Frogtoon Music

Artist Biography For The Beatles

The Beatles Were An English Rock Band Formed In Liverpool In 1960. With The Line-Up Comprising John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison And Ringo Starr They Are Regarded As One Of The Most Influential Bands Of All Time. The Group Was Integral To The Development Of 1960s Counterculture And Popular Music's Recognition As An Art Form. Rooted In Skiffle Beat And 1950s Rock And Roll Their Sound Incorporated Elements Of Classical Music And Traditional Pop In Innovative Ways The Band Later Explored Music Styles Ranging From Ballads And Indian Music To Psychedelia And Hard Rock. As Pioneers In Recording Songwriting And Artistic Presentation The Group Revolutionized Many Aspects Of The Music Industry And Were Often Publicized As Leaders Of The Era's Youth And Socio-Cultural Movements. Led By Primary Songwriters Lennon And McCartney The Beatles Built Their Reputation Playing Clubs In Liverpool And Hamburg Over Three Years From 1960 Initially With Stuart Sutcliffe Playing Bass. The Core Trio Of Lennon McCartney And Harrison Together Since 1958 Went Through A Succession Of Drummers Eventually Settling With Pete Best In 1960 Who Played With Them For Two Years Before Being Replaced With Then Rory Storm & The Hurricanes Drummer Ringo Starr In 1962. Manager Brian Epstein Molded Them Into A Professional Act And Producer George Martin Guided And Developed Their Recordings Greatly Expanding Their Domestic Success After Their First Hit "Love Me Do" In Late 1962. As Their Popularity Grew Into The Intense Fan Frenzy Dubbed "Beatlemania" The Band Acquired The Nickname "the Fab Four" With Epstein Martin And Other Members Of The Band's Entourage Sometimes Given The Informal Title Of "fifth Beatle". By Early 1964 The Beatles Were International Stars Leading The "British Invasion" Of The United States Pop Market And Breaking Numerous Sales Records. They Soon Made Their Film Debut With A Hard Day's Night 1964 . From 1965 Onwards They Produced Increasingly Innovative Recordings Including The Albums Rubber Soul 1965 Revolver 1966 And Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1967 And Enjoyed Further Commercial Success With The Beatles Also Known As "the White Album" 1968 And Abbey Road 1969 . In 1968 They Founded Apple Corps A Multi-Armed Multimedia Corporation That Continues To Oversee Projects Related To The Band's Legacy. After The Group's Break-Up In 1970 All Four Members Enjoyed Success As Solo Artists. Lennon Was Shot And Killed In December 1980 And Harrison Died Of Lung Cancer In November 2001. McCartney And Starr Remain Musically Active. The Beatles Are The Best-Selling Music Act Of All Time With Estimated Sales Of 600 Million Units Worldwide. They Hold The Record For Most Number-One Albums On The UK Albums Chart Most Number-One Hits On The Billboard Hot 100 Chart And Most Singles Sold In The UK. The Group Was Inducted Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame In 1988 And All Four Main Members Were Inducted Individually Between 1994 And 2015. In 2008 The Group Topped Billboard's List Of The All-Time Most Successful Artists On The Billboard Hot 100. The Band Received Seven Grammy Awards Four Brit Awards An Academy Award For Best Original Song Score For The 1970 Film Let It Be And Fifteen Ivor Novello Awards. Time Magazine Named Them Among The 20th Century's 100 Most Important People. Former Rolling Stone Associate Editor Robert Greenfield Compared The Beatles To Picasso As "artists Who Broke Through The Constraints Of Their Time Period To Come Up With Something That Was Unique And Original "... In The Form Of Popular Music No One Will Ever Be More Revolutionary More Creative And More Distinctive ..." The British Poet Philip Larkin Described Their Work As "an Enchanting And Intoxicating Hybrid Of African-American Rock-And-Roll With Their Own Adolescent Romanticism" And "the First Advance In Popular Music Since The War". They Not Only Sparked The British Invasion Of The US They Became A Globally Influential Phenomenon As Well. From The 1920s The US Had Dominated Popular Entertainment Culture Throughout Much Of The World Via Hollywood Films Jazz The Music Of Broadway And Tin Pan Alley And Later The Rock And Roll That First Emerged In Memphis Tennessee. The Beatles Are Regarded As British Cultural Icons With Young Adults From Abroad Naming The Band Among A Group Of People That They Most Associated With UK Culture. Their Musical Innovations And Commercial Success Inspired Musicians Worldwide. Many Artists Have Acknowledged The Beatles' Influence And Enjoyed Chart Success With Covers Of Their Songs. On Radio Their Arrival Marked The Beginning Of A New Era In 1968 The Programme Director Of New York's WABC Radio Station Forbade His DJs From Playing Any "pre-Beatles" Music Marking The Defining Line Of What Would Be Considered Oldies On American Radio. They Helped To Redefine The Album As Something More Than Just A Few Hits Padded Out With "filler" And They Were Primary Innovators Of The Modern Music Video. The Shea Stadium Show With Which They Opened Their 1965 North American Tour Attracted An Estimated 55 600 People Then The Largest Audience In Concert History Spitz Describes The Event As A "major Breakthrough ... A Giant Step Toward Reshaping The Concert Business". Emulation Of Their Clothing And Especially Their Hairstyles Which Became A Mark Of Rebellion Had A Global Impact On Fashion. According To Gould The Beatles Changed The Way People Listened To Popular Music And Experienced Its Role In Their Lives. From What Began As The Beatlemania Fad The Group's Popularity Grew Into What Was Seen As An Embodiment Of Socio-Cultural Movements Of The Decade. As Icons Of The 1960s Counterculture Gould Continues They Became A Catalyst For Bohemianism And Activism In Various Social And Political Arenas Fuelling Movements Such As Women's Liberation Gay Liberation And Environmentalism. According To Peter Lavezzoli After The "more Popular Than Jesus" Controversy In 1966 The Beatles Felt Considerable Pressure To Say The Right Things And "began A Concerted Effort To Spread A Message Of Wisdom And Higher Consciousness". Other Commentators Such As Mikal Gilmore And Todd Leopold Have Traced The Inception Of Their Socio-Cultural Impact Earlier Interpreting Even The Beatlemania Period Particularly On Their First Visit To The US As A Key Moment In The Development Of Generational Awareness. Referring To Their Appearance On The Ed Sullivan Show Leopold States "In Many Ways The Sullivan Appearance Marked The Beginning Of A Cultural Revolution ... The Beatles Were Like Aliens Dropped Into The United States Of 1964. In 1965 Queen Elizabeth II Appointed Lennon McCartney Harrison And Starr Members Of The Order Of The British Empire MBE . The Beatles Won The 1971 Academy Award For Best Original Song Score For The Film Let It Be 1970 . The Recipients Of Seven Grammy Awards And Fifteen Ivor Novello Awards The Beatles Have Six Diamond Albums As Well As 20 Multi-Platinum Albums 16 Platinum Albums And Six Gold Albums In The US. In The UK The Beatles Have Four Multi-Platinum Albums Four Platinum Albums Eight Gold Albums And One Silver Album. They Were Inducted Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame In 1988. The Best-Selling Band In History The Beatles Have Sold More Than 800 Million Physical And Digital Albums As Of 2013. They Have Had More Number-One Albums On The UK Charts Fifteen And Sold More Singles In The UK 21.9 Million Than Any Other Act. In 2004 Rolling Stone Ranked The Beatles As The Most Significant And Influential Rock Music Artists Of The Last 50 Years. They Ranked Number One On Billboard Magazine's List Of The All-Time Most Successful Hot 100 Artists Released In 2008 To Celebrate The US Singles Chart's 50th Anniversary. As Of 2017 They Hold The Record For Most Number-One Hits On The Billboard Hot 100 With Twenty. The Recording Industry Association Of America Certifies That The Beatles Have Sold 178 Million Units In The US More Than Any Other Artist. They Were Collectively Included In Time Magazine's Compilation Of The 20th Century's 100 Most Influential People. In 2014 They Received The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. There Are Two Holidays Celebrated For The Beatles Global Beatles Day On 25 June Each Year. On That Date In 1967 The Band Performed "All You Need Is Love" On Television. In 2001 UNESCO Created World Beatles Day On 16 January Each Year. This Date Has Direct Relation To The Opening Of The Cavern Club In 1957. Five Asteroids 4147 Lennon 4148 McCartney 4149 Harrison 4150 Starr And 8749 Beatles Are Named After The Beatles.

Frogtoon Music - Song Info: Hey Jude

"Hey Jude" Is A Song Written By Paul McCartney Credited To Lennon/McCartney And Recorded By The Beatles In 1968. Originally Titled "Hey Jules" McCartney Wrote The Ballad To Comfort John Lennon's Son Julian During His Parents' Divorce. "Hey Jude" Begins With A Verse-Bridge Structure Based Around McCartney's Vocal Performance And Piano Accompaniment Further Details Are Added As The Song Progresses To Distinguish Sections. After The Fourth Verse The Song Shifts To A Fade-Out Coda That Lasts For More Than Four Minutes. "Hey Jude" Was Released In August 1968 As The First Single From The Beatles' Record Label Apple Records. Over Seven Minutes In Length "Hey Jude" Was At The Time The Longest Single Ever To Top The British Charts. It Also Spent Nine Weeks As Number One In The United States—the Longest Run At The Top Of The American Charts For A Beatles Single. The Single Has Sold Approximately Eight Million Copies And Is Frequently Included On Professional Lists Of The All-Time Best Songs. Inspiration And Composition In 1968 John Lennon And His Wife Cynthia Lennon Separated Due To His Affair With Yoko Ono. Soon Afterwards Paul McCartney Drove Out To Visit Cynthia And Julian Her Son With Lennon. "We'd Been Very Good Friends For Millions Of Years And I Thought It Was A Bit Much For Them Suddenly To Be Persona Non Gratae And Out Of My Life " McCartney Said. Later Cynthia Lennon Recalled "I Was Truly Surprised When One Afternoon Paul Arrived On His Own. I Was Touched By His Obvious Concern For Our Welfare.... On The Journey Down He Composed 'Hey Jude' In The Car. I Will Never Forget Paul's Gesture Of Care And Concern In Coming To See Us." The Song's Original Title Was "Hey Jules" And It Was Intended To Comfort Julian Lennon From The Stress Of His Parents' Divorce. McCartney Said "I Started With The Idea 'Hey Jules' Which Was Julian Don't Make It Bad Take A Sad Song And Make It Better. Hey Try And Deal With This Terrible Thing. I Knew It Was Not Going To Be Easy For Him. I Always Feel Sorry For Kids In Divorces ... I Had The Idea For The Song By The Time I Got There. I Changed It To 'Jude' Because I Thought That Sounded A Bit Better." Julian Lennon Discovered The Song Had Been Written For Him Almost Twenty Years Later. He Remembered Being Closer To McCartney Than To His Father "Paul And I Used To Hang About Quite A Bit—more Than Dad And I Did. We Had A Great Friendship Going And There Seems To Be Far More Pictures Of Me And Paul Playing Together At That Age Than There Are Pictures Of Me And My Dad." Although McCartney Originally Wrote The Song For Julian Lennon John Lennon Thought It Had Actually Been Written For Him But I Always Heard It As A Song To Me. If You Think About It... Yoko's Just Come Into The Picture. He's Saying. 'Hey Jude—Hey John.' I Know I'm Sounding Like One Of Those Fans Who Reads Things Into It But You Can Hear It As A Song To Me ... Subconsciously He Was Saying Go Ahead Leave Me. On A Conscious Level He Didn't Want Me To Go Ahead. Other People Believed McCartney Wrote The Song About Them Including Judith Simons A Journalist With The Daily Express. Still Others Including Lennon Have Speculated That McCartney's Failing Long-Term Relationship With Jane Asher When He Wrote "Hey Jude" Was An Unconscious "message To Himself". In Fact When Lennon Mentioned That He Thought The Song Was About Him McCartney Denied It And Told Lennon He Had Written The Song About Himself. McCartney Changed The Title To "Hey Jude" Because The Name Jude Was Easier To Sing. Much As He Did With "Yesterday" McCartney Played The Song For Other Musicians And Friends. Ron Griffith Of Badfinger The First Band To Join The Beatles-Owned Record Label Apple Records Recalled That On Their First Day In The Studio "Paul Walked Over To The Grand Piano And Said 'Hey Lads Have A Listen' And He Sat Down And Gave Us A Full Concert Rendition Of 'Hey Jude'. We Were Gobsmacked." Musical Structure "Hey Jude" Begins With McCartney Singing Lead Vocals And Playing The Piano. The Patterns McCartney Plays Are Based On Three Chords F C And B-Flat I V And IV The Second Verse Adds Accompaniment By Guitar And A Single Tambourine. The Main Chord Progression Is "flipped On Its Head" For The Refrain As The C Chord Is Replaced By E-Flat. Writer Tim Riley Notes "As Ringo Offers A Restrained Tom-Tom And Cymbal Fill The Piano Shifts Downward To Add A Flat Seventh To The Tonic Chord Making The Downbeat Of The Bridge The Point Of Arrival 'And Any Time You Feel The Pain' ." At The End Of Each Bridge McCartney Sings A Brief Phrase "Na-Na-Na Na . . ." And Plays A Piano Fill Which Leads To The Next Verse The Phrase McCartney Sings Serves To "reorient The Harmony For The Verse As The Piano Figure Turns Upside Down Into A Vocal Aside." Additional Details Such As Tambourine On The Third Verse And Subtle Harmonies That Accompany The Lead Vocal Are Added To Sustain The Interest Of The Listener Throughout The Four-Verse Two-Bridge Song. The Verse-Bridge Structure Of The Song Persists For Approximately Three Minutes After Which The Band Leads Into A Four-Minute Long Outro Refrain. During The Outro The Rest Of Band Backed By An Orchestra That Also Provides Backing Vocals Repeat The Phrase "Na-Na-Na Na" Followed By The Words "Hey Jude" Until The Song Gradually Fades Out. Time Magazine Described The Outro As "a Fadeout That Engagingly Spoofs The Fadeout As A Gimmick For Ending Pop Records." Riley Notes The Repeated Chord Progression Of The Outro I-Flat VII-IV-I "answers All The Musical Questions Raised At The Beginnings And Ends Of Bridges " For "The Flat Seventh That Pose Dominant Turns Into Bridges Now Has An Entire Chord Built On It." This Three-Chord Refrain Allows McCartney "a Bedding . . . To Leap About On Vocally" As He Ad-Libs His Vocal Performance For The Rest Of The Song. Riley Concludes That The Song "becomes A Tour Of Paul's Vocal Range From The Graceful Inviting Tones Of The Opening Verse Through The Mounting Excitement Of The Song Itself To The Surging Raves Of The Coda." While "Hey Jude" Was Intended To Address Julian Lennon Writer Mark Hertsgaard Noted "many Of The Song's Lyrics Do Seem Directed More At A Grown Man On The Verge Of A Powerful New Love Especially The Lines 'you Have Found Her Now Go And Get Her' And 'you're Waiting For Someone To Perform With.'" Tim Riley Wrote "If The Song Is About Self-Worth And Self-Consolation In The Face Of Hardship The Vocal Performance Itself Conveys Much Of The Journey. He Begins By Singing To Comfort Someone Else Finds Himself Weighing His Own Feelings In The Process And Finally In The Repeated Refrains That Nurture His Own Approbation He Comes To Believe In Himself." Recording The Beatles Recorded 25 Takes Of "Hey Jude" At Abbey Road Studios In Two Nights 29 July And 30 July 1968. These Were Mostly Rehearsals However As They Planned To Record The Master Track At Trident Studios To Utilise Their Eight-Track Recording Machine Abbey Road Was Still Limited To Four-Tracks . One Take From 29 July Is Available On The Anthology 3 CD. The Master Rhythm Track Was Recorded On 31 July At Trident. Four Takes Were Recorded Take One Was Selected. The Song Was Completed On 1 August With Additional Overdubs Including A 36-Piece Orchestra For The Song's Long Refrain Scored By George Martin. The Orchestra Consisted Of Ten Violins Three Violas Three Cellos Two Flutes One Contra Bassoon One Bassoon Two Clarinets One Contra Bass Clarinet Four Trumpets Four Trombones Two Horns Percussion And Two String Basses. While Adding Backing Vocals The Beatles Asked The Orchestra Members If They Would Clap Their Hands And Sing Along To The Refrain In The Song's Coda. Most Complied For A Double Fee But One Declined Saying "I'm Not Going To Clap My Hands And Sing Paul McCartney's Bloody Song!" Ringo Starr Almost Missed His Drum Cue. He Left For A Toilet Break—unnoticed By The Other Beatles—and The Beatles Started Recording. In 1994 McCartney Said "Ringo Walked Out To Go To The Toilet And I Hadn't Noticed. The Toilet Was Only A Few Yards From His Drum Booth But He'd Gone Past My Back And I Still Thought He Was In His Drum Booth. I Started What Was The Actual Take And 'Hey Jude' Goes On For Hours Before The Drums Come In And While I Was Doing It I Suddenly Felt Ringo Tiptoeing Past My Back Rather Quickly Trying To Get To His Drums. And Just As He Got To His Drums Boom Boom Boom His Timing Was Absolutely Impeccable." During The Recording Of The Master Take Lennon Shouted "Oh!" Followed By "Fucking Hell!" At 2 56 And 2 58 Respectively Into The Song. This Occurs After He Sings "let Her Into Your Skin" Under McCartney's "let Her Under Your Skin." Sound Engineer Ken Scott Later Told Mojo's Chris Hunt "I Was Told About It At The Time But Could Never Hear It. But Once I Had It Pointed Out I Can't Miss It Now. I Have A Sneaking Suspicion They Knew All Along As It Was A Track That Should Have Been Pulled Out In The Mix. I Would Imagine It Was One Of Those Things That Happened—it Was A Mistake They Listened To It And Thought 'doesn't Matter It's Fine'." George Harrison And McCartney Had A Disagreement Over This Song. According To McCartney During A Rehearsal Harrison Played An Answer To Every Line Of The Vocal. This Did Not Fit With McCartney's Idea Of The Song's Arrangement And He Vetoed It. In A 1994 Interview McCartney Said "We Were Joking When We Made The Anthology I Was Saying 'I Realise I Was A Bossy Git.' And George Said 'Oh No Paul You Never Did Anything Like That!' ... But It Was Essential For Me And Looking Back On It I Think Okay. Well It Was Bossy But It Was Ballsy Of Me Because I Could Have Bowed To The Pressure." Ron Richards Who Worked For George Martin At Both Parlophone At AIR Studios And Who Discovered The Hollies Was Present For Many Beatle Recording Sessions. He Said McCartney Was "oblivious To Anyone Else's Feelings In The Studio " And That He Was Driven To Make The Best Possible Record At Almost Any Cost. Single Release "Hey Jude" Was Released On 26 August 1968 In The United States And 30 August In The United Kingdom Backed With "Revolution" On The B-Side Of A 7" Single. The Single Was The Debut Release Of The Beatles' Record Label Apple Records And It Was Also The First Beatles Single To Be Issued In A Paper Sleeve Instead Of A Picture Cover. Even Though "Hey Jude" Was Recorded During The Sessions For The Beatles Also Known As The White Album It Was Always Intended As A Single And Not An Album Track. Lennon Wanted "Revolution" To Be The A-Side Of The Single But The Other Beatles Did Not Agree. In His 1970 Interview With Rolling Stone He Said "Hey Jude" Was Worthy Of An A-Side "but We Could Have Had Both." Ten Years Later In 1980 He Told Playboy He Still Disagreed With The Decision. "Hey Jude" Began Its Sixteen-Week Run On The British Charts In 7 September 1968 Claiming The Top Spot A Week Later. It Only Lasted Two Weeks On Top Before Being Knocked Off By Another Single From Apple Mary Hopkin's "Those Were The Days". The Single Was Certified Gold By The Recording Industry Association Of America On 13 September That Same Week NME Reported That Two Million Copies Of The Single Had Been Sold. The Song Entered The U.S. Charts On 14 September 1968 Where It Stayed For The Next Nineteen Weeks. Two Weeks Later "Hey Jude" Was Number One In The Charts And Held That Position For The Following Nine Weeks Setting The U.S. Record For The Longest Time Spent By A Beatles Single At Number One As Well As Being The Longest-Playing Single To Reach Number One. Because Of The U.S. Practice Of Counting Sales And Airplay For The A- And B-Sides Of A Single Separately At One Point Record World Listed "Hey Jude" At Number One Followed By Its B-Side "Revolution" At Number Two. American Radio Stations Were Averse To Playing Anything Longer Than The Usual Three To Three-And-A-Half Minutes And Capitol Records Pressed A Shortened Version Of The Song Specifically For Airplay. "Hey Jude" Clocked In At Seven Minutes And Eleven Seconds. The Only Other Chart-Topping Song Worldwide In The 1960s That Ran Over Seven Minutes Was Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park". In The UK Where "MacArthur Park" Did Not Top The Chart "Hey Jude" Remained The Longest Number One Hit For Nearly A Quarter Of A Century Until It Was Surpassed In 1993 By Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love But I Won't Do That " Which Ran Seven Minutes Fifty-Eight Seconds As A Single. On 30 November 1968 NME Reported That Sales Had Reached Nearly Six Million Copies Worldwide. "Hey Jude" Became The Biggest-Selling Debut Release For A Record Label Ever Selling An Estimated Eight Million Copies Worldwide And Topping The Charts In Eleven Different Countries. It Remains The Beatles' Most Commercially Successful Single. "Hey Jude" Was The Top Billboard Hot 100 Single For 1968 According To Year-End Charts. While The Record Was Certified Gold The Day Before It Entered The U.S. Charts It Took Almost Thirty Years To Be Certified Platinum On 17 February 1999. Critical Reception Upon The Release Of The "Hey Jude" Single Time Contrasted It With Its B-Side "Revolution". Time Wrote "The Other Side Of The New Disk Urges Activism Of A Different Sort" As McCartney "liltingly Exhorts A Friend To Overcome His Fears And Commit Himself In Love." Music Analyst Alan Pollack Praised "Hey Jude" Saying "it's Such A Good Illustration Of Two Compositional Lessons—how To Fill A Large Canvas With Simple Means And How To Use Diverse Elements Such As Harmony Bassline And Orchestration To Articulate Form And Contrast." He Also Said It Is Unusual For A Long Song Because It Uses A "binary Form That Combines A Fully Developed Hymn-Like Song Together With An Extended Mantra-Like Jam On A Simple Chord Progression." Pollack Described The Song's Long Outro And Fadeout As "an Astonishingly Transcendental Effect " While Unterberger Observed "What Could Have Very Easily Been Boring Is Instead Hypnotic". "Hey Jude" Was Nominated For The Grammy Awards Of 1969 In The Record Of The Year Song Of The Year And Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal Categories But Failed To Win Any Of Them. It Did Win The 1968 Ivor Novello Award For "A-Side With The Highest Sales". In The NME 1968 Readers' Poll "Hey Jude" Was Named The Best Single Of The Year. In 2001 "Hey Jude" Was Inducted Into The National Academy Of Recording Arts And Sciences Grammy Hall Of Fame. In 2004 It Was Ranked Number 8 On Rolling Stone Magazine's List Of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time. It Came In Third On Channel 4's List Of 100 Greatest Singles. The Amusement & Music Operators Association Ranked "Hey Jude" The 11th-Best Jukebox Single Of All Time. Promotional Film The Beatles Hired Michael Lindsay-Hogg To Shoot The "Hey Jude" Promotional Film. Hogg Had Previously Directed A "promo" Film For "Paperback Writer." They Settled On The Idea Of Filming With A Live—albeit Controlled—audience. Hogg Shot The Promotional Film For The Frost Programme With McCartney Himself Designing The Set. Tony Bramwell A Friend Of The Beatles Later Described The Set As "the Piano There Drums There And Orchestra In Two Tiers At The Back." The Eventual Final Film Was A Combination Of Two Different Takes And First Aired On 8 September 1968 With David Frost Introducing The Beatles As "the Greatest Tea-Room Orchestra In The World". The Film Was Later Broadcast For The United States On The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour On 6 October 1968. Footage Of The Performance Can Be Seen In The Anthology DVD Series.

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