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TLDR;

  • Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz was torn when asked to choose between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
  • Wentz and Patrick Stump compared The Beatles to Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Kanye West.
  • Wentz’s favorite Beatles song wasn’t a hit.
The Beatles' Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger on a train
The Beatles’ Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger | Victor Blackman / Stringer

Fans have been comparing The Beatles and The Rolling Stones since the bands’ heyday. During an interview, Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy discussed his feelings on the groups. He also revealed why he thinks one of them is similar to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson. 

Why Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz was ‘split’ when he had to choose between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones

During a 2009 interview with MusicRadar, Wentz was asked if he preferred The Beatles to The Rolling Stones. “I would say, for me … if it was based purely on the songs, it would be The Beatles,” he said. “The amount of amazing songs they did in the span of the time period they did them in is insane. But there’s a small part of me that thinks it’s insanely awesome that The Stones are still doing it.” 

Wentz elaborated on his opinion. “I’m a little split,” he said. “But if I was going purely on the songs, it’d be The Beatles. But other than that, man, The Stones are still touring, dude.”

Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy holding a guitar
Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy | Daniel Knighton/Getty Images

Fall Out Boys’ Pete Wentz discussed his favorite Fab Four song

During a 2009 interview with MTV News, Wentz said he discussed The Beatles with Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump. Stump opined there are few artists everyone has to have an opinion on — namely The Beatles, Jackson, Elvis, and Kanye West. Wentz said he agreed with Stump.

Wentz also discussed his feelings about individual Beatles songs. “I remember listening to ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand,’ and I didn’t know it was a Beatles song at all; I just liked the song a lot when I was a little dude,” he said. “I missed out on it in my teen years, when I was really too ‘punk rock‘ to be listening to the Beatles … and got into it later. ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun’ is probably my favorite Beatles song ever.”

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The way the world reacted to The Beatles’ ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun’

Wentz mentioned his love of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Happiness Is a Warm Gun.” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” became a massive hit. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks, staying on the chart for 15 weeks in total. In the United States, The Beatles released “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on the album Meet the Beatles! Meet the Beatles! reached No. 1 for 11 of its 74 weeks on the Billboard 200.

On the other hand, “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” did not have the same impact. “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” was never released as a single, so it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The song appeared on The White Album. The White Album was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for nine of its 215 weeks on the chart.

Wentz likes The Beatles better than The Rolling Stones and he thinks everyone has an opinion on the Fab Four.

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