The Beatles' Decca audition
On 1 January 1962, before they reached international stardom, the Beatles auditioned for Decca Records at Decca Studios in West Hampstead, north London. In what is considered one of the biggest mistakes in music industry history, Decca decided to reject the band, selecting instead Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.
The audition
Manager Brian Epstein made numerous trips to London to visit record companies with the hope of securing a record contract but was rejected by many, including Columbia, Pye, Philips, and Oriole.Neil Aspinall drove the Beatles down to London on New Year's Eve, in 1961, for a Decca audition but lost his way, and the trip took ten hours. They arrived at 10 o'clock at night, and John Lennon said they arrived "just in time to see the drunks jumping in the Trafalgar Square fountain".
On Monday 1 January 1962 at 11:00am, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Pete Best were auditioned by Decca staff and performed a total of fifteen songs in just under one hour. Epstein and the Beatles decided on a selection of covers the Beatles had performed in various clubs over the years, along with three Lennon–McCartney originals.
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Don't Be So Hard
by: The AuditionDon't be so hard on yourself
The name of the game is humiliation,
And thanks for your admiration.
I never thought I'd say this:
The way that we play has such confrontation:
And guilt by association.
"Hold me, hold me..."
"If I were to..."
"I can't, can't, I swear I can't let you."
"It's all in your hands but I'll do what I can,
So you can do what you have to."
[x2]
Don't think too hard about it,
You never thought I'd get this far,
Would get this far without you.
Relax, stand back and watch it happen.
I'll wave my goodbyes into the night and say
"Hold me, hold me..."
"If I were to..."
"I can't, can't, I swear I can't let you."
"It's all in your hands but I'll do what I can,
So you can do what you have to."
[x2]
Say you'll never, ever. Say you'll never, ever.
Say you'll never let me go.
Say you'll never, ever. Say you'll never, ever.
Say you'll never tell a soul.
[x2]
"Hold me, hold me..."
"If I were to..."
"I can't, can't, I swear I can't let you."
"It's all in your hands but I'll do what I can,
So you can do what you have to."
[x2]