Which Of These Three Sons Belongs to Which โ€˜Beatleโ€™?

Key Point Summary โ€“ Beatles Sons Drop New Track

  • Zak Starkey, Sean Lennon, and James McCartney team up for โ€œRip Offโ€
  • Itโ€™s the first time three Beatles sons have worked on a song together
  • Fans say the sound channels the spirit of Lennon and McCartney
  • Starkey insists Mantra of the Cosmos has its own identity
  • Sean Lennon has worked with Lana Del Rey and forged a solo career
  • James McCartney previously collaborated with Sean in 2023
  • Public reaction fuels hopes for a full Beatles-sons album

A Surprise From the Shadows of Music Royalty

It sounds like the start of a jokeโ€”three Beatles sons walk into a studioโ€ฆ But this is no punchline. Itโ€™s history in the making.

Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr.
Sean Lennon, son of John.
James McCartney, son of Paul.

Together, theyโ€™ve dropped a surprise track called โ€œRip Offโ€, posted in part to Starkeyโ€™s Instagram. The short clip was enough to send fans into a frenzyโ€”and Beatles forums into meltdown.

James (aged 4) with his parents Paul McCartney (aged 39) and Linda (aged 40) in 1981

One Song, Three Legendsโ€™ Bloodlines

This is the first time three children of Beatles icons have united to make music. While their fathers once defined a generation, their sons are cautiously stepping into that spotlight.

The song itself? A psychedelic rock pulse with hints of Britpop chaos. Starkey leads the charge with his new band, Mantra of the Cosmos. But itโ€™s the appearance of Sean and James that truly electrifies the moment.


Beatles Sons Drop New Track And Fans Lose It

Fans online immediately heard it. That signature blend of melody and mind-bending sound. Echoes of Abbey Road. A brush of White Album madness.

Yet Starkey is quick to temper the nostalgia.

โ€œThis is my band. Itโ€™s not a Beatles tribute. It has its own sound,โ€ he told the Telegraph.

Even so, thereโ€™s no denying the DNA. James strums like Paul. Seanโ€™s voice carries Johnโ€™s ghost. And Starkeyโ€™s drumming channels the spirit of his fatherโ€”without imitating him.

Sean Lennon (then 3) with his parents John Lennon (then 39) and Yoko Ono (then 46) in 1979

Zak Starkeyโ€™s New Chapter

Zak, 58, is no stranger to rock royalty. After years as drummer for The Who, he launched Mantra of the Cosmos in 2022. With members from Oasis and Happy Mondays, the band already carried a potent 90s pedigree.

But adding Sean and James? Thatโ€™s a whole different gravity.


Sean Lennon: Art Rock to Mainstream

Sean Lennon, now 49, has always walked a complicated path. Son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, he was just five when his father was murdered.

Despite the weight of that legacy, Sean carved out a unique soundโ€”working with everyone from Cibo Matto to Lana Del Rey.

James (damals 4) mit seinen Eltern Paul McCartney (damals 39) und Linda (damals 40) im Jahr 1981

Back in 1998, he told Rolling Stone, โ€œWhen you grow up with that name, itโ€™s not strange. Itโ€™s just life.โ€

Today, heโ€™s matured into a musical chameleon, able to shift between dreamy pop and experimental noise.

James McCartney Still in the Shadows

James, 46, keeps a lower profile. The only son of Paul McCartney, James taught himself guitar and piano as a teen. Heโ€™s released solo records, often under pseudonyms, to avoid riding his fatherโ€™s coattails.

In 2013, he told The Mirror, โ€œItโ€™s hard to live up to the Beatles.โ€

Heโ€™s not wrong. Even Wingsโ€”Paulโ€™s post-Beatles bandโ€”struggled with comparisons. โ€œPeople tore them apart,โ€ James said. โ€œEven Dad found it hard.โ€


Public Reaction: From Tears to Memes

Fans havenโ€™t been quiet. Within minutes of the song clip dropping, Reddit threads lit up.

โ€œThey did it,โ€ wrote one user. โ€œThe Beatlesโ€™ kids finally united. Iโ€™m crying.โ€

Others were more skeptical. โ€œItโ€™s one track,โ€ another posted. โ€œLetโ€™s see if they can fill an album.โ€

Still, the excitement is real. In an age of endless tributes and cover bands, this moment feels authentic. And rare.

Just a One-Off? Or the Start of Something Bigger?

According to Starkey, this is a โ€œone-time collaborationโ€โ€”at least for now.

But fans arenโ€™t ready to let go. Spotify streams for James and Seanโ€™s solo material surged within hours. Beatles documentaries even trended again on X (formerly Twitter).

People want more. And theyโ€™re not being subtle about it.


Echoes of the Past, Eyes on the Future

Music critics already see potential. โ€œThereโ€™s something raw here,โ€ one wrote. โ€œItโ€™s not perfect. But it doesnโ€™t try to be.โ€

Others compared the song to early Beatles B-sidesโ€”rough, playful, and full of energy.

Behind the hype, though, is a question. Do these sons owe the world a Beatles 2.0?

The Legacy Question

Some say yes. With AI recreating John Lennonโ€™s voice and holograms of legends hitting the stage, the next generation may be our last hope for something real.

But others urge caution. โ€œThey donโ€™t need to be their dads,โ€ one fan wrote. โ€œLet them be themselves.โ€

Still, Rip Off feels like the beginning of a movement.


Where They Go From Here

Will they reunite? Will they tour? Could a Beatles-sons supergroup actually become a reality?

Zak, Sean, and James havenโ€™t said. But now the world is watchingโ€”and listening.

Whether Rip Off remains a moment in time or the start of a larger legacy, one thingโ€™s certain:

Three Beatles sons just made rock history. And this time, itโ€™s personal.


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