Who the hell is George Martin?
Last Wednesday I posted a status on Facebook about the death of George Martin, making sure to assure people that no, it wasn’t George R. R. Martin, author of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels (some are very concerned he may die before he finishes the series).
No, the George Martin who passed away on March 9 was not the jolly grandfatherly-looking fellow whose books have been adapted into the pop culture phenomenon Game of Thrones TV show, but a George Martin who has had an equal, if not greater influence on pop culture—and no one seems to know who the hell he is.
Music critics have compared him over the years as one of the people considered the “fifth Beatle”—an almost mythical designator who helped The Beatles reach international acclaim and become the biggest pop-rock band in history. Other nominations for fifth Beatle include their manager Brian Epstein, original drummer Pete Best, or public relations manager Derek Taylor. If you’re unfamiliar with this mythical fifth Beatle, it might sound as ridiculous as the “Paul’s dead” conspiracy theory (Google it, it’s a great way to spend your study break).
George Martin produced all of the original Beatles albums, and also produced hits for other notable acts during his almost 60-year career. As an arranger, composer, and producer, John Lennon and Paul McCartney trusted him to arrange their songs—the string quartet on “Yesterday” is all his work.
Everyone knows the lyrics to his songs, but rarely do people know about the guy behind them. He also worked on Elton John’s 1997 “Candle in the Wind,” which went on to become the biggest-selling single of all time. He acquired six Grammy Awards over his career, as well as two Ivor Novello awards, and even an Oscar nomination. He was knighted as Sir George Martin in 1996.
His fingerprints litter the most popular songs of the 20th century, yet nobody our age knows—or maybe even cares—who he was.
The Beatles were often asked who they thought the fifth Beatle really was, all four giving different answers.
Lennon has said there is no fifth Beatle, but then again Lennon tended to be full of himself and once said they were bigger than Jesus, so we know where he’s coming from. McCartney, however, said “If anyone earned the title of fifth Beatle it was George.”
Regardless of whether Martin is deserving of the moniker or not, what’s more interesting is that none of us have ever heard of the guy until now. Do millennials even listen to the Beatles? Or “classic” rock in general? At a recent Charlatan writer workshop we were asked what we were listening to at the moment, and I understand the assumption is that you’re to answer with a current piece of music or artist (Justin Bieber, Kanye West, and the 1975 were the top three, for anyone wondering).
I said The Joshua Tree by U2, and I expected at least one or two people to show some sign of agreement, or even acknowledgement of one of the greatest albums ever (not just my opinion, that’s a fact—go ahead and look it up) but I didn’t really get any response at all, from anyone.
So what I’m wondering is, in this age of recycled and remixed digitally produced music, does our generation even know who we have to thank for our music? That it was people like George Martin who helped shape popular music then and what it has evolved into now? If someone in their 20s were asked to name a Paul McCartney song would they say “Yesterday” or that song he did with Kanye West and Rihanna?
The Top 100 wouldn’t be what it is today without the influence of artists such as The Beatles and George Martin. Popular songs are not just about the band that performs them, but the hundreds of people behind the scenes who work hard to produce the content for our Spotify playlists.
