BEATLES
John Lennon created the Beatles from his "school band" ("Quarrymen"). Paul McCartney joined the group in 1957. One year later, it was the time for George Harrison. The three guitarists became the foundation of what would become "The Beatles".
In the late 1950s, when Lennon entered the Faculty of Fine Arts, he called Stuart Sutcliffe to play bass in the group. They changed the name to "Silver Beetles" and then to the Beatles. Before going to the famous season in Hamburg, Pete Best became the band's drummer.
About this time, John Lennon said:
"Our best work was never recorded. (...) Performers were (...) in Liverpool, Hamburg and other dance halls. What we created when we were playing traditional rock was fantastic, and there was no one equaled in Britain. " (Rolling Stone, 1971)
The Beatles began recording albuns only in 1962 as a quartet and Ringo Starr was in place of Pete Best (Stuart Sutcliffe died in 1961 when he had already left the group).
It was also in 1961 that the musicians had contact with manager Brian Epstein, who changed the image of the group.
About the musicians, Epstein said in an interview in 1964:
"The Beatles are very intelligent, but they were not refined. I brought it to them: elegance, organizational skill and money. First, I encouraged them to take the leather jackets and then forbid them to appear in jeans. After that, I made sweaters to wear on stage and, finally, very reluctantly, suits." (February 1964)
John Lennon agreed, but later he complained of the changes imposed by Brian Epstein:
"You know, Brian put us in suits and all the rest, and we did our best. (…) The music died even before performing our tour of theaters in Britain. We felt like crap, because we had to cut a show in an hour or two and he went on, in a way, having only twenty minutes, which were repeated every night. Then the Beatles' music died, the Beatles as musicians died. That's why we never have progressed as musicians, we kill ourselves to concretize us. And that was the end. "(Rolling Stone, 1971)
That was the price of fame and "beatlemania". This option, however, became a problem with Epstein's suicide in 1967. He died with an "overdose of sleeping pills." (BBC)
On the death of the entrepreneur, John Lennon said:
"I knew then that we had problems. Actually I had no illusions about our ability to do anything other than play music, and I was terrified. "(Rolling Stones, 1971)
Before the death of Epstein, the Beatles had released their masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The musicians used various types of drugs since the time of the shows in Hamburg. This created a doubt as the lyrics of "Lucy in the Sky with the Diamonds", because of the title with the initials LSD.
John Lennon said that it was not what they were saying:
"People understood the initials of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds as the LSD and they thought I was talking about acid.
[In reality] (...) my son Julian came a day school with a drawing made by him about a classmate named Lucy. He had scrawled stars in the sky and drew a picture of Lucy in the sky with diamonds. Simple, no?" (Playboy, December 1980)
The controversy was justified because rock musicians were in the habit of sending obscure messages in his songs (including the Beatles). John Lennon talked about it:
"I've gone through my dylanesca phase with songs like "I am the Walruz”. The trick is never say what you mean to give the impression of something more. A good joke." (Playboy, December 1980)
Joking or not, celebrities should be more careful about what they say or pretend to tell to the public. They serve as models (if that was correct or not, it is another problem) for many people and influence the behaviors of crowds.
In the case of the Beatles, the notorious killer Charles Manson said that the lyrics of John Lennon were "messages for him."
It was a lie.
However, it means there must be a responsibility of musicians and celebrities.
John Lennon created the Beatles from his "school band" ("Quarrymen"). Paul McCartney joined the group in 1957. One year later, it was the time for George Harrison. The three guitarists became the foundation of what would become "The Beatles".
In the late 1950s, when Lennon entered the Faculty of Fine Arts, he called Stuart Sutcliffe to play bass in the group. They changed the name to "Silver Beetles" and then to the Beatles. Before going to the famous season in Hamburg, Pete Best became the band's drummer.
About this time, John Lennon said:
"Our best work was never recorded. (...) Performers were (...) in Liverpool, Hamburg and other dance halls. What we created when we were playing traditional rock was fantastic, and there was no one equaled in Britain. " (Rolling Stone, 1971)
The Beatles began recording albuns only in 1962 as a quartet and Ringo Starr was in place of Pete Best (Stuart Sutcliffe died in 1961 when he had already left the group).
It was also in 1961 that the musicians had contact with manager Brian Epstein, who changed the image of the group.
About the musicians, Epstein said in an interview in 1964:
"The Beatles are very intelligent, but they were not refined. I brought it to them: elegance, organizational skill and money. First, I encouraged them to take the leather jackets and then forbid them to appear in jeans. After that, I made sweaters to wear on stage and, finally, very reluctantly, suits." (February 1964)
John Lennon agreed, but later he complained of the changes imposed by Brian Epstein:
"You know, Brian put us in suits and all the rest, and we did our best. (…) The music died even before performing our tour of theaters in Britain. We felt like crap, because we had to cut a show in an hour or two and he went on, in a way, having only twenty minutes, which were repeated every night. Then the Beatles' music died, the Beatles as musicians died. That's why we never have progressed as musicians, we kill ourselves to concretize us. And that was the end. "(Rolling Stone, 1971)
That was the price of fame and "beatlemania". This option, however, became a problem with Epstein's suicide in 1967. He died with an "overdose of sleeping pills." (BBC)
On the death of the entrepreneur, John Lennon said:
"I knew then that we had problems. Actually I had no illusions about our ability to do anything other than play music, and I was terrified. "(Rolling Stones, 1971)
Before the death of Epstein, the Beatles had released their masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The musicians used various types of drugs since the time of the shows in Hamburg. This created a doubt as the lyrics of "Lucy in the Sky with the Diamonds", because of the title with the initials LSD.
John Lennon said that it was not what they were saying:
"People understood the initials of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds as the LSD and they thought I was talking about acid.
[In reality] (...) my son Julian came a day school with a drawing made by him about a classmate named Lucy. He had scrawled stars in the sky and drew a picture of Lucy in the sky with diamonds. Simple, no?" (Playboy, December 1980)
The controversy was justified because rock musicians were in the habit of sending obscure messages in his songs (including the Beatles). John Lennon talked about it:
"I've gone through my dylanesca phase with songs like "I am the Walruz”. The trick is never say what you mean to give the impression of something more. A good joke." (Playboy, December 1980)
Joking or not, celebrities should be more careful about what they say or pretend to tell to the public. They serve as models (if that was correct or not, it is another problem) for many people and influence the behaviors of crowds.
In the case of the Beatles, the notorious killer Charles Manson said that the lyrics of John Lennon were "messages for him."
It was a lie.
However, it means there must be a responsibility of musicians and celebrities.