How to Become Famous

CHAPTER 11

John, Paul, George, and Ringo

When I worked for President Obama in the White House, I remember him musing: “CEOs think I hate them. I really don’t. Not at all. Not in the slightest.” Then he paused and said: “What I do know is that they’re lucky to be where they are. They might be amazing, but still, they’re lucky to be where they are. They got a lot of good breaks.” He paused again and added: “Some of them don’t seem to know that. But it’s true. Look at me. I hope I’m doing a good job, but I had a lot of luck.”

Let us now return to the hypothesis of Yesterday: because of the intrinsic quality of their songs, Beatlemania was inevitable. If people now heard “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Let It Be,” or “Hey Jude” for the first time, ...