The Beatles’ biggest feuds – Jagger dig, life-changing exit and court cases

The making of ’ breakup stretches much further than ’s official announcement in April 1970 and the band’s eventual dissolution four years later. In fact, cracks initially began to show in 1966 when the famous foursome ceased performing live due to exhaustion and the mental strain of Beatlemania.

Due to their retirement from the live circuit and their desire to continue existing solely as recording artists, manic rumours began to circulate regarding the future of the band. was later forced to admit there was “no real question” that the band were calling time on their careers.

Instead, he claimed Paul and bandmates , Ringo Starr and were simply “simmering down” to work on personal projects. Following the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band a year later, 32-year-old Brian died of an accidental combined alcohol and barbiturate overdose.

During sessions, Ringo left the group for two weeks while George later exited for five days during Get Back rehearsals. Due to a combination of Brian’s tragic death, money issues and creative differences between the group, it was eventually revealed that the Fab Four were no more.

Five decades on from their official dissolution, is looking back at some of the biggest Beatles feuds of all time. They include Paul’s long-standing feud with and why he and John really ceased working together.

The Beatles vs The Rolling Stones

Before the Britpop bout between and Blur and the earlier rivalry between The Smiths and The Cure, there was The Beatles’ supposed feud with The Rolling Stones.

Over the years jibes from The Beatles and the Stones have largely been delivered in jest. But following John’s exodus from the band, he used a high-profile interview with in 1971 to call Mick Jagger a “joke”.

“I was always very respectful about Mick and the Stones, but he said a lot of sort of tarty things about the Beatles, which I am hurt by, because you know, I can knock the Beatles, but don’t let Mick Jagger knock them,” he said at the time.

In 1980, he claimed the band’s second-ever single, I Wanna Be Your Man – which he and Paul co-wrote – was a “throwaway” while Mick hit back seven years later, claiming The Beatles’ break-up was “a good idea”.

Since then, various members of the British groups have traded insults, including in 2015 when Stones guitarist called Sgt. Pepper “a mishmash of rubbish”.

In 2020, Paul confessed he thought The Beatles were “better” than the ‘Satisfaction’ stars.

Speaking to Howard Stern, the Live and Let Die singer said: “I love the Stones, but The Beatles were better. Their stuff is rooted in the blues, whereas we had a lot more influences.

“Keith [Richards] once said to me, ‘You were lucky, man. You had four singers in your band. We got one.'”

Despite the frostiness, Paul admitted that he still thinks fondly of Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood and the rest of the rival band.

“We admire each other,” he admitted, “It didn’t matter. It was king of cool.”

Ringo Starr and George Harrison quit the band

The relationship between the four Beatles was on a downward spiral following their retirement from performing live. There were personal safety concerns, failed projects and the rift between Paul and John growing more serious by the minute.

In August 1968, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr walked out of Abbey Road – exiting the band for two weeks during their White Album recording sessions.

Speaking about the decision to temporarily quit the group, Ringo explained: “I felt I wasn’t playing great. And I also felt that the other three were really happy and I was an outsider. There was no magic and the relationships were terrible.”

Following his two-week hiatus, Ring returned to the fold but five months later, George Harrison temporarily followed in his footsteps.

Frustrated by the disharmony in the band, feeling stifled by the creative pursuits of John and Macca and fretting over the tension Yoko Ono’s involvement created, George was pushed to breaking point.

“I just got so fed up with the bad vibes,” he later recalled. “I didn’t care if it was the Beatles, I was getting out.”

Despite John wanting to replace George with Eric Clapton, the Wah Wah favourite eventually returned to the fold.

But the group’s dynamic was irreparable and just months later, Paul would announce their break-up to the world.

The Beatles Split

The fall of The Beatles has been attributed to numerous factors, including: the band’s creative differences, the change of dynamic caused by Yoko Ono’s involvement in the band and the death of their manager Brian.

Ahead of the release of his forthcoming solo album, Paul officially announced he was leaving The Beatles, thus effectively closing the door on the Fab Four.

At the time, he claimed he was departing because he had a “better time” with his family.

“Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family,” he explained. “Temporary or permanent? I don’t really know.”

When asked whether he foresees a time when Lennon-McCartney would become an active songwriting partnership again, he simply replied: “No”.

Following Paul’s press release, legal disputes meant The Beatles’ dissolution was not formalised until December 1974.

Later, the father-of-five put rumours of a reunion to bed, by writing in Melody Maker: “In order to put out of its misery the limping dog of a news story which has been dragging itself across your pages for the past year, my answer to the question ‘Will The Beatles get together again?’ …is no.”

Paul McCartney sues the Beatles

Following his exit from The Beatles, Paul began the legal proceedings to dissolve the Beatles’ contractual partnership.

Late barrister David Hirst told the Chancery Division of the High Court that his claim for dissolution was due to the group no longer working together and that the other three Beatles had “acted in breach of the partnership deed” due to appointing manager Allen Klein.

He touted that the Beatles’ finances were in a “grave state” while Paul’s team worked tirelessly to portray Allen as a disreputable businessman.

In December 1974, the London court was in favour of Paul leaving The Beatles as a legal entity.

The battle came to an end and since then, the four members of The Beatles have been considered as four individual musicians, rather than a collective.

A year before the court proceedings were ruled over, George released the track, Sue Me Sue You Blues, taken from his album Living in the Material World.

Lyrics included: “Bring your lawyer / And I’ll bring mine / Get together, and we could have a bad time,” and “Sign it on the dotted line / Hold your Bible in your hand / Now all that’s left is to / Find yourself a new band.”

Following the release of Sue Me Sue You Blues, Paul stated: “Around that time, we had millions of [law]suits flying here, flying there.

“George wrote the Sue Me, Sue You Blues about it. I’d kicked it all off originally, having to sue the other three Beatles in the High Court, and that opened Pandora’s box.”