Pearl Jampaid tribute toQueen Elizabeth IIwith a Beatles deep cut.
After Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch,died on Thursday, the rockershonored her with a performanceof theAbbey Roadsong “Her Majesty” at their concert in Toronto that night.
“This is just a little one I’m gonna borrow fromPaul McCartney, for about 90 seconds,” frontman Eddie Vedder told the crowd before diving in.
Ninety seconds was a bit generous — at just 23 seconds, the acoustic ditty from 1969 is the shortest song in the Beatles' catalog, though the quirky tune has become a fan favorite.
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Still, the engineer who cut it out didn’t want it destroyed, so he stuck it on the end of the album — and when McCartney heard it there, he liked it, and decided to keep it. Though “Her Majesty” closes outAbbey Road, it wasn’t listed on the album’s original sleeve.
McCartney had the chance to play the song for the Queen herself in 2002, during a performance at her Golden Jubilee celebration in 2002.
“What the generation now can’t understand is that guys my age, we were like, what, 14? Very formative teenage years, and the Queen was sort of, 24 or something,” the star told60 Minutes Australiain 2017 of Elizabeth. “So to us, she was a babe! There was a certain lustfulness in us teenagers for Her Majesty… So we grew up loving the Queen for various reasons. I mean now, I’ve been lucky enough to meet her. I just think she’s a great woman.”
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Elton Johnalso paid tributewhile performing in Toronto, telling the crowd Elizabeth was “an inspiring person to be around.”
“I’ve been around her and she was fantastic. She led the country though some of our greatest and darkest moments with grace, decency and a genuine care and warmth,” John said. “I’m 75 — she’s been with me all my life and I feel very sad that she won’t be with me anymore.”
The Queen died “peacefully” on Thursday at Balmoral after 70 years on the throne, making her the longest-reigning British monarch of all time.
source: people.com
