Random Most Fascinating Facts About The Beatles ‘White Album’ (12 items)

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  (#3) 'Wild Honey Pie' Was Recorded Entirely By McCartney

  The short "Wild Honey Pie" was written and recorded solely by Paul McCartney, who later explained that some down time in the studio prompted him to begin experimenting. 

  "It was very home-made; it wasn't a big production at all. I just made up this short piece and I multitracked a harmony to that, and a harmony to that, and a harmony to that, and built it up sculpturally with a lot of vibrato on the strings, really pulling the strings madly," he said.

  "Wild Honey Pie" was not initially  included on the album, but Harrison's wife, Pattie, liked it so much that they decided to include. 
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  (#12) Ringo Starr Wrote 'Don't Pass Me By' Over Five Years

  By the time the band began working on songs for The White Album, they had been passing over Starr's "Don't Pass Me By" for roughly five years. The song was mentioned in a 1964 BBC interview, when Starr was asked whether he'd be contributing any songs. McCartney interjected by singing a portion of the song.

  In another interview around the same time, Starr described the process of writing the song.

  "I was fiddling with the piano – I just bang away – and then if a melody comes and some words, I just have to keep going. That's how it happened: I was just sitting at home alone and 'Don't Pass Me By' arrived," he said. 

  The song's inclusion on the album wasn't welcomed by everyone, as producer George Martin urged the band to trim the length of the album. They ultimately refused allegedly because Lennon and McCartney were trying hard to fulfill their contractual obligations. 
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  (#1) George Harrison Wrote 'Savoy Truffle' Making Fun Of Eric Clapton

  Interestingly, George Harrison's "Savoy Truffle" was written about the band's friend Eric Clapton. Harrison was struck by Clapton's love of chocolate, which had begun to have a negative effect on his dental health, and decided to write a song making fun of the guitar legend's predicament.

  "His dentist said he was through with candy. So as a tribute I wrote, 'You'll have to have them all pulled out after the Savoy Truffle'. The truffle was some kind of sweet, just like all the rest - cream tangerine, ginger sling - just candy, to tease Eric," Harrison said of the song in his book I Me Mine.
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  (#5) 'Helter Skelter' Was Meant To Compete With The Who

  Paul McCartney wrote "Helter Skelter," one of The Beatles' most cherished rock songs, after reading an interview with The Who's Pete Townshend in which he called "I Can See For Miles" the loudest song ever written. He took that statement as a challenge.

  "Helter Skelter" later became infamous for its connection to cult leader Charles Manson, who took the song's nonsensical lyrics as a warning about an impending Armageddon and ultimately plotted a number of murders in response. 
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  (#11) The Phrase 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' Came From A Conga Player

  "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" was a McCartney song that came from a Nigerian conga player named Jimmy Scott. The song's hook - "Ob la di, ob la da, life goes on" - was a catchphrase used frequently by Scott.

  "I used to love this expression... He sounded like a philosopher to me. He was a great guy anyway and I said to him, 'I really like that expression and I'm thinking of using it,' and I sent him a cheque in recognition of that fact later because even though I had written the whole song and he didn't help me, it was his expression," McCartney later said of the song in Anthology.
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  (#7) The Songs Spawned From The Band's Trip To India

  In 1968, The Beatles traveled to Rishikesh, India. They were invited by the Maharishi, and were joined by several notable figures including the folk singer Donovan and actress Mia Farrow. Although the trip was meant to last several months, each of the band members ultimately left early for various reasons.

  Over the course of their time in India, the group wrote 17 songs that ended up on The White Album, including "Sexy Sadie" - which was written by Lennon about allegations of inappropriate behavior by the Maharishi and Farrow. 

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