Most bands are lucky if they have one decent singer and songwriter; The Beatles, to the envy of groups around the world, had four.
Paul McCartney once spoke to Keith Richards about their prospective bands, and the Rolling Stones guitarist highlighted what he thought was The Beatles’ secret weapon. It all boiled down to the sheer amount of singers and great musical minds they had that contributed to the band. Not only could everyone stay in tune, which provided for great harmonies, but they all had their own independent ideas, which helped with The Beatles’ overall identity.
“I remember Keith Richards saying to me, ‘You had four singers. We only had one!’” said The Beatles bassist, “Little things like that will set me off and I think, ‘Wow’. That is pretty uncanny. And writers. Not just singers, but writers.”
Of course, it was these individual ideas which led to The Beatles eventually disbanding, as they all grew into completely different people, and therefore they began to view music differently. Suddenly, they weren’t all working towards the same goal, and once that shared vision was no longer in the band’s line of sight, they were operating on borrowed time. The biggest band in the world announced they were parting ways on April 9th, 1970, and while music fans were devastated, it didn’t stop the world from turning.
The band went on to all have successful solo careers, and the number of people who loved listening to their lonesome offerings, as well as what they did with The Beatles, is a testament to how great they were as musicians. It does beg the question, though, which of them was the best as a solo artist?
It’s pretty impossible to answer. The Beatles split because of their differences in taste, and so went on to have very different careers. McCartney continued making catchy music, which was a blend of rock and pop; George Harrison was just happy that he could write and release songs without pushback, and John Lennon went for a more honest approach to lyricism. All are excellent in their own right, but Bruce Springsteen and David Crosby both agree on who they think the greatest is.
Springsteen has always been a huge fan of The Beatles, admitting that it was upon hearing ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ in his mother’s car that he was inspired to start making music. Despite having admiration for all of the members who contributed towards their undeniable sound, though, his favourite was always John Lennon, both as a vocalist and a songwriter.
“The keeper was in 1964, ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ on South Street with my mother driving,” said Springsteen, recalling his initial influence, “After that, it was nothing but rock ‘n’ roll and guitars.”
The Boss paid tribute to Lennon the night after he was killed. After considering not playing the show at all, when he eventually took to the mic, he told the crowd, “It’s tough to come out here tonight, but there’s nothing else to do.”
David Crosby was also never shy in his love for John Lennon. He recalled hearing Lennon’s offering with ‘A Day In The Life’ for the first time and not knowing what to do upon listening to such a masterpiece. “I came in, and I was very high. They sat me down on a stool in the middle of the studio and rolled up two six-foot-tall speakers on either side of me. Then, laughing, they climbed the stairs back to the control room and left me there. And then they played ‘A Day in the Life.’ At the end of that last chord, my brains just ran out my nose onto the floor in a puddle. I didn’t know what to do, I was just stupefied.”
Despite passing away long before he should have, the impact John Lennon had on music remains unquestionable.
