The Beatles

Released: March 18, 1996

Songwriter: Paul McCartney Lennon-McCartney

Producer: George Martin

[Intro: Instrumental]

[Verse 1: Paul McCartney]
Lady Madonna, children at your feet
Wonder how you manage to make ends meet
Who finds the money when you pay the rent?
Did you think that money was heaven sent?

[Bridge 1: Paul McCartney]
Friday night arrives without a suitcase
Sunday morning creeping like a nun
Monday's child has learned to tie his bootlace
See how they run

[Verse 2: Paul McCartney]
Lady Madonna, baby at your breast
Wonders how you manage to feed the rest

[Bridge 2: Paul McCartney]
[Tenor Saxophone Solo: Ronnie Scott]
See how they run

[Verse 3: Paul McCartney]
Lady Madonna lying on the bed
Listen to the music playing in your head
See how they run

[Verse 4: Paul McCartney]
Lady Madonna, children at your feet
Wonder how you manage to make ends meet

[Outro: Instrumental]

The Beatles are arguably the most famous, critically-acclaimed, and successful rock band of all time—certainly the preeminent group of the 20th century. They started out as four teenagers playing grimy basement clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg, but they progressed to become world-beating rock stars who are still influential to this day.

John Lennon first formed a skiffle group called The Quarrymen in March 1957. A fifteen-year-old Paul McCartney joined shortly thereafter, eventually inviting his friend George Harrison to audition for the band. After finally impressing John with his guitar skills, George was asked to join—but this juncture would be short-lived as John’s departure to college signaled the other quarrymen to go their separate ways.

By 1960, Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison had re-branded from ‘Johnny & the Moondogs’ to ‘The Silver Beetles’ at the behest of their new bass player, Stuart Sutcliffe. The name would eventually evolve into ‘The Silver Beatles’ by July of that year, before settling on ‘The Beatles’ come August—just in time for their trip to Hamburg with new drummer, Pete Best. Though club residencies in Germany would prove fundamental to the group’s progress as a whole, the tour turned out to be a blessing and a curse, following the deportation of a then-seventeen-year-old George Harrison, and the eventual tragic death of Stuart Sutcliffe.

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