During the 1960’s, the Beatles were probably the most influential music group in the country. Two of the Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, are still alive today. Paul McCartney continues to write music and to perform. Or does he? Conspiracy theorists claim Paul McCartney was killed in a car accident in 1966 and the other Beatles covered up his death — hiring someone who looked like him, sang like him, and had the same jovial personality in order to continue the band’s lucrative success (“Conspiracy Theories - Paul Is Dead”). Had the Beatles been trying to hint towards this incident until the breakup of the band in 1970? After the theorized time of Paul McCartney’s death, the Beatles music and album covers contained small hints and clues, their style of music changed as a whole, and Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s strong friendship vanished.
Hints were given by the band on several occasions. Once the guilt of covering Paul’s death began to impact the band, they began to hide clues in their songs and album covers (mainly Abbey Road). In the song “Taxman”, George Harrison gave his “advice for those who die”, meaning Paul. The entire Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album was awash with Paul-is-dead clues: the Beatles had formed a “new” band featuring a fictional member named Billy Shears — supposedly the name of Paul's replacement. The album contained John Lennon's “A Day in the Life”, which had the lyrics “He blew his mind out in a car” and the recorded phrase “Paul is dead, miss him, miss him”, which becomes evident only when the song is played backward. Lennon also mumbled, “I buried Paul” at the end of “Strawberry Fields Forever” (“Conspiracy Theories - Paul Is Dead”). On the album cover Abbey Road, Paul is seen wearing no shoes and walking out of step with the other band members. Some have interpreted this cover as symbolizing a funeral procession, where John Lennon, dressed in white, symbolizes the clergyman or heavenly figure. Ringo Starr, dressed in black, symbolizes the undertaker or mourner. George Harrison in denim jeans and shirt, symbolizes the gravedigger and Paul McCartney, barefoot and out of step with other members of the band, symbolizes the corpse (“Paul is Dead”). These clues hidden in songs and covers of The Beatles point to the theory that Paul McCartney was killed in 1966 and his death was subsequently covered up.
Early Beatle’s music was light, warm, and happy. Songs like “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Love, Love Me Do” were innocent and young. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was an example of the innocence of the age, and of where the Beatles were in their lives.They became a cultural phenomenon, and their popularity grew with each song, concert, and appearance. More, the band consisted of three singers who played guitar (Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison), and one drummer (Ringo Starr). In the early albums, Paul, John and George all sang together.
The group had fun together, and their common Liverpool roots were apparent. Even as their fame increased, their closeness continued. However, during the mid-1960’s, their persona changed. Their music became more serious, and in some cases darker, and for the first time with “Hey Jude” and “Yesterday” the songs were sung by one individual – Paul (Dillon). This was different from the band’s beginnings, and perhaps can be explained if the new ‘Paul’ was also a gifted songwriter who simply had a different style. The album The Beatlesfeatured a simple white cover with “The Beatles” inconspicuously written on the front. This album was in stark contrast to the two albums released previously by the Beatles (Bardinelli). Later Beatle’s albums were considered to be affected by the band’s drug use, and songs such as “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” were considered to reference drugs such as LSD. However, there is no denying that the music shifted in tone around the time of Paul’s supposed death.
Before Paul McCartney was supposedly killed, he and John Lennon had a strong friendship. After the incident, there appeared to be a break in their bond, typically associated with Lennon’s newfound relationship and subsequent marriage to Yoko Ono. As “Paul” admitted in an interview with Fox News, he was not happy when Yoko Ono joined the Beatles in the recording studio as they were on the “brink of a breakup during the height of their popularity” (“Paul McCartney Talks about Beatles Split, Yoko Ono Drama and John Lennon Taking Acid While Recording”). However, what if the fissure were really due to the fact that Paul McCartney was dead and John Lennon could not bear to be around his replacement? Paul and John were the center of the band who collaborated to write some of the most commemorated music of the age.However, it became more and more obvious that the members were going in different directions, and that musically they were no longer in sync.Could this be because the new ‘Paul’ could no longer maintain the façade?The pressure would have been enormous; he would have had to consistently maintain an alternate persona under intense scrutiny from a huge cadre of fans, from the media, and from other friends in and out of the music business.It could simply have been convenient at the time to blame John’s relationship and subsequent marriage to Yoko Ono as the cause of the band’s breakup (“Did Paul McCartney Die in 1966?”).Certainly, the dissolution of the Beatles would have allowed ‘Paul’ to go in his own direction.He formed his own band, Wings, after the Beatles, and the Beatles never again performed together.After the Beatles, ‘Paul’ became a much more private person, spending most of his time on his farm with his wife and children away from the public eye.
Paul McCartney was allegedly killed in a car accident in 1966. Although there is no concrete proof that this accident occurred, there are several clues hinting towards his death. The Beatles included hints in many of their songs and on the cover of the album Abbey Road. Also, after the supposed time of the incident, the Beatles style of music began to change. It became darker and less innocent. Further, relationships between Paul McCartney and the other members of the Beatles, mainly John Lennon, became strained and permanently damaged. There may never be proof that the real ‘Paul’ died almost half a century ago.His children were born after the alleged accident, so DNA testing would not be of assistance. However, when looking at the body of contradictory facts, to include the changes in music, the hidden messages, and the break in friendship with John Lennon and the subsequent breakup of the very popular band, it seems at least possible that the unthinkable happened and that the real ‘Paul’ may only have been there for the beginning of the band’s popularity. It would be understandable as to why John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr would have wanted to keep Paul McCartney alive at all costs.If he could not be there in person, then a suitable replacement would have allowed the extremely profitable enterprise to continue.Having accomplished their goal and all having become extremely successful and rich, when the band ultimately broke up in 1970 it may have been a great relief to all.
Works Cited Bardinelli, John. “The Beatles Biography” Beatles Number 9. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2015. “Conspiracy Theories - Paul Is Dead” Time. Time Inc., 20 Nov. 2008. Web. 04 Feb. 2015. “Did Paul McCartney Die in 1966?” Huge Questions. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2015. Dillon, John. “How ‘Hey Jude’ Marked a Change for the Beatles, America, and Music” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 26 Aug. 2013. Web. 04 Feb. 2015. “Paul Is Dead” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2015. “Paul McCartney Talks about Beatles Split, Yoko Ono Drama and John Lennon Taking Acid While Recording” Fox News. FOX News Network, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
Digital Image. Beatles Number 9. Web. 3 April, 2015.
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Digital Image. Paul Really is Dead. Web. 3 April, 2015.