It was a joke, of course. But it became, possibly, the biggest missed opportunity in rock history. On April 24, 1976, 48 years ago, John Lennon and Paul McCartney almost accepted Lorne Michaels’ offer to have the Beatles perform on the legendary NBC show; “Saturday night Live”.
Michaels, an iconic producer on SNL that was in its first season and then simply called “Saturday Night,” spoke directly to the camera about how the Beatles had affected his life and the lives of his generation. “In my book, the Beatles are the best thing that ever happened to music. It’s even deeper than that: they’re not just a musical group, they’re a part of us. We grew up with you2.
and Then he made the offer. «Now, we have heard and read a lot about personality and legal conflicts that could prevent you from meeting. That’s something that’s none of my business. That’s a personal problem. You guys will have to handle that. But it has also been said that no one has yet to raise enough money to satisfy you. Well, if it’s money you want, no problem here. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) has authorized me to offer you this check to be on our show. A certified check for 3 thousand dollars.
The camera zoomed in on the piece of paper in lORNE Michaels’ hand. “All they have to do is sing three Beatles songs.” he continued. “’She She Loves You, yeah yeah yeah’ that’s a thousand dollars right there. They know the words. It will be easy. Like I said, this is made in the name of ‘The Beatles’. Divide it however you want. If they want to give less to Ringo [Starr], it depends on you. “I prefer not to get involved.”
An unknown fact to both Michaels and the rest of the world is that the Beatles’ two main songwriters were just a kilometer away, watching the show along with 22 million other people. As Lennon said in 1980, “Paul… was visiting us at our house in the Dakota. We were watching it and we almost went down to the studio, just as a joke. We almost got in a taxi, but we were actually too tired… He and I were sitting there watching the show, and we were like, ‘Ha ha, wouldn’t it be funny if we went?’ But we didn’t do it.’
McCartney has confirmed that this occurred. “John said, ‘We should go, just you and me.’ There are only two of us, so we’ll take half the money. And for a second. …But it would have been work, and we had a free night, so we decided not to go. It was a good idea, we almost did it.”
A fictional account of what might have happened if the duo had changed their minds is covered in a television movie called “Two of Us,” broadcast on VH1 in 2000.
The joke didn’t end there. A month later, on May 22, Michaels returned with a new offer. “We’ve heard of the Monkees, Freddy and the Dreamers, Herman’s Hermits, Peter and Gordon, the Cowsills and Lulu,” he said. “But there is still no news from the Beatles. I’m not discouraged and neither is NBC. Because of the recent acclaim ‘Saturday Nigh’t’ has received, I was able to convince NBC to sweeten the pot. John, Paul, George [Harrison] and Ringo, we are now prepared to increase the original offer to $3,200.”
Michaels went even further to lure them, offering free hotel accommodations. Announcer Don Pardo then described the amenities at the Cross Town Motor Inn, including “24-hour elevator service,” water glasses that have been “sanitized for your convenience,” “48-hour dry cleaning,” and free room for guests. -calls to the room.
While Lennon and McCartney didn’t bother to accept Michaels’ offer, Harrison tried to cash in on the November 20, 1976 episode in which he appeared as a musical guest (this is the same episode in which guest host Paul Simon sang ” Still Crazy After All These Years” while wearing a turkey suit).
In the SNL opening, Michaels and Harrison are seen haggling over the price. Saying that he felt “really bad” about the misunderstanding, Michaels explains: “I thought you would understand, you know, that it was $3,000 for four people, that it would only be $750 for each of you. I mean, as far as I’m concerned, I mean, you could have the whole $3,000. But the network…” Harrison responded by calling NBC “crazy,” but, for an extra $250, he was willing to say the show’s traditional opening, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”
Because Lennon and McCartney were too tired to walk 22 blocks and sing a few songs, the only music they recorded together after the Beatles broke up was a cocaine-fueled jam session in 1974, when Lennon was producing the album. “Pussy Cats” by Harry Nilsson.
