One of the parts that fans most enjoy about Beatle nostalgia is the one related to how they developed as musicians, as people, and in their creative work overtime. It is no secret to any of us that a large part of their success was having fresh, simple, and easily digestible songs for young people, first in their native English and then from around the world. Below are the 5 Songs John Lennon and Paul McCartney Wrote For Other Musicians:
I Wanna Be Your Man – Rolling Stones, 1963
The Rolling Stones for 1963, were still in search of their own sound, desperately trying not to be just another Blues Revival group (not to forget that such important English Beat groups as the Animals, Them, and the Yardbirds, to name a few, were very fond of Blues throughout their careers) and trying to develop their rocker side. That is why their discography 1962/1963 and something from 1964 is so uneven in terms of musical genres, but not in quality.
When this song was still in its infancy, Mick and Keith really liked it when John and Paul showed it to them, and as Decca Records wanted to quickly release the follow-up to the Come On single (by Chuck Berry) they had to rush the completion of the song. And that is why there are interesting differences between both versions; that of the Stones was published on November 1, 1963, and that of the Liverpool quartet, with the voice of Ringo Starr, on the 22nd of the same month on their second LP. It is worth mentioning that the Stone version did not appear on any of the band’s albums until 1972, when it appeared on an early compilation called Milestones.
I’ll Keep You Satisfied – Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, 1963
A native of Bootle, Lancashire – very close to Blackburn, by the way – and born in August 1943, the then young boy William Howard Ashton was a pop singer with a characteristic and pleasant timbre of voice, who imprinted a very interesting stamp on several compositions by Lennon and McCartney.
The Dakotas had already achieved success as an instrumental group, with a piece called The Cruel Sea that was covered in the USA by the masterful The Ventures. Billy’s original backing group, The Coasters, were rejected by Brian, not liking their natural sound, calling in these Manchester natives for the recordings; It was always about keeping separate identities, for a more equitable distribution of profits.
Woman – Peter & Gordon, 1966
Gordon Waller, a Scotsman who died in 2009, and Paul’s brother-in-law, Peter Asher, formed this duo in 1963, and achieved an important chain of musical successes from 1964 to 1968, with their last American hit Knight in Rusty Armor. ; Paul, like a good cousin, was pissed off with several songs for the duet, taking advantage of the fact that the beautiful Jane Asher was very happy with it.
Among the songs written by Sir Paul (credit Lennon/McCartney) for these youngsters we can highlight: Nobody I Know, I Don’t Wanna See You Again, and a song that Paul wrote under the pseudonym “Bernard Webb” called Woman and that also reached the first places of popularity; curiously, Macca wanted to do an experiment, which consisted of composing a song that was a hit by itself, and that was not so just because it was a McCartney composition.
Badfinger – Come and Get It, 1970
The track was penned by McCartney for the 1969 dark comedy The Magic Christian, featuring Ringo Starr, Monty Python stars John Cleese and Graham Chapman, Peter Sellers, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, and others, and was recorded by Badfinger for the movie. “Come and Get It” became the first single for Welsh rockers, originally known as The Iveys in the 1960s, and debuted at No. 7. on the Hot 100 Paul had already produced a demo of the tune for The Beatles Abbey Road sessions, and while it never made on the band’s 1969 album, their rendition of “Come and Get It” was included on the Abbey Road Anthology 3 compilation edition in 1996.
Ringo Starr – I’m The Greatest, 1973
“I’m The Greatest,” from Ringo Starr’s third album Ringo was released in 1973 and served as an accidental Beatles reunion. The song features Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison, which is the only occasion the four Beatles collaborated together after the band’s formal split in 1970. Separately, the three Beatles made a song for Ringo Starr. “I’m the Greatest,” written by John Lennon, was co-written by George Harrison, as were “Photograph” and “You and Me (Babe),” and “Six O’ Clock,” written by Paul McCartney and his wife Linda for their pal. The piece was written by John Lennon in 1970, quickly just after The Beatles collapsed, and was motivated by Muhammad Ali’s famous slogan “I’m the Greatest.”
“I couldn’t sing it,” John stated in 1980. “But it was perfect for Ringo. He could say, ‘I’m the greatest’ and people wouldn’t get upset. Whereas if I said ‘I’m the greatest,’ they’d all take it so seriously.” Starr added, “It’s very tongue in cheek. Only [John] could have written it and only I could have sung it.”