About The Beatles

March 20, 1967 - 7:00 P.M.
Paul McCartney & John Lennon
Interviewed By Brian Matthew
Studio Two, EMI Studios, London, United Kingdom
Broadcast March 27, 1967, 2:00-3:00 P.M. On BBC Light Programme, The Ivor Novello Awards For 1966

BRIAN MATTHEW: And now the next category is a bit of a mouthful, so you'll pardon me while I read. This one goes to the A-side of the record issued in 1966, which acheived the highest certified British sales in period: the 1st of January to the 31st of December, 1966. You may have been wondering whether the Beatles have won anything, they did get one or two awards, this is the first of them, and it goes to "Yellow Submarine." Now, we don't have any of the Beatles here with us in person, so, to receive an award on behalf of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, here is Mr. Tony Barrow. And Tony, having taken the statuette for John and Paul, it's the turn of the publisher, of course, Nothern Songs, and none other than Dick James. And we haven't quite finished there either because in this instance, the record company obviously received an award, so to take it on behalf of EMI Records Limited, the Parlophone label in particular, here is Mr. Ron White. And as I said, the Beatles are not actually with us in person, but we did manage earlier this week to corner them in EMI studios, and obtain an interview with John and Paul.
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BRIAN MATTHEW: So, there we go, "Yellow Submarine." Best-selling A-side number in Britain last year, for which John and Paul you get this. . .
PAUL: We are truly grateful.
JOHN: Great, great.
PAUL: That is really wonderful. I see it's inscribed on the side of it.
JOHN: That's an old one from Brian's piano.
PAUL: Well, this is wonderful Brian, and I'd like to thank everybody, on behalf of John, George, Ringo and myself.
BRIAN MATTHEW: Yes.
PAUL: Thank you.
BRIAN MATTHEW: Good. The gentleman responsible, who was principly reponsible, Paul or John?
JOHN: Paul.
PAUL: John, really.
JOHN: No, no.
PAUL: No.
BRIAN MATTHEW: I see.
JOHN: Ringo!
PAUL: No, it's the old patty, you know, the old vaudeville, I suppose I thought of the idea and then John and I wrote it. There's your correct answer, Brian.
BRIAN MATTHEW: Yeah. What were you setting out to write, I mean, did you think of a song for Ringo in the first place or what?
PAUL: No, we just sort of thought, we have to have a song, that it was sort of . . . a bit of fantasy in it, you know. And the only way to do that would be to have it so kids could understand it, and anyone could take it on any level.