Their final studio album, Let It Be, was recorded in a state of such profound dysfunction that it's a minor miracle anyone hit the right note. The sessions were so miserable that they hired a film crew to capture the misery, which turned into the documentary Let It Be—a film so sad it makes you want to hug a bassist. George Harrison, tired of being the "quiet one," actually quit for two weeks in January 1969, only to be coaxed back by a promise that they’d stop arguing about his guitar solos. It didn't work.
The Solo Album That Broke the Camel's Back
Then came the ultimate passive-aggressive power move: John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono Band. In 1969, John was already releasing solo albums and giving interviews where he said, "The Beatles are over." He was like a ghost haunting his own band. Meanwhile, Paul, the eternal optimist, tried to keep a stiff upper lip by releasing his own solo album, McCartney, in early 1970. But here's the twist: he included a fake "interview" with himself where he announced the band's split. It was the most British way to break up a band—through a pretend Q&A in a press release.
But wait—there's a juicy, surprising fact that ruins every "John vs. Paul" narrative. It was actually George Harrison who officially triggered the legal dissolution. In 1974, George sued Allen Klein, the band's manager, for mismanaging funds. This forced a legal trial that required the band to dissolve their partnership. So, the quiet one, the one who just wanted to play his guitar, was the one who signed the paperwork to kill the beast.
The True Story Behind The Beatles' Split - YouTube
