Ɖ picćrz ɖ sñr tc v hiz frendz n bandmêts gv a Bìtlz-î vy v ɖ meńa arnd ɖ band in 1964. Sìn hir fr ɖ frst tîm, ɖz xtrordnri bhnd-ɖ-sīnz momnts capćr for yuñ men on ɖ brinc v imortaḷti
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Pōl MCartni, Saṭde, 3 Jūn 2023
Smẃr in ɖ bac v mî mînd, I olwz ń I hd tecn sm picćrz in ɖ 1960z. At frst, I cd’nt pinpônt ɖ yir, bt I wz srtn w wr qt yuñ, jst ẃn ɖ Bìtlz wr riyli tecñ of. I nvr traid t fînd ɖs c’lex́n – conśsli, ɖt z – bt I cnd v ʈt ɖt it wd jst srfis at ɖ rît tîm. Ɖr’z ofn a srtn amǎnt v seṛndiṗti involvd. N ẃl w wr pripẹrñ fr an xbiśn v mî lêt wîf Linda’z foṭgrafs in 2020, I lrnt ɖt mî ǒn hd bn prizrvd in mî arcîvz. Ẃn I frst sw ɖm aftr so mni decedz, I wz dlîtd ɖt ɖz iṃjz n contactśīts hd bn fîṇli lcetd.
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Slf-portrits in a mirr, Paris. ‘Aftr wn v ɖ Paris śoz, w wr at ɖ Jorj V hotel ẃn a teḷgram arîvd fṛm Cápitl Recordz in America. “Atnśn: ɖ Bìtlz. Cngrać̣leśnz bôz. Numbr wn in ɖ YS. I Wont T Hold Yr Hand.” W ran arnd ɖ hotel rūm n scrīmd n danst’
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Enwn hu rīdiscuvrz a prsnl relic or faṃli treźr z instntli fludd wɖ meṃriz n imośnz, ẃć ɖen trigr asośieśnz berid in ɖ hêz v tîm. Ɖs wz xacli mî xpirịns ẃn siyñ ɖz fotoz, ol tecn ovr an intns ʈri-munʈ pirịd, culṃnetñ in Febrri 1964. It wz a wundrfl snseśn bcz ɖe plunjd m rît bac. Hir wz mî ǒn record v ǎr frst hyj trip, a fotgrafic jrnl v ɖ Bìtlz in six sitiz, bginñ in Liṿpul n Lundn, foloud bî Paris (ẃr Jon n I hd bn ordnri hićhîcrz jst ovr tū yirz bfr), n ɖen ẃt w rgardd az ɖ big tîm, ǎr frst vizit az a grūp t America – Ny Yorc, Wośñtn DC n Mîami – t ɖ land ẃr, at līst in ǎr mîndz, ḿzic’s fyćr wz biyñ born.
It wz a pirịd v – ẃt els cn y cōl it? – panḍmońm. W for gaiz fṛm Liṿpul cd’nt poṣbli riylîz ɖen ɖ impḷceśnz v ẃt w wr dwñ. Bî ɖ end v Febrri 1964, aftr ǎr vizit t America n ʈri apiṛnsz on Ɖ Ed Sulivn Śo, w fîṇli hd t admit ɖt w wd nt, az w hd orijiṇli fird, jst fizl ǎt az mni grūps d. W wr in ɖ vangard v smʈñ mor m’mnṭs, a reṿluśn in ɖ culćr.
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Ɖ Bìtlz arîv at ɖ Deauville Hotel, Mîami, in Febrri 1964 fr ɖer secnd apiṛns on Ɖ Ed Sulivn ŚoNy Yorc Siti, Febrri 1964: ‘W wr steyñ at ɖ Plāza Hotel, hu wr priti hoṛfaid bî ol ɖ huḷḅlu’Mîami: ‘V ɖ fotoz I tc on ɖ jrni fṛm ɖ erport t ɖ hotel, wn v ɖ most strîcñ, fr m, z v an armd p’līsmn on hiz moṭsîcl. Hiz gun wz fremd prficli ʈru ɖ windo, n I manijd t foc̣s on hiz gun n aḿniśn. It wz stl slîtli śocñ fr s t si a gun in riyl lîf’
Ɖ truʈ z ɖt I hv olwz bn inṭrestd in ftogṛfi, fṛm ɖ tîm I wz vri yuñ, ẃn ǎr faṃli ǒnd a litl boxcamra in ɖ 1950z. I yst t luv ɖ hol proses v lodñ a rol v Codac film intu ǎr Brǎni camra. I wd asc mî bruɖr, Mîc, t tec a picćr v m ǎtsd a hotdog stor – an Americn xport t a cuntri ɖt hd nvr prīvịsli noun hotdogz. N fṛm ɖoz rli yirz, w wd yz ɖ camra t tec picćrz v ć uɖr. Ɖs wz nt jst a MCartni faṃlihobi. Evri faṃli w ń wd tec a camra on hoḷde, az in “Hir w r on hoḷde in Blacpūl” or “Hir I am wɖ Ānti Dilis n Uncl Hari”, az w dd ẃn w wnt t Butlin’z hoḷdecamp.
In lcñ bac at ɖz foṭgrafs, I hv īvn gretr rgard fr ɖ ftogṛfrz arnd ɖ Bìtlz bac ɖen. Ɖe wd hv t frem ɖ picćr, ges ɖ lîtñ n ɖen jst g fr it – ɖ madnis ɖt inveḷpt s evrẃr mcñ ɖer wrc evr mor dificlt. Sins w wr srǎndd bî jrṇlists, I ofn tc picćrz v ɖm, nt so mć fr rvnj bt bcz ɖe wr an inṭrestñ grūp v ppl. I wd ofn se t ɖm, “Ẃt’s ɖ rît lîtñ?”, bcz ɖe wr pṛfeśnlz n wd ōṭmaticli nǒ. Dspt ɖ simpliṣti v ɖ camra, ɖ proses, at līst t m, wz ćaḷnjñ, sins wɖ ć rol, y hd onli 24 or 36 iṃjz, ẃć y hd t gt rît, bcz ɖr wz’nt a secnd ćans. Ɖs z sć a contrast wɖ ɖ proses tde v tecñ picćrz on yr fon. Y cd’nt b lezi ɖen. Y hd t tec ɖ rît picćr, acć̣li cmpoz ɖ imij in ɖ frem wɖt ɖ sefti v nwñ y cd crop it lêtr. Ẃn I woćt Linda wrc, ś wz vri old scūl in ɖt we. Ś hd ɖ diṣplin t spot ɖ picćr n ɖen tec it. Ś unḍstd ɖt ś hd onli wn oṗtyṇti n ś hd t gt it rît.
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Ringo on a flît t Mîami: ‘Folowñ ǎr YS trip, Ringo cônd ɖ frêz “Tmoro nvr nz”. Az tru tde az it wz bac ɖen.’Slovac ftogṛfr n frend v ɖ band Dezo Hoffmann (on rît), amñ ɖ ʈroñ in Paris
Ʈñz wr haṗnñ so wîldli ɖt I canot se ɖt ftogṛfi wz in ɖ fōrfrunt v mî mînd az w turd. Īvn ɖo w wontd t trnsform fṛm a litl band t a big wn, n īvn ɖo w hopt fr inṭnaśnl axptns ẃn w wnt t Frans n ɖen ɖ YS, nwn cd hv pridictd ẃt I dscrîbd az ɖ “Îz v ɖ Storm”. At frst, I wz tmtd t cōl it ɖt, bcz ɖ Bìtlz srtnli wr at ɖ sntr, or ɖ î, v a slf-jeṇretd storm, bt ẃn I lct at ol ɖz foṭgrafs, I riylîzd it riyli śd b in ɖ plŭṛl, ɖ “Îz v ɖ Storm”, bcz v ol ɖ picćrz ɖt uɖrz wr tecñ, ɖ foṭgrafs I wz tecñ, n olso ɖ îz v ɖ fanz ɖt grītd s, ɖ s’kṛti ɖt lct aftr s. Hu z lcñ at hu? Ɖ camra olwz sīmz t b śiftñ, wɖ m foṭgrafñ ɖm, ɖ pres foṭgrafñ s, n ɖoz ʈǎzndz n ʈǎzndz v ppl ǎt ɖr wontñ t capćr ɖs storm.
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Prezidnt Ceṇdi hd bn mrdrd onli a litl ovr tū munʈs bfr ǎr arîvl in ɖ Ynîtd Stets, n hiz asaṣneśn hd ric̣śeid ʈrt ɖ wrld, so w figrd ɖ atṃsfir mt stl b sbdyd. Bt ɖ minit w landd in Ny Yorc, w ń instntli ɖt w wr nt in stor fr eni cnd v fynirịl tîm. It wz a Frîde in rli Febrri ẃn w tućt dǎn, n it flt lîc ʈǎzndz – n lêtr, ʈru teḷviźn n Ɖ Ed Sulivn Śo – miłnz v îz wr sudnli upn s, crietñ a picćr I wl nvr fget.
Ɖ erport sīn ɖt Febrri wz bedḷm, mas hstiria. Nt in Liṿpul or Lundn, nt in Paris wz ɖr enʈñ cmpaṛbl. Bt ɖ erport (ẃć hd onli rīsntli ćenjd its nem fṛm Îdlwîld t Ceṇdi) wz jst ɖ start v it, bcz caṛvanz v focs lînd ɖ strīts n hîwez t gt a glims v s az ǎr car crōld intu Manhatn. Ɖ jrṇlists n ftogṛfrz foloud s in viyclz n minitrucs, wel-wiśrz ʈroññ bʈ sîdz v ɖ rod, az f w wr sm sort v trîumfnt aʈlīts seḷbretñ a vicṭri lap.
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Mîami: ‘Ɖ for v s spent so mć tîm wrcñ tgɖr ɖt it’s gd t si s jst rlaxñ n injoyñ ǎrslvz’
Az ǎr grūp md its we t DC n ɖen t Mîami, mî camra wz atractd t ɖs ny Americn yṇvrs v comn ppl. Ɖr’z a man wɖ a śuvl in frunt v ɖ Pnṣlveńa frêtcar in Wośñtn DC, standñ raptli woćñ, or for eṛplein mcanics clad in ẃît at Mîami erport. Ɖz r mî ppl. Ɖs z ẃr I’m fṛm. I grù p in a wrcñclas faṃli in Liṿpul, so I cd nvr dtać mslf fṛm ppl lîc ɖz. I wontd t b rît in ɖ midl v ɖm. Mî reḷtivz wr xacli lîc ɖz ppl. Y’l fînd ɖm – ɖ busdrîvr, ɖ postmn, ɖ milcmn – nt onli in mî soñz bt in mni v ɖz fotoz.
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Jorj rlaxz in Mîami: ‘Most v ɖz fotoz, isnṣ́li, r hoḷdesnaps’In ɖ dresñrūm at ɖ Finzḅri Parc Astoria fr ɖ Bìtlz Crisṃs Śo, Dsmbr 1963
Ɖt America rmend a land v contṛdix́nz bcem apaṛnt jrñ ɖ Mîami leg v ɖ tur, wɖ ol ɖt culr cmñ aftr ɖ gre drabnis v Ny Yorc n Wośñtn DC, ẃr ɖ grǎndz v ɖ Ẃît Hǎs n ɖ Cápitl bildñ hd bn berid in sluśi sno. I hd yt t pl ǎt ɖ culrfilm rol, bt y cn fīl ɖ intns xîtmnt az w tućt dǎn at Mîami erport, jamd t ɖ rūf n ɖ raftrz wɖ wel-wiśrz v evri sort. N ɖen cmz ɖt xploźn v culr az w gt ɖ ćans t rlax n ple in ɖ grīn-blu wōtrz v ɖ Atlantic Ośn, īvn ɖo w nǒ w stl hv wn mor lîv apiṛns on Ɖ Ed Sulivn Śo t cm. Wn v mî feṿrit fotoz in ɖ c’lex́n śoz Jorj Harisn, hiz fes hidn bî súnglasz, biyñ handd a drinc – probbli a scoć n Cǒc – bî a grl, n olɖo w d’nt si hr fes, w d si hr daẓlñ yelo swimñcostym. Ɖ compziśn wz dlibṛt, n I’m glad ɖt I dd’nt muv frɖr awe bt cept Jorj az ɖ foc̣s v ɖ imij. In lcñ bac on ɖz fotoz v ɖ gd lîf, I’m nt at ol s’prîzd ɖt ɖ culrpicćrz startd haṗnñ ẃn w got t Mîami, bcz, sudnli, w wr in Wunḍland.
Olɖo w hd no pspctiv at ɖ tîm, w wr, lîc ɖ wrld, xpirịnsñ a sx́l awecnñ. Ǎr peṛnts hd firz v sx́l dzizz n ol sorts v ʈñz lîc ɖt, bt bî ɖ midl v ɖ 60z, w’d riylîzd ɖt w hd a frīdm ɖt hd nvr bn aveḷbl t ɖer jeṇreśn. Travl wz wn ʈñ ǎr peṛnts hd nvr dn. Ɖe nvr hd muni, îɖr; y hv t aprīśiet hǎ hard ʈñz wr bʈ jrñ n aftr ɖ wor. Y mt b s’prîzd t lrn ɖt I wz ɖ frst prsn in mî branć v ɖ faṃli hu evr hd a car. Ppl jst dd’nt hv ɖm; ɖe dpndd on public trnsport, ẃć ol v s wr yst t in Liṿpul. Onli lêtr dd I cm t riylîz ɖt w wr in ɖ fōrfrunt v ɖz ny ćenjz, ɖs abrupt śift in ɖ yʈ ɖt in hîndsît sīmz t hv crisṭlîzd in 1964.
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Jorj n Jon in Liṿpul, Dsmbr 1963. ‘Ɖ X on ɖs foto śoz it’s bn tecn fṛm a contactśīt, n ɖ marc – md bî m – inḍcets it wz a feṿrit’‘I muvd in wɖ Jen Aśr at ɖ end v ɖ yir. I ofn tc hr portrit ẃl w wr tgɖr’
Rīdiscuṿrñ ɖ foṭgrafs I tc in mî rli 20z inevitbli mcs m rflect on mć larjr qsćnz. I ʈnc it’s ɖ sem az it wd b fr enwn, ɖt ẃn y lc at picćrz v yrslf ẃn y wr yungr – in mî ces, a lot yungr – ɖr r a lot v imośnz. On ɖ most besic levl, y ʈnc, “Bô, dd’nt I lc gd?”, bt w ol lc bytifl ẃn w’r yuñ, n I’m prǎd t hv bn ʈru ɖt n t nǎ hv ɖ priṿlij v rīviẓtñ so mni v ɖoz momnts. I riylîz ɖt mni ppl gt sad ẃn ɖe pōr ʈru old faṃli albmz, bt I d’nt fīl ɖt sns v los, īvn ɖo qt a fy v ɖ ppl hu r portreid hir hv daid.
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A mesij fṛm fanz on ɖ bīć ǎtsd ɖ band’z hotel in MîamiNy Yorc: ‘Róni Spectr in ǎr Plāza hotel swìt. Ol for v s luvd ɖ Rónéts’Ny Yorc, Febrri 1964: ‘Ringo setñ p hiz pricerịsli prćt drumcit jrñ rhrslz fr Ɖ Ed Sulivn śo’
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It’s nt so mć a fīlñ v los bt a jô in ɖ past. Ẃn I lc bac n ʈnc, I hv t se, “Wǎ” – w dd ol ɖt, n w wr jst cidz fṛm Liṿpul. N hir it z in ɖ foṭgrafs. Bô, hǎ gret dz Jon lc? Hǎ hansm z Jorj n hǎ cūl z Ringo, wẹrñ ɖt funi Frenć hat? I’m olso drwn t ɖ picćrz v ɖ ftogṛfrz, hu wr nvr ǎr eṇmi. Ɖe brñ bac meṃriz v ẃt it wz lîc biyñ in Ny Yorc fr ɖ frst tîm, biyñ tecn dǎn t Sntṛl Parc, wɖ ol ɖoz hard-bitn camṛmen śǎtñ ǎt, “Hê Bìtl, hê Bìtl, hê Bìtl.” N w’d lc at ɖm n ɖ’d tec ɖ picćr, n ɖen wn mor, olwz jst wn mor.
I’m rmîndd v so mni ʈñz: v an Ñgḷnd ɖt wz mor mî peṛnts’ jeṇreśn ɖn mî ǒn; v ɖ rli conṣts n ɖoz orijinl fanz; v “Bìtlmeńa” n v a Lundn ɖt in 1963 spouc v promis n ambiśn n evrʈñ ny t for yuñ men fṛm ɖ norʈ.
N I’m rmîndd v an America ɖt I nǒ stl xists, smẃr. I rmembr ol ɖoz storiz, sm v ɖm riyl, uɖrz imajind, fṛm lcñ ǎt v ɖ trenwindo, siyñ Americn frêțrenz, Americn relwe yardz. I lîc Americn trenz t ɖs de. I lîc t ʈnc ɖt I cn hír “ɖt lonsm ẃisl blo”. It’s ɖ maɉsti v ol ɖoz bytifl old bluzsoñz, n I bgin t wundr hǎ ol ɖoz ppl hićt rîdz acrs ɖ cuntri in ɖ old dez. Īvn ɖen, az y hír in mî soñz, I wz olwz imaɉnñ ɖ lîvz v ppl I dd nt nǒ, lîc ɖt man, “ɖ Pnṣlveńn”, I’l cōl him, in frunt v ɖ trenyard, huz stori I wl nvr nǒ, bt I cn stl asc: “Ẃt wz h lîc ẃn h wnt hom ɖt nît? Dd h mnśn hvñ sìn ɖ Bìtlz at ɖ dinrtebl?”
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‘Ɖ crǎdz ćesñ s in A Hard De’z Nît wr best on momnts lîc ɖs. Tecn ǎt v ɖ bac v ǎr car on Wst 58ʈ, crosñ ɖ Aṿny v ɖ Americaz’
Ɖz ppl, sm feṃs n uɖrz, lîc ɖ fanz, toṭli anoniṃs, nǎ brñ bac so mni storiz, a flud v speśl meṃriz, ẃć z wn v ɖ mni rīznz I luv ɖm ol, n nǒ ɖt ɖe wl olwz fîr mî imaɉneśn. T lc at ɖ streñʈ, t lc at ɖ luv n ɖ wundr v ẃt w wnt ʈru ɖt’s capćrd in ɖz foṭgrafs z ɖ hol ʈñ. It’s ẃt mcs lîf gret.
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Ɖs z an eḍtd xtract fṛm 1964: Îz v ɖ Storm – Foṭgrafs n Rflex́nz bî Pōl MCartni (Aḷn Len). T s’port ɖ Gardịn n Obzrvr, ordr yr copi at guardianbookshop.com. Dlivrićarjz me aplî. Pōl MCartni Foṭgrafs 1963-64: Îz v ɖ Storm wl b at ɖ Naśnl Portrit Gaḷri, Lundn fṛm 28 Jūn untl 1 Octobr 2023. Xbiśnticits cn b prćist at npg.org.YC
Why don’t we throw it in the road? (x4)
No one will be watching us.
Why don’t we throw it in the road?
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Why don’t we throw it in the road? (x4)
Someone will clean after us.
Why don’t we throw it in the road?
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Why don’t we throw it in the road?
Why don’t we throw it in the road?
Why don’t we throw it, throw it in the road?
Why don’t we throw it in the road?
We don’t really give a toss.
Why don’t we throw it in the road?
Up or down or over there,
above, below or yonder,
wherever you might wander
within this vale of joy and tears
there’s no escape, inescapably,
immanently, immutably
implacably, ineluctably
inevitably, inexorably
innately, invariably
invincibly, irrebuttably
irrefutably, irremediably
irreparably, irresistibly
irretrievably, irreversibly
irrevocably, unwaveringly
unremittingly, unrelentingly
unquestionably, unmistakeably
unfailingly, undoubtedly
undeniably, unavoidably
unassailably, indisputably
indispensably, incontestably
incessantly, inarguably
inherently
from here.
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You’re always on the spot
(except when,
when you’re gone,
you’re not).
