Beatles News

People likely assume that John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote The Beatles’ hit “Twist And Shout”. They wrote nearly all of their music, so why wouldn’t they write this one? We can’t answer that question for you, but what we can say is that Phil Medley and Bert Berns wrote this iconic single.(The Top Notes intitially performed “Twist And Shout” in 1961, two years before The Beatles go a hold of it.)

Back to the story, both writers were incredibly influential in the development of modern popular music, yet their names are known merely by those who fancy themselves as music historians and super fans. Medley and Berns wrote “If I Didn’t Have a Dime (To Play the Jukebox)”, “Killer Joe”, “These Worldly Wonders”, and “Anything You Wanna Do”.

Aside from his collaborations with Medley, Berns was a producer, writer, and record label executive; he co-founded Bang Records with a few other colleagues in 1965. Some of the artists signed to that label include The McCoys, The Strangeloves, Paul Davis, Neil Diamond, and Van Morrison. Berns is often credited with starting the careers of both Morrison and Diamond. Additionally, some of details

Elvis Presley and Paul McCartney are not only two music legends, but they were also at loggerheads during the height of their fame. It’s well known that during his lifetime, Elvis was not a fan of The Beatles, mainly because of their progressive politics; however, as a fellow artist, he begrudgingly admitted he enjoyed some of their music. McCartney, too, had some rather strong opinions about the king of rock 'n' roll, although his remarks remained decidedly more politically correct than the former’s. A perfect example of this is when the “Riding to Vanity Fair” singer revealed in an interview that one of Elvis’ biggest hit singles, “Blue Suede Shoes,” was, in his opinion, not better than the original.  Paul McCartney Once Dissed Elvis Presley's Cover Of "Blue Suede Shoes"

McCartney, as well, had opinions of his own about Presley's music. Namely, Presley's 1956 hit single "Blue Suede Shoes." The rockabilly hit was a cover of the famed singer, songwriter, and guitarist Carl Perkins, who had originally released the song a year earlier. According to McCartney, who was a close associate of Perkins, he preferred the original version to Presley's rendition. In an interview w details

Beatlemania took over London last weekend as the capital was transformed into 1964 New York for filming. The new Beatles epic is now underway with Paul Mescal playing Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Joseph Quinn portraying George Harrison and Harris Dickinson taking on the role of John Lennon.

The dramatic scenes form part of director Sam Mendes' ambitious four-film anthology charting the rise of The Beatles. First look snaps show the streets lined with screaming fans, police barricades and period details as scenes recreated the band's legendary arrival outside The Plaza Hotel.

Passers-by stopped in their tracks as history repeated itself, with London briefly standing in for Fifth Avenue at the height of Beatlemania.

Source: Gemma Jones/express.co.uk

During a promotion for The Beatles’ eleventh album, Abbey Road, George Harrison picked some of his favorite tracks, including “She Came In Through the Bathroom Window,” a song Paul McCartney wrote about fan Diane Ashley, who was once hanging outside of his home in St. John’s Wood in London and eventually broke in. Harrison called it “a very good song of Paul’s with great lyrics.”

He also praised “Golden Slumbers,” a McCartney ode to finding solace in love, inspired by a 17th-century poem by Thomas Dekker, and John Lennon’s more atmospheric “Because.”

The track, featuring the Beatles’ three-part harmony, overdubbed twice more to give the effect of nine vocals, was the last song Lennon brought in during the Abbey Road sessions, and the final one recorded for the album.

Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”

A classically trained pianist, one day in 1969, Yoko Ono was playing around with Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 14” in C-sharp minor. Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” struck Lennon, who asked Ono to play the chords backwards and started writing “Because.”

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It’s the song that just about everyone alive has heard. And it was one of the first songs to put the Fab Four on the map. On this day, February 1, 1964, “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was a major first for the Liverpool band, who had previously not hit No. 1 in America before. The song entered the coveted chart at No. 45 in mid-January, and by the time it made it to No. 1 a few weeks later, the British Invasion movement was in full swing.

“I Want To Hold Your Hand” would hold that top spot for a whopping seven weeks. From there, it would be replaced by another Beatles tune, “She Loves You”. The former song, however, would stay on the Hot 100 chart for an additional 15 weeks. Today, it remains The Beatles’ best-selling single globally and has sold more than 12 million copies. The Legacy of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles Lives On.

“I Want To Hold Your Hand” was conceived by John Lennon and Paul McCartney at the behest of Brian Epstein. He (and their label) wanted the band to produce a song that would appeal to American listeners. It was in the basement of Jane Asher’ details

Although some fans and part press fueled the idea that The Rolling Stones and The Beatles were rivals, that was not true. Keith Richards has always been a big fan and a close friend of the members of the band. In fact, it was John Lennon and Paul McCartney who gave the Stones their first hit song, “I Wanna Be Your Man”.

In the years that followed, both bands wrote some of the most influential songs of all time and built incredible discographies. Throughout his career, Keith Richards has spoken about The Beatles on many occasions and has already mentioned two of their songs that he loves.
The 2 Beatles songs Keith Richards said he loves “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. 

“This was a guy (George Harrison) who could come out with a great song or a great record anytime. I was always wailing for some more. Let’s hope there’s more in the can. I always loved “Guitar Gently Weeps.” because that was a guitar- player thing,” Keith Richards told Rolling Stone in 2001.

Written by George Harrison, the song of course also featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, but it is the only Beatles song to include another guitar player. It was Geor details

The Beatles’ Paul McCartney didn’t pen that many protest songs during his career. That was more John Lennon’s gig. However, Macca did pen one particular protest song that was particularly intense. And it was inspired by an event that shook Irish and English culture for decades.

That event is known as Bloody Sunday, a massacre that occurred in Northern Ireland on January 30, 1972. British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a civil rights protest, and 13 men were killed by the gunfire. Many of the victims were shot while fleeing and attempting to help the wounded.

Naturally, many people were outraged and horrified by what happened. One person who was particularly pained was Paul McCartney, who rushed to write the protest song “Give Ireland Back To The Irish” the day after, on January 31, 1972. He and Wings were in the studio to speedily record “Give Ireland Back To The Irish” by February 1, accompanied by Northern Irish guitarist Henry McCullough. The song would later be released on February 18, 1972.  The Enduring Legacy of “Give Ireland Back To The Irish”

Paul McCartney’s “Give Ireland Back To The Irish” was promptly details

 It’s all coming together.

The first look photos from the upcoming Beatles biopics starring Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn, and Barry Keoghan were released on Thursday. They were shared via photos of post cards, on the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts’s school’s Instagram account. The school was co-founded by McCartney, 83.

“The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event,” is set to premiere in 2028, helmed by Sam Mendes. Dickinson will play John Lennon, Mescal will play Paul McCartney, Quinn will play George Harrison, and Keoghan will play Ringo Starr.

In the photos, Keoghan can be seen sporting Ringo’s signature mop and mustache. Starr, 85, has voiced support for the “Saltburn” actor.

Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr in a dark blue polka dot shirt and patterned tie with headphones around his neck, looking off to the side in a recording studio. 

During a concert for his 85th birthday, per Collider, the former Beatles drummer said that he has “spent time with him” and got the impression that the Oscar nominated Irish actor “knows what he’s doing.”  But, in a July in details

When one looks back at the history of The Beatles, it was a combination of chance and incredibly hard work. The Fab Four were all from the same town and started working together when they were only teenagers, but while their success can partially be attributed to luck and talent, the truth behind their stardom is that they worked themselves to the bone in ways that would frankly be considered illegal nowadays. In 1960, when all of them were still teenagers, and George Harrison was still underage, they received an offer that would change their careers, though they didn't know it at the time.

With that mismatched lineup, The Beatles headed off to Hamburg. From the start, the band shares in the Anthology, the quest was complicated. They arrived at the club at night, and there was no one to greet them. When someone finally appeared, they were taken to sleep in the closed club. After that, they all shared a room in the backroom of a cinema for months. The band was between the ages of 17 and 20, with a drummer they didn't have chemistry with, and a bass player who couldn't play the bass. And yet, in those months, Lennon, Harrison, and McCartney became the greatest musicians in the world.

Source Val Ba details

Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Joseph Quinn and Harris Dickinson have given Beatles fans a tantalising first glimpse at their upcoming four-part Beatles anthology in the first images of themselves in character.

The actors are currently working with director Sir Sam Mendes on four ambitious new films about the pioneering group's emergence from Liverpool's vibrant club scene to become the most influential band on the planet.

While controversy has raged about the principal cast's suitability - Mescal will play Paul McCartney, with Dickinson starring as the late John Lennon, Quinn as George Harrison and Keoghan as Ringo Starr - first images of them in character suggest the films are in safe hands.

The Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts (LIPA) - co-founded by McCartney in 1996 - has shared postcards of the actors on set, giving fans an opportunity to judge for themselves. A first image captures Mescal as a young McCartney, the unmistakable brick walls of Liverpool's legendary Cavern Club visible as he gazes quizzically off-camera.

The band made a name for themselves as the underground club's resident band in the early 1960s, and it was here that the late Brian Epstein was encouraged to become t details

The “Saltburn” actor, 33, showed off his new Ringo Starr-inspired hairdo in preparation to play the Beatles drummer in the upcoming Sam Mendes-directed biopic.

Keoghan stepped out Wednesday at the London premiere of his new film “Crime 101” with a long mop-top hairstyle resembling Starr’s look from the early days of the Beatles. Barry Keoghan shows off his new hairstyle at the "Crime 101" UK screening.

Ringo Starr at a press conference in London Airport. He is playing Ringo Starr (pictured in 1964) in his upcoming movie. 

The Irish actor, who usually sports much shorter brunette locks, wore a leather racing jacket with matching pants and a green and white face-covering scarf, all from the brand Mains.

Mendes’ “The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event” will feature four movies, each one centering on a different member of the beloved British rock band, all set to be released in April 2028. Keoghan will play Starr, Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, Paul Mescal will play Paul McCartney and Joseph Quinn will play George Harrison.

Other confirmed cast members include Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, Anna Sawai as details

A new documentary that analyzes Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles prime and The Wings’ 1970s rise has received a one-night-only cinematic release. Paul McCartney: Man on the Run will screen in select theaters worldwide on Thursday, February 19, 2026.

The impending cinematic experience opens in April 1970, in the wake of The Beatles’ dissolution, which stemmed from McCartney’s drive to focus on his solo career and subsequent self-titled album. True to the timeline, the movie tracks the life-changing decade-long tenure that followed and led to the creation of his new band, The Wings.

Pieced together from archival footage and Linda McCartney’s preferred medium of photography, the film also lingers on a series of interviews with Paul, Linda, and their daughters, Mary and Stella McCartney. Original members of the Wings, and folks associated with the scene and family: Sean Ono Lennon, Mick Jagger, Chrissie Hynde, and more, also lend their perspectives and memories.

The cinematic release of Paul McCartney: Man on the Run will occur in select regions worldwide. According to the press release, “In addition to the film, each theatrical screening includes a bonus conversation between details

The Royal Albert Hall, Madison Square Garden, Sydney Opera House, Red Rocks amphitheatre in Colorado, Carnegie Hall, Élysée Montmartre, the Hollywood Bowl.

Throughout the world, these venues are prized by music lovers as places where music moments came to life – and in some cases became legend. But there's one particular music venue in Liverpool that quite literally birthed a legendary force in music: the Cavern Club.

Of course, it goes without saying that most of us know it was The Beatles that found their footing at this local Liverpool venue in their formative years.

The Beatles' best albums, ranked: When Ringo Starr nearly reunited The Beatles for his 1973 debut solo album. The song George Harrison wrote on the day he quit The Beatles. The Beatles biopics: Cast, director, release date and songs for the four upcoming movies.

A jazz club in its original iteration, the Cavern Club became the centre of all things Merseybeat before The Beatles burst onto the scene.

It's the venue's history with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr (and Pete Best, in fairness), which has made it globally renowned.

So it was music to people's ears details

On This Day, Jan. 27, 1970…

John Lennon wrote and recorded the single “Instant Karma” in one day, at one point telling reporters he “wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we’re putting it out for dinner.”

The song, produced by Phil Spector, featured his Beatles bandmate George Harrison on acoustic guitar and piano, with Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono and Billy Preston contributing background vocals.

The inspiration for the tune came to Lennon during a visit he and Yoko took to Denmark, where they met up with Yoko’s former husband Tony Cox. Cox’s then wife Melinda Kendell used the term in conversation.

“Instant Karma,” Lennon’s third solo single, wound up being a hit for the rocker, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Source: lakesmedianetwork.com

The Beatles were hitmakers of the highest order, but they weren’t without their weird moments either. Mixed in with their pop-friendly offerings were off-kilter masterpieces. Revisit three Beatles songs below that feel as if they came from another planet.

“A Day in the Life” is innovative, even by today’s standards. The disjointed track mashes up two different ideas from Paul McCartney and John Lennon into one masterpiece.

This song feels impossibly complex. For mere mortals, it’s hard to come up with any idea of how these two came up with this Frankenstein track. Even more uneasiness is added to the song by an orchestra conducted by McCartney.

“That was too puzzling for them, and orchestras don’t like that kind of thing,” McCartney said of his less-than-traditional conducting methods. “They like it written down, and they like to know exactly what they’re supposed to do…so that’s why it sounds like a chaotic sort of swirl. That was an idea based on the avant-garde stuff I was into at the time.”

“I Am the Walrus” is an oddball song to say the least. There’s nothing that really grounds this details