It’s a retarded question, I know, but this evening I got into a heated exchange with my best friend who feels that the Beatles are the most overrated band of all time. I agreed that, while whether or not they are a “good” band is entirely subjective, it’s a pretty well established fact that they were one of, if not THE most influential bands in history.
And then he called into question whether they wrote their own music, stating that it’s a bit too convenient that the Beatles, who were already the most popular band in the world after their first two albums, wrote all the brilliant music that came afterwards.
This is honestly the first time I’ve ever heard anyone call the Beatles credibility into question. Are there conspiracy theories out there on the internet that I’ve never heard about? Are there other people besides my friend who feel that the Beatles may have been frauds, but simply never called out on it because music history has forever since been written with a large pro-Beatles bias?
Aside from the problem of proving a negative . . .
Who do you think wrote their songs? Don’t you think they would have made it known by now? If I had written all those songs, i sure as hell wouldn’t carry that secret to my grave.
The Beatles didn’t start writing their own songs after their first two albums. From the time they started recording, they were writing most of their own material, though they regularly recorded covers of songs by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins and the Isley Brothers, among others. Their first two singles, “Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me” were both written by Lennon and McCartney.
“Twist and Shout” is the only Top Ten hit the Beatles ever had that wasn’t written by members of the band.
As late as the “Beatles for Sale” album in 1965, they were still doing a lot of covers of songs by other artists, but after that album, they stuck exclusively to songs they’d written themselves.
I’m aware that they wrote their early material as well (minus the covers). What I meant by the “first two albums” comment was that they didn’t really move past the megastar pop band image into being accepted as true artists until after their first few albums, which is where my friend brought their legitimacy into question.
He argues that, since apparently everyone views the Beatles with such rose-colored glasses, no one would have ever dared to question the legitimacy of their song writing process.
I don’t get it either. I’m sure with all the millions of books and documentaries and articles on the Beatles, there have been PLENTY of people who viewed them in a negative light, and yet no evidence has ever come forward that would hint at them being frauds.
Some critics tried to claim that producer George Martin was the “real” genius behind the Beatles, but Martin himself has refuted it, and the idea does not have wide currency. There is simply no evidence to suggest the Beatles didn’t write their own music – many third parties even witnessed certain Beatles songs being composed.
Sounds like he’s saying that since they wrote a bunch of popular songs, that it isn’t likely that they wrote a bunch more popular songs.
Is that it?
'Cause that’s maybe the dumbest argument I’ve ever heard, and I’ve been on the Dope for over 8 years! I mean, your best friend makes Jack Dean Tyler look like Socrates or something.
The thing that doesn’t make sense with his argument is that he doesn’t think the Beatles wrote good songs.
I could see him questioning their validity if he acknowledged that they were truly brilliant songs, but why would you question whether or not a band wrote it’s own music if you think that it’s bad to begin with?
My friend is pretty smart, IMHO, and he’s an amazing writer and poet, and usually has very insightful observations and opinions.
But he also loves to argue. For the sake of arguing. And absolutely refuses to concede in any argument. So I think this was one of those situations where he refused to accept my superior knowledge of music and tried to make me question established facts.
Possibly your friend’s misbegotten idea is based upon the huge range that their collective song writing styles covered.
It would be easy to argue with a band of less fame, but the legal battles that ensued as the Beatles broke up more or less proved that the Beatles wrote their own songs… When John and Paul were arguing points over who contributed most to Sgt. Pepper, the “secret” writer would only have had to have merely raised his/her hand to the British tabloids to produce a huge sensation…
As the used car salesmen say… “it is what it is”… ie, the bare reality is that humanity lucked out in that four geniuses got together during a time of social change and wrote songs that both commented on and fueled that change…
Your friend is in need of a reality ajdustment…
regards
FML
> But he also loves to argue. For the sake of arguing. And absolutely refuses to
> concede in any argument. So I think this was one of those situations where he
> refused to accept my superior knowledge of music and tried to make me
> question established facts.
So quit arguing with him. He wants to be in control of the situation. He’s discovered that it makes him feel superior to make off-the-wall claims and, when you get tired of trying to show him how absurd his arguments are, deciding that your silence means that he’s won. Change the subject and talk about something else. He doesn’t really care about your opinion or reasoning about these matters.
OK, this was actually exposed in the 1970’s by John “Lance Collins” Todd, a born-again Christian who defected from the Grand Druid Council of Thirteen which governs the Illuminati. The melodies were actually ancient Druidic tunes & the lyrics, when not translated from Druidic runes, were actually selections from The Book of Shadows, also the source of the lyrics for Stairway to Heaven.
Now, after the master tape was made (and this not only goes for big-label rock music, but also the oxymoronic “Christian rock”), it was then put into a magic circle around which a coven of Illuminati witches would invoke demons to follow after every copy made. Thus, however many rock albums you had in your house, that’s at least how many demons took up residence there. Which of course is why it’s vitally important that those albums be destroyed, not sold or given away.
IIRC it was in the Rolling Stone interview of John Lennon that John described each of the Beatles songs (or at least, those the interviewer asked about). He remembered who wrote what, and who wrote which piece of what, since they usually collaborated and put “Lennon-McCartney” on the songwriting credits.
E.g. I think the typical formula was that Paul wrote the sugar coated stuff and John was the more cynical. “We Can Work It Out”—McCartney wrote the first stuff, reasonably optimisitic. Then it goes to Lennon “Life is very short, and there’s no tiiiime,” etc.
The other thing about the question in the OP—notice how much they continued AFTER the Beatles broke up. McCartney still hasn’t stopped. Lennon had just released* Double Fantasy* when he was murdered.
Finally, if I were a musician ghost-writing songs for the Beatles, I’d want a cut of the publishing royalties. As far as I know, nobody has ever claimed they did it, demanded them, etc. But then, maybe Paul is dead and could offer key information if only Lee Harvey Oswald hadn’t killed him and Lennon’s murder sealed that deal once and for all.
Soapbox_M: Is there any possibility that you could relate my story to your friend & keep a totally straight face? If so, then please try it out & report the results.
For the record, everything I said there was totally true- in the late 1970s, there was a guy, apparently named John Todd, making the circuit around mostly independent fundy churches spinning these yards. He sometimes changed details depending on the audience (apparently he first tried his shpiel out at charismatic/Pentecostal groups, but later found a more ready audience among anti-charismatic fundies- then, he added in Charismatic churches & popular TV preachers among Illuminati allies or puppets.) Other claims- The Rothschilds were demons in human flesh. Jimmy Carter was the Son of Lucifer, the AntiChrist. His Charismatic/Healer sister Ruth Carter Stapleton was a witch, as were Lynda Carter, Carole King & Cindy Williams. Robert Welch & his John Birch Society was an anti-Christian Masonic front to neutralize a true Christian resistance to the Illuminati.
His jig was up when his gun fell out of his coat at a church where he told the pastor that he trusted God to protect him & didn’t carry a gun, and then on a tape he left with a pastor, there was a segment of him performing a Wiccan ceremony with teen followers with mention of certain current events that placed the ceremony after his supposed conversion. Then various teen girls at churches he visited reported his seductions of them. He now is in the federal pen as a serial rapist. Apparently, he had some involvement with the Frosts’ Church of Wicca & bounced between that & Christian dalliances. The Frosts also came out to help expose his fraud.
Just what I was thinking. Your friend is an ass. There are lots of “smart” people who believe some pretty stupid shit.
The saddest and most infuriating thing about this thread is that a lot of people won’t open it, they’ll just see the fucking Subject Line. For at least some it’ll worm their way into their subconscious. They’ll forget about it, but the meme will come out at some point in the future as “I remember reading somewhere that the Beatles didn’t write their own songs” and thus an urban legend is born. The Dope is responsible for at least one other such thing, that Colin Ferrell “raped” a girl.
I’m the most casual of Beatles fan (the first record I ever bought was a Beatles album, but today I only own 3-4 CDs) but even so, I believe that they were the greatest band that ever existed or will exist. I’m not even really into them, yet I recognize how unbelievably brilliant, versatile and influential they were.
Oh wait…is your friend deaf? That might explain it.
