A concert in 1971 that leads to a story of copyrights and confusion

I love the Beatles.   I have always been a fan of the songwriting by John, Paul and George.   And I’ve grown to appreciate Ringo’s contributions to the catalog of songs as well.  There is no denying that the Beatles influenced popular music in such a significant way, it would be hard to fathom what music would be like without their compositions.

We have learned more about John’s and Paul’s working relationship in the last 10 years.  With some songs they relied heavily on each other to provide guidance. While other songs were created alone and without collaboration.

But one thing we are well aware of is that John Lennon was capable or writing a hit song.  It’s been told that he famously wrote “A Hard Days Night” in less than 15 minutes with lyrics scratched out on matchbook covers.  That fifteen minutes worth of writing would hit the top of the charts in both the U.K. and the U.S. during the summer of 1964.  I’m sure there are dozens of similar stories where John or Paul are able to compose a masterpiece within minutes, while other writers agonize over songs for days or even weeks.

So, I was perplexed as to why John Lennon would be named in a story regarding the copyright of a song he didn’t write.  And by many involved, it appears he and his wife Yoko Ono took credit for a song that many believe wasn’t even very good.   As extremely gifted as John Lennon was as a musician, he was as equally complex in his private life.  This news is confusing to stay the least.

Check out this short video below about John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Frank Zappa and a famous concert at the Fillmore East in 1971.  

Let me know what you think-- were John and Yoko out of line?

Have a great week! Rob

TheRockandRollProfessor.com

https://youtu.be/78vJds5Zq44