Beatles Will Be Beatles

Narrator: It's a great sound, isn't it? Some say, it's the sound of a group that has achieved overnight success; but don't you believe it...

Narrator: It took The Beatles over five years to become an overnight success. And, much like the title of their first motion picture, it was indeed a "Hard Day's Night." John Lennon—who almost was side-tracked into an art career, by the way—must be credited not only with initiating The Beatles, but also as the one member who never gave up hopе of success, despite many advеrsities. And he was always the rallying point for regroupings. John Lennon, whose whole family was musically inclined, was also the first to form a group and called it The Quarrymen. Paul McCartney soon joined John's Quarrymen, thereby earning the title of Beatle-in-waiting #2. Now, the world never caught onto a crazy called Quarrymen-mania, as evidence that the magic sound was not yet formed. The Quarrymen, originally five in number, dwindled down to John and Paul, but under the new name, The Nerk Twins, there was still disillusionment. With musical idols Buddy Holly and The Crickets, George Harrison was the next to join John and Paul, becoming Beatle-in-waiting #3. With George, the new group name became John and the Moondogs; but, no Moondog-mania. By now, the skiffle craze was dimming, and with it, the hopes of the Moondogs, who were still in their skiffle-apprenticeship at a time when skiffle journeymen couldn't find work. While still working on new ideas for sound, and some moral support too, from better known Liverpool groups, John Lennon introduced the name "Beetle"—

Narrator: But who came up with the final name, "Beatles" spelled with the B-E-A-T? Paul McCartney explains the origin...

"John got the name Beatles..." ("In a vision, probably, you know") "...ages ago, you know, when we wanted, when we needed a name. And everybody [?] a name, and he thought of Beatles."

Interviewer: "Why the B-E-A instead of the B-E-E?"

George: "Well, actually, you know..."

John: "Well, you know, if you [?] it would be double-E, it was hard enough getting people to understand why it was B-E-A, nevermind, you know..."

Narrator: For a time the name was softened to Silver Beetles and, with various other artists joining and leaving the group, John, Paul, and George were getting closer and closer to that magic door which, one day, was to suddenly fly open and lift them from a Liverpool cellar and carry them before a world spotlight so bright it would leave their image permanently embedded in entertainment history. The Beatles like to be thought of as a fun-loving, devil-may-care, non-conforming, live-loving quartet, which is more often disjointed than jointed. But, while they may have neither interest nor ability in booking their own engagements, or counting profits, they've consistently displayed that they take their music seriously, themselves lightly, and world acclaim moderately. Not even their success-swelled bank accounts seem to faze their basic down-to-earth outlook; even with full knowledge that critics and friends by the legion are scampering, clawing, begging for tidbits of information—any information—on how they formed, how they dress, they take it casually...

Narrator: John Lennon, for instance, when asked the technical question of how long it took them to develop the Beatles' sound from its parent skiffle beat, answered: "Oh, over a period of about six months, I think. Or was it a year?" "No, it was a bit longer, John, 'cause..." "You forget, you know... I know I met Paul first, and, he-he sort of joined this sort of group. And then George. And it gradually changed until it was just us three."

Narrator: But it really wasn't as easy as it sounds. Those last painful month before discovery were full of obstructions, and barriers, and disillusionment, and disappointments, but, if success seemed to elude The Beatles in their native Liverpool, several junkets to Hamburg, Germany worked well for both their pocketbooks and their spirit. Particularly their last trip, in which they achieved their first audience reaction, which was later to be called Beatlemania. The Germans were the first to feel Beatlemania. And this despite the fact that a good part of the Beatle act was spoofing everything from Nazis to Nietzsche, and Aryans to Agrarians. The barbs, with noted Liverpudlian wit, were burned into Hamburg audiences between numbers and during numbers. Returning home to Liverpool, however, was somewhat of a disappointment, for their Hamburg success story hadn't reached home. For the boys, #10 Matthew Street, the address of the popular Cavern Club, was as far away as #10 Downing. About this same time, another Liverpool act, Merseyside, was achieving notable success. A group called Rory Storm and the Texans. Music historians would later pay particular note to a mournful-faced little drummer with The Texans, known to friends as Richie, but to the public as Ringo Starr. It wouldn't be long before Ringo would be Beatle #4. Lady Luck would be Beatle #5 and with the brilliant guiding hand of Brian Epstein as their manager, The Beatles would soon lift off the Liverpool launch pad with enough force to put the entire music world into orbit...