Paul McCartney openly announced the Beatles‘ official breakup on April 10, 1970, as many had expected. But the cracks had started forming years before.
Brian Epstein’s Death: The First Domino to Fall
Brian Epstein, the group’s manager, had been the unifying factor for the Beatles. Finding them and juggling the vastly disparate personalities and artistic visions of McCartney and Lennon were his own feats. However, everything changed when Epstein died on August 27, 1967. In his absence, the band’s internal conflicts only intensified, paving the way for their eventual breakup.
Lennon, the Maharishi, and “Sexy Sadie”
During this period, John Lennon became increasingly focused on Transcendental Meditation and the teachings of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The Beatles, fascinated by Indian spirituality, traveled to India to study under the guru. But things didn’t end well.
By the time they left, Lennon’s admiration had turned to resentment. He later expressed his anger in a song originally titled “Maharishi” but changed it to “Sexy Sadie.”
“That’s about the Maharishi, yes,” Lennon admitted later. “I copped out and I wouldn’t write ‘Maharishi, what have you done? You made a fool of everyone.’ But now it can be told, Fab Listeners.”
The track, featured on The White Album, had Paul McCartney on piano and was Lennon’s way of airing his disillusionment. He believed the guru wasn’t as spiritual as he claimed, suspecting that he was more interested in worldly pleasures than enlightenment.
Lennon’s Shift: From Music to Yoko and Heroin
Lennon got intimately associated with Yoko Ono on a personal and creative level as he strayed further from the Beatles. The gap between him and the band only grew wider when he began dabbling with heroin at the same time.
The separation was inevitable by 1970 when McCartney finally announced it. It was only a matter of time until the world discovered that the Beatles had been in disarray for years.