Disney+’s The Beatles: Get Back is a documentary mini-series about The Beatle’s turbulent but joyful relationships, though never stating why The Beatles split up. Directed and produced by Peter Jackson, the documentary takes archived footage from The Beatles’ Let It Be recording sessions, providing an extended look into their work environment. While The Beatles: Get Back may spend more time on the fun of the session than the original Let It Be film, ultimately, The Beatles did not have a happy ending.
The Beatles originated in 1960, founded by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and had garnered enough domestic success in Europe that by 1964 they had become a worldwide sensation. Their unprecedented fame was not unwarranted; The Beatles produced countless hit songs, revolutionized the rock genre, and redefined the culture of popular music. Along with nineteen certified platinum albums, The Beatles also starred in movies and founded their multimedia company, Apple Corps. The Beatles were bigger and more impactful than any other artist at the time, until their seemingly spontaneous break-up in 1970, merely 10 years after the band came to be.
Their end was not random, however; the truth is that The Beatles had dealt with long-simmering tension since their rise to fame. As exhibited in The Beatles: Get Back, each band member had grown exhausted with each other; McCartney was disliked for his overbearing, taskmaster approach to music-making, while Lennon’s chaotic nature threatened to disband the group at any moment. George Harrison and Ringo Starr, the other two band members, were often overshadowed by the two powerful leads; overall, each member wanted to grow creatively, but constantly had to compromise in favor of each others’ preferences.
The Beatles’ split came with these clashing egos; Lennon and McCartney came to heads regularly in the later years of The Beatles, with Harrison and Starr suffering in their wake. When the band needed a new manager for their Apple Corps company, the manipulation and name-calling that ensued between Lennon, McCartney, and their nominees deepened the vitriolic environment, as well as led to some of the band’s worst financial decisions. Though McCartney, Harrison, and Starr struggled to hold onto their musical unity, Lennon cut ties unexpectedly, no longer wishing to deal with McCartney’s input. The Beatles ended shortly after this, never to play as one again.
McCartney and Lennon were in their mid-thirties by the time they could repair their relationship back to friendship, though their collaborative days were assuredly over. Each Beatle had a very successful individual career and found peace on their own, lessening the desire for a comeback. What little opportunity for a reunion there may have been was short-lived; Lennon was killed in 1980, and Harrison passed away in 2001. With only two remaining Beatles left, reforming the band was impossible. This may be for the best, however; with The Beatles left in the past, it’s easier to look back at their work in sober admiration in The Beatles: Get Back and know that, at least in part, the turmoil was worth it.
The Beatles: Get Back releases over November 25th, 26th, and 27th, 2021.