Latest news with #TheLongAndWindingRoad
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why a '70s Singer Missed Out on Recording What Became the Beatles' Final Hit Song
Why a '70s Singer Missed Out on Recording What Became the Beatles' Final Hit Song originally appeared on Parade. Can you imagine anyone but Paul McCartney singing 'The Long and Winding Road'? Released in May 1970, a month after The Beatles broke up, the song stood as a makeshift eulogy for the band. Fans found solace and sympathy in McCartney's voice as he sang, 'The wild and windy night that the rain washed away / Has left a pool of tears, crying for the day / Why leave me standing here? / Let me know the way.' Released as a single in the U.S. (and oddly, not in the U.K.), 'The Long and Winding Road' went to the top of the charts. As of today, it's the band's last No. 1 song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100—but, as Beatles lore goes, it was meant for someone else: . Recently, Tim David Kelly, aka Tim From Kicking Harold, highlighted how McCartney and Tom Jones 'were having a great time' while out on the town. After a few drinks, Jones asked McCartney to write him a song. 'Paul, who very much enjoyed doing this type of thing, told his friend he'd be happy to write a song for him.' McCartney soon had the song ready and sent it over to Jones. But McCartney included a catch. 'The condition was that I could do it, but it had to be my next single,' Jones told Wales Onlinein 2013. 'Paul wanted it out straight away. At that time, I had a song called 'Without Love' that I was going to be releasing.' Jones asked his record label, which was 'gearing up' towards the release of 'Without Love,' if he could 'stop everything' so he could record this new song. 'They said it would take a lot of time, and it was impractical, so I ended up not doing it,' said Jones. 'I was kicking myself,' he said. 'I knew it was a strong song and of course it subsequently appeared on[Let It Be].' 'The Long and Winding Road' was a source of contention within the Beatles. McCartney—who already resented the band's manager, Allen Klein—was furious that Klein, apparently without consulting anyone in the band, had producer Phil Spector record the orchestral and choral overdubs to the song. McCartney wrote a letter to Klein and Spector, demanding that 'in the future, no one will be allowed to add to or subtract from a recording of one of my songs without my permission.' He also demanded changes to the version, ending his note with 'Don't ever do it again.'Why a '70s Singer Missed Out on Recording What Became the Beatles' Final Hit Song first appeared on Parade on Aug 11, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
The Beatles head to London's West End - plans 'under wraps for months'
Exclusive: The Beatles' songs will feature in a new stage version of the film hit Yesterday which is being turned into a musical The Beatles ' songs are heading to the West End after film supremos Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis decided to turn box office hit Yesterday into a musical. The duo held an event this week in front of major investors, including Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, as they seek a theatre for the new show. An insider revealed: 'This has been kept under wraps for months but it is a huge opportunity, and the prospect of a Beatles musical is too big to miss. 'It's easy to imagine that it could play for years and years. 'There was a performance this week to show the basics of what the production will be, and all the big players in London's theatre world came along. It's a no-brainer that any theatre will want to host it so there is likely to be a bit of a bidding war to secure it. These are the most famous songs of all time, so it could run and run.' The musical will be a repurposed version of the 2019 film, written by Curtis and directed by Boyle. It starred Himesh Patel as a struggling musician who recovers from being hit by a bus, only to find he is the sole person who has ever heard of The Fab Four. It will mean The Beatles' extraordinary back catalogue will be performed on stage, with tracks including The Long And Winding Road, All You Need Is Love and Hey Jude all included, following in the footsteps of hugely successful theatre productions about similarly timeless megastars including Queen and Michael film also featured Lily James. Speaking previously, Curtis said they would not have been able to make the film without the rights to the Beatles' music. He said: "I don't think so. It's been wonderful watching these 50 years of progress, and the way that their music has still lasted, and the way that when you go see school plays – you know, at the end of it, if it's about the environment, everyone will sing 'Here Comes the Sun' or 'Octopus's Garden' or something. "My kid was in a school play about the Battle of Hastings, and at the end, William the Conqueror held Harold the King of England's hand, and they both sang 'We Can Work It Out'. "I think The Beatles are more embedded in culture than anybody else – even though, personally, I couldn't bear a world without Kate Bush. But I don't think it's the same film." On whether it was tough getting the rights to the songs and if he'd spoken to Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr, Richard explained: "No. We dealt a lot with Sony and with Apple. "I think if they'd have said no, it would have been impossible. If we were doing a film about a serial killer who loves The Beatles, they might have said no, but it clearly is quite a pro-Beatles thing."
