Sign-In
Cart
Who Wrote the Beatle Songs?: A History of Lennon-McCartney
Hardcover
MusiciansPop/RockMusic Reference
Publisher Price: $35.00
ISBN13: 9780998899725
Publisher: Todd M. Compton
Published: May 9 2017
Pages: 434
Weight: 1.64
Height: 0.94 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Who Wrote the Beatle Songs: A History of Lennon-McCartney is a book in the tradition of Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Recording Sessions, Walter Everett's The Beatles as Musicians, Ian MacDonald's Revolution in the Head, and Tim Riley's Tell Me Why --it surveys all of the songs by the Beatles. However, unlike those books, Who Wrote the Beatle Songs concentrates solely on songwriting. It also has a strong biographical element: I tell the fascinating story of John Lennon and Paul McCartney as songwriters.
The Beatles are arguably the most influential group in the history of popular music, and the single most important element in their success was their songwriting. Unlike rock stars such as Elvis, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, they were songwriters first and performers second. They have been widely misunderstood because the history of their songwriting has not been examined carefully. Setting aside the songs of Harrison and Starr at this time, all their songs were attributed to Lennon-McCartney, which suggests 50-50 songwriting ownership, in the tradition of George and Ira Gershwin. In fact, most of the Beatle songs were dominated by Paul or by John, and some were written entirely by one or the other (such as John's Across the Universe or Paul's Hey Jude).
After the Beatles breakup, Lennon and McCartney have given a number of interviews discussing who wrote which Beatle songs. Unfortunately, these interviews are often contradictory, a natural result of trying to remember events that took place many years (sometimes decades) earlier. John had a tendency to emphasize individual authorship in his interviews, while Paul frequently remembered collaboration (though often finishing collaboration, after one writer had substantially begun the song). To evaluate such complex, contradictory evidence, I've tried to use standard historical tools to come to a valid judgment on who wrote each Beatle song.
The result is the first comprehensive, detailed assessment of who wrote the Beatle songs. Every chapter is devoted to a Beatles album, and its attendant singles. I give a careful attribution for every song and tell the story of how it was written. Then I evaluate conflicts or unities in the evidence. So this book is full of great stories--how John wrote She Said She Said after he heard Peter Fonda tell of a near-death experience at a party with the Byrds in L.A.; how Paul wrote Yesterday in his sleep, then sang it for months with the lyrics Scrambled eggs--Oh baby, how I love your legs; how George's mother, Louise French Harrison, filled in a gap in Piggies with What they need's a damn good whacking!.
When this survey is complete, we can draw conclusions about the individual songwriting talents of Paul, John and George, and can reject many widespread stereotypes about them. One cliché is that John specialized in rock while Paul produced ballads. Actually, both of them wrote strong rock songs (like Paul's Helter Skelter) and strong quiet songs (like John's Goodnight). Another common misapprehension is that the Beatles' best songs were based on close collaboration; actually, as these two songwriters progressed in maturity they wrote together less. Paradoxically, the songwriting flourished as the collaboration decreased.
John became increasingly interested in lyrics, while Paul was always obsessively devoted to music (though they both wrote great music and lyrics at times). Who Wrote the Beatle Songs will celebrate and give a wealth of insight into the idiosyncratic brilliance of both of the Beatles' two main songwriters.
Also in
Pop/Rock
The Ultimate Guide to Vinyl and More: All You Need to Know about Collecting Essential Music from Cylinders and CDs to Lps and Tapes
Thompson, David
Paperback
This Ain't the Summer of Love: Conflict and Crossover in Heavy Metal and Punk
Waksman, Steve
Paperback
A Screaming Life: Into the Superunknown with Soundgarden and Beyond
Tepedelen, Adem
Thayil, Kim
Hardcover
Where the Music Had to Go: How Bob Dylan and the Beatles Changed Each Other--And the World
Windolf, Jim
Hardcover
Is This It: The Never-Ending Rise and Fall of the Strokes (and Rock 'n' Roll)
Hyden, Steven
Hardcover
The Unofficial Taylor Swift Sticker Book: More Than 400 Swiftie-Inspired Stickers for Every Era
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Paperback
Friends of the Devil: West Texas Cowboys, Brown-Eyed Women, and Other Sunshine Daydreamers from the Songs of the Grateful Dead
Pappademas, Alex
Hardcover
Little Book of Elvis Presley: Inspirational Quotes from the King of Rock 'n' Roll
Croft, Rod
Hardcover
What Do You Do When You're Lonesome: The Authorized Biography of Justin Townes Earle
Bernstein, Jonathan
Hardcover
Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles
Massey, Howard
Emerick, Geoff
Paperback
Dolly Parton: The Stories Behind the Songs: The Very Best Tracks, Explored and Explained
Zaleski, Annie
Hardcover
Paint by Sticker (Official): Music Icons: Re-Create 10 Classic Photographs One Sticker at a Time!
Workman Publishing
Paperback
Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011
Goodman, Lizzy
Paperback
Here Beside the Rising Tide: Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead, and an American Awakening
Newton, Jim
Hardcover
Lessons & Lace: Everything I Know about Dreams, Heartbreak, and Magic I Learned from Stevie Nicks
Brodsky, Rachel
Hardcover
Raised on Radio: Power Ballads, Cocaine & Payola - The Aor Glory Years 1976-1986
Rees, Paul
Hardcover
Taylor Swift by the Book: The Literature Behind the Lyrics, from Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets
Tatreau, Tiffany
Feder, Rachel
Hardcover
Brain Games - Puzzles and Quizzes: Dolly Parton Facts and Information
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
The Silver Snarling Trumpet: The Birth of the Grateful Dead--The Lost Manuscript of Robert Hunter
Hunter, Robert
Paperback
Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion
Deville, Chris
Hardcover
Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991
Azerrad, Michael
Paperback
We're Having Much More Fun: Punk Archives for the Present from Cbgb to Gilman and Beyond
Peraino, Judith A.
McEnaney, Tom
Paperback
Mystery Train, 50th Anniversary Edition: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music
Marcus, Greil
Paperback
The Grateful Dead by Jim Marshall: Photos and Stories from the Formative Years, 1966-1977
Davis, Amelia
Gans, David
Marshall, Jim
Hardcover
The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect: The Last Indie Music Scene 2000-2010
Warren, Janine
Hardcover
Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day
Selvin, Joel
Paperback
Brain Games - Puzzles and Quizzes - Taylor Swift: The Ultimate Swiftie Activity Book Picture Puzzles, Trivia, Crossword, Word Search & More Unauthoriz
Brain Games
Kaplan, Arie
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Good Rockin' Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll
Escott, Colin
Hawkins, Martin
Paperback
The Jacksons: Legacy: From the Family Archives / The 50th Anniversary Book
The Jacksons
Bronson, Fred
Paperback
Let's Spend the Night Together: Backstage Secrets of Rock Muses and Supergroupies
Des Barres, Pamela
Paperback
And on Piano ...Nicky Hopkins: The Extraordinary Life of Rock's Greatest Session Man
Dawson, Julian
Paperback
There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." and the End of the Heartland
Hyden, Steven
Paperback
The Rolling Stones: On Tour: The Official Celebration of the Greatest Live Band of All Time
Sexton, Paul
Hardcover
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962-1970
Lewisohn, Mark
Paperback
Loud and Clear: The Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound and the Quest for Audio Perfection
Anderson, Brian
Hardcover
Burning Down the House: Talking Heads and the New York Scene That Transformed Rock
Gould, Jonathan
Paperback
Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever
Hermes, Will
Paperback
Pink Floyd All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track
Guesdon, Jean-Michel
Margotin, Philippe
Hardcover