Number One Songs—Come Together

As the greatest rock and roll band of all time, the Beatles rocketed to worldwide fame soon after their 1964 arrival in the United States. Much of their achievement can be attributed to the unique Beatle sound, but it was more than just the music that catapulted them to the summit of success, and kept them there even after the band ceased touring and broke apart. How the Beatles both failed and triumphed as businessmen and the lessons today's entrepreneurs and business leaders can draw from this unique journey is the subject of Come Together: The Business Wisdom of the Beatles. Authors Richard Courtney and George Cassidy recount the band's many exploits, from its early struggles in Hamburg to the success of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and beyond, revealing from a business perspective what worked and what didn't. More than the music, this book explores what it took to pass the audition.

Here’s a quick mystery tour:

• Hire the right people and let them shine. John Lennon reportedly grappled for a time with the decision to bring Paul McCartney on board. He knew that McCartney was good, but worried that he might be too good and outshine Lennon himself. Ultimately, of course, he invited McCartney to join, with spectacular results. The business moral: make staffing choices that serve the interests of the enterprise, not those that preserve your own personal comfort zone.
• Seek out challenges. Well before they might have been considered ready, the Beatles sought out grueling professional engagements, like those in Hamburg, that tested both their abilities and their endurance. The young Beatles were baptized by fire early on, and it served them in good stead throughout their career. The business moral: don’t be afraid of challenges and hard work; rather, seek them out.
• Location, location, location. When the Beatles returned from Hamburg, unlike many other, better-connected groups, they did not get booked into round after round of lucrative regional ballroom work. Instead, they took a lunchtime gig at the Cavern Club in the Liverpool city center. On its face, this development may have seemed unpromising. However, at one stroke they became one of about a dozen bands (out of hundreds in Liverpool) that were working regularly downtown. Their residency also put them a short, fateful walk from the office of their soon-to-be manager, Brian Epstein. The business moral: set up shop – and make sure opportunity knows where to knock.
• Have a plan. When Epstein offered to manage “the boys,” they wisely realized that he brought crucial abilities and acumen to the table. While they focused on their music, he began a tireless effort to secure them a recording contract in London, even while many of their peers were still playing ballrooms out in the sticks. The inexperienced Epstein came up with a simple, bold plan and executed it flawlessly. With his guidance, the toppermost of the poppermost finally came within reach. The business moral: prize strategic results over mere effort, or as the old adage goes, “Work smarter, not harder…”
• Learn from your mistakes. The Beatles made many mistakes along the way, but almost always learned from their mistakes. For example, in the early 60s, they signed away a controlling interest in their music publishing rights (and the resultant income) to a man named Dick James, who later sold them without consulting the Beatles. Over the years, recovering those rights has proved an elusive goal for the Beatles and their heirs. But Paul McCartney, for one, has quietly set about purchasing other popular music catalogs in the meantime, including that of Buddy Holly. He has effectively replaced, at least in part, the lost revenue stream from the Beatles’ publishing. This is one of the many reasons his net worth is often pegged north of 1 billion USD. The business moral: Don’t cry over spilt milk. Use what you’ve learned to do better next time.

Abbey Road, which introduced "Come Together," was the last studio album recorded by the Beatles (although Let It Be was actually released after Abbey Road). Also notable about this album was the emergence of George Harrison as a hit songwriter, penning "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun," arguably two of the Beatles most identifying songs. The brilliant keyboard work (Rhodes, Wurli, B-3 and more!) of Billy Preston (sometimes referred to as "the fifth Beatle" during this period) also was becoming a major new component of the Beatles sound.

Come Together Lyrics
(Words and Music by Lennon and McCartney)

Here come old flattop, he come grooving up slowly
He got joo-joo eyeball, he one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please

He wear no shoeshine, he got toe-jam football
He got monkey finger, he shoot coca-cola
He say "I know you, you know me"
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together right now over me

He bag production, he got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard, he one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease
Come together right now over me

[Right!
Come, oh, come, come, come.]

He roller-coaster, he got early warning
He got muddy water, he one mojo filter
He say "One and one and one is three"
Got to be good-looking cos he's so hard to see
Come together right now over me

Oh
Come together
Yeah come together
Yeah come together
Yeah come together
Yeah come together
Yeah come together
Yeah come together
Yeah oh
Come together
Yeah come together