On this day in 1975, Bohemian Rhapsody hits number one in the UK

Queen formed in 1970 and worked for three years on their debut self-titled album. It was quickly followed by Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack in 1974. These albums were reasonably successful, gaining the band a solid following ahead of the release of their fourth album A Night at the Opera. 

A Night at the Opera was released on the 21 November and would soon become the album that would launch the band to superstardom. Bohemian Rhapsody was chosen as the lead single for the project, and was released on 31 October to promote the upcoming album. According to friends of lead singer Freddie Mercury, he had actually begun work on the song even before Queen was formed, in the late 1960s. Recording began in August 1975 at the Rockfield Studio 1 in South Wales, but the song ended up being worked on over four additional studios in the coming months. Mercury and guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor reportedly sang their vocal parts for over 10 to 12 hours a day, with some sections requiring around 180 seperate overdubs.

Bohemian Rhapsody has a runtime of about six minutes  and consists of several sections with varied styles, including a ballad segment, a hard rock segment, a reflective coda and an operatic passage. Mercury referred to the song as a “mock opera” that came from combining three songs he had written earlier. A  promotional video was released alongside the single and is generally acknowledged as the first UK Pop music video. 

Upon the songs release it quickly rose up the charts, hitting number nine in the US and number one in the UK, where it remained for 9 weeks, the longest since 1955. Bohemian Rhapsody remains the third best-selling single of all-time in the UK, and the top best-selling non-charity single. It also topped charts in several other countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. 

Critical reviews were initially mixed but retrospectively claim it to be one of the greatest songs in popular music, with particular praise given to Mercury’s vocal performance. The accolades have continued throughout the years, with the song being inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004, becoming the most streamed song from the 20th century after the release of the 2018 biopic of the same name and being certified Diamond in the US for combined digital sales and streams equivalent to 10 million units.

On this day in 1974, John Lennon received his only solo number one hit in the US

After the breakup of The Beatles in 1970 Lennon had started his solo career tumultuously, with two relatively successful solo albums ahead of a period of wild partying and heavy drinking known as “the lost weekend”. As this time came to an end, Lennon settled down in New York to continue working on music, producing for Harry Nilsson and Mick Jagger before deciding to continue with his own material.

The idea for Whatever Gets You thru the Night came from a late night tv show. Lennon loved channel-surfing at night and picked up phrases and ideas from what he saw. On this occasion he was watching an evangelist named Reverend Ike, who said “Let me tell you guys, it doesn’t matter, it’s whatever gets you through the night.” Lennon loved the phrase and wrote it down on a notepad he kept beside his bed.

The music for the song was reportedly inspired by the current number one at the time, Rock Your Baby by George McCrae. This was hard to tell from the released single but became apparent with the later release of an alternative version recorded first on John Lennon Anthology. The more widely released version that appeared on the 1974 album Walls and Bridges also benefited from piano and harmony vocals from none other than Elton John. While in the studio with Lennon, he bet that the song would top the charts, and a skeptical Lennon replied that if it did he would appear on stage with Elton. This led to Lennon’s appearance at John’s Thanksgiving performance at Madison Square Garden on the 28th of November, which would be Lennon’s last major concert appearance.

While Whatever Gets You thru the Night wasn’t Lennon’s first choice for a single, it was immensely popular upon its release on 23 September. It surged up the charts to number 36 in the UK and number one on all three US record charts: the Billboard Hot 100, Record World and Cashbox, giving Lennon his first and only solo number one hit.

On this day in 1961, The Beatles met their manager, Brian Epstein

Epstein was at the time working as the head of the record department of  his family’s music store  In Liverpool, NEMS, where he gained an extensive knowledge of the pop music business. In mid 1961, he started seeing The Beatles on posters and in the Mersey Beat magazine, prompting him to ask the editor, Bill Harry, about the band. Before long customer of the shop where Epstein worked asked him to order a single by the band, “My Bonnie”.

Epstein had also been frequenting the Cavern Club over the year, and was informed  of a lunchtime performance by The Beatles. He contacted Harry and asked him to arrange for him and personal assistant Alistair Taylor to watch the show. His call allowed him to skip the queue and an announcement welcomed him over the PA system as the famous owner of the NEMS, informing the band of his visit. 

After the show, Epstein and Taylor went to the dressing room to meet with the group, and were immediately recognised by the band, being regulars of NEMS themselves. He and Taylor congratulated the band then left for dinner, where they discussed the performance. Taylor called them “awful” while Epstein said he thought they were “tremendous”. At the end of the dinner Epstein asked Taylor if he thought he should manage the group. 

Over the next three weeks the band played regularly at the Cavern Club, and Epstein watched every performance. He soon contacted their previous manager Allan Williams to confirm he was no longer in the position and was warned away from the group due to their refusal to pay a percentage from a Hamburg concert. This didn’t do much to dissuade Epstein who arranged a meeting at NEMS on the 3rd of December where he proposed managing the group. By the end of January 1962 their contract had been finalised. As manager Epstein carefully influenced their early dress code and on-stage attitude, as well as being responsible for the replacement of Pete Best with Ringo Starr. 

Epstein remained manager of the band until his eventual death of a barbiturate overdose in August of 1967. The band attempted to manage themselves for a time, and later found themselves in a dispute over who should take the position. Before anything could be settled, Lennon announced he was leaving the group and they recorded their last music together.

On this day in 1968, George Harrison became the first Beatle to release a solo album

In 1965 The Beatles discovered classical Indian music and were inspired by the instrumentation, and soon started using traditional Indian instruments on their own songs between 1966 and 1968. George Harrison was particularly taken by Indian culture and musical style and practiced with the instruments more than any other member. 

By 1968 Harrison was beginning to grow frustrated with the direction of the band, in particular with the creative domineering of Lennon and McCartney, and decided to work on solo compositions as a way of having his own musical output. This decision coincided with his deal with American filmmaker Joe Massot, whom he had met on the set of Help! in early 1965, to make the soundtrack for Massot’s film Wonderwall.  

With full artistic control, Harrison decided to use the opportunity to further showcase Indian musical style, recording in Bombay alongside some of the country’s best musicians and utilising a variety of traditional instruments, particularly more obscure ones than had been used with The Beatles. The album had no dialogue or vocals, bringing even more focus to the instrumentation. The music was carefully designed to match the film in terms of timing and mood, impressing Massot with the accuracy with which he illustrated and enhanced the on screen themes.

The album, titled Wonderwall Music was released on the 2nd of November, and would be the first release on The Beatles’ new label, Apple Records, as well as the first solo album from one of the band. Despite being predicted to perform poorly due to its lack of lyrics and its status as a soundtrack album, Wonderwall Music charted surprisingly well in the US, with a sixteen week run on the pop charts, peaking at number 49 in March of 1969. Critical reviews were overwhelmingly positive, praising Harrison for his choices of instrumentation and ability to perform outside of The Beatles. Perhaps most importantly, Harrison later regarded Wonderwall Music as his most enjoyable album to make.

On this day in 1965, The Beatles received their Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire medals

After their rise to stardom in the early 1960’s, and spending the better part of the last two years drawing major attention to British music around the world, their country rewarded them with one of their highest honours. 

The Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire or MBE was established in 1917 as a way of rewarding gallant non-combat military service, particularly for the thousands that served in the First World War. It was later expanded to military and civil divisions, acknowledging those making contributions to the country in a variety of fields, from science and charity to arts and entertainment. 

The Beatles were notified of their award back in June, when their names appeared on the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. This offended several previous recipients due to the bad reputation of rock and roll music. Some went as far as returning their awards, with one writing that giving the band the honour “made a mockery of everything this country stands for”.

Regardless, the ceremony went ahead and the band arrived on the morning of the the 26th alongside 185 other recipients to meet the Queen. They were quickly instructed on the protocol for meeting the matriarch, which they found both amusing and nerve-wracking. John Lennon later said that they were so nervous they went to a bathroom and smoked marijuana, a claim refuted by George Harrison.

Despite his nerves at the time, Lennon would later return his MBE, alongside a letter protesting “Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against ‘Cold Turkey’ slipping down the charts.” The medal would be lost until 2009, when it was discovered in a vault at St. James Palace. 

On the other hand, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr would go on to move up in the Order, with McCartney being knighted in 1997 and Starr in 2018.

On this day in 1961, The Beatles joined forces with Gerry and the Pacemakers for a one time show as ‘The Beatmakers’

In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, phenomenon known as Merseybeat dominated the Liverpool scene and shortly after, the world. Local musicians mixed their own style with the American R&B and rock that they loved, creating a scene that birthed a number of superstar bands. Among these groups were Gerry and the Pacemakers, peers and sometimes rivals of The Beatles that would later also be signed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin.

The event, held at the Litherland Town Hall, was promoted as a Beatles show, with Gerry and the Pacemakers and Karl Terry and the Cruisers as support acts. At some point during the evening it was suggested that the bands play together, going by the name ‘The Beatmakers’. The line-up featured Paul McCartney on rhythm guitar, Pete Best and Freddy Marsden sharing Best’s drum kit, Les Maguire on saxophone, John Lennon on piano, George Harrison on lead guitar and Gerry Marsden on lead guitar and vocals, with Karl Terry also joining on some vocals.

The Beatles had played at the Litherland Town Hall seventeen times before The Beatmakers show,  but this would be their most memorable performance  at the venue. Gerry Marsden later said that “The Beatles and ourselves – we let go, when we get on-stage…  On Merseyside, it’s beat, beat, beat all the way. We go on and really have a ball”. This sentiment was definitely reflected at The Beatmakers performance, as the two groups could really have fun playing with each other and with a wider range of instruments. Unfortunately, little is known about what songs were actually performed at the show, but reviews were positive.

Both bands would rise to stardom in the following years, with Gerry and the Pacemakers finding three UK number one hits and seven songs reaching the top 40 in the US before eventually disbanding in 1967. They reformed with some new members in 1972 and continued touring occasionally over the next few decades.

On this day in 1962, The Beatles met Little Richard for the first time

Paul McCartney first became aware of Little Richard when he was 14, after watching the 1956 film “The Girl Can’t Help It”, which featured several songs and a cameo from Little Richard. A year later, when McCartney joined The Beatles and began writing songs with John Lennon, the pair were clearly inspired by Little Richard, using his formula of simple and catchy three chord songs with a rhythm and blues influence. They also covered several of his songs in their early sets, playing classics like Long Tall Sally and Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey. 

The group headed to Hamburg, Germany in 1960 to play a series of residencies, honing their skills as live performers before heading back to the UK. In October 1962 they were invited back to Germany to play as openers for their influence, Little Richard at the new Star-Club in Hamburg. This show would be their biggest break yet, with Little Richard being at the height of his popularity after a string of hits in the late 1950s to early 1960s. 

McCartney and Lennon not only got to meet their idol, but also learned from him by watching his preparation and performance. Little Richard even recalls helping McCartney with they style of his vocals backstage after the show.  Clearly impressed, the singer met up with the band again at the Cavern Club in Liverpool after their Hamburg residency was finished, and told them that he could see huge US success in the band’s future.

Later on when The Beatles first auditioned for a record deal, they attempted to play a more refined set with a very different style to what they had learned from Little Richard, and were refused the deal. When they tried again a couple of months later, they returned to playing the songs they had written with Little Richard’s influence and style, and were rewarded with the deal. A few months later they were launched into superstardom.

While Little Richard wasn’t directly responsible for the success of The Beatles, his style and advice clearly helped and influenced the band with finding their early sound and their big break opening for him in Germany definitely brought with it a number of supportive fans and boosted the bands reputation.

On this day in 1962, The Beatles released their first single, Love Me Do

The song was written several years earlier, even before the formation of the band. Its lyrics were scribbled in a school notebook by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and its original composition featured Lennon on harmonica to start the song, before the pair sang joint lead vocals ahead of Lennon singing the main line of the song’s title phrase, however for the actual recording McCartney would sing the title phrase as producer George Martin realised Lennon needed to play harmonica as the line was sung.

Love Me Do was recorded three times in total, with a different drummer on each version. The first session was held on the 6th June 1962 and features The Beatles original drummer, Pete Best.  Originally thought to be lost, this version would later be released in 1995 on Anthology 1. The next version was recorded on the 4th September 1962, after Best had been replaced by Ringo Starr in August. This would be the version released first as the single. Finally, the third session was a week later  on the 11th September, with session musician Andy White on drums and Starr on the tambourine, an instrument not featured on either of the other two versions. The third version would appear on the the bands debut album Please Please Me and would go on to appear on several album releases thereafter, as well as the US single release in 1964. 

Starr’s removal from drums caused some friction between him and George Martin, as he was clearly disappointed with being dropped from only his second recording session with the band. During the earlier session Starr had played with a maraca and the bass drum simultaneously, and used the drum in a more loose style than most producers were used to, more in line with the emerging R&B sound. This combination led Martin to hire a session drummer, a common decision for the time. Starr later recalled being “devastated” and went on to say Martin “has apologised several times since, has old George, but it was devastating- I hated the bugger for years; I still don’t let him off the hook!”

Regardless, the version with Starr on drums would be the first released, and helped the group find success as they charted at number 17. Over the next few years the song would reach number one in various countries around the world, including the US, Australia and New Zealand.

On this day in 1968, The Beatles’ Hey Jude hits number one in the US

As the 1960s came to a close, tensions between members of the Beatles were growing, causing difficulties in the bands recording process. During this time, Lennon also left his first wife Cynthia in a highly publicised divorce, marrying Yoko Ono soon after. Despite the friction between bandmates, Paul McCartney thought of Lennon’s son Julian when he heard the news and wrote the song Hey Jude to comfort him while on a road trip to visit Julian and Cynthia. The song was originally titled “Hey Jules” and its lyrics provide a positive outlook on a sad situation and an encouragement to pursue love. There has been some speculation that the song was actually directed at Lennon, as well as some who say McCartney wrote it about himself, but he insists it was written for Julian.

McCartney would later present the song to Lennon when he and Yoko Ono visited his home, assuring him that certain lyrics would be changed, but Lennon told him not to as he liked the song as it was.  Shortly after, the band would set about recording the song during the sessions for The White Album, held in July. This would be the first song the band recorded using an eight-track recording machine, causing numerous disagreements between members of the band, some of which were recorded by a film crew that had been allowed to film some rehearsals for their documentary Music!.  There were also arguments over instrument and  lyric choices. Regardless, work continued on the song through July and August, and it was released on the 26th of August as the first single on Apple Records, the new label set up by the band.

Hey Jude initially received mixed reviews from critics, with its long runtime of 7 minutes being one of the most mentioned features in negative reviews, as well as its use of orchestral accompaniment. Critical opinion changed fairly quickly though, and many soon praised its earnest lyrics and catchy refrain. Commercially, the song was an immediate hit, as fans desperate to hear new Beatles material rushed into stores to buy the single. It shot up the charts, reaching number one in the US on the 28th of September where it would stay for a record-breaking nine weeks, a record which was held for nine years. It was also nominated for three Grammy Awards, and has since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and is one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll”. It is also the highest placed Beatles song on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list, coming in at number eight.

On this day in 1968, Jimi Hendrix released his version of “All Along the Watchtower”

The song was written by Bob Dylan in 1967, following an 18 month hiatus after his 1966 motorcycle accident, a period which also saw the birth of two children. Dylan claims the idea for the song came to him during a thunderstorm, and it was recorded in November of 1967 during t he sessions for his eighth studio album, John Wesley Harding, released the following month.

Jimi Hendrix was a long-time admirer of Dylan’s writing and had been given a recording of several of his unreleased recordings in 1967, and was inspired to try his hand at recording one of the songs. Engineer Andy Johns recalls Hendrix coming into the studio with the tape, with a plan to record “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine” but changed his mind to “All Along the Watchtower”. This would mark the second time Hendrix had adapted a Dylan song, the first being his version of “Like a Rolling Stone” performed at the Monterey Pop Festival.

Hendrix’s regular engineer Eddie Kramer recalls great difficulties with recording the song. He performed a large number of takes on the first day of recording in January of 1968, and bassist Noel Redding left the studio, dissatisfied with the song. Dave Mason took over on bass, but Hendrix would end up recording his own bass parts for the final mix. Rolling Stones member Brian Jones also contributed, adding the dry rattles featured in the intro. 

The song was mixed in late January, but Hendrix was unhappy with the results and continued recording and over-dubbing over the following months, moving the recording from a four-track to a sixteen-track. Each overdub involved wiping massive amounts of the track, delaying the song further and further. After it’s eventual release, the song peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, his highest ranking in America and only Top 40 at the time. It performed even better in the UK, reaching number 5. Dylan himself gave the song great praise in British Magazine Melody Maker, pleasing Hendrix immensely. Despite the positive reactions Hendrix didn’t seem to enjoy performing the song, and it disappeared from his shows after just three months.