Beatles News

While Anna Sawai has been busy conquering TV and film, the Emmy-winning “Shōgun” star first got her start in show business as a member of the J-pop band FAKY. Now, Sawai is going back to her musical roots in the role of Yoko Ono in Sam Mendes’ forthcoming “Beatles” biopics.

“It was my dream to tell her story and I didn’t think it would come this quick,” Sawai told Variety at the Los Angeles premiere of Apple TV’s “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” Season 2 on Thursday night. “There’s a version of her I feel people still don’t understand. And in this film, I think we’re going to be able to tell that side of the story.”

To prepare, Sawai has been busy reading everything she can about the artist and musician. “So much reading, oh my gosh,” she said. “So many books, so many videos, so many articles…She has so much artwork that also shows her personality.”

While on set in London, Sawai teases it’s been fun to hear the cast — Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr — play the iconic ba details

The Irish actor opened up about the effect of the harsh comments.  Barry Keoghan has said he ‘doesn’t want to go outside’ after remarks about his looks. The Irish actor, who will play Ringo Starr in the upcoming Beatles' biopic, has been faced with harsh comments about his looks over the past couple of years.

Keoghan has opened up about the harmful effects such comments has had on him personally, admitting it has made him 'shy away'. Keoghan firstly acknowledged the 'good side' of fame, highlighting his 'incredible fanbase', however he added that 'there is also a nasty side of it'.  He said he has received 'a lot of abuse' over his looks and tried to remove himself from online.

"I think I removed myself from online, but I'm still a curious human being that wants to go on and, if I attend an event or if I go somewhere, you want to see how it was received. And it's not nice," he said. The Saltburn star continued: "There's a lot of hate online. It's a lot of abuse of how I look.

"It's made me really go inside myself, not want to attend places, not want to go outside. "And I say this being absolute pure and honest to you. It's becoming a problem."In 2 details

John Lennon's songwriting and Beatles legacy form the foundation of his cultural impact.  "Strawberry Fields Forever" tops recent rankings, praised for its production and experimental sound.  The song’s inspiration stems from Lennon’s Liverpool childhood and personal struggles.

John Lennon is famous for many reasons. His songwriting genius, his activism, his enduring cultural impact. But his rise to fame with The Beatles is the foundation on which everything was built.

In 1956, Lennon founded the Quarrymen, described as a skiffle group. Four years later, the band composed of Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, solidified their core, changed their name, and never looked back.

With Harrison contributing to the Fab Four‘s songwriting further into their meteoric career, and two songs coming from Starr, most of the writing was shared by Lennon and McCartney. But for our purposes here, we’re focused on the masterworks that sprung from the heart, mind, and soul of the bespectacled, shaggy-haired rock pioneer.

In a recent roundup published by Uncut, the team, including Paul Weller, guitarist and principal singer and songwriter of The Jam, details

Getting to the top of the charts is easy compared to the second challenge waiting just on the other side of this accomplishment: staying there. The Beatles were discovering how difficult this follow-up hurdle was in 1964, months after “I Want To Hold Your Hand” hit No. 1 in the States. Beatlemania might have been in full swing, but the band was responsible for keeping that fire going.

Eager to recreate their success and linger on the charts a little longer, The Beatles followed up with “Can’t Buy Me Love”. With George Harrison on a jangly twelve-string guitar, the song fit perfectly in the musical zeitgeist. And indeed, it was a hit. “Can’t Buy Me Love” topped charts worldwide, cementing itself among the most ubiquitous early Fab Four tunes.

Interestingly, producer George Martin played a significant role in the writing process, adding the intro and outro tag and essentially framing it as a 12-bar blues number. But lyrically, neither Martin nor anyone else involved thought to double-check the track for any double entendres. No, “Can’t Buy Me Love” Wasn’t About That.

The “my love is free” trope has become commonplace i details

While he will forever remain a music icon and part of the legendary Beatles, George Harrison is, perhaps, the most subtle of the quartet of musicians. While John Lennon and Paul McCartney were wailing on lead vocals and writing most of the band's songs, and Ringo Starr was jamming on the drums, Harrison played lead guitar and stood somewhat apart, often being referred to as "the quiet Beatle." But this didn't mean that he was any less talented than the others, in fact, it was Harrison who wrote the acclaimed "Here Comes the Sun" on the album "Abbey Road." And Beatles fans certainly didn't love him any less. In fact, when his American fans learned that Harrison loved the British sweet called Jelly Babies, they literally showered him with the confection...sort of.

Because they couldn't find actual Jelly Babies in America at the time, Beatles fans reached for what they thought was the next best thing: jelly beans. At concerts, they began to throw this popular candy on stage, pelting the band mates from all directions (and if you know how jelly beans are made, the hard-coated shell probably didn't feel great). Wouldn't one of these gummy bear brands have been a better choice? Of course, Harrison also received plenty of the details

Paul McCartney says his late wife Linda encouraged him to embrace freedom and let go of being uptight
Linda’s phrase “It’s allowed” helped the former Beatle overcome self-imposed limitations and inspired him to take risks
The pair were married from 1969 to Linda's death in 1998

Paul McCartney had a lot to learn from his late wife Linda.

The legendary musician, 83, offered rare insight into the effect that Linda had on his life in a new clip from his Words + Music installment with Audible, which PEOPLE is exclusively premiering.

In the episode — which is an expansion of his recent documentary Man on the Run — McCartney says Linda was a “freeing influence” when they first got together in the 1960s.

“She had grown up in a posh bit of New York. She was on track to become the sort of company wife. But she didn’t like that. She liked rock ‘n’ roll,” McCartney says. “And she would do things like sneak out of the house late at night and drive into New York with a boyfriend. So there was a lot of freedom in her thinking. So I think that really was good for me.”

When Linda and Paul met, she was a d details

One of Paul McCartney‘s all-time favourite songs was written by his Beatles bandmate, George Harrison.

The Wings frontman confirmed as much during a Reddit Ask Me Anything on the r/Music subreddit. McCartney was asked for his favourite songs by members of the public, with the Let It Be hitmaker going one step further and naming an album release by Harrison as one of his favourites. McCartney confirmed Brainwashed, Harrison’s posthumous release, which dropped in 2002, was among his favourite albums. In a Reddit AMA to promote his 2020 album, McCartney III, McCartney confirmed Here Comes the Sun was one of his favourite songs from Harrison.

He wrote: “It is a brilliant song and the kind of song that’s really good in times like these.” The “times like these” McCartney refers to in his comment is the lockdown the United Kingdom, and other countries across the world, experienced due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

A previous compilation release from McCartney saw the legendary songwriter name a Brainwashed track as another favourite from Harrison’s discography.

Source: cultfollowing.co.uk/ Ewan Gleadow

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It sounds like something straight out of a 1960s dream. And for a lucky group of Beatles fans, it actually happened.

On this day in 1964, George Harrison stepped out for a rare public outing alongside Disney teen star Hayley Mills. The two attended a midnight charity screening of the film Charade at the Regal Cinema in Henley-on-Thames, England.

Mills, now 79 years old, was already a household name thanks to her roles in Disney classics like Pollyanna and The Parent Trap, arrived with her mother, Mary Hayley Bell. But it was her unexpected escort—Harrison, then at the height of Beatlemania—who turned the evening into a headline-making moment.

At the time, The Beatles were dominating the global music scene, with Harrison and his bandmates sparking a cultural phenomenon unlike anything seen before. Pairing one of the world’s biggest music stars with one of Disney’s most beloved young actresses created a rare crossover of two massive fan worlds.

The event itself was a charity benefit, adding a feel-good element to the already buzzworthy night. While details of their interaction remain relatively low-key, the image of Harrison escorting Mills to the screening captured the imag details

There aren’t many bands that were formed more than half a century ago that stand even a shot at charting a hit song in the United Kingdom with any regularity. Of course, The Beatles are no typical group, and more often than not, the Fab Four appear on at least one singles ranking in their home country. Which tune British listeners favor changes from week to week, and there are occasions when no individual song can be found and The Beatles only appear on albums rosters. One non-single by the pop-rockers finds its way back to a pair of charts as it becomes a bestseller again.

The Beatles’ "Golden Slumbers" Returns to the U.K. Charts

"Golden Slumbers," taken from The Beatles’ masterpiece Abbey Road, is once again a top performer in the U.K. The track, which was never pushed as a single, but which remains a fan favorite, is back on the Official Singles Downloads list at No. 72. The track can also be found once more on the Official Singles Sales chart, where it makes a home at No. 77.
The Beatles’ "Golden Slumbers" Reaches New Peak Positions

"Golden Slumbers" debuted on the two tallies on which it currently appears in November 2017. The track launched at No. 46 on both roste details

A so-called “dark day” for George Harrison led to the Quiet One of The Beatles writing one of his most brutal songs.

The track, which featured on his triple album, All Things Must Pass, has been interpreted as a knock at his former bandmates, Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Though the pair were still working with Harrison at the time he wrote the song, it appears clear the words to Wah Wah are a chance for Harrison to channel his frustrations. Fans praised the Here Comes the Sun songwriter for his brutal honesty in both the song and a diary entry which has gone down as a legendary moment for the musician.

Studio session tensions bubbled over for Harrison during the Get Back rehearsals, prompting him to briefly quit the band. Ringo Starr had previously departed the band towards the end of The White Album recording but rejoined a short while later. Starr had felt he “wasn’t playing great” and that he was “an outsider” but after a holiday to Sardinia, he rejoined the band. Harrison’s departure from the Get Back sessions lasted five days and has since been immortalised in a diary entry.

Source: Ewan Gleadow/cultfollowing.co.uk

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In the 1960s, The Beatles were enjoying No. 1 hits like candy. And on this day in 1967, they scored yet another No. 1 in the United States with a psychedelic pop jam. On this very day, March 18, 1967, The Beatles scored a hefty hit with “Penny Lane”. The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on this day. It remained at the top for one week. “Penny Lane” would remain on the chart in some fashion for 10 weeks.

The song was released as a double A-side with “Strawberry Fields Forever”. That song ended up being a bit less popular in the United States than “Penny Lane”. “Strawberry Fields Forever” peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100.
The Origins of “Penny Lane”

“Penny Lane” was written by Paul McCartney. The tune makes some pretty direct references to where he and bandmates George Harrison and John Lennon grew up in Liverpool. The lane in question was a real place, a street in Liverpool that McCartney traversed often in his youth, as did two of his bandmates. “Penny Lane” is the most stark reference to the street. Though, Lennon had previously written the song “In My Life” with an original lyric th details

On the 10th of April 1970, Paul McCartney announced what had, by then, been falsely reported so many times as to seem almost impossible—The Beatles, the biggest band to ever do it, were finished.

Within a week, McCartney had released his first solo record. Before the year was out, all three of his former bandmates had done the same. And as of today, the solo Beatles have collectively produced around 85 albums, depending how you count.

That’s a lot to wade through for anyone keen on venturing beyond the band’s tight 12-studio-album discography. But wade we must, and there is so much to learn in our wading. These records are charged with parting barbs and so variously excellent and awful and bewildering. They contain not just a huge quantity of interesting and enjoyable music, but a path toward an understanding of what it was that made the band work as it did. Who was good at what? Who needed what from whom, whose instincts were balanced by whose, and what kinds of adventures might result from the removal of the structures of the band?

If you would like to know the answers to those questions and don’t want to listen through 82 albums to get them, you’re in luck. We’ve do details

Paul McCartney is putting on sale two performances in an intimate setting at Hollywood’s Fonda Theater for March 26-27. The appearances at the 1,200-capacity venue are his first shows since wrapping up an arena tour in November.

The concerts could just be one-offs, or a two-off, but the announcement does raise intrigue among McCartney fans that he may have something else up his sleeve, like an album reveal… although history does show that the man also just likes to play.

Registration for ticket offers began at 9 a.m. PT Tuesday morning. The link is through an AXS site here. At the webpage referenced, further information shows that registration will continue through 10 p.m. PT Wednesday night, with no preference given in how early or late anyone registers through the length of that window. Fans are allowed to register for both dates, and only one registration per show will be accepted. The limit is two tickets per customer and, of course, “registering does not guarantee ability to purchase.” “Selected” fans will be sent an invitation to purchase tickets, at an unspecified time.

Source: variety.com/Chris Willman

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Thirty years ago, The Beatles expanded their historical archive with Anthology 2, a collection that revealed rare studio recordings, outtakes and live material from the most experimental years of The Beatles.

When The Beatles released “Anthology 2” on 18 March 1996, the album served as a remarkable continuation of the band’s ambitious archival project, offering a deeper look into one of the most transformative periods in the group’s career. Arriving as the second chapter in the multi-volume “Anthology” series, the release brought together rare recordings, alternate takes and live performances spanning sessions from the 1965 “Help!” era through to the creative build-up before the band’s 1968 trip to India.

Issued by Apple Records, “Anthology 2” followed the commercial success of “Anthology 1”, which had reignited global fascination with the band’s history only months earlier. Like its predecessor, the collection debuted at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart, underlining the enduring commercial power of the band decades after their break-up. The album would eventually earn multi-platinum certification in the United States and chart details

A BEATLES drumhead used on their first US TV appearance has become one of the band’s most expensive pieces of memorabilia.

Drummer Ringo Starr used the bit of kit on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964 as the Fab Four propelled themselves to global superstardom.  A Beatles drumhead played by Ringo Starr on their first US TV appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, above, has sold as one of the band’s priciest memorabilia.

It is also the most expensive item belonging to Sir Ringo to ever be flogged. Earlier in the auction, another drum kit used by the 85-year-old between 1963 and 1964 sold for £1,804,700. Other Beatles items to be sold during the auction include a Broadwood upright piano used by John Lennon when he wrote Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.

It was estimated to fetch around £450,000, but instead sold for £2,448,968.  

Source: the-sun.com/Thomas Godfrey

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