Who Wrote the Beatle Songs

by Todd M Compton

  John either wrote it for Ringo to sing, or decided to give it to him, so he recorded a demo for the drummer. [218]

  George Martin did the orchestral arrangement. John remembered, in 1969, “So I just said to George Martin ‘Arrange it just like Hollywood.’ Yeah, corny.” [219] Martin thus is probably responsible for counter-melodies in the orchestra.

  John, Ringo and Paul ascribed this to John. [220] In 1969, he said, “When I wrote it, it was just like a child’s lullaby. I just picked it out on guitar.” [221] In 1968, Paul said, “It’s his tune, uhh, which is surprising for John — ’cause he doesn’t normally write this kind of tune.” [222] Twenty years later, Paul said that John had a well-earned reputation as a rocker. “But he wrote songs like ‘Good Night,’ for Ringo, which is the most sentimental ballad you’ll ever hear.” [223] “It was John who wrote it for me,” Ringo said in an early interview. [224]

  But as nearly always in the Beatle songs, after this clarity, ambiguity intrudes. In the same 1968 interview cited above, Paul said, “John wrote it, mainly.” There is a slight opening for collaboration. Mal Evans, probably not a firsthand witness, though an insider, twice in 1968 stated that John and Paul wrote it. “Ringo has recorded two titles — the one he wrote himself and another which John and Paul did for him.” [225] And again, he said, “John and Paul wrote this sad, wistful song for Ringo to sing.” [226] Evans may have been simply giving the “Lennon-McCartney” party line, or he may have witnessed collaboration sessions that were later forgotten by the principals. I lean toward the former theory, and accept this as a song by John alone.

  Paul cites this as evidence for John’s love of old standards. “One of his favourite songs was ‘Girl of My Dreams’. And he loved ‘Little White Lies’. . . . That side of John he’d never dare show, except in very rare moments.” [227]

  * * *

  [1] Wenner, Lennon Remembers , 24.

  [2] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 197, 199-200. Wenner, Lennon Remembers , 24.

  [3] As cited in Goldman, The Lives of John Lennon , 350, paperback edition.

  [4] McCabe and Schonfeld, interview with John Lennon, Sept. 5, 1971.

  [5] George Martin, Interview.

  [6] See chapter 16, below, on polls, for the White Album’s reputation and standing.

  [7] Winn, That Magic Feeling , 169.

  [8] Miles, Many Years From Now , 181.

  [9] Cilla Black before 1970 (Aldridge, Beatles Illustrated Lyrics , 154). Du Noyer, Conversations , 188-89.

  [10] Cilla Black before 1970 (Aldridge, Beatles Illustrated Lyrics , 154).

  [11] Turner, A Hard Day’s Write , 215.

  [12] Winn, That Magic Feeling , 136.

  [13] Cilla Black before 1970 (Aldridge, Beatles Illustrated Lyrics , 154).

  [14] John: “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror ; Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 208.

  [15] Miles, Many Years from Now , 449.

  [16] Walsh, “Will the real Richard Starkey please stand up?”

  [17] Read, “McCartney on McCartney,” episode 4.

  [18] Salewicz, “Tug of War,” 67.

  [19] Miles, Many Years from Now , 449. According to singer Richie Havens, Paul once told him that he wrote the song from a picture of an African lady with a baby, called “Mountain Madonna.” Somach et al., Ticket to Ride , 260-61.

  [20] Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror.

  [21] Badman, Beatles Off the Record , 344.

  [22] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 211.

  [23] Evans and Aspinall, “New Single Sessions,” 11.

  [24] See Harrison, I Me Mine , 118; Harrison in Badman, Beatles Off the Record , 345; Everett II, 152; Dowlding, Beatlesongs , 202. Mascaro, Lamps of Fire: the Spirit of Religions (1958). Tao Te Ching , verse 48 (sometimes 47). For Paul’s comments on the song, Aldridge, Illustrated Lyrics , 108; Badman, Beatles Off the Record , 345.

  [25] I Me Mine , 118.

  [26] Unterberger, The Unreleased Beatles , 349. Harrison, I Me Mine , 142.

  [27] Harrison, I Me Mine , 142.

  [28] For Lomax, see Engelhart, Beatles Undercover , 248-50.

  [29] Here, There and Everywhere , 242. Everett II, 199.

  [30] Gambaccini, “The Rolling Stone Interview,” also Gambaccini, Paul McCartney In His Own Words , 24. Paul’s earliest comment on the songwriting is similar: “It was going to be ‘Hey Jules,’ but it changed. I was driving down to Weybridge one day to see Cynthia and Julian and I just started singing ‘Hey Jules, don’t make it bad’ and then I changed it to ‘Hey Jude.’” Aldridge, The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics , 49. See also Cynthia Powell Lennon, who remembered, “During the divorce proceedings, 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. He said it was for Julian. I will never forget Paul’s gesture of care and concern in coming to see us.” The Beatles for the Record , 64.

  [31] Read, “McCartney on McCartney,” episode 4 (1989). See also, Anthology , 297.

  [32] Miles, Many Years From Now , 465.

  [33] Cott, “The Rolling Stone Interview” (1968). Also Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror : Transcript by Sauter, “One John Lennon”; see also Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 196.

  [34] Doherty, “Pete Doherty meets Paul McCartney.” See also Gambaccini, “The Rolling Stone Interview,” and Gambaccini, Paul McCartney In His Own Words , 23. Miles, Many Years From Now , 465. Anthology , 297.

  [35] Fontenot, “Francie Schwartz: The About.com Interview,” (1999), p. 4. She said she heard Paul “rewriting Jude on the piano for several WEEKS.” John also thought the song was about Paul and Francie, Lost Lennon Tapes, Sept. 16, 1991, cf. Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 196. Paul and Jane Asher had broken up in summer 1968.

  [36] Miles, Many Years From Now , 466.

  [37] Read, “McCartney on McCartney,” episode 4.

  [38] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews , 151. See also Lost Lennon Tapes, Sept. 16, 1991, cf. Sheff, The Playboy Interviews , 196, in which he described the song as one of Paul’s “masterpieces.” Asked if he contributed to it, he replied, “I don’t think I had anything to do with it.” Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror : “Paul. That’s his best song.” See also George Harrison in Anthology , 297, and George Martin in Badman, Beatles Off the Record , 381.

  [39] Evans, “The Eighteenth Single,” 6, 8.

  [40] Frederick James, “Revolution Report” (1968), 6-8; Mal Evans, “The Eighteenth Single” (1968), 6. It is one of the Kinfauns demos.

  [41] Lennon, Rolling Stone Interview, Dec. 1970, BBC, part 4; Wenner, Lennon Remembers , 110. This is an odd statement, as both “Revolution 1” and “Revolution” were recorded with the full group, and “Revolution No. 9” was recorded with George and Ringo.

  [42] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews , 196-97. George never did warm up to “Revolution,” Anthology , 298.

  [43] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews , 196-97. Also: Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror : “Me. I should never have put that in about Chairman Mao.”

  [44] Miles, Many Years from Now , 484-85.

  [45] Anthology , 289. See also Derek Taylor, Press Release, “Thingumybob,” in Scraping the Barrel: An Apple Singles Collection Catalogue .

  [46] Peter Asher, as quoted in Unterberger, The Unreleased Beatles , 349. Engelhart, Beatles Undercover , 58.

  [47] Miles, Many Years from Now , 24, see also 458. McCartney 1968, see [no author], “Paul Joins Band” and Pearson, “Paul’s Shout Up at Shipley.”

  [48] Anthology , 289.

  [49] George Harrison (liner notes for Wonderwall CD). See also White, “George Harrison Reconsidered” (1987), 56.

  [50] John Borack, John Lennon: Music, Memories, and Memorabilia , 110, citing Sheff’s interview with John.

  [51] Letter to John on John’s Induction.

  [52] McCartney, Interview, Radio Luxembourg, Nov. 21, 1968. Miles, Many Years from Now
, 422-23.

  [53] Goodman, “Paul and Linda McCartney Interview,” Playboy (1984), 110.

  [54] Miles, Many Years from Now , 422-23. Du Noyer, Conversations , 32.

  [55] As quoted in Miles, Many Years from Now , 422.

  [56] Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror.

  [57] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews , 198.

  [58] Ibid., 208.

  [59] Miles, Many Years from Now , 417. See also Read, “McCartney on McCartney,” episode 4; Anthology , 284.

  [60] Badman, Off the Record , 390. Naturally, Farrow’s perspective is much more sympathetic to herself than is John’s, see Farrow, What Falls Away , 139-40; Turner, A Hard Day’s Write , 151-52. Patti Boyd Harrison also remembered the Beatles singing the song to Prudence, Wonderful Tonight , 117. Farrow, What Falls Away , 139-40, quotes Prudence as saying that John played the song to her, but was surprised when it appeared on an album.

  [61] Donovan, Uncut interview (2005). See also Donovan, quoted in Unterberger, The Unreleased Beatles , 197.

  [62] Lennon in Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror ( 1971); Mal Evans, “Thirty New Beatles Grooves,” (1968), 12. Mia Farrow, What Falls Away , 139-40, remembered John and Paul writing this, but this can be discounted as secondhand.

  [63] Paul, in Cowan, Behind the Beatles Songs , 21.

  [64] Ibid.

  [65] Lennon, Rolling Stone Interview, Dec. 1970, BBC, part 4; cf. Wenner, Lennon Remembers , 87. See also Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 208-9.

  [66] Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror ; Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 208-9. See also Mal Evans, “Thirty New Beatles Grooves,” (1968), 12, “Mostly John’s idea this one.”

  [67] As quoted in Cowan, Behind the Beatles Songs , 21.

  [68] Miles, Many Years from Now , 537.

  [69] Goodman, “Paul and Linda McCartney Interview,” Playboy , (1984), 110. Miles, Many Years from Now , 419.

  [70] Miles, Many Years from Now , 419.

  [71] Saltzman, Excerpt on “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da.”

  [72] Anthology , 284.

  [73] McCartney, Interview, Radio Luxembourg, Nov. 21, 1968.

  [74] Miles, Many Years from Now , 419. See also Mal Evans, “The Eighteenth Single,” (1968), 6; “Mal’s Diary,” (1968), 11.

  [75] Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror.

  [76] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 208.

  [77] Geoff Emerick, Here There Everywhere , 246-47. George Martin tells the story in a much more restrained fashion in Pritchard and Lysaght, The Beatles: an Oral History , 263. For the recording, see also Shotton and Schaffner, The Beatles, Lennon and Me, 348.

  [78] Miles, Many Years from Now , 497.

  [79] Aldridge, Beatles Illustrated Lyrics , 218.

  [80] A Hard Day’s Write , 154.

  [81] Lewisohn, The Beatles Recording Sessions , 150.

  [82] Lost Lennon Tapes, Nov. 14, 1988, cf. Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 209. Farrow, What Falls Away , 139.

  [83] Miles, Many Years from Now , 421. Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror.

  [84] Anthology , 306.

  [85] Harrison, I Me Mine , 120, see also Yorke, Interview with George Harrison.

  [86] Glazer, “Growing Up at 33 1/3.”

  [87] Anthology , 306. Paul’s memories of the session are substantially similar, ibid.

  [88] Wenner, Lennon Remembers , 114. See also Badman, Off the Record , 392.

  [89] Anthology , 307.

  [90] Taylor in Somach et al., Ticket to Ride , 221.

  [91] Derek Taylor, as quoted in Turner, A Hard Day’s Write , 157.

  [92] Lennon 1971 (Anthology , 306).

  [93] Badman, Off the Record , 392. See also George Martin in Williams, “Produced by George Martin” (1971). Mal Evans in 1968 (“Thirty New Beatles Grooves,” 12). Chris Thomas, in Pritchard and Lysaght, The Beatles: An Oral History , 266.

  [94] Lennon (Anthology , 306). Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror . Badman, Off the Record , 392.

  [95] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews , 199. Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror (1971): “Me. That’s another one I like. They all said it was about drugs, but it was more about rock and roll than drugs. It’s sort of a history of rock and roll.”

  [96] McCartney, Interview, Radio Luxembourg, Nov. 21, 1968.

  [97] Miles, Many Years from Now , 497.

  [98] Ibid., 497-98.

  [99] McCartney, interview, Radio Luxembourg, Nov. 21, 1968.

  [100] Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror. See also Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 209.

  [101] Taylor, Yesterday , 151. See also Winn, That Magic Feeling , 216.

  [102] Wenner, Lennon Remembers , 12.

  [103] Badman, Beatles Off the Record , 342.

  [104] Wenner, Lennon Remembers , 12; Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 209. See also Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror (1971).

  [105] Badman, Beatles Off the Record , 341.

  [106] Miles, Many Years from Now , 421.

  [107] Ibid., 485-86.

  [108] Hilton, Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road . This may have been a Bach piece played by Chet Atkins, “Bourée,” see Lewisohn, Tune In , 150.

  [109] Chris Douridas, Interview with Paul McCartney, May 25, 2002; Everett II, 190. Paul had bought High Park Farm in Campbeltown near the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland on June 16, 1966.

  [110] Miles, Many Years from Now , 485-86. Du Noyer, Conversations , 209.

  [111] Ibid., 485-86. In a studio session for Mary Hopkins, about November 22, 1968, Paul told Donovan that he wrote this for blacks, after he “read something in the paper about riots and that.” You Tube, “Paul McCartney Donovan -1968,1969,” at 3:55.

  [112] Miles, Many Years from Now , 485. See Paul’s Nov. 21, 1968 Interview, Radio Luxembourg; “Q: “‘Blackbird’ I think is quite a beautiful song.” “Thank you, Tony.”

  [113] Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror (1971). See also George Martin in Pritchard and Lysaght, The Beatles: An Oral History , 264.

  [114] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 209.

  [115] Ibid., 210.

  [116] Badman, Off the Record , 394. I Me Mine 126.

  [117] Interview, Radio Luxembourg.

  [118] Miles, Many Years from Now , 423. See also McCartney before 2003 (Quantick, Revolution , 114).

  [119] Mat Smith, “Paul McCartney Speaks.” According to author David Quantick, this was a parody of Robert W. Service’s melodramatic poem, “The Shooting of Dan McGrew,” which also has a Dan and a Lil. Quantick, Revolution , 114.

  [120] Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror.

  [121] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 199.

  [122] Kenny Everett, Interview with the Beatles, June 5, 1968.

  [123] Everett, Beatles as Musicians I, 173, 206. Lewisohn, Tune In , 691. Ringo mentioned it in April 1964, Winn, Way Beyond Compare , 176.

  [124] Lewisohn, Tune In , 691.

  [125] The Beatles, Interview, Dunedin, June 26, 1964, Bob Rogers, New City Hotel. Winn, Way Beyond Compare , 210. See also Starr interview, unknown date, Badman, Beatles Off the Record , 370: “I have already recorded my song for the new LP.”

  [126] Interview with the Beatles on the Top Gear program, July 14, 1964.

  [127] This is not true, by my transcription of the Top Gear interview.

  [128] Wiener, “Interview with Ringo Starr.”

  [129] Kenny Everett, Interview with the Beatles, June 5, 1968.

  [130] Beatles, on Ready Steady Go! Nov. 23, 1964, see Winn, Way Beyond Compare , 286.

  [131] Miles, Many Years from Now , 499.

  [132] Interview, Radio Luxembourg. For John, Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 199.

  [133] Davies, The Beatles (1981), 369.

  [134] Ibid. Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 199.

  [135] Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror.

  [136] Miles, Many Years from Now , 420.

  [137] Ibid.

  [138] In
terview, Radio Luxembourg. See also Anthology , 284.

  [139] Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror. Similar: John in 1980, in Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 209; Mal Evans in 1968, “Thirty New Beatles Grooves,” 12.

  [140] Paul, on January 13, 1969 (Sulpy and Schweighardt, Get Back , 182).

  [141] Donovan, as cited in Turner, Hard Day’s Write , 163. Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 199-200.

  [142] Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror.

  [143] Smith, “Lennon: Doing The Rounds For Publicity.”

  [144] Donovan in 2005 (Uncut interview). See also Donovan, as cited in Turner, Hard Day’s Write , 163. Leitch, The Autobiography of Donovan , 210. Donovan in 2005 (Leitch, “Poet John,” 135).

  [145] Donovan, in Unterberger, The Unreleased Beatles , 179, and in Turner, Hard Day’s Write , 163.

  [146] Everett II, 170.

  [147] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 199-200.

  [148] Miles, Many Years from Now , 422. See also, p. 48; Donovan in 1995 (as cited in Miles, Many Years , 421-22).

  [149] Press Release, in Harry, The Paul McCartney Encyclopedia , “Birthday (single).” See also a 1990 interview, Baker, “Paul McCartney,” 11.

  [150] Interview, Radio Luxembourg (1968).

  [151] Press Release, in Harry, The Paul McCartney Encyclopedia , “Birthday (single).”

  [152] Miles, Many Years from Now , 496.

  [153] Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror.

  [154] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 200. For Paul, Press Release, in Harry, The Paul McCartney Encyclopedia , “Birthday (single),” quoted above.

  [155] In Lewisohn, The Beatles Recording Sessions , 156.

  [156] Mal Evans 1968 (“Thirty New Beatles Grooves,” 12).

  [157] Lennon, Rolling Stone Interview, Dec. 1970, BBC, part 1, cf. Wenner, Lennon Remembers , 12. See also Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 209; Badman, Beatles Off the Record , 342.

  [158] Badman, Beatles Off the Record , 395. Both John and Paul ascribed this to John. Hennessey, “Who Wrote What,” Record Mirror. Miles, Many Years from Now , 497.

  [159] Sheff, The Playboy Interviews, 209. Miles, Many Years from Now , 423.