Fred Astaire Said The Beatles Were ‘Tremendous Artists’

Fred Astaire once said The Beatles were “tremendous artists.” The Fab Four thought the same of the singer and dancer. They even pretended to be Astaire in a couple of songs.

Fred Astaire thought The Beatles were ‘tremendous artists’

During an interview on The Dick Cavett Show, Astaire talked about the contemporary music his grandchildren listened to. His grandson, who was 10 at the time, listened to hard rock.

Cavett asked if Astaire had any Beatles records in his own collection. “Oh, sure,” Astaire said. “I love The Beatles. Tremendous artists.” He said their music alone was great.

He also liked that their music had a distinct sound. For instance, if Astaire heard a song, he would have recognized that it was The Beatles.

Astaire inspired a couple of Beatles songs

In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul McCartney wrote that Astaire and other old Hollywood stars are an inspiration to him. Paul’s father, Jim McCartney, engrained Astaire and other entertainers of that era, including Cole Porter and Ella Fitzgerald, into Paul as a child.

Later, Astaire and other early performers came out in Beatles songs. Paul was thinking of Astaire and “the whole world of the silver screen” when he was writing The Beatles’ “Honey Pie.”

The singer and dancer also popped up in The Beatles’ film Magical Mystery Tour, during the scene where they sing “Your Mother Should Know.” They’re paying homage to 1930s musicals, wearing crisp tuxedos similar to the ones Astaire used to always wear.

“I remember in the 60s when we were making ‘Sgt. Pepper,’ I used to say I really like Fred Astaire,” Paul told Huff Post. “Fred’s jackets are cut very close, with very slim sleeves, so I wanted one — those kinds of stylistic things came from people like him.”

Astaire had other connections to The Beatles. According to Udiscover, Astaire was reportedly thrilled when The Beatles asked if it was O.K. to add an image of him to the album cover of Sgt Pepper.

Per Astaire’s website, Astaire made a cameo in John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s film, Imagine. They were thrilled with his first take, but he wasn’t.

Astaire’s rendition of Cole Porter’s “Cheek to Cheek” inspired Paul on “Here, There and Everywhere.” Later, the love song inspired Paul on his 2012 album Kisses on the Bottom.

Paul pretends to be Astiare to get a ‘little voice’

In The Lyrics, Paul revealed that sometimes when he’s singing, he pretends to be Astaire to get that “little” voice. “It helps me reach a very particular place. Sometimes I’ll be Fats Waller, and that helps me reach a place too,” Paul wrote.

Paul would like it very much if people remembered him for being a channeller of Nat King Cole, Waller, or Astaire. “I don’t think there’s any denying the idea of being a medium,” he added. “I definitely dreamt ‘Yesterday,’ so I’m sure I’ve channelled many other songs.”

So, thanks to Astaire, we have some of the best Beatles songs.