Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

'Lost' Beatles Song Finally Finished

Forgotten George Harrison lyrics turned into tune

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 3, 2009 4:35 AM CST

(Newser) – Forty years after the Beatles split and eight after George Harrison died, a new Beatles song has been completed. Harrison gave the first ten lines of Silence (Is Its Own Reply) to a biographer in 1969, but they were put aside and forgotten until recently, the Telegraph reports. A BBC presenter, with the blessing of Harrison's estate, approached Liverpool singer/songwriter Dean Johnson about turning the lyrics into a finished song.

The lyrics Harrison wrote are believed to allude to his troubled relationship with John Lennon. "My brief was to follow George’s sentiment through to its conclusion," Johnson said. “I just tried by my best ability to get into the mind of someone in George’s position. I am so pleased that most people who have heard it think I achieved a credible continuity with the original lyrics.”

[Images (1)]

[Videos (1)]

The Beatles pose at the EMI studios in Abbey Road, (Getty Images)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Liverpool singer/songwriter Dean Johnson sings "Silence (Is It's Own Reply)." (DeanJohnsonMusic)

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

AP Photo

35 Brutally Honest Reasons Men Say No to Sex (The Stir)

Which Entertainer Pulled Out of 'Inappropriate' Whitney Tribute? (NewsOne)

The French Government Wants to Tone My Vagina (Slate)

Obama Photo on Facebook Helps Catch Drug Dealer (HuffPost)

Hottest Women to Ever Appear in the SI Swimsuit Issue (Bleacher Report)

Partner Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 6 comments

paul123

Nov 3, 2009 12:48 PM CST

It seems like every three to five years, they "find" another Beatle song. I think it's all a ploy to put out one new song and re-release a greatest hits cd with that song on it. Oh well, off to the record store...love me some Beatles.

bewilderbeast

Nov 3, 2009 11:39 AM CST

So its like a, grub, song. Not quite a beetle song. I'll buy. I like Harrison. His bass work on the Travelin' Wilburys was triffic. Hell , I just love that Wilburys album.

chas_m

Nov 3, 2009 8:00 AM CST

Addendum: the other "John demo that the rest of them finished" was "Real Love," released in 1996. I hate it when I remember something immediately after hitting "Submit." :) Point is, the idea that "new" Beatles songs are "found" regularly, or when there's a new "Greatest Hits" type thing to push, is provably untrue.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Rick Santorum: Birth Control Is 'Not OK'

Valentine's Day Role-Playing Goes Very Wrong

Telegraph (UK) (Source Grid »)

Entertainment

John Lennon • song • Beatles • George Harrison • rock bands • songwriter

More Newser Stories

John Lennon Peace Sign Sells for $154K

He made the placard during a 'bed-in' with Yoko Ono

(NEWSER) - A placard that got prominent play during a "bed-in" peace protest by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 has fetched the handsome price of $154,000, reports Bloomberg . The sign reading "Bed Peace" was on the window behind the couple as they staged their weeklong protest in Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel. A smart sound engineer grabbed it and had the couple sign it. An anonymous telephone bidder had the winning bid at Christie's in London. Impressive, but nowhere near what this diamond got . More»

For Sale: John Lennon's Tooth

It's expected to fetch more than $15K

(NEWSER) - Looking for some incredibly weird and expensive yet vaguely gross memorabilia for the Beatles fan on your Christmas list? Well you’re in luck, because one of John Lennon’s teeth will go up for auction at Omega Auctions in Stockport, England, next month, where it’s expected to fetch more than $15,000, the BBC reports. Lennon gave the tooth to his housekeeper, Dot Jarlett, in the late 1960s, and her family has kept it ever since. More»

Aide: Lennon Was Closet Republican

Former Beatle voiced support for Reagan, says last assistant

(NEWSER) - Hippie icon John Lennon was a secret fan of Ronald Reagan, claims his final personal assistant. Fred Seaman, who worked for the Lennons in the year before the ex-Beatle's death in 1980, says Lennon was embarrassed by his radical past, the Toronto Sun reports. Lennon "made it very clear that if he were an American he would vote for Reagan because he was really sour on Jimmy Carter," Seaman says in the new documentary Beatles Stories. More»

Beatles Headed to iTunes?

Fab Four's iconic catalog was noted holdout

(NEWSER) - Fab Four fans, rejoice: Or at least hold your breath, because the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Steve Jobs' pending iTunes news is that Apple is nearing a deal to bring the Beatles' catalog at long last onboard. Apple is readying an announcement, anonymous insiders say, while also warning that plans could still change at the last minute. The Journal notes that an agreement would end decades of tension between the two giants; the Beatles originally sued Apple in 1978 for copyright infringement on their Apple Records and Apple Corp. Ltd. More»

Yoko: It Was Paul Who Saved My Marriage to John

Despite feud, McCartney came to former bandmate's aid

(NEWSER) - Marking what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday, his widow Yoko Ono revealed yesterday that it was Paul McCartney who saved their marriage. Despite the bandmates' well-known post-Beatles feud, McCartney came to Lennon’s assistance during the infamous “lost weekend,” when he ran off with his personal assistant, Ono tells the Times in an interview obtained by the Daily Mail . McCartney “was genuinely concerned about his old partner,” Ono recalls, and visited her to ask how Lennon could win her back. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

'Lost' Beatles Song Finally Finished