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” Not that they did not have their criticisms. For the Anthology, Ringo Starr said, “ it’s still great and I’m glad we were involved with it, ” while George said, “ it works for every generation – every baby, three or four years old, goes through Yellow Submarine. Not that it stopped the film reaching an audience or impressing the Beatles themselves. While McCartney said, “ They felt they ought to pick up on where we had been up to, which was Sgt Pepper, but a Bambi (-esque film) would have been better for me at the time.” In the Anthology, John Lennon said he came up with the Hoover – the cartoon monster that sucks everything up. Though they did talk to the writers – notably Erich Segal ( Love Story 1970, A Change of Seasons 1980) – about what to put in it. Their roles were taken up by other voice actors as the band were working on other projects. Likewise, the cameo was to live up to the contract’s statement of actually appearing in the film. The film was devised as a quicker, easier way to satisfy their contractual agreement with United Artists for a third film after 1965’s Help. The Beatles themselves had little involvement beyond the music and a live-action cameo. In The Beatles Anthology book from 2000, Paul McCartney said, “ I thought they should just have a man who sailed to sea and went to the land of submarines, ” suggesting it could be the greatest Disney movie ever – only with (The Beatles’) music. Paul McCartney thought there was enough to it for a children’s film. It did not have much meaning beyond being a nonsense song for children that could fit Ringo Starr’s vocal range. Granted, it was as the B-side to “Eleanor Rigby,” but it has become one of the Fab Four’s most recognizable songs. It was also issued as a single and went to #1 on every major UK chart, and at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. There was even a pro-wrestler in ECW and the WWE called the Blue Meanie.īut how did it all start? Well, the original “Yellow Submarine” song appeared 2 years prior to the film on the Revolver album. There are even references to it in video games, like the submarine of a ‘purely coincidental’ color in 1994’s Earthbound, or in 2002’s Super Mario Sunshine. It has turned up in music videos, either as a direct link to the Beatles (Oasis’ “All Around the World”), or to its trippy design (Kesha’s “Your Love is My Drug”). Released in the UK on July 17th, and in USA on November 13th of 1968, the film has influenced many, for better or worse, throughout its now 50 years of existence across a range of media. Yeah, it is obviously The Beatles, and the story is most certainly that of their animated musical Fantasy Comedy Yellow Submarine. They needed a group of people who looked surprisingly like Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely-Hearts Club Band, who even sang about said band, and about a yellow submarine. But who could save the day? Maybe The Who? The Jimi Hendrix Experience? Rod Stewart? No, they needed someone bigger than Rod. It is all up to Young Fred (Lance Percival: That Was the Week That Was series) – a man in his sixties – to take the flying Yellow Submarine, used by Pepperland’s forefathers (a string quartet) years yonder, and get help. Then there was the malevolent, flying Glove that literally smashed out any signs of love. Snapping Turks – fez-wearing, possibly racially-insensitive men with snapping jaws on their stomachs – chomped out anything that gave them joy. Bonkers – men with long legs – dropped giant apples on people. Which is why the Blue Meanies sealed them in a soundproof bubble and attacked Pepperland. They’ve been going in and out of style, but they’re guaranteed to raise a smile… It was 50 years ago today, Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play.
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