The King Crimson song about the dissolution of The Beatles
At first glance, The Beatles and King Crimson might appear to occupy completely different spaces. However, it is certain that without the innovations of the Fab Four, King Crimson, one of the foremost prog-rock bands, would not have formed.
Emerging on the coattails of the American rock ‘n’ roll pioneers of the 1950s, The Beatles would cut their teeth and refine their game-changing formula. It fused the most groundbreaking sounds from across the Atlantic with John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s natural ability to conceive infectious pop melodies.
Yet, as time passed, the four Liverpudlian likely lads would shed their original skin and become increasingly experimental. This process occurred thanks to the general countercultural spirit of the 1960s, a little help from newfangled drugs such as marijuana and LSD, and a touch of spiritual enlightenment. Of course, these variables were all underpinned by the group’s collective desire to improve their craft.
Whether it be the stoned folk of 1965’s Rubber Soul, the psychedelic weirdness of 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s, or the refined orchestral angle of their penultimate body of work, Abbey Road, the second half of The Beatles’ career was bursting with genuine artistic innovation. The gravity of their artistic experiments changed the direction of popular culture and music.
This is where the link to King Crimson comes in. Sgt. Pepper’s is one of the most important psychedelic records ever, challenging the musical status quo and pushing the burgeoning genre into a new space. Formed in 1968, King Crimson emerged from a psychedelic rock background and was galvanised by the previous year’s out-there sounds. The weirdness of The Beatles so inspired them during this era that they were known to play the Sgt. Pepper’s staple, ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ at rehearsals.
According to some sources, The Beatles impacted Robert Fripp and his band so much that the obscure track ‘Happy Family’ from their 1970 third album, Lizard, is about the acrimonious split of the Fab Four earlier that year. The lyrics by Peter Sinfield seem to call the band by different names, with “Jonah” being John Lennon, “Judas” Paul McCartney, “Rufus” Ringo Star and “Silas” George Harrison.
Sinfield and the band appear particularly critical of John Lennon, with lines such as, “Nasty Jonah grew a wife, Judas drew his pruning knife” and “Silas searching, Rufus neat, Jonah caustic, Jude so sweet” conveying this. Also, the mention of “Jude” is a not-so-subtle reference to the classic Paul McCartney Beatles hit ‘Hey Jude’, written for Lennon’s son, Julian, about his parents’ split.
One of the most intriguing lines is the refrain, “Happy family one hand clap, four went on, but none came back”. It infers the pitfalls of fame and how, in the story of The Beatles, none of them were the same after going through the intense mangle of superstardom.
Listen to ‘Happy Family’ below.
