TheBeatlesOnline

Between 1963 and 1970, the Beatles enjoyed tremendous success all over the world. Their success has since been unrivaled. Today it remains the most popular band of all times.

A great deal of the band's success must be attributed to the songwriting partnership of Lennon and McCartney. The two songwriters had a natural gift for crafting compelling melodies, and seemed to have access to a bottomless well of ideas. They contemplated and inspired each other, particularly in the early years, and both shared a desire to try the unexpected and to make the impossible work.

It's beyond comprehension how Lennon and McCartney could write around 200 songs in just seven years without compromising on quality. They always delivered the goods for the next Beatles single or album, despite being under immense pressure and often stretched for time, especially in the early years of their career.

Yet the importance of the chemistry between all four members cannot be underestimated. Insiders have talked about the telepathic understanding between Paul, Ringo, John and George during recording sessions. Perhaps this explains why none of their solo efforts never ever matched anything they recorded as a group. The Beatles was a four-piece band, and all four played important roles, although in different ways.

George Harrison, the youngest member, had a guitar playing style that perfectly fitted in with the Beatles' sound. Just listen to his guitar licks on I Want To Hold Your Hand. It gives the song the perfect "hook." It's simple but effective, and just right.

In 1965, Harrison introduced the Beatles to Indian music. The song Norwegian Wood on the album Rubber Soul became the first western pop song ever to feature an Indian sitar - played by George himself. From then on, Indian instruments were frequently used on Beatles records.

Harrison's song writing skills also developed extensively throughout his career with the Beatles. His early efforts, such as Don't Bother Me and If I Needed Someone, had showed promising signs. It was between 1968 and 1969 however that Harrison really began to peak as a songwriter. In this period, he delivered classics such as While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something and Here Comes The Sun, which were on par with Lennon and McCartney's best songs.

Harrison also contributed to many of the vocal harmonies on Beatles songs. He was a confident backing vocalist, which added even greater depth to the voices of John and Paul. It sounded astonishing when John, Paul and George sang together as a trio, just listen to songs like The Word, It Won't Be Long and Because.

Ringo Starr never blossomed as a song writer, but he had a tremendous impact on the Beatles' sound. One of his strengths was that his drumming never interrupted the flow of a song. If a song needed a simple beat, then he kept it simple. But Ringo could also come up with creative beats when it was called for, just listen to his work on songs like Rain, She Said She Said and Hello Goodbye, to name a few.

As a lead singer Ringo had his limitations, but Lennon and McCartney would occasionally write songs specifically for him to sing. With A Little Help From My Friends and Good Night are two examples of how well Ringo would master the lead vocal, if the song was right for him.

Ringo contributed with two self-composed Beatles songs, Don't Pass Me By in 1968 and Octopus Garden in 1969. He was also credited for co-writing What Goes On and the instrumental Flying.

It's also worth to point out that Ringo invented the phrases A Hard Day's Night and Eight Days A Week, in which Lennon and McCartney incorporated into songs. He also came up with the title for Lennon's Tomorrow Never Knows.

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