The Beatles hold diverse meanings for different individuals, owing to their enduring legacy and timeless music. For some, they represent a musical milestone, marking the onset of a new era in pop. Conversely, some deem them overrated and feel they are excessively discussed. Some continue to regard them as the unparalleled pioneers of a sound that remains unmatched; others think that is an overblown concept. Despite varying opinions, it’s rare to find anyone who characterises The Beatles as a hate-filled band.
Regardless of the era of The Beatles we are discussing, the theme of love is prominent throughout. Granted, some tracks might touch upon heartbreak and sorrow, but never hate. Their music might have caused a certain type of hysteria that resulted in some riots, but there was never malicious intent behind that obsession.
That doesn’t mean the band weren’t capable of hate, though. One song in particular, Paul McCartney initially wrote with hate at the centre of it. ‘Lovely Rita’ was released on the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the early drafts had it penned as a satire against authority. “I was thinking it should be a hate song,” said McCartney, “but then I thought it would be better to love her.”
McCartney is no stranger to writing about love; he has done so for The Beatles, Wings and in his solo career. He has been the gateway for many songwriters to express emotion in a way that listeners find accessible. For that very reason, Bruce Springsteen credited him as one of his favourite songwriters.
“He said, ‘I didn’t get it, but I really get it now, man,’” said McCartney, reflecting on when Springsteen spoke to him about the track ‘Silly Love Songs’, “And it’s something that happens. He’s fallen in love, he’s had kids, and he’s more able to accept that thought, which bothered a lot of people at the time.”
It’s one thing opening up The Boss’ mind to accepting love songs, but opening the public’s mind to loving a traffic warden is something even the most ambitious songwriters would have said was a step too far. McCartney acknowledged this and found searching for love in a profession often met with hostility a welcome challenge.
“Nobody liked parking attendants, or meter maids, as they were known in that benighted era. So, to write a song about being in love with a meter maid – someone nobody else liked – was amusing in itself. There was one particular meter maid in Portland Place on whom I based Rita,” said McCartney.
“I caught a glimpse of Rita opposite the Chinese embassy in Portland Place,” he added. “She was filling in a ticket in her little white book, the cap, the bag across her shoulder. It’s sheer observation, like painting en plein air. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the secret to successful songwriting is the ability to paint a picture.”
Arguably, McCartney’s biggest triumph, before all of the number ones, the accolades, and the name as being one of the best songwriters in the world, was making the public fall in love with a fictional traffic warden.
