21 Amazing Facts About The Beatles

The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—are immortalized for their key role in initiating the British music invasion in America and pushing rock and roll into new territories, from the use of experimental electronic effects to the integration of sitars. Their songs continue to be adored by many, criticized by some, and endlessly dissected by a fresh wave of fans every few years. On the 60th anniversary of their formation, here are some lesser-known facts about the Fab Four.

1. John Lennon grew up near a place called Strawberry Fields in Liverpool.

From the age of five, when he was largely neglected by his parents, John Lennon was raised by his aunt and uncle, Mimi and George Smith, in Woolton, England. One of his favorite places to explore with his childhood friends was the garden of a nearby Salvation Army orphanage, famously known as Strawberry Fields. In Barry Miles' book *Many Years From Now*, McCartney reminisced that it was 'a secret garden. John's memory of it [was]… There was a wall you could bunk over and it was a rather wild garden, it wasn't manicured at all, so it was easy to hide in.' Lennon composed the song with nostalgia in 1966 while filming *How I Won the War* in Spain. 'Strawberry Fields Forever' isn’t the only Beatles song inspired by a real location—the Lennons' first family home in Liverpool was near Penny Lane—but it’s the only one to have a place named after it: Strawberry Fields is now a memorial area in New York's Central Park.

2. There’s a fierce international debate about whether the word 'the' should be capitalized.

Are they The Beatles or the Beatles? Supporters of the lowercase 'the' point to handwritten letters from Lennon, where he used a small 't' in the band's name, while those favoring the uppercase 'T' argue it’s in line with grammatical rules regarding trademarks and the official logo on the Beatles’ *official website*. This debate first erupted on Wikipedia in 2004, resulting in some editors being banned from participating in the conversation in later years. In the *Wall Street Journal*’s coverage of the controversy, lowercase proponent Gabriel Fadden complained of being 'cyberstalked.'

3. The Beatles recorded most of their debut album in just one day.

On February 11, 1963, no four people were more productive than The Beatles. During that pivotal day, the Liverpool lads recorded 10 tracks that would make up their debut album, *Please Please Me*. At the end of the 12-hour session, they tackled 'Twist and Shout,' a wild track that pushed a hoarse John Lennon to utterly deplete the last of his voice.

'The last song nearly killed me,' Lennon remarked about 'Twist and Shout' in 1976. 'My voice wasn’t the same for a long time after; every time I swallowed it was like sandpaper. I was always bitterly ashamed of it, because I could sing it better than that; but now it doesn’t bother me. You can hear that I’m just a frantic guy doing his best.'

4. 'Michelle' was inspired by Paul McCartney’s favorite technique for charming girls at parties.

McCartney once revealed in an interview that he and Harrison, both self-proclaimed 'working-class boys,' often felt out of place at the bohemian-style parties they attended as teens, especially in the presence of Lennon, who was older and enrolled at art college. To fit in, McCartney developed a routine of wearing black, sitting alone with his guitar, and singing in improvised French to try and attract women like those who adored Juliette Greco. It never worked, but one day Lennon suggested that McCartney turn 'that French thing' into a song.

5. Ringo Starr’s real name is Richard Starkey.

Richard Starkey, affectionately called 'Ritchie' by his loving mother, was born in Liverpool in 1940. He started drumming in a hospital band at 13 while recovering from tuberculosis, and by 17, he was part of the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Band. He officially joined The Beatles in 1962, replacing their original drummer, Pete Best. Though he was always known as Ringo in the public eye—on stage, in films, and on album covers—the other Beatles could be heard calling him 'Ready, Richard?' in the studio. His first nickname, Rings, stemmed from his love of wearing large jewelry, especially on his fingers. Later, while at a holiday camp, he changed it to 'Ringo' to sound more western. In *A Hard Day’s Night*, during a scene where the band plays cards in a train compartment surrounded by giggling girls, the others jokingly claim he won because of his lucky rings.

6. Decca Records made a massive blunder with The Beatles.

On January 1, 1962, The Beatles drove from Liverpool to London to audition for Decca Records. In just over an hour, they recorded 15 songs, including three Lennon-McCartney originals. Even though the band was a bit nervous and not at their absolute best, the recordings clearly showcased a solid band with hints of their future brilliance. But Decca turned them down, opting instead to sign local group Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. The label even famously told Beatles manager Brian Epstein that 'guitar groups are on the way out.'

The Decca rejection turned out to be a hidden blessing. Following the failed audition, The Beatles discovered producer George Martin, signed with EMI, and replaced their original drummer Pete Best with Ringo Starr. The rest, as they say, is history. Decca also eventually found their own success, signing The Rolling Stones the next year.

7. The original lyrics to 'Yesterday' were 'scrambled eggs.'

Genius often strikes unexpectedly, and the melody for the haunting string arrangement that became Vladimir Putin’s favorite Beatles song seemingly appeared out of nowhere when Paul McCartney woke up one morning. Unable to find words for it right away, McCartney wandered around his house humming 'scrambled eggs…baby, I love scrambled eggs' so he wouldn’t forget the tune.

8. The opening chord in 'A Hard Day’s Night' has captivated fans for decades.

When writing the title track for their 1964 film *A Hard Day’s Night*, The Beatles knew they had to start with a bang. They came up with a striking intro chord that’s instantly recognizable, yet surprisingly elusive in terms of its true musical identity. Fans debated the chord for years, but in a 2001 online chat, George Harrison clarified, 'It is F with a G on top,' referring to Fadd9, played on a 12-string electric guitar. 'But you’ll have to ask Paul about the bass note to get the proper story.'

The 'audio spectrum analysis' of the chord reveals that McCartney is playing a D note on his bass, while John Lennon is mirroring Harrison’s Fadd9 chord on his acoustic guitar. Additionally, some piano can be heard, played by producer George Martin.

9. The BBC banned The Beatles' 'I Am the Walrus.'

Harrison, a mild string player, was outraged when the BBC banned 'I Am the Walrus' due to the lyrics 'pornographic priestesses' and 'let your knickers down.' In an interview with official Beatles biographer Hunter Davies, he expressed a desire to push the band's rebelliousness in a new direction altogether:

'Why can't you have people f***ing as well? It's going on everywhere in the world, all the time. So why can't you mention it? It's just a word, made up by people... It doesn't mean a thing, so why can't we use it in a song? We will eventually. We haven't started yet.'

10. There was a real Eleanor Rigby.

One of Paul McCartney’s most touching and unforgettable songs is 'Eleanor Rigby,' telling the story of a lonely elderly woman who passes away in a church, with no one around to mourn her. McCartney has always said the name was inspired by actress Eleanor Bron, who starred in the 1965 Beatles film *Help!*, and a shop in Bristol, England, named Rigby & Evens Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers.

There’s every reason to believe he’s telling the truth. However, it was later discovered that there’s a gravestone for a woman named Eleanor Rigby in Woolton Cemetery, near St. Peter’s Church in Liverpool, where Paul first met John Lennon in 1957. John and Paul often spent time in the cemetery before they were famous, so it’s possible the name stuck in McCartney’s mind subconsciously. Or perhaps it's just a strange coincidence.

11. Lovely Rita might have been a real meter maid named Meta.

In 1960s London, 'traffic wardens,' as they were known, were less common and less despised than their American counterparts. It wasn’t until an American friend of McCartney’s remarked on the 'meter maids' that the idea for the unforgettable lyric in *Sgt. Pepper’s* came to be. The woman herself, however, never received the fine. Parking attendant Meta Davis recalled issuing a ticket to a car outside Abbey Road Studios in 1967, when Paul casually walked out and removed it from the windshield. 'He looked at it and read my signature … He said, “Oh, is your name really Meta? ... That would be a good name for a song. Would you mind if I use it?” And that was that. Off he went.' However, McCartney later explained that he actually wrote the lyrics while walking near his brother's house in Gayton, near Liverpool—some 200 miles north of London.

12. 'Norwegian Wood' isn’t the name of the house.

For Lennon, 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)' alluded to an extramarital affair; for Harrison, it marked the breakthrough song for his sitar playing. But the song title, a bit of an enigma, actually refers to the low-cost furniture typically found in 1960s bachelorette pads. The lyrics, written by Lennon and McCartney, tell the story of a man who visits a woman's apartment for the evening, only to be told to sleep in the bathtub and then discarded the next morning. Fueled by resentment, he burns down her apartment along with its kitschy contents. McCartney recalls: 'A lot of people were decorating their flats with wood—Norwegian wood. It was pine, really, cheap pine. But 'Cheap Pine' didn't quite have the same ring to it, so 'Norwegian Wood' seemed more fitting. It was a parody of those girls whose flats were full of that stuff.' Had the song been written today, it might have been called 'Ikea Furniture.'

13. It took four men and three pianos to play the final chord in 'A Day In the Life.'

Few moments in the Beatles’ catalog are more legendary than the booming piano chord that concludes 'A Day In the Life,' the final track on 1967’s *Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band*. To capture that massive sound, the band enlisted the help of roadie Mal Evans, who joined John, Paul, and Ringo in playing an E major chord on three pianos simultaneously. It took nine attempts to nail the timing, and the resulting chord rings out for an astounding 53 seconds.

14. Ringo Starr wrote 'Octopus’s Garden' about a real undersea phenomenon.

Tensions ran high during the recording of 1968’s *The Beatles*, also known as 'The White Album.' At one point, a frustrated Ringo left the studio—and the country—taking a family vacation on a boat. While in Sardinia, he borrowed Peter Sellers' yacht and spent the day chatting with the captain about octopuses.

"He told me that they live in caves, roaming the seabed collecting shiny stones, tin cans, and bottles to place in front of their caves like a little garden," Ringo recalled. (The captain's description was spot on; *octopuses really do this*.) "I thought it was brilliant, especially since at the time, I just wanted to be under the sea too," Ringo added. "A couple of tokes later with the guitar—and we had 'Octopus’s Garden!'"

15. Eric Clapton played the iconic guitar solo on 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps.'

Ringo wasn’t the only one struggling during the recording of 1968’s *The Beatles*. George Harrison felt his bandmates weren’t fully appreciating his song 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps.' One day, on the way to the studio, Harrison invited his friend Eric Clapton to come play on the track. Clapton was hesitant, but Harrison persuaded him, and the result was exactly what the song needed. 'I said, 'Eric’s going to play on this one,’ and it worked because it made everyone take the track more seriously,' Harrison explained. 'Paul sat down at the piano and played a beautiful intro, and they all gave it more attention.'

16. The iconic Abbey Road photo actually has a precursor.

The iconic album cover of four Beatles striding in unison was chosen from a set of eight photos, captured in front of Abbey Road Studios on a single day in 1969. Freelance photographer Iain Macmillan snapped the official images, but Paul’s wife, Linda McCartney, was there with her camera and managed to catch a sweet moment of an elderly lady chatting with Ringo while Paul adjusted his jacket collar. One can only hope they came across as nice young men.

17. Sean Connery may have dissed the Beatles as James Bond, but personally, he liked them enough to record a cover.

In the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, Connery quips about drinking Dom Perignon at the wrong temperature, saying, 'It’s simply not done…like listening to the Beatles without earmuffs.' Young fans reportedly booed this line in theatres, but Connery himself harbors no ill will toward the Beatles. In fact, he even worked with George Martin in 1988 for the Beatles producer’s In My Life album, which featured covers of Beatles songs by various celebrities, including Robin Williams and Goldie Hawn. Connery’s spoken-word rendition of the title track is bold but enjoyable, like reaching for Dom Perignon and finding instead a pleasant glass of well-aged scotch.

18. Only one musician ever received a featured credit on a Beatles song.

The label on the 1969 single 'Get Back' reads 'The Beatles with Billy Preston,' a rare billing for the famously self-contained group. The Beatles first met Preston, an African American keyboardist from Houston, during his tours with Little Richard in the early '60s. After a difficult Beatles session in 1969, Harrison reconnected with Preston at a Ray Charles concert where Billy was playing keyboards. Harrison invited Preston to join them on 'Get Back,' and his presence helped ease tensions. Preston was so warmly received that Lennon suggested making him an official member of the Beatles. McCartney, however, vetoed the idea, as the band was on the verge of breaking up.

19. There’s only one Beatles song featuring just John Lennon and Paul McCartney—and nobody else.

While honeymooning in Paris with Yoko Ono in 1969, John Lennon began writing a song inspired by the controversy surrounding their recent marriage. After returning to London, he visited Paul’s house to complete the track, which he called 'The Ballad of John and Yoko.' The two booked a session at Abbey Road and recorded the song themselves. With Ringo away filming 'The Magic Christian' with Peter Sellers, Paul took on drum duties, in addition to playing piano, bass, and maracas. George was on vacation, so John played the lead guitar.

“John was in an impatient mood so I was happy to help,” McCartney said. “It’s quite a good song; it has always surprised me how with just the two of us on it, it ended up sounding like The Beatles.” The track was a hit, reaching #8 in the U.S. and #1 in the U.K. While 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' is the only Beatles song with just John and Paul, it's worth noting that 'She’s Leaving Home' from 'Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band' features just John and Paul’s vocals over orchestral backing—without George or Ringo.

20. 'The End' almost wasn’t the end for The Beatles.

The final proper song on the last album The Beatles recorded, Abbey Road, is 'The End,' a fitting conclusion to a career that helped define the ’60s. However, the song wasn’t originally intended to close the album. Early track listings for the 1969 LP had 'The Long One,' a suite of interconnected songs that ends with 'The End,' placed on side one, not side two. Had the band stuck with this plan, Abbey Road would have ended with 'I Want You (She’s So Heavy),' a much less poetic send-off.

21. The Lucy in 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds' was a classmate of Julian Lennon's.

The title of 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds' can be abbreviated as LITSWD, but the letters that attract the most attention are L, S, and D, often fueling speculation about drug references. While many listeners have looked for a connection to psychedelics, particularly given the imagery of 'marmalade skies' and 'kaleidoscope eyes,' the inspiration for the song was much more innocent than it might seem.

When 4-year-old Julian Lennon showed his father a drawing of a girl named Lucy, a classmate who sat next to him in school, it sparked the creation of a song. Julian described the girl as being 'in the sky with diamonds,' and the whimsical image inspired John to write the song. Lucy Vodden, the real-life Lucy, later moved to London, where she lived until her death from lupus complications in 2009 at the age of 46. In her final years, Julian rekindled their friendship, sending her flowers as a gesture of remembrance.