The Beatles song Paul McCartney admitted was a "Beach Boys parody"

12 June 2025, 00:10

His genius changed the face of pop music as we know it.

The Beach Boys wouldn't have risen to the top of the US music charts without the creative brilliance of Brian Wilson, let alone soundtrack (perhaps even define) an era in American culture.

On Wednesday 11th June 2025, the world lost one of its brightest musical talents when Wilson sadly died at the age of 82.

It was well documented that he struggled with his mental and physical health in his latter years, especially after the death of his beloved wife Melinda Ledbetter in 2024.

But his legacy will forever continue to burn bright, due to the vast influence his and The Beach Boys' music have had on popular music.

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Wilson's compositions even inspired the band's nearest rivals throughout the sixties: The Beatles.

When Beatlemania took over, The Beach Boys were at risk of being pushed aside, so Wilson upped his game and delved further into his well of creativity – in what would result in Pet Sounds.

Paul McCartney, half of The Beatles' record-breaking songwriting partnership, was ever-eager to absorb influence from his peers, once claiming that 'God Only Knows' was his all-time song ever written.

There was also another Fab Four favourite that was inspired by the Californians, with Macca going as far to say it was a "Beach Boys parody".

You'd expect musicians of their magnitude to butt heads like stags when it comes to chart success.

But McCartney has also been open about the level of influence peers like Brian Wilson have had on his own musicianship.

In many cases, it was this rivalry that spurred Macca and The Beatles to push themselves to greater heights.

Though he'd write songs that were a direct nod to his contemporaries, one song by The Beatles was undeniably imitating The Beach Boys. The song? 'Back In The U.S.S.R'

The Beatles - Back In The U.S.S.R. (2018 Mix / Lyric Video)

Nowadays, it's not unusual for a myriad of musical styles and genres to make their way into pop music.

But when The Beatles released an experimental double album, The White Album, they had no inhibitions when it came to their creative reach and it blew people's minds.

Regarding 'Back In The U.S.S.R', McCartney didn't have any qualms about discussing the song's influence.

During a 1968 interview, Macca revealed: “Chuck Berry once did a song called ‘Back In The USA,’ which is very American, very Chuck Berry."

"[The song was] very sort of, you know, you’re serving in the army and when I get back home, I’m gonna kiss the ground. And you know, I can’t wait to get back to the States. It’s a very American sort of thing, I’ve always thought."

"So this one is like about, in my mind, it’s just about a spy who’s been in America a long, long time and he’s very American," he continued.

"But he gets back to the U.S.S.R and he’s sort of saying 'leave it till tomorrow, honey, to disconnect the phone,’ and all that. ‘Come here honey' but with Russian women. It concerns the attributes of Russian women.”

Though his inspiration might have seemed a little vague, and perhaps confusing based on his initial reply, McCartney added some more focus on the origins of 'Back In The U.S.S.R' in a 1984 interview.

“I wrote that as a kind of Beach Boys parody. And ‘Back in the USA’ was a Chuck Berry song, so it kinda took off from there."

"I just liked the idea of Georgia girls and talking about places like the Ukraine as if they were California, you know?”

As well as paying homage to The Beach Boys and Chuck Berry, McCartney also saw the song as an opportunity to reach out to fans within The Soviet Union during the Cold War.

“It was also hands across the water, which I’m still conscious of,” McCartney added in the same interview.

"They like us out there, even though the bosses in the Kremlin may not. The kids do.”

One person who definitely didn't like the song was oddly enough a member of The Beatles, as Ringo Starr had to sit out of recording.

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The bandmates all swapped the instruments they played, with John Lennon taking on the bass and Macca sitting in on the drums.

"I’m sure it pissed Ringo off when he couldn’t quite get the drums to ‘Back In The U.S.S.R,’ and I sat in. It’s very weird to know that you can do a thing someone else is having trouble with.”

Irrespective of whether or not Ringo was miffed, The White Album definitely wouldn't have been as diverse and as celebrated if it wasn't infused with a bit of The Beach Boys.