Medley from ABBEY ROAD #beautifulcovers
It was August 8, 1969, when photographer Iain McMillan captured the Beatles crossing the Abbey Road pedestrian crossing. A pose that would become one of the most famous of all time. Even today, walking through those streets, it’s easy to come across groups of tourists “pilgrimage” following in the footsteps of the four boys from Liverpool.
It was John Lennon who called McMillan to work on the cover of the album Abbey Road, named after the street where the recording studios were located in which the Beatles had recorded all their works. A few days before the photo shoot, Paul McCartney handed over a draft of what, in the intentions of the Beatles’ bassist, was to be the image.
With his Hasselblad, around 11:30 in the morning, to obtain an overhead image that appeared less flat and more dynamic, Iain McMillan climbed a ladder in the middle of Abbey Road (closed specifically for the time needed by the group) and began a very brief photography session. In fact, it only took six shots of the Beatles intent on crossing the pedestrian crossing to achieve the desired result.
Each was, of course, different, but the choice fell on the fifth shot, which among other things gave the impression that the four artists were actually leaving the recording studios. In general, compared to the other five, this photo has greater harmony, and the four figures are distributed in a more uniform and synchronized manner.
John Lennon, in a white suit, leads the group, followed by Ringo in black attire. Bringing up the rear is George Harrison, in front of whom walks a barefoot Paul McCartney, with a cigarette in his right hand. Details that over the years have fueled legends surrounding the symbolic, subliminal meanings of the cover.
Like any myth worth its salt, a range of anecdotes, assumptions, and even outright legends have arisen around the Beatles (as with Elvis, Dylan, and others), accompanying the English band for almost their entire career.
And even today, many passionately discuss these topics. One of the stories about the Beatles concerns the alleged death of Paul McCartney. According to this legend, which began circulating in the late 1960s (coinciding with the end of the Beatles' career), Paul McCartney would have died years earlier in a car accident.
The group, however, decides to hide the news by replacing him with a lookalike, while leaving some clues and hidden messages within the lyrics. The release of the cover in 1969 reignites this theory. First of all, Paul is barefoot, the only one among the four, a reference to the British custom of burying the dead without shoes. John Lennon, dressed in pure white, would represent a priest, or perhaps an angel, guiding the funeral procession. Ringo, dressed in dark attire, would be.
