1962. The colour makes it seem at once vivid and time-locked. It shows the travelling arrangements and a performance of a young, Dixieland jazz group called the Original Downtown Syncopators – who featured as pianist the future polymath Ron Geesin, best known for his collaboration with Roger Waters on The Body film soundtrack and with Pink Floyd on the Atom Heart Mother suite.
That would occur nearly a decade later. In early 1962, the Original Downtown Syncopators were a young and enthusiastic outfit riding the trad wave with a little more authenticity than some of their peers. As the clip shows, they took their cues from the source,...
Reading this on mobile? Watch clip here
This is a charming period piece, from March 1962. The colour makes it seem at once vivid and time-locked. It shows the travelling arrangements and a performance of a young, Dixieland jazz group called the Original Downtown Syncopators – who featured as pianist the future polymath Ron Geesin, best known for his collaboration with Roger Waters on The Body film soundtrack and with Pink Floyd on the Atom Heart Mother suite.
That would occur nearly a decade later. In early 1962, the Original Downtown Syncopators were a young and enthusiastic outfit riding the trad wave with a little more authenticity than some of their peers. As the clip shows, they took their cues from the source,...
- 10/4/2012
- by Jon Savage
- The Guardian - Film News
Cliff Richard and the Shadows were Pathé's perfect poster boys for pop when it decided to boost its coverage in the early 60s
In the early 60s, Pathé ramped up its pop coverage. Once the Age of the Teenager had been established, youth became worthy of coverage and even traditional news sources followed suit. As we've seen, Pathé had some youth culture reportage during the second half of the 50s but from 1961 on, the trickle turned to a flood. And who better to represent this shift than the biggest homegrown star of the period?
Cliff Richard and the Shadows ruled British pop from spring 1959 to spring 1963. During that period they had, separately and together, 27 top 10 singles – including 12 No 1s. There were also two massively successful films, The Young Ones and Summer Holiday, with their associated soundtracks: in both cases the lead-off singles and the albums went to No 1.
Broadcast in...
In the early 60s, Pathé ramped up its pop coverage. Once the Age of the Teenager had been established, youth became worthy of coverage and even traditional news sources followed suit. As we've seen, Pathé had some youth culture reportage during the second half of the 50s but from 1961 on, the trickle turned to a flood. And who better to represent this shift than the biggest homegrown star of the period?
Cliff Richard and the Shadows ruled British pop from spring 1959 to spring 1963. During that period they had, separately and together, 27 top 10 singles – including 12 No 1s. There were also two massively successful films, The Young Ones and Summer Holiday, with their associated soundtracks: in both cases the lead-off singles and the albums went to No 1.
Broadcast in...
- 8/23/2012
- by Jon Savage
- The Guardian - Film News
A collection of unseen photos of The Beatles just before they rose to fame is to go on display. The 37 shots of the Fab Four on a tour with Helen Shapiro in 1963 were unearthed after languishing in an attic for almost 50 years. Photographer/journalist Paul Berriff discovered the pics at his home in north England. "I started to root around in my attic and I found this box of about 800 negs (negatives), and in it were shots of these old pop groups in '63. I was absolutely knocked out when I saw the quality and ...
- 4/28/2010
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
London, April 28 – A collection of unseen photos of The Beatles just before they rose to fame is to go on display.
The 37 shots of the Fab Four on a tour with Helen Shapiro in 1963 were unearthed after languishing in an attic for almost 50 years.
Photographer/journalist Paul Berriff discovered the pics at his home in north England.
“I started to root around in my attic and I found this box of about 800 negs (negatives), and in it were shots of these old pop groups in ‘63. I was absolutely knocked out when I saw the quality and realised I should.
The 37 shots of the Fab Four on a tour with Helen Shapiro in 1963 were unearthed after languishing in an attic for almost 50 years.
Photographer/journalist Paul Berriff discovered the pics at his home in north England.
“I started to root around in my attic and I found this box of about 800 negs (negatives), and in it were shots of these old pop groups in ‘63. I was absolutely knocked out when I saw the quality and realised I should.
- 4/28/2010
- by News
- RealBollywood.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.