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Beatles forums => The Beatles => Topic started by: BeatlesAtTheirBest on January 20, 2012, 04:34:34 PM

Title: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: BeatlesAtTheirBest on January 20, 2012, 04:34:34 PM


"Well, I remembered the other day when somebody mentioned the Crickets at a press conference.  I'd forgotten all about that.  I was looking for a name like the Crickets that meant two things, and from Crickets I got to Beatles.  I changed the B-e-a because it didn't mean two things on its own.  B, double-e-t-l-e-s didn't mean two things.  So, I changed the 'a,' added the 'e' to the 'a', and it meant two things, then.  I mean, it didn't have to mean two things, but it said..,  it was beat and beetles and when you said it people thought of crawly things and when you read it was beat music."

-John Lennon



"John came up with this name Beatles and it was good, because it was sort of the insect and also the pun, you know, b-e-a-t on the beat.  We just liked the name and we kept it."


-George Harrison
 


"When we first heard "Crickets"...  Back in England, there's the game cricket, and we knew about the little chirpy, hoppity-goes-to-town type crickets.  So, we thought they'd been brilliant, they'd really got this amazing double meaning name, of like the game and the bug.  We thought this was brilliant, we thought, well, we've got to do this.  So John and Stuart (Sutcliffe )came up with this name that the rest of us hated, this Beatles, spelled with an "a."  We said, "Why?"  They said, "Well, you know, this is a bug, and its got a double meaning, just like the Crickets.  We were influenced in many, many ways."


-Paul McCartney



"Stuart did think up the name beetles because it was an insect and he wanted to associate it with Buddy Holly's group The Crickets as the Quarry Men used a lot of Holly's numbers in their repertoire.  John did add the 'a'. They told me this at the time.

- Bill Harry 
  (Liverpool Music Scene Historian, Editor of The Mersey Beat and friend of John Lennon & Stu Sutcliffe)



So that settles it.  Stu thought of beetles.  John thought of "The Beatles", and everybody was telling the truth all along.  Except for that part about the flaming pie.  But who knows, maybe that was true as well.

This is also another example of Stu Sutcliffe or Pete Best making a significant contribution to The Beatles and not getting proper credit for it.  A half century later, thanks to time and the internet, myths are being debunked and so many of these kind of real truths are there for all to learn.  John Lennon would be pleased (and maybe amused).

The Beatles (1960-1970)

Long Live The Beatles!!!

John, Paul, George, Stu, Pete & Ringo.


Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: Nada Surf on January 26, 2012, 04:10:01 AM
That's always been a tough question to answer.
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: 7 of 13 on January 26, 2012, 04:48:40 AM
obviously it was lennon.
 ;yes
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: BeatlesAtTheirBest on January 26, 2012, 01:09:54 PM
obviously it was lennon.
 ;yes


Explain yourself?

Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: 7 of 13 on January 26, 2012, 06:44:26 PM
Quote
Explain yourself?
you can't be serious man. get yer head outta' the onion patch, my friend.  4ac
 ;yes
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: Hello Goodbye on January 27, 2012, 04:44:02 AM
you can't be serious man. get yer head outta' the onion patch, my friend.  4ac
 ;yes

All he did was ask you to elaborate on your answer.
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: KelMar on January 27, 2012, 05:15:10 AM
John Lennon would be pleased (and maybe amused).

I think John would be amused by a lot of things I've seen lately.
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: BeatlesAtTheirBest on January 27, 2012, 01:57:45 PM
you can't be serious man. get yer head outta' the onion patch, my friend.  4ac
 ;yes

Is it too much to ask you to provide a single fact to back up your opinion?

Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: 7 of 13 on January 27, 2012, 06:31:54 PM
i used the process of elimination and commonsense. there have been many names for the group,
the quarrymen, johnny and the moondogs, the nerk twins, the silver beetles, silver beatles and finally the Beatles. all these names were the idea of john lennon. for all i know it might be another ringo-ism.
 ;yes
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: tkitna on January 27, 2012, 07:53:22 PM

Explain yourself?

He cant. Save yourself the time and just remember that he lives on his own island.
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: tkitna on January 27, 2012, 07:54:26 PM
Is it too much to ask you to provide a single fact to back up your opinion?

His facts are that he used the process of elimination so he must be right.  ha2ha
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: Kaleidoscope_Eyes on January 30, 2012, 11:00:58 PM
Indeed, it does sound like a John play on words.
Nice collection of evidence :)

Funny thing is, in Israel the Beatles are refered to as the Beetles.... ha2ha
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: Klang on January 30, 2012, 11:07:31 PM

I always thought it was Lee Marvin.

 :P

Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: Nada Surf on February 02, 2012, 02:13:55 AM
Y'know..I always thought it was from Lee Marvin's line, too.
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 02, 2012, 03:24:32 AM
Fight from THE WILD ONE (1953) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwB_Mrnwr_8#)

"The Beatles missed ya!  All The Beatles missed ya!"




 ;)
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: BeatlesAtTheirBest on February 02, 2012, 05:05:12 PM

Lee Marvin was reading lines in a movie that someone else wrote.  He wasn't naming bands.

Who saw Lee Marvin and decided the line "Johnny & The Beetles" would make a great band name?

Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: 7 of 13 on February 28, 2012, 09:07:02 PM
Is it too much to ask you to provide a single fact to back up your opinion?
love rollercoaster, no more tears.
 ;yes
Title: Re: Who thought of the name "The Beatles"?
Post by: TomMo on June 05, 2012, 04:42:28 AM
Many of the Beatles' answers to questions about their origins in the early days of Beatlemania were short, simple answers, avoiding any unnecessary elaboration. Example: "How did the Beatle haircut get started?" Early answers: "This is how we look when we wake up."; "We went swimming one day and didn't bring combs", etc. They didn't feel the need to discuss Stu and Astrid at that stage of the game. The Beatles seldom mentioned Hamburg, Pete Best, Klaus Voorman at all.

The day after the "Pete Forever, Ringo Never" fracas at the Cavern, George's explanation for his black eye was that he walked into a double-decker bus. No, seriously. I think that story was suggested by Brian Epstein to avoid making the incident a big deal. That's just my opinion.