The Beatles’ ‘Misery’ Completed With A Contribution From The Hollies, Allan Clarke Explains

The story of The Hollies‘ helping hand in the creation of one of The Beatles‘ legendary tracks has recently resurfaced, and it’s a tale for the ages. Picture two iconic British bands in their early days, sharing a green room as they both try to make their way up the ladder of fame. From this simple setting, a memorable moment in rock history was born, as Allan Clarke revealed in a recent interview with ‘Artists On Record Starring ADIKA Live!’

Although The Hollies, led by the talented Clarke and featuring Graham Nash, had a complicated relationship with The Beatles during their formative years, their shared experience in the green room, swapping stories and bouncing ideas off one another, led to a creative spark that would eventually help The Beatles complete their well-known track, ‘Misery.’ As Clarke recalls, their friendly collaboration not only made a hit song but also created lasting memories that both bands would cherish.

In the interview, Clarke shared how the two bands were discussing their humble beginnings and playing around with their guitars. He remembered the moment when The Beatles were stuck on a particular section of the song, and he and Nash stepped in to offer the missing piece – the phrase that ended with the word ‘Misery.’ With that spur-of-the-moment contribution, the track was complete and was later released under The Beatles’ ‘Please Please Me’ album.

Allan Clarke’s words about helping The Beatles write a track read:

We were in the same dressing room as The Beatles, and we were seeing our past contracts that we made before we became famous, you know, so you’re getting like 10 pounds a night. I don’t know, I think The Beatles got 25, and we got about 15 which was nothing, you know, before we got famous, that would be a lot of money you’d be working with only five pounds in your pocket.”

He added:

“They were sort of playing around with the guitars, and I think they were trying to write something, and we said, ‘What are you doing?’ I had to because they were there standing next to us, so we’re just trying a bit of writing; we said, ‘Well, we’ll join in,’ you know, so Graham [Nash] and I didn’t do a hell of a lot because I’m sure the two guys had got the song more or less finished, but they were stuck on a particular thing, and so Graham and I went well ‘……. Misery,’ and they went, ‘Thanks.’ We partied, and that was ‘Misery,’ one of their very big tracks, ‘The world is treating me bad.”

The tale of The Hollies and The Beatles coming together to create ‘Misery’ highlights the unpredictable nature of the creative process in music. Sometimes, a spontaneous helping hand can make all the difference in shaping the essence of a song. In this case, Allan and Graham’s simple contribution turned out to be exactly what The Beatles needed to complete their future hit.