7 Popular Beatles’ Hits You Won’t Believe Are About Liverpool, England-Irish Sea
Port of Liverpool, Lancashire, UK
Lying at 3 km. inland from the Irish Sea along the Mersey River in Lancashire is the Port of Liverpool. This is located at England‘s western coast. Along the Mersey estuary, Port of Liverpool is also connected to Manchester through the Manchester Ship Canal. It dominates United Kingdom‘s container business with North America. More than that, Port of Liverpool serves other non-European destinations from China, India, Africa, Australia, the Middle East and South America. Aside from container business, this port is Britain‘s leading gateway for imports of grain and animal feed, export of recycled metal scraps (heaps of these dominate the harbor) and the movement of freight service between England and Ireland.
The Port of Liverpool has also been the home of great ships like the RMS Baltic (world’s largest ship in 1905) and the ill-fated RMS Titanic (then world’s largest passenger ship that sank in the North Atlantic in April 1912). The largest, busiest and most diverse port in England, tourism is also a major contributor to the port’s economy. Port of Liverpool is one of the few ports in the world where cruise ships can actually dock at the city center. In the manufacturing side, the famous Jaguar X Type and Land Rover Freelancer are built in this port.
About the Irish Sea:
This is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean which separates Ireland from the UK. Irish Sea is bounded by Scotland on the north, Wales on the South, England on the east and Ireland on the west. An important transportation route between England and Ireland, this sea provides economy to both countries through trade, shipping, commercial fishing and power generation (wind and nuclear). It is also known as one of the most polluted seas in the world because of nuclear waste. However, Irish Sea has 17 active oil and gas drilling platforms that provide 1.6 billion barrels of oil. Sometimes called as the Celtic Sea, this body of water is shallow with strong winds which is an ideal location for offshore wind farms.
“The Long And Winding Road”..to LIVERPOOL
A major city and metropolitan borough in Northwest England, it lay southwest of the county of Lancashire. Founded as a town (borough) in 1207 by King John of England, it later became a city in 1880. Years later it would become a borough independent of Lancashire. It sits on the eastern side of Mersey River, an inland of the Irish Sea. The name of Liverpool was derived from the old English word “lifer” which means muddy water and “pol” meaning creek. Liverpool was once an area of muddy creek.
The city’s medieval growth was rather slow but in the 18th century, Liverpool expanded rapidly due to its business links with the Americas and the West Indies. It became the 2nd most important port city in the UK. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway System, the first then in England was opened here in 1830. Said rail network provided an easy access to all major British industrial centers. The economic growth was accompanied by the surge of Irish immigrants especially during the Irish Potato Famine between 1845-49. By the early 20th century, the city became the center of an extensive dock. But after World War II, Liverpool’s economy declined although there was a great effort of the city to revive the dock, the main source of its livelihood. But it got worldwide attention when the “Mersey beat” (a British music genre in the ’60s) surfaced on the rock and roll spot, the Beatles rose to fame. And taking advantage of the popularity of its Fab Four, Liverpool focused on renewal and regeneration, a destination with a rich history and attractive culture.
We were in Liverpool in 1999 with the M/T Knock An. Most of this ship’s journeys were inland estuaries because it has stabilizers. It can go alongside the harbor without the aid of a mooring boat. Liverpool, one of world’s most distinguished cities. Mention of Liverpool and what comes to mind is of course about The Beatles and their great songs. Although there are other interesting facts about this city. Its waterfront, the Albert Dock and Pier head are World Heritage Sites since July 2004. Liverpool holds the Guinness Book of Records title as the “Capital of Pop Music”. Many artists with top hits have Liverpudian origin like Melanie C. (Spice Girls), The Wombats, Rebecca Ferguson, Atomic Kitten. And of course, not to mention its 2 most successful football clubs: Liverpool FC and Everton FC. But the city’s popularity is more credited to its Fab Four. And usually, it creates a list of superlatives about their music. People travel from across the world to see their legacy. And many of their songs refer to events and scenes about the city where they lived and loved. Let’s take a look at some of the 7 popular Beatles’ hits you won’t believe are about Liverpool, England and the astonishing stories behind them.
“Let me Take You Down, ‘Cause I”m Going To”….STRAWBERRY FIELD
Strawberry Fields Forever, a popular Beatles’ hit you won’t believe is about Liverpool, England. The song was inspired by an orphanage near John Lennon’s boyhood home. Growing up in Woolton, Liverpool he used to play with his friends at the forested garden behind the Salvation Army home for abandoned kids. One story goes that John was banned from playing at the grounds because of his noisy nature. The headmaster of the orphanage warned his Aunt Mimi that if John has to return to the place, he would “hung” the young boy. And this is also the story behind the line “and nothing to get hung about”. Strawberry Field children’s home was shut down in 2005 but the red gate which John and his friends used to climb in order to get to the other side and sneak into the orphanage is still there. And yes, it has become a must-see spot when you are in Liverpool with the large red gate a good site for a selfie.
“But it’s all right, That is I think, it’s not too bad. Strawberry Fields Forever.”
PENNY LANE…”Behind The Shelter, In The Middle Of The Roundabout”
It is actually a street in Liverpool where Paul McCartney and John Lennon would met for a bus ride going to the city center. A bus stop used to stand at the junction of the street, that is “the shelter in the middle of the roundabout”. With regards to the line “the pretty nurse selling poppies on a tray”, in real life, she was a childhood friend of John named Beth Davidson. She would eventually marry another friend of John’s, Pete Shotton. But Beth died at a young age of 35. Penny Lane, a popular Beatles hit you won’t believe is about Liverpool, England. Fab Four fans who come here for a visit usually take pictures of themselves at the street sign of Penny Lane as a souvenir.
“Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes…”
Liverpool Travel:
ELEANOR RIGBY..”Died In The Church And Was Buried Along With Her Name”
The year was 1957, at a festival in St. Peter’s Church in Liverpool John met Paul for the first time. And at the back of St. Peter’s is a graveyard where one Eleanor Rigby lay buried. She died sometime in 1939 at the age of 44. Exactly 9 years after John and Paul met at St. Peter‘s, Paul wrote the lyrics in 1966 of what would become one of the group’s most iconic songs. Eleanor Rigby, a popular Beatles’ hit you won’t believe is about Liverpool, England. Of course it would be easy to say that Paul was thinking of the woman buried beneath the gravestone at St. Peter’s Church. But the existence of the headstone was only discovered in 1980. When Paul was writing the lyrics for Eleanor Rigby song, the name Eleanor came from the British actress Eleanor Bron who appeared in the Beatles’ movie, Help. The Rigby came from the name of a store that Paul saw in Bristol, England – Rigby & Evens Ltd. It was just a fictitious name that Paul made up. And just a coincidence with the name of that Eleanor Rigby interred at the graveyard of St. Peter’s Cathedral. However, regardless of the origin of the name, Eleanor Rigby has always remained a piece and parcel of the Fab Four‘s Liverpool‘s story. Nowadays, a visit to the gravestone of Eleanor Rigby is a part of the itinerary in guided tours at the city. In fact, there is also an Eleanor Rigby sculpture at Stanley Street in Liverpool.
“Ah, look at all the lonely people.”
“And We Lived Beneath The Waves In Our”….YELLOW SUBMARINE
The Yellow Submarine is a children’s song written by Paul, again in 1966 and sung by Ringo Starr. But these days at Liverpool, there is really a Yellow Submarine Beatle-themed 3-bedroom boat floating at Mersey River within Royal Albert Dock. The Royal Albert Dock is a spectacular complex of buildings in Liverpool built in 1846 along the riverside. It’s now part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the city. Well, we don’t all live in a yellow submarine in real life but when in Liverpool you can have the chance for a staycation at one for a day. And right in the heart of its most iconic dock at that. Yellow Submarine, a popular Beatles hit you won’t believe is about Liverpool, England.
“And we sailed up to the sun, till we found, a sea of green.”
Liverpool Travel:
SHE LOVES YOU… “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”
While both John and Paul were inside at a hotel room in Newcastle, England in June 1963, they were collaborating for an answering song. One would sing the part, “she loves you” and the other will answer “yeah, yeah, yeah”. So that was also the title of the song however, they finished writing the rest of the lyrics when they got home at Paul’s house in Liverpool the day after their Newcastle trip. When Paul was done writing the lyrics, he showed the song to his Dad, Jim. But the older McCartney complained that there’s too much of Americanism used in the lyrics. Yes, yes, yes should be better instead of yeah, yeah, yeah. Sir Paul insisted yeah, yeah, yeah sounds well and good. She Loves You, a popular Beatles hit you won’t believe is about Liverpool, England. It was written while the boys were at 20 Forthlin Road. You too can have the chance to peek inside Sir Paul McCartney’s childhood home when visit Liverpool. It’s part of the itinerary in the Beatles’ Guided Tour.
“She loves you, yeah. With a love like that, you should be glad.”
“Love”…LOVE ME DO..”You Know I Do”
Love Me Do, the Beatles‘ first hit song. It brought Liverpool into the swinging ’60s. This song also established the Fab Four’s policy to make songs that were only written by themselves. When they were both 16 and 17 respectively, John and Paul started to write Love Me Do in 1958. Being in the same school, they usually skipped classes for songwriting, scribbling lyrics on their notebooks, dreaming of stardom. Paul first wrote the song Love Me Do for his girlfriend at that time, Iris Caldwell. Later, it was co-written with John. But Lennon finished the rest of the lyrics at 251 Menlove Avenue or simply Mendips, his childhood home. When he was just 5 years old, he came to live here with his Uncle George and Aunt Mimi. Love Me Do, a popular Beatles hit you won’t believe is about Liverpool, England. And yes, you can actually take a tour at John Lennon‘s Mendips home.
“Love, love me do. You know I love you. I”ll always do..”
Liverpool Travel:
“It’s Been A”…HARD DAYS NIGHT…”I Should Be Sleeping Like A Dog”
In March 1964, after the group’s filming session, a very tired Ringo Starr suddenly came up with the phrase “it’s been a hard day’s” while looking around the dark room and he added, “night”. That is how they came up with the title of their new song, “A Hard Day’s Night”. It was John who wrote the lyrics which eventually became the title song of the first movie which the group made. Today, just a stone’s throw away from the Cavern Club where the Fab Four started their gigs stands Hard Day’s Night Hotel. It’s another Beatle-themed area in Liverpool decorated with their mementos. Hard Day’s Night, a popular Beatles hit you won’t believe is about Liverpool, England. When in the city and you want to go for a drink in the hotel’s bar, the cocktail menu is also of Beatle-inspired drinks.
“But when I get home you, I”ll find the things that you do, will make me feel alright, oww”
Something Extra:Y
“Yesterday, all my troubles seem so far away”…the CAVERN CLUB
This is the famous Beatles‘ venue in Liverpool. The bar where the Fab Four used to perform nightly during the height of Mersey Beat era in the 1960s. In the following decades after the Beatles left for London in 1963, other popular artists appeared at Cavern Club. The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Queen, The Who, Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart and Cilla Black worked as hat-check girl here. It was closed in 1973 but re-opened in 1984. While on a shore leave from Knock An, we visited the iconic bar. Most of the habitues were older Liverpudians who used to watch the Fab Four played here in this bar. It plays music of the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. Live bands perform every week in both tribute and original music. It is still a thriving venue, attracting big names in the British music industry that include Oasis, Jessie J. A month after we left Liverpool, in December 1999, Sir Paul McCartney returned to the bar and performed live on stage of which a million fans applied for the 300 tickets just to see their idol. Cavern Club will always be one of the most long-lasting and exciting landmark in Liverpool. You can easily find your way to this bar as it is just beside The Beatles Story museum at the Royal Albert Dock area.
“And don’t you know that it’s just you HEY JUDE, you’ll do. The movement you need is on you’ll shoulders..”
Now you know a little bit of Liverpool through the Beatles‘ songs. It is time for you to book a trip the soonest to this exciting city. She’s waiting for you to arrive when travel restrictions are lifted. “They call me on and on, across the universe..”
References: Wikipedia, www.Brittannica.com