Little George is cool: Lewisohn, Tune In, 158.

  “Cocky”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 158.

  “George was just too young”: The Beatles, The Beatles Anthology (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000), 13.

  “I didn’t dig him on first sight”: Hunter Davies, The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968), 158.

  “George looked even younger than Paul”: Ray Connolly, Being John Lennon: A Restless Life (New York: Pegasus Books, 2018), 52.

  the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group: Lewisohn, Tune In, 157.

  “John said if I could play like that, I could join them”: Davies, The Beatles, 44.

  “Go on, George, show him!”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 158.

  “I played ‘Ranchee’ [sic] for them”: Davies, The Beatles, 44.

  “knew more chords, a lot more”: Connolly, Being John Lennon, 52.

  “Now there were three of us”: Davies, The Beatles, 45.

  Chapter 5

  “Are you Julia Dykins’s son?”: Mark Lewisohn, Tune In, vol. 1, The Beatles: All These Years (New York: Crown Archetype, 2013), 182.

  We’d caught up so much, me and Julia: Hunter Davies, The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968), 52.

  Mimi looks at Clague and shouts, “Killer!”: Ray Connolly, Being John Lennon: A Restless Life (New York: Pegasus Books, 2018), 61.

  —

  only $16.50 a night: Pete Hamill, “The Death and Life of John Lennon,” New York, March 18, 2008.

  Mr. Lennon was “out of town”: Keith Badman, The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up, 1970–2001 (London: Omnibus Press, 2001), 267.

  I’m coming home: CNN Special Report: Killing John Lennon, CNN.com, December 8, 2015.

  Come home: James McMahon, “The Shooting of John Lennon: Will Mark David Chapman Ever Be Released?” The Independent, March 2, 2020.

  a .38-caliber Charter Arms: Bill Prochnau, “A Strange Young Man Who Stopped the Music,” Washington Post, December 10, 1980.

  He told us to imagine no possessions: McMahon, “The Shooting of John Lennon.”

  Lennon admitted as much: Olivia B. Waxman, “Behind the Photo: How John Lennon and Yoko Ono Came Up with the Idea of Their Bed-In for Peace,” Time, March 25, 2019.

  signed out as “John Lennon”: McMahon, “The Shooting of John Lennon.”

  Practices withdrawing the weapon: McMahon, “The Shooting of John Lennon.”

  “Mr. Lennon?”: Badman, The Beatles Diary, 272.

  his cop friend, Dana: Jack Jones, Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman, the Man Who Killed John Lennon (New York: Villard Books, 1992), 197–98.

  Chapter 6

  Jacaranda Club: Mark Lewisohn, Tune In, vol. 1, The Beatles: All These Years (New York: Crown Archetype: 2013), 225–26.

  “why don’t you do something for us?”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 299.

  John’s inspiration comes from the Crickets, Buddy Holly’s band: Lewisohn, Tune In, 292.

  “What’s your group’s lineup?”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 299.

  painted the murals in the basement: Michael Braun, “Love Me Do!”: The Beatles’ Progress (Los Angeles and New York: Graymalkin Media, 2019), 71–72.

  a Hofner 333 four-string bass: Lewisohn, Tune In, 276.

  “looks so cool”: Ryan Steadman, “One of These Beatles Could’ve Been the Next Jackson Pollock (No, Not Pete Best),” The Observer, January 13, 2016.

  “Who’s the drummer?”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 299.

  Tommy Moore: Lewisohn, Tune In, 299–300, 307.

  Paul purchased an Elpico amplifier: Lewisohn, Tune In, 308.

  “If you want it”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 218.

  Long John and the Silver Beatles: Lewisohn, Tune In, 300–301.

  “doing a moody”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 301.

  “Because I wear three rings”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 233.

  “He looked like a tough guy”: Philip Norman, Paul McCartney: The Life (New York: Little, Brown, 2016), 118.

  Chapter 7

  quiet and relaxed: Mark Lewisohn, Tune In, vol. 1, The Beatles: All These Years (New York: Crown Archetype, 2013), 310.

  “We were crummy, horrible”: The Beatles, The Beatles Anthology (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000), 44.

  “They’re a scruffy no-good group”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 309.

  “fine up to the middle-eight”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 312.

  sleep in the van: Lewisohn, Tune In, 311.

  “a vital experience for us”: The Beatles in Scotland, BBC Radio 2, September 24, 1996.

  “Don’t bother coming back next September”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 334; originally from interview by Lisa Robinson, September 29, 1980.

  John’s future is blacker than ever: Lewisohn, Tune In, 334.

  Allan Williams comes to them a week later: Lewisohn, Tune In, 334.

  No drummer: Allan Kozinn, “Allan Williams, First Manager of the Beatles, Dies at 86,” New York Times, December 31, 2016.

  “He’s got his own drum kit”: Hunter Davies, The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968), 70.

  “keep one beat going for long enough”: Ray Connolly, Being John Lennon: A Restless Life (New York: Pegasus Books, 2018), 84.

  Chapter 8

  ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland: Hunter Davies, The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968), 75–76.

  the Bambi porno theater: Mark Lewisohn, Tune In, vol. 1, The Beatles: All These Years (New York: Crown Archetype, 2013), 352.

  “a pigsty…a run down fleapit”: Ray Connolly, Being John Lennon: A Restless Life (New York: Pegasus Books, 2018), 86.

  Bruno Koschmider: “The Beatles’ First Performance in Hamburg,” BeatlesBible.com.

  “We kept that big heavy four-in-a-bar going all night long”: Connolly, Being John Lennon, 88.

  204 stage hours: Lewisohn, Tune In, 366.

  “Your voice began to hurt with the pain of singing”: Davies, The Beatles, 78.

  “Hamburg throat”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 362.

  “keep it up for twelve hours at a time”: Davies, The Beatles, 93.

  “We were the best bloody band there was”: Connolly, Being John Lennon,143.

  “Where are we going, fellers?”: David Sheff, “Playboy Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono,” Playboy, January 1981.

  Chapter 9

  “Our band would be great”: Mark Lewisohn, Tune In, vol. 1, The Beatles: All These Years (New York: Crown Archetype, 2013), 375.

  a bit peeved: Lewisohn, Tune In, 374.

  “The guy really couldn’t play bass to save his life,” Lewisohn, Tune In, 375.

  “looked the nasty one”: Hunter Davies, The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968), 86 (79).

  “We liked his style”: John Lennon, interview by Malcolm Searle, Melbourne, June 14, 1964, quoted in Lewisohn, Tune In, 381.

  teaching his guitar part to John: “George Harrison Is Deported from Germany,” BeatlesBible.com.

  “I felt terrible”: Davies, The Beatles, 92.

  picked up by the police: Philip Norman, Paul McCartney: The Life (New York: Little, Brown, 2016), 123.

  Is this what I want to do? Is this it?: John Lennon, interview by Elliot Mintz, January 1, 1976, quoted in Lewisohn, Tune In, 387.

  Chapter 10

  Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers: Philip Norman, John Lennon: The Life (New York: Ecco, 2008), 239–40.

  proudly play the “My Bonnie” single: Lewisohn, Tune In, 544.

  “lumbered”: Ray Connolly, Being John Lennon: A Restless Life (New York: Pegasus Books, 2018), 107.

  “I wasn’t too keen on reaching twenty-one”: Connolly, Being John Lennon, 109.

  I’m too old. I’ve missed the boat: Lewisohn, Tune In, 562.

  I’m gonna make it: Lewisohn, Tune In, 469.

  ‘The Singing Rage’!: Lewisohn, Tune In, 496.

  “keeping a watch on the crotch”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 499.

  hand over groceries and instructions: Philip Norman, Paul McCartney: The Life (New York: Little, Brown, 2016), 131.

  “some very posh rich feller”: The Beatles, The Beatles Anthology (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000), 65.

  “signed all sorts of contracts when we were about eighteen”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 450.

  “It seems to me with everything going on, someone ought to be looking after you”: Bob Spitz, The Beatles: The Biography (New York: Back Bay, 2006), 272.

  “75p each per night”: Brian Epstein, A Cellarful of Noise (London: Souvenir Press, 1964; reprinted New York: Pocket Books, 1998), 103.

  “I could at least secure a decent rate for their performance”: Epstein, A Cellarful of Noise, 104.

  Paul isn’t that keen on Brian: Lewisohn, Tune In, 513.

  “a good flair”: Barry Miles, Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now (New York: Henry Holt, 1997), 96.

  “imagine you’re like on a cliff-top and you’re thinking about diving off”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 513.

  “star quality”: Laura Snapes, “The Beatles’ First Contract with Manager Brian Epstein Sells for £275k,” The Guardian, July 10, 2019.

  “You’re going to be bigger than Elvis, you know”: Michael Braun, “Love Me Do!”: The Beatles’ Progress (Los Angeles and New York: Graymalkin Media, 2019), 55.

  “This is where Brian was good. He knew how to get it happening”: George Harrison, I, Me, Mine (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2002), 33; quoted in Lewisohn, Tune In, 514.

  “We were in a daydream till he came along”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 637.

  “Manage us”: Norman, Paul McCartney, 142.

  Chapter 11

  “My little bit to get you all on in time”: Mark Lewisohn, Tune In, vol. 1, The Beatles: All These Years (New York: Crown Archetype: 2013), 530.

  “it felt complete”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 530.

  “If I get a huge offer, they won’t take you in leather”: The Beatles, The Beatles Anthology (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000), 73.

  “I’ll wear a fucking balloon if somebody’s going to pay me!”: John Lennon, interview by Lisa Robinson, Hit Parader, December 1975, quoted in Lewisohn, Tune In, 554.

  “It was a bit old-hat anyway, all wearing leather gear”: Paul McCartney, interview for The Mersey Sound, August 28, 1963, quoted in Lewisohn, Tune In, 553.

  “I just saw it as playing a game”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 554.

  “stop eating onstage, stop swearing, stop smoking”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 552.

  “Brian was trying to clean our image up”: Ray Connolly, Being John Lennon: A Restless Life (New York: Pegasus Books, 2018), 115.

  “they wanted their trousers extremely narrow”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 555.

  “Ha-ha, John Lennon, no more scruffs for you”: Connolly, Being John Lennon, 115.

  “Groups of four guitarists are on the way out”: Brian Epstein, A Cellarful of Noise (London: Souvenir Press, 1964; reprinted New York: Pocket Books, 1998), 108.

  “These boys are going to explode”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 558.

  “The boys won’t go, Mr. Epstein. We know these things”: Epstein, A Cellarful of Noise, 110.

  “Do you know Tony Meehan?”: “Tony Meehan,” The Telegraph, November 30, 2005.

  “firsthand experience of what the teenagers want”: Melody Maker, December 9, 1961, quoted in Lewisohn, Tune In, 559.

  “the Group have received an offer of a recording Contract from another Company”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 560.

  “It was just a complete mess, as things generally are—a dreadful corporate blunder”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 561.

  Chapter 12

  “I hope he kicks himself to death”: Michael Braun, “Love Me Do!”: The Beatles’ Progress (Los Angeles and New York: Graymalkin Media, 2019), 35.

  “I think Decca expected us to be all polished”: Hunter Davies, The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968), 132.

  “We didn’t sound natural”: Braun, “Love Me Do!,” 60.

  “John was always a little bit sarcastic”: “Beatles’ Photographer Astrid Kirchherr Opens Up,” Fresh Air, NPR.org, January 15, 2008.

  “Pete couldn’t have the hairstyle anyway because he had curly hair”: “Beatles’ Photographer Astrid Kirchherr Opens Up.”

  “The Beatles were the stuff that screams were made of”: Davies, The Beatles, 94.

  the best FM: Mark Lewisohn, Tune In, vol. 1, The Beatles: All These Years (New York: Crown Archetype: 2013), 581.

  “We weren’t just recording stars”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 582.

  Chapter 13

  “as the name Beatles doesn’t mean anything they’ll have to change it”: Mark Lewisohn, Tune In, vol. 1, The Beatles: All These Years (New York: Crown Archetype: 2013), 590.

  “the shorter the name the bigger the print”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 590.

  “It was Us against Them”: Hunter Davies, The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968), 137.

  “What are we going to do?”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 591.

  “Hello, where’s Stu?”: Ray Connolly, Being John Lennon: A Restless Life (New York: Pegasus Books, 2018), 125.

  “saying ‘No, no, no!’ and lashing out with his hands”: Philip Norman, John Lennon: The Life (New York: Ecco, 2008), 263.

  “Paul tried to be comforting”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 603.

  “sitting on a bench, huddled over”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 603.

  “Not many of our contemporaries had died”: The Beatles, The Beatles Anthology (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000), 69.

  John and the boys remain in Hamburg: Davies, The Beatles, 111.

  “Could you take a picture of me there?”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 617.

  “a little lonely feller”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 617.

  “so much strength in his face”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 617.

  “I depended on him to tell me the truth”: The Beatles, The Beatles Anthology, 69.

  “people he loved the most always left him”: Norman, John Lennon, 269.

  “You can’t just cry all the time, you’ve got to get on”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 618.

  “so many pills that he literally wouldn’t be able to shut his eyes”: Philip Norman, Paul McCartney: The Life (New York: Little, Brown, 2016), 155.

  “John came onstage dressed like a cleaning-woman”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 608.

  “It gave me shivers to watch it”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 608.

  CONGRATULATIONS BOYS: Connolly, Being John Lennon, 128.

  Chapter 14

  “It was like heaven, where the great gods live”: Mark Lewisohn, Tune In, vol. 1, The Beatles: All These Years (New York: Crown Archetype, 2013), 641.

  “None of us really knows how to read or write music”: Al Aronowitz, “Beatlemania in 1964: ‘This Has Gotten Entirely Out of Control,’” Saturday Evening Post, March 1964; reprinted in The Guardian, January 29, 2014.

  “not all that impressed”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 643.

  “pick up George from the canteen”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 643.

  “That was how my mind was working at the beginning”: Hunter Davies, The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968), 161.

  “a load of noise, hum, and goodness-knows-what”: “Recording: Besame Mucho, Love Me Do, PS I Love You, Ask Me Why—The Beatles’ first Abbey Road Recording Session,” BeatlesBible.com.

  “you’re going to have a song called Love Me Waahhh”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 644.

  puts aside his electric guitar and picks up an acoustic: Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey, Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles (New York: Gotham Books, 2006), 45.

  Everything stopped, no backing: Lewisohn, Tune In, 644.

  “Well that was twenty minutes of torture”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 645.

  “We’ve got to change this drummer”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 643.

  “He was giving them a good talking to”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 645.

  “They didn’t say a word back, not a word”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 645.

  “Well, for a start, I don’t like your tie”: Mark Savage, “When George Martin Met the Beatles: The Story of Love Me Do,” BBC, March 9, 2016.

  “Phew! What do you think of that lot then?”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 645.

  “it wasn’t their music, it was their charisma”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 645–46.

  Chapter 15

  “unable to deal with the emotional side of that”: Mark Lewisohn, Tune In, vol. 1, The Beatles: All These Years (New York: Crown Archetype, 2013), 651.

  keep Pete: Lewisohn, Tune In, 651.

  “Paul was showing Pete the drum pattern he wanted”: Bob Spitz, The Beatles: The Biography (New York: Back Bay, 2006), 326.

  “Pete was holding us back”: Paul McCartney, interview by Tony Fletcher, Jamming 14 (1983), quoted in Lewisohn, Tune In, 651.

  “We want Pete out and Ringo in”: Brian Epstein, A Cellarful of Noise (London: Souvenir Press, 1964; reprinted New York: Pocket Books, 1998), 126.

  “I knew the Beatles were gonna go places”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 674.

  “they weren’t at the dismissal”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 674.

  “To be so aware, with so little education”: Michael Braun, “Love Me Do!”: The Beatles’ Progress (Los Angeles and New York: Graymalkin Media, 2019), 43.

  “From that moment on, it gelled”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 678.

  “Pete Best forever, Ringo never!”: Philip Norman, “The Nowhere Men,” Daily Mail, March 5, 2002.

  “why get a bad-looking cat when you can get a good-looking one”: Hunter Davies, The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968), 151.

  “the most hated man in Liverpool”: Philip Norman, John Lennon: The Life (New York: Ecco, 2008), 275.

  “I sneaked in and sneaked out again”: Lewisohn, Tune In, 684.