Deutsche Tageszeitung - Hunter Davies on How Post-War Britain Forged The Beatles

Hunter Davies, the author who wrote the only authorized biography of The Beatles, has released a new book titled 'Get Back,' which re-examines the origins of the Fab Four through the lens of social history. In this work, Davies argues that the specific conditions of post-war Britain—defined by rationing, air raid shelters, and collective investment in public welfare—were the essential catalysts that shaped the band’s character and eventual global impact.

The book draws extensively from 39 notebooks of interviews Davies conducted with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, as well as their families, between 1966 and 1968. At the time, Davies was a working-class northern lad who lived through the same era of massive societal change. His new narrative intertwines these historical records with his own childhood experiences, highlighting the common ground he shared with the Liverpool musicians.

"I spent three years – 1966, 1967 and 1968 – with The Beatles," Davies explains. "I sat in on their sessions at Abbey Road and I interviewed them over many, many months. I filled up notebooks about their childhoods and by the time I got down to writing the book, I had so much material, there was just not the room for everything."

Davies notes that the idea for 'Get Back' emerged from two primary sources: the vast amount of unused material from his original 1968 biography, and the enduring cultural presence of The Beatles. He was further prompted to look back after learning that director Sam Mendes was producing four separate films about each band member. "I thought this is incredible – how will they do it?" Davies reflects. "It prompted Hunter to look back and consider what came together in Britain in those post-war years."

The author emphasizes that the Beatles were born during the war and forged in its aftermath. He describes a generation that grew up "when air raid shelters and rationing were normal… never seeing a banana and assuming eggs would always come dried." Despite these hardships, Davies asserts that they "did not feel deprived or unlucky." Instead, he identifies a "waste not, want not" attitude, discipline, and an appreciation for what they had, which stemmed from parents who scrimped and saved.

This shared background is central to Davies' thesis. He recalls being three or four years older than the Beatles and attending school in the 1950s. "I only ever knew the war growing up and we had that in common," he says. "John’s big fantasy as a child was owning a green Raleigh Lenton Sports bike with Sturmey Archer gears. And I too longed for that very bike as a boy. I grew up in a council house like George and Paul. Their homes were exactly like mine. Like the Beatles, war and rationing was what we knew about the world as children."

Davies argues that the post-war settlement opened up new opportunities for working-class people through decent council homes, an NHS, and reorganized secondary education. He points to specific examples from the band's lives: Ringo Starr spent half of his childhood in hospital, receiving medical attention he would not have had without the NHS. Furthermore, Davies notes that without the post-war reorganization of secondary education, John, Paul, and George would not have attended grammar school.

The author also explores whether the communal singing during the war helped foster a musical culture that benefited the band. He suggests that life’s precariousness influenced their ambition. "In Liverpool the bombing was appalling," Davies states. "People realised during the war that when it was over, things could not just go back to how they were. We have to make the UK a better place for everyone, we have to have an NHS, comprehensive education, new housing. People had to be rewarded for their efforts during the war – and both Labour and the Tories believed that."

This upbringing is reflected in the band’s behavior when they became famous. Davies observes that they were "never flashy." He cites Paul McCartney as a careful person who avoided flash items, and notes that John Lennon famously bought a Rolls-Royce only to have it painted for a laugh, an act that was considered big news at the time.

"None of them bought yachts or houses in the south of France. They were not flash gits and it was their upbringing," Davies says. "Their parents scrimped and saved and wanted the best for their children and they all appreciated what they had. They did not have it easy."

Looking back at interviews from the 1960s, Davies is struck by the fact that the three songwriters grew up together under similar conditions. While acknowledging that John and Paul inherited some musical talent, he finds it "incredible" that three boys brought up at the same time, in the same place, with the same conditions, became so creative.

"These three boys – I include George – happened to be brought up at the same time, same period, same place, same conditions, each being so creative, they could write music, they could write songs, they could write words," Davies reflects. "Gilbert and Sullivan just did one part of the composition, Andrew Lloyd Webber, the same: John, Paul and George could do it all. They could write songs on their own, write the words and music, and then sing it and play it."

Davies concludes that The Beatles have become folk songs, with football crowds around the world singing "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be." He suggests that the further society gets from the band, the bigger they become.

To support this narrative, Davies utilized his own archive, which he had previously donated to the British Library. "Writing this book meant I had to go back and borrow my own notebooks," he says. The process took him on a tour back to his own childhood and allowed him to revisit the social history of their backgrounds.

During the three years he spent with the band, Davies became friends with them and their families. He visited all their homes and hosted each of them at his house. He also spent time with Paul’s father, John’s father, both of George’s parents, Ringo’s mother and stepdad, as well as Brian Epstein and his mother, and George Martin and his wife. "All of them had such an influence on the lives and careers of the Beatles," Davies notes. "All of them now long dead."

In his original biography, Davies did not use all the material from their early years because he did not anticipate the decades-long interest in the band or how folk memories of the war and post-war years would linger. His new book aims to explain how the world was at that time and how it helped The Beatles happen, creating a social history that is not heavy but explanatory.

Davies views the cultural soft power of 1960s Britain as similar in impact to the industrial power of the Victorian period. He believes the collective investment in everyone’s wellbeing created the conditions for a band like The Beatles to emerge from working-class Liverpool onto a global stage.

'Get Back: The Boys Who Became The Beatles' is published by Ebury Press.

(V.Sørensen--DTZ)