There was never any doubt about who would be The Beatles’ lead singer when the band first got together. It was assumed that each member of the band would take the mic at some point during their tenure together. For instance, every album the group released featured Ringo Starr. Paul McCartney ‘s disappointment arose from the inability to sing even one Beatles classic, despite the potential for them to become more acerbic as they aged.
It’s amazing the band was able to produce anything at all after the chaos that surrounded the recording of their self-titled White Album. Following their break and transcendental retreat in India, the band’s creative directions took many different turns. It include disagreements among the band as to how every song should sound.
When the group finally got back together, Paul McCartney wanted to take them back to their original sound, practicing songs that were straightforward rather than experimenting in the studio. The band gave in once more to produce Abbey Road, their last creative statement. They would eventually incorporate the materials used for the project into Let it Be.
Working with George Martin on their last song, the Beatles went all out. They created an array of varied sounds that would become the second side of the album. With “Come Together,” the album’s opening track, John Lennon gave the band one more classic. However, he didn’t liked the operatic flipside.
McCartney suggested slowing down the song, drawing inspiration from Chuck Berry’s well-known song “You Can’t Catch Me”. This led him to compose one of his signature basslines. McCartney wasn’t happy when he couldn’t sing on the last track. Even though it would be one of the band’s last genuine collaborations.
Recalling, “On ‘Come Together,’ I would have liked to sing harmony with John. I think he would have liked me to, but I was too embarrassed to ask him, and I do network to the best of my abilities in that situation,” McCartney expressed his belief that asking Lennon to provide backup vocals would have been an imposition.
However, McCartney wasn’t the only person who felt harmed by the division of singing roles. Regarding the blues hit “Oh Darling!,” there were rumors that Lennon was bitter towards McCartney because he believed he might perform the song more brilliantly if he had the opportunity.
Whatever the song, Abbey Road included some of the best vocals ever heard on a Beatles record, from the band’s arrangement of Martin’s wall of voices for Lennon’s “Because” to Harrison’s folk rock mainstay “Here Comes the Sun.” Even though the Beatles were disintegrating, whenever they sang together, they were still able to create something beautiful.
