Tributes to the Beatles

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The Beatles were originally a quartet, but only Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr remain.

John Lennon was murdered in December 1980 and George Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. There have been numerous tributes to both.

## The Beatles

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During the mid 1960s, Beatlemania was an unprecedented global phenomenon, and two songs devoted to them reached the charts: "We Love You Beatles" by The Carefrees (#39) and "A Letter to the Beatles" by The Four Preps (#85).

Over the years, many other songs mention the group in their lyrics:

* The Police – "Born In the 50s"
* The House of Love – "The Beatles and the Stones"
* Run-DMC – "King of Rock"
* The Who – "The Seeker"
* Jellyfish – "All I Want is Everything"
* The Clash – "1977"
* The Dream Academy – "Life in a Northern Town"
* Leonardo Favio – "Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Estas Cosas del Amor"
* Billy Joel – "All You Wanna Do Is Dance"
* Marie Laforêt – "Il a neigé sur Yesterday"[1]

The Beatles have inspired a number of tribute acts and theatrical productions; among them are the American Beatles tribute band Rain (originally Reign), which evolved into the stage production Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles;[2][3] the Cirque du Soleil stage production Love, which utilizes music from an accompanying 2006 remix album of the same name produced by George Martin and his son Giles Martin;[4] and the Japanese tribute band the Parrots,[5] whom in 2013 McCartney booked for and played alongside at a birthday party for his wife Nancy Shevell.[6]

## John Lennon

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Main article: John Lennon

Lennon was murdered in New York City by Mark David Chapman, who had a been a childhood fan of The Beatles. After his death, a crowd gathered in mourning to pay tribute to him in ten minutes of silence as requested by his widow, Yoko Ono.

### Posthumous recognition

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Lennon has been the subject of numerous posthumous awards. His album Double Fantasy was awarded a 1982 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and a 1982 Brit Award for outstanding contribution to music. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Lennon in sixth place in a countdown of the greatest artists of all time, and Lennon's song "Imagine" was voted the third greatest song of all time.[7] Several posthumous compilation albums have been released, such as Lennon Legend and Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon.

### Concerts and albums

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#### Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur

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Main article: Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur

In 2006, a selection of modern recording artists released versions of Lennon's songs on a charitable album called Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur, named after a John Lennon song. Performers included U2, Lenny Kravitz, The Cure, Green Day, R.E.M., Christina Aguilera, Duran Duran, and The Black Eyed Peas, among others. U2 recorded the title track.

### Songs

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#### "All Those Years Ago"

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Main article: All Those Years Ago

George Harrison had written "All Those Years ago" before the death of Lennon. The lyrics were originally different, however; upon hearing the news of Lennon's death, Harrison changed the lyrics and rewrote the song as a tribute to Lennon.[8] Surviving Beatles, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, along with McCartney's wife Linda and Wings member Denny Laine, contributed to the recording.[9]

#### "Here Today"

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Main article: Here Today (Paul McCartney song)

McCartney recorded his own personal tribute to Lennon, titled "Here Today," on his 1982 album, Tug of War.[10] McCartney had been affected by Lennon's death to the extent that he became reluctant about touring.[citation needed]

#### "Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)"

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Main article: Hot Space

Freddie Mercury of Queen wrote "Life Is Real" as a tribute to Lennon. The title may be a reference to the lyric 'love is real', from Lennon's 1970 song "Love", or the line 'nothing is real', from The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever".

#### "Hey John"

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The GDR rock band Die Puhdys dedicated Lennon their song "Hey John", performed and recorded in 1981. The band describes their fan feelings about John Lennon, especially to his song "Give Peace a Chance". The song contains Lennon samples from "Give Peace a Chance" and "Imagine".

#### "Roll On John"

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Bob Dylan wrote "Roll On John" as a tribute to Lennon on his 2012 album entitled Tempest.[11]

#### "Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)"

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Elton John wrote "Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)" for Lennon, a dedication for Lennon to show a love for their friendship. Elton John titled it "Empty Garden," as Lennon told him stories how he was going to create a garden outside of The Dakota, which was the building where Lennon lived, and how he never was able to grow it as he was shot by a crazed fan outside of his home in 1980.

#### "The Late Great Johnny Ace"

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Paul Simon wrote this song about both the fifties singer Johnny Ace and John Lennon in 1981. It was first performed for the concert in Central Park in 1981, as seen in the film, but not included on the album. It was finally released on his 1982 album "Hearts and Bones".[12]

### Films

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#### The U.S. vs. John Lennon

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#### Imagine: John Lennon

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## George Harrison

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Main article: George Harrison

George Harrison died from lung cancer on 29 November 2001. Tributes were performed by some of the most well known musicians of the time.

### Posthumous recognition

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A year after Harrison's death, his final album, Brainwashed, was released. The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992, a compilation set of a selection of his albums, was released in 2004. Harrison was voted the 21st greatest Guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Film director Martin Scorsese directed a feature-length documentary about Harrison's life, George Harrison: Living in the Material World (2011).

### Concerts and albums

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#### Concert for George

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Main article: Concert for George

A year after his death Harrison's friends commemorated him in a tribute concert held at the Royal Albert Hall.[13] The show featured musicians Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Jeff Lynne, Ringo Starr, Tom Petty, and Paul McCartney among others. Harrison's son Dhani performed, playing the guitar. Jim Keltner, a session drummer who had played with Harrison in the Traveling Wilburys, also appeared.

### Songs

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#### "Never Without You"

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Main article: Never Without You

Ringo Starr wrote and recorded a tribute song to Harrison titled "Never Without You", released on Ringo Rama in 2003.

### Films

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#### George Harrison: Living in the Material World

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## See also

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* The Beatles in film
* The Beatles in popular culture

## References

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1. ^ Perrin, Denis (2023-08-12). "Il a neigé sur Yesterday". Académie de la Chanson (in French). Retrieved 2024-03-16.
2. ^ Merrell, Sue (25 January 2009). "After 26 years, Beatles' tribute band Rain still going strong". MLive.com. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
3. ^ Sion, Mike (21 January 2015). "Rain: New generation takes reins of Beatles tribute". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
4. ^ Rogers, Florence (30 June 2006). "'Love' Brings Beatles and Cirque Du Soleil Together". NPR. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
5. ^ Kuhn, Anthony (11 October 2007). "Japanese Tribute Band Parrots The Beatles". NPR. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
6. ^ Stevens, Jenny (5 December 2013). "Paul McCartney gets Beatles tribute band to perform at his wife's birthday party". NME. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
7. ^ Wenner, Jann (2010) [2004]. 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. p. 13\. OCLC 641731526.
8. ^ August 2008 Uncut Magazine
9. ^ Badman, Keith (1999). The Beatles After the Breakup 1970-2000: A day-by-day diary. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-7520-5.
10. ^ "Here Today". Allmusic. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
11. ^ Greene, Andy (17 July 2012). "First Details of Bob Dylan's Upcoming Album 'Tempest' | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
12. ^ "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Paul Simon Deep Cuts". Rolling Stone. 24 September 2015.
13. ^ The Concert for George, Catalogue number: 0349702412

* v
* t
* e

The Beatles

* John Lennon
* Paul McCartney
* George Harrison
* Ringo Starr

* Outline of the Beatles
* The Beatles timeline

* Stuart Sutcliffe
* Pete Best
* Chas Newby
* Norman Chapman
* Tommy Moore
* Jimmie Nicol

History|

* The Quarrymen
* In Hamburg
* At the Cavern Club
* Decca audition
* North American releases
* Beatlemania
* "More popular than Jesus"
* In Bangor
* In India
* Break-up
* Murder of John Lennon
* Anthology
* Line-ups
* Religious views
* Timeline

Lists|

* Awards and nominations
* Bootlegs
* Albums
* Singles
* Films
* Instruments
* Live performances
* Performers
* Post-breakup collaborations
* Songs
* Cover versions of Beatles songs
* Songs covered by the Beatles
* Recording sessions
* Tributes

Tours and
performances|

* 1960 Johnny Gentle Tour
* Winter 1963 Helen Shapiro Tour
* 1963 Roy Orbison Tour
* The Ed Sullivan Show appearances
* 1964 world tour
* The Beatles' 1964 tour of Australia
* 1964 North American tour
* 1965 European tour
* 1965 US tour
* 1965 UK tour
* 1966 tour of Germany, Japan and the Philippines
* 1966 US tour
* Our World performance
* Rooftop concert

Personnel|

| Management|

* Neil Aspinall
* Tony Barrow
* Peter Brown
* Brian Epstein
* Mal Evans
* Dick James
* Freda Kelly
* Allen Klein
* Joseph Lockwood
* Alistair Taylor
* Derek Taylor
* Allan Williams

|

Production|

* Geoff Emerick
* Richard Lush
* George Martin
* Phil McDonald
* Billy Preston
* Ken Scott
* Tony Sheridan
* Phil Spector
* Norman Smith

Associated
companies|

* Apple Corps
* Apple Records
* Capitol Records
* EMI
* Harrisongs
* Northern Songs
* Parlophone
* Seltaeb
* Startling Music
* Swan Records
* Tollie Records
* United Artists
* United Artists Records
* Vee-Jay Records

Associated
places|

* 10 Admiral Grove
* 12 Arnold Grove
* 20 Forthlin Road
* 251 Menlove Avenue
* 34 Montagu Square, Marylebone
* Abbey Road, London
* Abbey Road Studios
* Ad Lib Club
* The Bag O'Nails
* Beatles Ashram
* Beatles-Platz
* Blue Angel
* Casbah Coffee Club
* Candlestick Park
* Carnegie Hall
* The Cavern Club
* Cavern Mecca
* Comiskey Park
* The Jacaranda
* Kaiserkeller
* Kinfauns
* London Palladium
* Penny Lane, Liverpool
* 3 Savile Row
* The Scotch of St. James
* Shea Stadium
* St Peter's Church
* Stanley Street
* Star-Club
* Strawberry Field
* Tittenhurst Park
* Top Ten Club
* Wigmore Street

Selected books|

* The Beatles Anthology
* The Beatles: The Authorised Biography
* The Beatles: All These Years
* A Cellarful of Noise
* I, Me, Mine
* Lennon Remembers
* Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now

Other topics|

* Apple Corps v Apple Computer
* Apple scruffs
* Beatle boot
* The Beatles at Abbey Road
* Beatlesque
* Beat music
* Cultural impact
* Fifth Beatle
* Global Beatles Day
* Images of a Woman
* Lennon–McCartney
* "Paul is dead"
* Pop Go the Beatles
* Recording practices
* automatic double tracking
* The Beatles: Rock Band
* songs
* The Rutles

* Category

* v
* t
* e

George Harrison

Studio albums|

* Wonderwall Music
* Electronic Sound
* All Things Must Pass
* Living in the Material World
* Dark Horse
* Extra Texture (Read All About It)
* Thirty Three & ⅓
* George Harrison
* Somewhere in England
* Gone Troppo
* Cloud Nine
* Brainwashed

Live albums|

* The Concert for Bangladesh
* Live in Japan

Compilations|

* The Best of George Harrison
* Best of Dark Horse 1976–1989
* Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison
* Early Takes: Volume 1

Box sets|

* The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992
* Collaborations (with Ravi Shankar)
* The Apple Years 1968–75
* George Harrison – The Vinyl Collection

Books|

* I, Me, Mine
* Songs by George Harrison
* Songs by George Harrison 2
* Raga Mala (as editor)

Tours|

* 1974 North American tour with Ravi Shankar
* 1991 Japanese tour with Eric Clapton

Related|

| Articles|

* Discography
* Songs
* Awards and nominations
* 12 Arnold Grove
* Kinfauns
* Friar Park
* Asian Music Circle
* Beware of ABKCO! (bootleg)
* Bhaktivedanta Manor
* The Concert for Bangladesh
* Concert for George
* Dark Horse Records
* Harrisongs
* "Horse to the Water"
* Material World Charitable Foundation
* Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India
* Wonderful Today
* 4149 Harrison

|

People|

* John Barham
* The Beatles
* Pattie Boyd (wife)
* Eric Clapton
* Derek and the Dominos
* Olivia Harrison (wife)
* Dhani Harrison (son)
* Jim Keltner
* Jeff Lynne
* A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
* Billy Preston
* The Quarrymen
* Radha Krishna Temple
* The Rutles
* Ravi Shankar
* Derek Taylor
* Traveling Wilburys
* Klaus Voormann
* Gary Wright

Albums|

* Is This What You Want?
* That's the Way God Planned It
* Doris Troy
* Encouraging Words
* The Radha Krsna Temple
* Joi Bangla (EP)
* Footprint
* Straight Up
* Raga
* Brother
* In Concert 1972
* Ringo
* Shankar Family & Friends
* The Place I Love
* Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India
* Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1
* Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal
* Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3
* Ravi Shankar: In Celebration
* Chants of India

Films|

* HandMade Films
* All You Need Is Cash
* Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session
* The Concert for Bangladesh (film)
* Concert for George (film)
* George Harrison: Living in the Material World
* Little Malcolm
* Monty Python's Life of Brian
* Raga

Tributes|

* Songs from the Material World: A Tribute to George Harrison
* "Never Without You"
* Concert for George (album)
* Harrison on Harrison: Jazz Explorations of George Harrison
* Tribute To
* George Fest

* Category

* v
* t
* e

John Lennon

* Discography
* Instruments
* Jukebox
* Song list
* Death

Studio albums|

* John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
* Imagine
* Mind Games
* Walls and Bridges
* Rock 'n' Roll

with Yoko Ono|

* Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins
* Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions
* Wedding Album
* Some Time in New York City
* Double Fantasy
* Milk and Honey

Live albums|

* Live Peace in Toronto 1969
* Live Jam
* Live in New York City

Compilations|

| Hits|

* Shaved Fish
* The John Lennon Collection
* Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon
* Instant Karma: All-Time Greatest Hits
* Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon
* Power to the People: The Hits
* Icon

|

Themed|

* Menlove Ave.
* Wonsaponatime
* Acoustic
* Peace, Love & Truth

Box sets|

* Lennon
* John Lennon Anthology
* John Lennon Signature Box
* Gimme Some Truth
* Gimme Some Truth. The Ultimate Mixes

Video|

* The John Lennon Video Collection
* Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon

Books|

* In His Own Write
* A Spaniard in the Works
* Skywriting by Word of Mouth

Films|

* Self-Portrait (1969)
* Apotheosis (1970)
* Fly (1970)
* Erection (1971)
* Up Your Legs Forever (1971)
* Live in New York City (1972)
* Imagine (1972)

Bootlegs|

* A Toot and a Snore in '74
* S.I.R. John Winston Ono Lennon

Associates|

* The Quarrymen
* The Beatles
* Plastic Ono Band
* David Peel
* The Lower East Side Band
* The Dirty Mac
* May Pang
* Harry Nilsson
* John Sinclair
* Rosaura Lopez

Fictionalised|

* Chapter 27
* In His Life: The John Lennon Story
* John and Yoko: A Love Story
* The Killing of John Lennon
* Lennon Naked
* Birth of the Beatles
* Nowhere Boy
* Backbeat
* Two of Us
* The Lennon Report
* Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed
* Yesterday

Tributes and
memorials|

* The 30th Annual John Lennon Tribute: Live from the Beacon Theatre, NYC
* "All Those Years Ago"
* Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music
* "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)"
* "Here Today"
* Imagine Peace Tower
* "The Immigrant"
* Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
* John Lennon Art and Design Building
* John Lennon Museum
* John Lennon Park
* John Lennon Peace Monument
* John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
* "The Late Great Johnny Ace"
* Lennon (musical)
* Lennon Bermuda
* Lennon Wall
* "Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)"
* Liverpool John Lennon Airport
* Non-Violence
* Strawberry Fields
* "Roll On John"
* Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon

Related media|

* Imagine: John Lennon
* soundtrack
* I Met the Walrus
* John (book)
* John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky
* Lennon Remembers
* LennoNYC
* The Lives of John Lennon
* The Lost Lennon Tapes
* Marx & Lennon: The Parallel Sayings
* Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon
* The Pope Smokes Dope
* Pussy Cats
* The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
* Roots: John Lennon Sings the Great Rock & Roll Hits
* "That's My Life (My Love and My Home)"
* The U.S. vs. John Lennon
* soundtrack

Other topics|

* 251 Menlove Avenue
* Kenwood
* Tittenhurst Park
* The Dakota
* Bagism
* Bed-in
* Imagine Piano Peace Project
* John Lennon Artificial Intelligence Project
* John Lennon UFO incident
* Lennon–McCartney
* LennonOno Grant for Peace
* Mark David Chapman
* "More popular than Jesus"
* Nutopia
* Toronto Rock and Roll Revival
* Sweet Toronto
* Psychedelic Rolls-Royce
* 4147 Lennon

* Category

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