John says "I Buried Paul" on Strawberry Fields Forever
A common belief is that John says "I Buried Paul" at the end of
Strawberry Fields Forever on the Magical Mystery Tour
album. In fact, he actually says "Cranberry Sauce", not once, but twice.
The Proof:
On the ending of Strawberry Fields on the version on the
Anthology 2 album, you can clearly hear John saying "Cranberry Sauce"
twice, and then "Calm Down, Ringo" to cause the track to come to a grinding
halt.
In addition, in this interview sound clip, John corrects the interviewer to
emphatically say that he said "Cranberry Sauce" and not "I Buried Paul" on
Strawberry Fields.
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Because of the weird images in the song, and the coincidence of the intials in
the song title, it's widely believed that the song Lucy In The Sky With
Diamonds is about.
In fact, the Beatles have maintained all these years that the song is not
about at all. The title was inspired by then
four-year-old Julian Lennon. He brought home a picture he drew in nursery school,
and told John it was his freind, Lucy, in the sky, with diamonds. John has said
in interviews that the lyrics of the song were inspired by the 'Wool and Water'
chapter in Lewis Carol's Through The Looking Glass, where Alice is taken
down a river in a row boat by the Queen, who has suddenly changed into a sheep.
Additional images came from things like the plastic ties they wore on
The Goon Show, one of John's favorite programs.
In a new interview in Uncut Magazine, Paul detailed his use for the
first time with the Beatles, which centered mostly around and that he
had tried once. In that interview, although Paul acknowledged that
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds had indeed been named for the drawing by Julian,
he also said "it's pretty obvious" that the song is about.
The "Butcher Cover" was a protest by the Beatles of Capitol's "Butchering"
of their albums in America
A persistent urban legend claims that the "butcher cover" shot, photographed by
regular Fabs photographer Robert Whitaker, was staged in protest of the Capitol
habit of "butchering" the Beatles' standard UK LP configuration. However, looking
at the historical facts shows that the photo session was completed in March 1966,
expressly for the "Paperback Writer" campaign, and before Capitol asked for a
suitable cover photo for "Yesterday and Today".
The Proof:
Here is a sound clip of an interview with John Lennon, in which he talks about
the making of the picture, clearly stating that it was totally the concept of
the photographer.
(By the way, butcher covers sell for significantly more these days than
what John mentions in the clip.)
Beatles Manager Brian Epstein
Recently the American cable TV network A&E released information in
connection with the airing of a biography about Brian Epstein
perpetuating the myth. This is not
true. The official medical inquest at the time in 1967
declared it was an accidental. Many dangerous were found
in his room, yet the medical evidence showed that he had simply taken
some of the less dangerous in an accidentally fatal combination.
The Proof:
Besides the medical evidence and official inquest verdict, official
Epstein biographer Ray Coleman documents several reasons we can know
Brian was not planning at the time of his death. Brian's father
had died six months earlier, and Brian was very dedicated to his mother,
Queenie, who was very devestated by Brian's father's death. He was also
engaged in purchasing a London flat for her at that time. He would have
never intentionally left her at such a time. Further, Brian was very
meticulous, in both his business and private lives, yet he died without
first arranging a will. In addition, he wrote a letter to Derek Taylor
days before his death, outlining exciting plans for the future, including
being excited about the news that Cilla Black, another of his artistes,
had just been offered her own TV show on the BBC.
Here is sound clip of Derek Taylor talking about Brian Epstein and how his final
days lead to his accidental death.
Julian Lennon is joining the Beatles to replace John
Because of the similarity of looks and singing voice between Julian
and his father, John Lennon, it is frequently rumored that Julian Lennon
will join the three remaining Beatles to record some new music.
In fact, in many public interviews, Julian has said he has no intention
of getting together to work with the other Beatles, and that it would
be a very confusing situation. Paul also said almost the very same thing
in the Anthology TV show.
The Proof:
Here is Julian, in his own words, in a clip from an appearance on David Letterman
on April 10, 1985.
Linda McCartney was related to the Eastman-Kodak family
It is still commonly believed that the late Linda McCartney, who's
maiden name was Linda Eastman, was related to the Eastman family of
Eastman-Kodak fame. This is not so. On the contrary, Linda's family
name was originally Epstein (no relation to Brian Epstein), and their
family name was changed to Eastman when they emigrated to America.
The Proof:
Here is a soundclip of Linda, from a 1992 interview on the NBC TV Today show,
with Katie Couric, specifically stating that she's not related to the
Eastman-Kodaks, and telling a humorous anecdote about this confusion.
Some historical data from The Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn.
This page last updated June 6, 2004