Paul McCartney's song 'Yesterday', which was recently voted the most popular song of
the century by a BBC poll, had music written before the lyrics. Paul used the working words 'scrambled eggs' before coming
up with 'yesterday' while composing this song.
The song 'strawberry fields forever' is actually two versions
of the song mixed together by George Martin. One was a half-tone higher and slightly faster. When it was slowed down it somehow
fit together with the other version perfectly. The Beatles liked both versions and couldn't decide on one and asked Martin
if he could put them together somehow. When he tried it - it worked!
The Beatles featured two left handed members, Paul, whom everyone
saw holding his Hoffner bass left handed, and Ringo, whose left handedness is at least partially to blame for his 'original'
drumming style.
Paul McCartney wrote the song Lovely Rita, Meter Maid for the
album Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band after getting a parking ticket from a female warden in Abbey Road.
The Beatles, with Pete Best on drums, made the group's TV debut
performing Roy Orbison's 'Dream Baby' on the BBC show 'Teenager's Turn' in 1962.
'Hey Jude' was written by Paul in his car. Paul was on his
way to visit Julian, John Lennon's son, who was disturbed by his parents' divorce. Paul wrote this song to cheer him up.
The Beatles got their name from a line in the movie 'The Wild
Ones'. Lee Marvin's character said the motocycle gang wanted Marlon Brando's charcter back, even the beetles (he was referring
to the women in the gang). They changed the 'ee' to 'ea' so it was like the musical term 'beat'.
The Beatles song "Dear Prudence" was written about Mia Farrow's
sister, Prudence, when she wouldn't come out and play with Mia and the Beatles at a religious retreat in India.
In a contest held by Mersyside Newspaper to see who was the
biggest band in Liverpool, 1962, one of the main reasons that The Beatles won was because they called in posing as different
people voting for themselves.
'We don't like their sound, and guitar
music is on the way out.'
Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.