As a total VH1 junkie, of course I am watching “The 100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll” (And as much as I want to, I’m not going to bitch about how The Ramones aren’t on the list, but Prince is, or). Instead, I have a legitimate question. The Beatles on the list a lot (duh), but some of their songs are not played when the are mentioned. It’s mainly their later stuff (Strawberry Fields Forever, Let it Be), and their early pop (I Want To Hold Your Hand) are played. I don’t get this. I heard that someone (Michael Jackson, I think) held the rights to every Beatles song (which is why they are never in soundtracks). If this is true, how come he won’t let some of the songs be played? And if it’s not true, what’s the story behind this?
I think it is true that Michael Jackson bought the rights to the songs, but I always thought that this only extended to the right to cover the songs, not the rights to the Beatles’ own recordings of the songs.
Cher…
You are free to cover any song out there. As long as you pay the fee. And don’t claim it as yours.
I read somewhere that Paul retained the rights to five of their songs.
Yeah–I meant that MJ would be the person to whom the fee would be paid.
Unless the song is in the public domain, somebody gets paid when it’s played. So it doesn’t matter if Michael Jackson or Reggie Jackson owns the rights to “Looking Through a Glass Onion”. Unless, of course, they’re asking for a fortune.
I’m pretty sure that Michael Jackson bought the rights to the Northern Songs catalogue, a company formed by John and Paul and which copyrighted most of their music. Any Beatles songs that weren’t copyrighted through Northern Songs aren’t owned by Michael Jackson. This includes, IIRC, a few early pieces written before NS was formed, and songs written by George or Ringo.
The rec.music.beatles FAQ isn’t as helpful as I’d like, but their answer is at ttp://rmb.simplenet.com/public/files/faqs/outline.html#q29.
And Cecil addressed the topic in '95; that column’s at http://www.straightdope.com/columns/951027.html.
I haven’t found a definitive answer about the Harrison and Starkey compositions, but I’m pretty sure that MJ doesn’t own the copyrights.
He thought he was the King of America, where they pour Coca-Cola just like vintage wine.
Northern Songs, which is the catalog that holds most of the Beatles songs was owned by Lew Grade for a long time who refused to sell it to Lennon and/or McCartney, though they tried for many years to get it. Back when McCartney was going through that painful brain freeze period where he dueted(?) with Michael Jackson, MJ asked him about money - after all they both have more than God - PMc said invest in what you know so MJ went out and bought Northern songs getting himself a dandy investment and shafting a ‘friend’ in the process. That’s why you hear some of their stuff as commercial jingles now, MJ needs some spending money.
The fact that Jackson has the rights has nothing to do with the original question. Beatles songs are played because of their perceived popularity. Those that aren’t thought of as being popular aren’t played.
It’s highly unlikely you’d hear something like “Till There Was You” (which Jackson doesn’t own, BTW), for instance. “Revolution #9” gets very little airplay, too, because it’s the least liked Beatles song (and much too long for most formats these days, to boot).
The stations that play 60s and 70s rock generally have limited playlists, so there are only a small number of Beatles songs on the air at any time. Stations with a more free form playlist are usually playing more current music.
“East is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does.” – Marx
Read “Sundials” in the new issue of Aboriginal Science Fiction. www.sff.net/people/rothman
Remember, too, that VH1 needs a video of a song in order to play it. Only a small percentage of Beatle songs had videos made.
“East is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does.” – Marx
Read “Sundials” in the new issue of Aboriginal Science Fiction. www.sff.net/people/rothman
No offense Chuck, but I think your missing the point here. I’ve been watching the show, too, and have wondered the same thing. The songs in question are on the list, and during the course of the program an edited (read “shortened”) version of the song is played in the background while the narrator and a few celebs talk about it. However, for “Let it Be” and “Strawberry Fields” (the two I noticed) they didn’t play the song, just some musical stuff that kinda sounded like the song. It has nothing to do with time constraints or airplay popularity.
As for why, my guess is that some asshole (Jackson or someone else) prevented it. Perhaps there is some special rule for playing those tunes that requires them to be played in their entirety.
Says who? It’s fun to play it in the car and ask people what’s wrong with the radio.
I seem to recall sometime in the past few months seeing an interview with Paul. My memory says that he said that MJ needed money and he was able to repurchase the rights to his songs.
Sorry for the lack of detail, that’s all I remember.
I don’t have cable, so I can’t see VH1. However, legally no one can prevent you from playing a song provided you pay the fees. The Supreme Court upheld this a few years ago. So the reason has to come from somewhere else.
Arnold: I don’t mind the Revolution #9, either, especially if you understand what it was: nine minutes of fill to make the album long enough. I also like “You Know My Name, Look Up the Number,” which probably would have been #1 on the list of worst Beatle songs if more Beatle fans had heard of it.
“East is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does.” – Marx
Read “Sundials” in the new issue of Aboriginal Science Fiction. www.sff.net/people/rothman
Reality Chuck said:
Well, I have to admit that I really like that song as well, though it’s more of a comedy sketch than a song, per se…
Urk. Just spent five minutes trying to think of a Beatles song I don’t like, and can’t do it. Oh, well. Sucks to be me.
JMCJ
Just confirming that my ass is, in fact, the wisest part of my body.
Seeing how this thread has already been hijacked, I’m going to complain about the list now–Man, I love Led Zeppelin, but I hate “Stairway to Heaven.” I can’t believe that got #3.
And how did only one Bowie song (a really damned overrated one at that) get on it?
There aren’t many, but I’d enjoy their catalog a bit more if “Fool on the Hill” and “The Long and Winding Road” were to disappear. They’re all the more annoying for being popular.
He thought he was the King of America, where they pour Coca-Cola just like vintage wine.
You mean in five minutes, you couldn’t think of “Within You Without You”?
Dr. J
“Revolution #9” was not filler. John, with Yoko, was into something called “conceptual art” (a precursor to performance art). R#9 was their composition. The other Beatles and George Martin were much opposed to including it, but Lennon reminded them that one of their objectives in making the White Album was to present songs appealing to all different tastes, with “Martha My Dear” at one end of the spectrum and R#9 at the other.
Remember, I’m pulling for you; we’re all in this together.
—Red Green
Trivia: Beatles songs were not used for commercials until Michael jackson bought them, for Nike etc.
I’m a hard core Beatles fan. I had the Decca audition songs (Anthology 1 has most of them)already 25 years ago. I still have a Beatles shit list:
Mr. Moonlight, Girl, Michelle, Don’t Pass Me By, Because (lyrics are universal garbage), One Harrison song on the white album… Long Long …, songs like Till there was you.Cry Baby Cry. Of Lennon songs, In my Life is so general in its feelings that Sammy Davis could sing it convincingly, so it’s low on my list.
Do we want to start a topic of everybody’d least favorite Beatles?
We did, try: www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/001417.html