Everybody blames Yoko for being the reason behind The Beatles break up. But was she really the Problem? Well, it is a little more complicated than that. The first year of the Seventies marked the end of a Revolutionary Era and opened a new chapter for changes. Many peace movements were evolving beyond protests and hippie counterculture, and at the same time, music was opening new paths and rhythms. Bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin were revolutionizing the industry. While other were reaching their dawn, among them, The all mighty Beatles.
This mythical rock band who started it all back in Liverpool deeply defined the nature of popular music. In the beginning, they were simply a cover band looking for success with their debut. However, it all changed pretty quickly. A year later after their first album, they were worldwide celebrities. Since then it was all hit after hit. From their growing stage of Rubber Soul and Revolver. Until their last years with mature masterpieces like the Let it be and Abbey Road albums. The Beatles were exploring and popularizing new rock horizons, and inspiring new generations in the process.
Yet by 1970 the band was having some trouble. By that time, with their last album released to the public (Let It Be), The Beatles story ended. And people started to think that John’s second wife, the infamous Yoko Ono, was the reason behind the band's break up. However, even before Yoko appeared, the band was having trouble to get along.
The Friendly Competition
It is difficult to set a date for the beginning of the end. But it is well known that the creative competition between Lennon and McCartney was one of the reasons. Although it started as a friendly competition, it ended up being a race to prove who was the better songwriter. At first, this little competition was great for the band. For example, when Lennon wrote Strawberry Fields Forever three days later McCartney wrote Penny Lane. Both being two of the most important and well-known songs of The Beatles. Everything was great until the White Album recording sessions began. These sessions created a tense and unpleasant feeling in the studio that never stopped.
In that same period of time, John met Yoko Ono a Japanese artist and activist. At first, it seems like any other relationship, but as time passed, Yoko started appearing in each and every studio session, making the members of the band uncomfortable. In response to that, Paul started taking his girlfriend Linda Eastman to the studio as well. Leveling up the Lennon-McCartney competition a matter of Egos. But all went out of hand in 1968 when Paul and Linda got married, and just eight days later John married Yoko too, Coindicede? Well...
While all this happened, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were trying to get out the band. George felt that he was being forced to play. While Ringo actually quit the band for some time (that is why Paul McCartney had to record the drum tracks in the White Album).
Lost Lambs
Besides Paul and John competition, the band had other problems. Brian Epstein, The Beatles manager, had a great influence on the band. In the early years, he managed to organize them in a very consistent way. Their recordings were not only supervised by George Martin (producer) but also by Epstein. Additionally, the band's touring years were successful because of Epstein work as their manager. Nonetheless, in 1967 Epstein died, leaving the band in darkness and desperation, without someone to guide them. A year later in 1968, The Beatles managed to pull out their double album The Beatles which is well known as The White Album. But this time, with solely the guidance of producer George Martin.
Everything got a little trickier in 1969 during the Let It Be sessions. The Beatles decided to stop George Martin from helping them with the recordings. Their goal was to make a new album with the feeling they used to have back when they started.
At the same time, the band decided to make a video documentary of their sessions. But in the end, the decision of making a documentary and not letting their producer help them made the band struggle. The member's focus was scattering. So throughout the recording sessions, the four of them were getting tired of working with each other. And besides, financial agreements could not be reached, so each of them sued the other (it wasn't all fairy tails).
A Sour Ending
By the end of 1970, Paul decides to quit the band publicly. Soon after that, each Beatle quitted the band. As soon as the band dissolved, there was not looking back. There was never a plan of coming back together. And each of the members started focusing on personal interests and individual projects. So on December 31st, 1970 The Beatles decided to put an end to a partnership of more than ten years.
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