Interesting Beatles Facts #2-6.
* After Paul’s song, “Penny Lane” became a Beatles hit, the street signs for the actual Penny Lane in Liverpool disappeared with such regularity (as they did on the real Abbey Road), that the town reverted to simply painting ‘Penny Lane’ on the buildings, rather than have street signs.
* “Strawberry Fields” was named for a real place, Strawberry Field, a children’s home run by the Salvation Army in Liverpool. Its location was near John’s childhood home. The original Victorian building was too old and was demolished in the late 1960’s and some land at the back was sold off to help pay for the new buildings. It’s still called “Strawberry Field” and the original walls and gates are there, and it’s still a Salvation Army Children’s Home. John sent Strawberry Field a large donation before his death and so Strawberry Field named one of it’s buildings “Lennon Hall” Yoko still sends donations of cash.
* The group’s name had numerous inspirations. Stuart Sutcliffe noted that a motorcycle gang in the film, “The Wild One,” was called ‘The Beetles,’ and John Lennon reportedly had a dream in which a man appeared “on a flaming pie,” saying, “You will be Beatles with an ‘a’.” The band members were also influenced by the name of Buddy Holly’s band, the Crickets.
* Contrary to popular belief, the title for “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” was prompted by 4-year-old Julian Lennon’s description of a painting he brought home from school, not the drug, LSD. John Lennon has been said to have preferred Elton John’s rendition of the song, and played background guitar and backup vocals on John’s version, credited as “Dr. Winston O’Boogie and his Reggae Guitars.”
* Paul McCartney wrote “Hey Jude” for Julian Lennon, John’s son.
