Paul McCartney Explained Why Buddy Holly Impacted The Beatles More Than Elvis

Good things take time. The Beatles proved it. Paul McCartney and John Lennon needed time to grow as songwriters, so the Fab Four’s early records contained many covers. Another artist called John and Paul idiots as composers — then recorded one of their songs anyway. Even though The Beatles covered several of his songs in their live set, Paul threw Elvis Presley under the bus when explaining why Buddy Holly had a bigger impact on the Beatles.

Elvis inspired Paul McCartney and John Lennon when they formed The Beatles

Artists such as Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Eddie Cochran, and Buddy Holly helped introduce post-War England to rock ‘n’ roll music. Judging by some of The Beatles’ earliest setlists, Elvis greatly impacted the band. 

The Beatles incorporated at least four Elvis covers (some better than others) into their act. He wasn’t the only influence on Paul, John, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They covered the Isley Brothers’ version of “Twist and Shout” on their debut album, Please Please Me. The Beatles added a Holly song (“Words of Love”) on their second record; it was the only time they did. The Fab Four also played Chuck Berry (“Roll Over Beethoven”) and Smokey Robinson (“You Really Got a Hold on Me”) tunes on the second album.

Still, Elvis remained a major influence on The Beatles. He even encouraged them to stop touring, which might have been the decision that helped them push pop music into uncharted territory. Still, Paul threw Elvis under the bus when he explained why Buddy Holly impacted The Beatles more significantly.

Paul badmouthed Elvis while explaining how Buddy Holly impacted The Beatles, and it makes sense

The Beatles relied on cover songs out of necessity in the early years. As budding songwriters, Paul and John didn’t have a catalog of their own songs to play — certainly not enough to fill hours of sets during their Hamburg, Germany, residencies.

Yet the goal was to make original songs the only tunes in the Fab Four’s repertoire. They wanted to be like Buddy Holly in that way. Paul threw Elvis under the bus when he explained to Ronnie Wood (via YouTube) why Holly had a bigger impact on The Beatles:

“The other reason we loved Buddy was that he wrote. He wrote his stuff. Elvis didn’t write. [We] loved Elvis, but he didn’t write his stuff. Buddy wrote and played, and played the solos, so he was a self-contained guy, which is what we were trying to emulate.”

Paul McCartney

Paul was a little off the mark with his comments. Holly didn’t write every single song he played. Roy Orbison, who joined George’s Traveling Wilburys project decades later, wrote two songs on Holly’s The “Chirping” Crickets debut, per AllMusic. 

Yet Holly earned songwriting credits on several songs from that album, including the hit single “That’ll Be the Day.” Conversely, Elvis picked up just one credit (for “Blue Suede Shoes”) on his first album. Holly had his hands on several songs on his Buddy Holly and That’ll Be the Day albums. Elvis co-wrote just nine songs he performed, per the ASCAP repertory.

Paul threw Elvis under the bus when he detailed how Buddy Holly impacted The Beatles. Macca was slightly off, but his reasoning makes sense. He and John chose music as their creative outlet. There’s something to be said for mastering songs you love, but many of the most influential musicians write what they play. Paul wanted to leave his mark with his music. Performing cover songs wasn’t the route to greatness. 

Buddy Holly wrote many of his songs, while Elvis hardly did. Paul and his bandmates wanted to be remembered for their own music, not other people’s, which was why Holly had a bigger impact on The Beatles than Elvis.

The Fab Four felt let down when they met the King of Rock and Roll

Paul once praised John as the Elvis of The Beatles. That was about as big a compliment as he could give, but he might have changed his mind after the Fab Four met their hero.

The band anticipated meeting Elvis in 1965, only to be let down when they did. John insulted him in his home. George spent most of his time outside. Years later, Ringo said meeting Elvis made him angry since he surrounded himself with nothing but sycophants and hangers-on. The old saying “Don’t meet your heroes” rang true for The Beatles.

There’s no denying Elvis’ music helped shape the nascent Fab Four. Yet Paul McCartney said Buddy Holly impacted The Beatles more because he wrote the music he performed. He might have overestimated Holly’s songwriting prowess, but Macca’s reasoning for wanting to emulate him makes complete sense.

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