The Beatles and Their Hit Back in the USSR

It’s hard to believe that most of the music that built this great country is nearly 50 years old. Today we’re going to talk about one of the Beatles’ most popular songs, “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” from the double disc ‘The Beatles’ album in 1968.

Paul wrote the song while they were in Rishikesh India, studying Transcendental Meditation. Yes, the song is a tribute to Chuck Berry and “Back in the U.S.A,” but most fans don’t know that they also pay tribute to the Beach Boys with their reference to girls from the Ukraine and Moscow. Mike Love of the Beach Boys was traveling with the Beatles during their Transcendental Meditation journey.

The Beatles pending divorce was an undercurrent during the recording on the song/album, so George encouraged the boys to record their tracks independently. Ringo got into an argument during the recording of the album, and actually stormed off, telling everyone he was quitting the band. It took three weeks to encourage Ringo to return to the studio, but the Beatles would only remain together for a short time.