On Friday, September 15, 2017, Paul McCartney welcomed Bruce Springsteen on stage. The two then ripped into the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There.” McCartney performed at Madison Square Garden in the midst of a run of eight shows in four different locations in the New York area.
E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt also joined the pair on stage, providing a stellar guitar solo. McCartney had so much fun on the song, he then had everyone play “I Saw Her Standing There” a second time.
Below, check out Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen on the Beatles classic.
What Beatles song would you like Springsteen to sing with Paul McCartney? Leave your two cents in the comments.
On June 25, 1967, the first live, world-wide satellite program was broadcast to an estimated 350 million people around the world. The “Our World” global broadcast ran for a little more than two hours and featured representatives from around the world. Fourteen countries provided material (after the Soviet Union and six other Eastern Bloc countries pulled out apparently in response to Western nations’ response to the Six Day War).
“All You Need is Love”
The Beatles, the biggest music act of the time, represented Great Britain and the BBC. The band performed “All You Need Is Love” with a little help from some friends.
The song was written specifically for the “Our World” broadcast. After the Beatles signed the contract in May for the show, John Lennon wrote “All You Need Is Love” for the broadcast. Then, the band recorded a rhythm track and some backing vocals. The song was especially powerful considering the Vietnam War was a major issue at the time.
The Beatles performance of “All You Need Is Love” from Studio Two at Abbey Road Studio included The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Graham Nash, and Marianne Faithfull singing along in the audience. According to The Beatles Bible website, Lennon recorded additional vocals after the broadcast.
The entire Beatles performance of “All You Need is Love’ is not currently available on YouTube, but you may check out a portion of the Beatles segment below.
The original broadcast appeared in black and white, but the above video is from 1995’s The Beatles Anthology special, which colorized parts of this segment, using color photographs taken at the event.
Playing for Change
The “Our World” performance is not the only time “All You Need Is Love” went around the world. Although not done with the technological marvel of a live broadcast, Playing for Change put together kids from around the world singing the song about love and harmony.
Check out the Playing for Change version of “All You Need is Love.”
What is your favorite part of “All You Need Is Love”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
A new documentary celebrates the classic 1967 Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The film, It Was 50 Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt Pepper & Beyond, focuses on the 12 months around the recording of the album.
The movie, directed by Alan G. Parker, features archival video and interviews with people like John Lennon’s sister Julia and former Beatles drummer Pete Best. Check out the trailer for the movie.
It Was 50 Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt Pepper & Beyond will be in U.K. theaters on May 26, 2017 followed by release on DVD later in the summer.
Also, as part of the celebration of the anniversary of the album, a new box set special edition is being released of the album featuring 34 bonus tracks of outtakes.
For more about Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, check out the video of “Things You Didn’t Know” about the album below.
The 2000 release of number one songs by the Beatles, The Beatles’ 1, is getting a new updated release in a couple of different forms with music videos and the group’s short films. Among the video content, the new Beatles 1+ package includes the Beatles’ original video for “A Day in the Life” from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967).
The video for “A Day in the Life” shows the playful side of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The video footage of them hanging out with friends like the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards also includes shots of an orchestra during the 1967 recording sessions. Check out the video for “A Day in the Life.”
The tenth track on The Beatles’ White Album (1968), “Martha My Dear,” was a tribute by Paul McCartney to someone he loved: “That you and me were meant to be for each other / Silly girl.” But it was not about a girlfriend. It was about his Old English sheepdog.
Martha was McCartney’s first pet, and if you are shocked to learn that “Martha My Dear” is about a dog, you are not alone. John Lennon was surprised when he saw how much McCartney loved the dog.
After discovering how much he could love an animal, McCartney went on to have other Old English sheepdogs and to become a famous vegetarian. Martha, however, likely holds a special place as his first and as the inspiration for a song.
And Martha has her own Facebook page that is dedicated to her too.
What is your favorite song about an animal? Leave your two cents in the comments.