Books have been written about the breakup of the Beatles it only makes sense that the most famous band to have ever existed would also enjoy the most publicized ending. One common complaint is that the interference of Yoko Ono pushed John Lennon to feel unsatisfied as a Beatle, but the most direct explanation is that everyone was brimming with his own ideas and wanted to pursue his own direction. Despite all the hoopla over their breakup, members relationships were not nearly as acrimonious as some may have imagined. Its true that some bitterness existed John Lennon wrote the vicious How Do You Sleep? to Paul McCartney following the breakup, and George Harrison had long felt pushed to the side by Lennon and McCartney vetoing his songs. When manager Brian Epstein died in 1967, the band lost an invaluable impartial arbiter, allowing egomania to run rampant. Really, though, it was inevitable. As early as 1966s Revolver, the completely unique identities of each of the four were becoming obvious they were writing their songs alone rather than in collaboration. With the fierce artistic visions and personal philosophies of Lennon and Harrison and the raw musical talent of McCartney, its really a wonder the Beatles stayed together even as long as they did.
Kyle Schmidlin is a writer and musician living in Austin, TX. He manages the news blog at thirdrailnews.wordpress.com. Follow him at facebook.com/kyleschmidlin or twitter.com/kyleschmidlin1.
