The Beatles' People Trivia Quiz

Answer: Prudence

"Dear Prudence" was written by John Lennon. It was on the 1968 double album "The Beatles", (commonly known as "The White Album".)
It was written in India, and was said to be inspired by Prudence Farrow, a sister of actress Mia Farrow.
It has been covered by many artists, including Siouxsie and the Banshees, whose rendition became a top five hit.

Answer: Eleanor Rigby

"Eleanor Rigby", written by Paul McCartney, was released as a single from the 1966 album "Revolver". It topped the UK singles charts and Canadian CHUM charts, but reached only number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the USA.
McCartney said of it: "It just came. When I started doing the melody I developed the lyric. It all came from the first line. I wonder if there are girls called Eleanor Rigby?"
The "Eleanor" was after the actress Eleanor Bron.

Answer: Jojo

"Get Back" was released as a single on April 1969 and was credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston." (Preston was the only writer to share credits with McCartney and Lennon.)
It reached number one in ten countries.
A live version on the Apple rooftop ended the movie "Let It Be."
McCartney said at the time of the single's release: "We were sitting in the studio and we made it up out of thin air... we started to write words there and then... when we finished it, we recorded it at Apple Studios and made it into a song to roller coast by."

Answer: Jude

"Hey Jude" was written by Paul McCartney and evolved from "Hey Jules", a song he wrote to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce.
It was released in August 1968 and at more than seven minutes in length, it was then the longest single to top the British charts. It also spent nine weeks at number one in the United States, the longest for any Beatles single.
In 1987 Julian Lennon met McCartney in New York City and he heard the story of the song firsthand. In Steve Turner's book "The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song", Julian said: "Paul told me he'd been thinking about my circumstances, about what I was going through and what I'd have to go through. Paul and I used to hang out quite a bit - more than Dad and I did. There seem to be far more pictures of me and Paul playing at that age than me and Dad.
"I've never really wanted to know the truth of how Dad was and how he was with me. There was some very negative stuff - like when he said that I'd come out of a whisky bottle on a Saturday night. That's tough to deal with. ...It's strange to think someone has written a song about you. It still touches me."

Answer: Julia

"Julia" was written by John Lennon during the Beatles' 1968 visit to Rishikesh in northern India, where they were studying under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Lennon played and sang it without input from any of the other Beatles on "The White Album".
"Julia" was written for Lennon's mother, Julia, who was knocked down and killed by a car driven by a drunken driver when John was 17 years old.

Answer: Madonna

"Lady Madonna" was written by Paul McCartney and recorded in February 1968.
It was the "A" side of a single that March and reached number one in the UK and number four in the Billboard Hot 100.
McCartney said at the time the this song was a tribute to women everywhere.
Aretha Franklin sang it as the theme song for the TV series "Grace Under Fire," which ran from 1993 to 1998 - though a different song was used on the last season.

Answer: Rita

"Lovely Rita" was written by Paul McCartney and was on the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
In the book "Beatles: In Their Own Words", McCartney was quoted: "I was bopping about on the piano in Liverpool when someone told me that in America, they call parking-meter women meter maids. I thought that was great, and it got to 'Rita Meter Maid' and then "Lovely Rita Meter Maid' and I was thinking vaguely that it should be a hate song: 'You took my car away and I'm so blue today' and you wouldn't be liking her; but then I thought it would be better to love her and if she was very freaky too, like a military man, with a bag on her shoulder. A foot stomper, but nice. The song was imagining if somebody was there taking down my number and I suddenly fell for her, and the kind of person I'd be, to fall for a meter maid, would be a shy office clerk and I'd say, 'May I inquire discreetly when you are free to take some tea with me.'"
The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson told "Q" magazine this was his favourite McCartney song. "I had a sneak preview of 'Sgt. Pepper' when Paul came to visit me in 1967 and "Lovely Rita" made me laugh my head off. I love the way it comes floating in. The bass line is great and the lyrics are kind of funny too."

Answer: Desmond and Molly

"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" was written by Paul McCartney and was on the 1968 album "The Beatles" (The White Album).
The title was suggested by the name of a reggae band called Jimmy Scott and his Obla Di Obla Da Band. McCartney recalled: "A fella who used to hang around the clubs used to say in a Jamaican accent, "Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on".
Reportedly, John Lennon hated the song (and he was not keen on some other later McCartney songs either.)
The other three Beatles ganged up on McCartney and refused to allow the song to be released as a single in the UK or USA.
The Scottish band Marmalade did release it as a single and it was a UK number one in 1968.

Answer: Lucy

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was written by John Lennon for the 1967 album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
The "Lucy" who inspired the song was Lucy O'Donnell (later Lucy Vodden).
She was a classmate of John's son, Julian. In a 1975 interview Lennon said: "Julian came in one day with a picture about a school friend of his named Lucy. He had sketched in some stars in the sky and called it Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds."
Rumours that the song was actually about the drug LSD prompted the BBC to ban it.
Trivia note: Star Trek actor William Shatner covered the song in a dramatic, spoken-word style. In a poll, it was voted the worst Beatles cover of all time.

Answer: Sadie

"Sexy Sadie" was written by John Lennon and appeared on "The White Album".
Lennon wanted to call it "Maharishi" but changed it to "Sexy Sadie" at George Harrison's suggestion.
It was written after the Beatles had been in India late in 1967 and into 1968 studying with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
The Maharishi had allegedly attempted to sexually assault actress Mia Farrow.
Lennon later said: "That was inspired by Maharishi. I wrote it when we had our bags packed and were leaving. It was the last piece I wrote before I left India. I just called him, 'Sexy Sadie,' instead of 'Maharishi what have you done, you made a fool...' I was just using the situation to write a song, rather calculatingly but also to express what I felt. I was leaving the Maharishi with a bad taste."

Answer: Bungalow Bill

John Lennon wrote "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" about a man who loved to hunt. They met during the Beatles' Indian retreat.
The hunter was Richard A. Cooke. His wife, Bronwyn, told "Mojo" magazine in September 2008 that Cooke had asked the Maharishi if it was a sin to kill a tiger.
"John and George were in the room. Maharishi's response was, 'life destruction is life destruction.' Rik has not shot anything since. He became a freelance photographer for National Geographic."
The song appeared on "The White Album".

Answer: Robert

John Lennon described this as an autobiographical song. It was about Doctor Robert Freymann, a New York "speed doctor" who supplied many celebrities, including the Beatles, with drugs.
The song appeared on the "Revolver" album in other markets, but not the USA, where it was on on "Yesterday and Today."

Answer: Lil

"But everyone knew her as Nancy..."

Thrown into the mix to sort out the real Beatles fans on here.
"Rocky Racoon" was written by Paul McCartney in India. In "Mojo" magazine in 2008 he said: "I've got to admit a lot of my stuff is pastiche. I'd learned by then that pastiche would work because inevitably behind it would be something more." He also said: "Somehow this little story unfolded itself. I was basically spoofing 'the folk-singer'".

Answer: Martha

Some said it was about McCartney's sheepdog, Martha, but according to the book "A Hard Day's Write", it was about his "muse", the voice he heard telling him the words and music to write.

Answer: Mary Jane

"What's The New Mary Jane" was written by John Lennon. It was recorded during "The White Album" sessions, but was omitted because the album was getting too long.