A Walk Down Abbey Road Trivia Quiz

Answer: Something

It is always assumed that George Harrison wrote "Something" for his first wife, Pattie Boyd. In fact, in her autobiography (2007) Boyd wrote that George told her that he had. George, however, had a different recollection about the song, saying later that his inspiration came from James Taylor's "Something in the Way She Moves" (1968), and that the song was about Krishna, a Hindu deity.

Interestingly, after George wrote the song, he offered it to Joe Cocker; he wasn't sure it would make a Beatle album since he was typically limited to two songs per album. His band mates, however, loved the song, and John said that it was the best one on "Abbey Road". Cocker did eventually release his version of the song, and so did countless others.

Answer: Maxwell's Silver Hammer

The song was credited to Lennon-McCartney, but written by Paul, who said it was supposed to represent what happens when things in life don't go as planned "out of the blue". The melody of the song makes the rather dark meaning of Maxwell killing people with his silver hammer seem more upbeat. "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was meant to be on the "White Album, but was largely rejected by the other band members, who called it "Paul's granny music" (John) and grew tired of Paul's relentless search for perfection (Ringo) for the "fruity" song (George).

It is probably a miracle that "Abbey Road" was recorded. The band wasn't getting along well, and John, who had just been hurt in a car accident, refused to participate in many of the recordings. Both Paul and Producer George Martin had hoped that the overall atmosphere in the studio would be more friendly, but that was not to be. In fact, John had proposed at one point that Paul's songs be on one side of the album, with his on the other, and he had quit the band by the time the album was released.

Answer: Octopus's Garden

Credited to Richard Starkey, the idea for "Octopus's Garden" came to Ringo while he was boating on vacation in Sardinia. The story is that he had ordered fish and chips, and received squid instead. This mistake led to the captain of the boat explaining to Ringo how an octopus collects stones to make its garden.

George apparently assisted Ringo in the composition of the song; it was the second song that Ringo had ever written after "Don't Pass Me By", which was on the "White Album". While some ponder if it was really a children's song - "Oh what joy/For every girl and boy" - others believe it showed Ringo's desire for a more peaceful co-existence between the members of the group.

Answer: Here Comes the Sun

Here Comes the Sun" was George's second contribution to "Abbey Road". The story is that he skipped a business meeting in order to visit Eric Clapton's country home, and actually wrote the song using one of Clapton's acoustic guitars. George told that prior to the day he wrote the song, he had not played guitar for a couple of weeks due to all the meetings, "And the first thing that came out was that song".

In addition to the disagreements and rifts between the band members, George was having a rough go of things. He had recently had his tonsils removed, had been arrested for possessing marijuana, and actually quit the band for a time. According to weather reports, it really had been a "long, cold, lonely winter" that year. Many people today feel that George's two offerings for the "Abbey Road" album proved his worth as a song writer and took him to the level of his two previously more prolific band mates.

Answer: Her Majesty

"Your Majesty" has a very interesting story. It was originally part of the medley of songs, but Paul, who wrote (although it was credited to Lennon-McCartney) and performed the song, didn't like it there. He asked for it to be cut from the album. Producer George Martin had decreed that none of The Beatles songs would be thrown out, and it was tacked on to the end of the album to be played after 14 seconds. The song is not listed on the album sleeve, and is considered to be an early example of a hidden track. At 23 seconds long, it is also the band's shortest song.

I had to include this song in the quiz as I have recently read a story in the "Express" (May 24, 2022) where Paul said in the "Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts" documentary that all the members of the band thought Queen Elizabeth II was a "babe". "We were 14, so very formative years. And the Queen was sort of 24, or something...So we grew up loving the Queen". And yes, he sang the song to the Queen in 2002 during her Golden Jubilee.

Answer: You Never Give Me Your Money

As already stated, The Beatles were going through a very rough time. One of the contributing factors to their disputes was that controlling shares of Northern Songs, the company that had been established in 1963 to publish their songs, had been sold. Given the enormous popularity of the group, it doesn't seem reasonable to think they were having financial difficulties, but they apparently were.

Another song written by Paul, but credited to Lennon-McCartney, "You Never Give Me Your Money", was written shortly after he married Linda. The couple was staying in New York, and the line in the clue is a reference to the fact that they were able to get away to the country from the band's problems - even though some believed it was a reference to the band's early tour days.

Answer: Oh Darling

Written by Paul, in his mind "Oh Darling" had to sound a certain way. That is - he wanted it to sound like he "had been performing it on stage all week". He would arrive at the studio early and sing it once every day until he was satisfied with its sound. John later said that he believed that the song was more suited to his (John's) style, but "he (Paul) wrote it".

Influenced by the doo-wop and rhythm and blues styles, the song is believed to have never been performed on stage by any member of The Beatles. It was, however, released in 1978 by Robin Gibb.

Answer: Golden Slumbers

Paul's inspiration for "Golden Slumbers" came from the poem, "Cradle Song", that appeared in a play called "Patient Grissel", and was first published in 1603. The story is that his stepsister had left sheet music for "Cradle Song" on the piano at home; Paul, who is not able to read music, made his own music for a song and changed a few of the words.

Yes, that is correct! In a 2018 interview, Paul revealed that none of The Beatles could read or write music. "It's something in my head that goes on". This was one of the songs on the album that did not include John, as it was recorded the day after his car accident, and he was in the hospital.

Answer: Come Together

The first song on side one of "Abbey Road", "Come Together" was written by John and credited to Lennon-McCartney. It is believed he began composing the song for Timothy Leary to use during his campaign for Governor of California, however, the song that Leary wanted never came to fruition; there was only one line, "Come together and join the party". John eventually completed the song for "Abbey Road".

There was a bit of a to do about the lyrics to the song, as John agreed that he had taken "Here come old flat top" from Check Berry's "You Can't Catch Me". He made a deal with Morris Levy, the song's publisher, that he would use some of Levy's songs for his next album to settle the dispute.

Answer: The End

"The End" is the closing song on the "Abbey Road" album. It was written by Paul, who said that he decided to emulate "the Bard and wrote a couplet". It contains a rare drum solo by Ringo, something that he did not like to do, as he thought the drums should be in line with the song's vocalist. Interestingly, George, John, and Paul decided to take turns playing the guitar solos, two bars each, which they repeated twice.

Who can forget the February 2, 1993, iconic interview on "Saturday Night Live", where a very nervous Chris Farley asks Paul, who was the musical guest on the show, "And, um, you did that album "Abbey Road", and at the very end of the song, it would..the song goes, 'And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make'? You..you remember that?" "Yes". "Uh, is that true?" "Yes, Chris. In my experience, it is. I find, the more you give, the more you get."