WE ASKED JOE LEVY TO BREAK DOWN THE HISTORY OF THE PIC AND WHAT
WAS HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES.
>> SO THE SHOOT FOR THE COVER OF
ABBY ROAD TOOK ALL OF TEN
MINUTES.
MINUTES. >> HOW MANY PICTURES WERE TAKEN?
>> SIX.
>> SIX. DURING THE RECORDING SESSIONS
FOR WHAT WAS SORT OF THE
BEATLES’ LAST ALBUM, THE BEATLES
WERE BARELY THE BEATLES AT THIS
POINT.
POINT. JOHN WANTS TO BE WITH OKOWE YOKO
MAKE THINGS.
MAKE THINGS. SOME OF THEM ARE MUSIC, SOME OF
THEM ARE ART.
THE BEATLES ARE HEADED IN VERY
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. >> ONE THING ABOUT THE IMAGE ON
THE COVER OF ABBY ROAD, THEY ALL
SEEM TO BE HEADED IN THE SAME
DIRECTION.
DIRECTION. THAT’S NOT REALLY WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN THE BAND AND IT’S
CERTAINLY NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN
AGAIN AFTER THIS MOMENT.
YOU CAN SEE ALL THAT IN THIS
PICTURE.
PICTURE. THEY’RE WALKING AWAY FROM ABBY
ROAD STUDIOS.
ROAD STUDIOS. YOU CAN GO THERE.
YOU CAN WALK ACROSS THIS
INTERSECTION.
INTERSECTION. YOU CAN RECREATE THIS YOURSELF.
MAYBE EVEN YOU CAN GET A WHITE
SUIT LIKE JOHN LENNON.
CERTAINLY YOU CAN GET A DENIM
SHIRT AND SOME JEANS LIKE GEORGE
HARRISON.
HARRISON. YOU CAN SORT OF SEE YOURSELF IN
THIS MOMENT, WHICH IS NOT THE
WAY THE COVER OF SERGEANT
PEPPER’S MAKES YOU FEEL.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE PAUL IS
DEAD NONSENSE.
DEAD NONSENSE. ABBY ROAD, THE COVER OF IT IS
PAUL’S IDEA.
PAUL’S IDEA. HE’S THE MASTER MIND OF THIS
RECORD.
RECORD. HE’S THE ONLY ONE HONESTLY WHO
WANTS THE BEATLES STILL TOGETHER
AT THIS POINT.
AND YET THERE ARE SIX SHOTS FROM
THE TEN MINUTES IT TOOK TO SHOOT
THIS THING.
THIS THING. IN A LOT OF THEM HE’S WEARING
SANDALS.
SANDALS. IN THIS ONE HE’S BAREFOOT.
PEOPLE DID NOTICE IT RIGHT AWAY
WHEN THIS ALBUM CAME OUT AND
THEY STARTED WONDERING WHY.
AND THIS MYTH GREW UP.
THERE’S JOHN IN WHITE.
HE’S THE SPIRITUAL LEADER.
HERE’S RINGO.
HERE’S RINGO. HE’S IN BLACK.
HE’S THE UNDERTAKER.
HERE’S PAUL.
HERE’S PAUL. HE’S OUT OF STEP WITH THE
OTHERS, HE’S BAREFOOT BECAUSE
HE’S A CORPSE.
WHY THE CORPSE IS DRESSED BUT
NOT WEARING SHOES, I DON’T KNOW.
THERE’S GEORGE ALL DRESSED IN
DENIM.
DENIM. HE’S IN THE WORKING MAN’S
CLOTHES.
CLOTHES. LOOK AT THE CAR, LOOK AT THE
LICENSE PLATE.
LICENSE PLATE. IF PAUL HAD LIVED, HE WAS 27 AT
THE TIME THIS HAPPENED, HE’D BE
28.
28. THE MAGIC, THE MYSTERY, THE
WHOLE THING AROUND THE BEATLES.
PEOPLE WERE FIENDING FOR
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE
INFLUENCE OF THE BEATLES ON
MUSIC TODAY, WE CAN, BUT IT’S
ALMOST LIKE A SILLY QUESTION.
IT’S LIKE ASKING, WELL, WHAT IS
THE INFLUENCE OF OXYGEN ON LIFE
ON EARTH?
ON EARTH? WE NEED IT.
WITHOUT IT THERE WOULD BE NO
LIFE ON EARTH.
WITHOUT THE BEATLES, ARGUABLY NO
POP MUSIC TODAY.
IT IS THE CONTEXT THAT
EVERYTHING HAPPENS IN.
IF YOU CAN’T HEAR IT ON THE
ALBUM, THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT’S
NOT THE CONTEXT.
YOU WOULDN’T SAY K-POP REALLY
SOUNDS LIKE THE BEATLES.
BUT THE MEDIA, WHEN BTF IS IN
THE HOUSE, WE KNOW HOW TO REACT
BECAUSE WE’VE SEEN FOOTAGE OF
GIRLS REACTING TO THE BEATLES.
BUT ALL OF THE CONTEXT FOR POP
FANDOM COMES FROM THAT MOMENT.
THE BEATLES ARE THE CONTEXT FOR
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. IT’S WHAT YOU LEARN, IT’S WHAT
YOU GROW UP WITH, IT’S THE AIR
THAT YOU BREATHE.
AND IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT KIND
OF MUSIC YOU’RE MAKING, WHETHER