Paul McCartney Is Surprisingly Excited About the New Beatles Documentary
The decade of the ’60s was a turbulent time in America. The U.S. was involved in the Vietnam War and antiwar protests broke out all over the country. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Less than five years later, his brother, Bobby Kennedy, suffered the same fate.
The country saw civil rights movements, a lot of pot-smoking, and space travel with man landing on the moon. And The Beatles touched the hearts and souls of millions.
The Beatles had 20 Number One hits in America. The group recorded more than 200 songs in their eight years together. They also produced their own movies such as A Hard Day’s Night, Help, and Magical Mystery Tour.
There have been many movies made about them since including Birth of the Beatles, Backbeat, and George Harrison: Living in the Material World, and others inspired by them. In 2021, Beatles fans can look forward to another film sharing never-before-seen footage of the group through their eight-year run.
A brief recap of The Beatles
Beatlemania in the U.S. welcomed in the New Year in 1964. While “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was not the first recorded single for the foursome, it was the first hit in America.
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the hit was released in the UK in late November. Being aired on American radio stations, Capitol Records was forced to release the 45 early, selling 250,000 copies within days, according to BestClassicBands.com.
The song made #1 on the Hot 100 Singles Chart at #45 and stayed there for seven weeks. It wasn’t their first recording, however. “Love Me Do” was their debut single recording in October 1962, according to Rolling Stone.
The Beatles’ first live concert in the U.S. came in February 1964 playing at the Washington Coliseum in D.C., according to The Washington Post. The two-night concert series followed the appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show with some 73 million people watching on their television sets, according to EdSullivan.com.
The Beatles changed the music scene in the ’60s and is still considered the most influential band ever. McCartney and Ringo Starr are alive today. Lennon was shot and killed in New York City in 1980, and George Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001.
The Beatles in film
The Beatles broke up, officially, in 1970. It had been a few years coming and the break-up wasn’t pretty. There have been many rumors alleging various reasons, but in truth, one of the most contributing factors was the wear-and-tear of Beatlemania on the group. The individual band members were wanting to pursue their musical interests.
In the half-century since, there have been numerous books and films about The Beatles. The film “Let it Be,” was particularly unsettling to McCartney, who was saddened by the breakup.
In 2021 there is a new movie coming, one that should be upbeat. Director Peter Jackson of Lord of The Rings fame started the project last year. While the timing was a bit hampered by the coronavirus, Jackson and his team are working in New Zealand, known for nipping the virus in the bud.
The Beatles: Get Back is being assembled from “56 hours of previously unseen footage of the band,” according to CNN. There are 150 hours of audio also available for the film to draw from.
The footage is described as the story of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Star, “when the Fab Four were preparing for their first live show in two years,” filmed in 1969. It reveals the band practicing 14 new songs and will include the group’s last live performance, held in London.
McCartney shared his joy on Reddit
Recently the now 78-year-old McCartney took to Reddit promoting his new album, “McCartney III” and answering some fan questions. Some asked about the upcoming movie.
“Hi Paul! I saw the sneak peek released yesterday by Peter Jacksson from the upcoming Get Back documentary and got really excited!” one fan wrote. He asked if McCartney was excited as well and whether McCartney was familiar with the footage Jackson was reviewing for the film.
McCartney said he is. “I was very happily surprised when Peter Jackson told me he’d been reviewing the unseen 56 hours of footage and he found it to be entertaining and upbeat.” McCartney, too, is upbeat about it, saying he has since seen some clips. “It’s pretty exciting, I must say. Crazy!”
It is also pretty exciting to have Sir Paul McCartney respond to you on Reddit, or anywhere!
A fellow fan wrote, “Highlight of your life Paul f—— McCartney responded to your comment eh?”
