Sting has expressed gratitude to The Beatles for inspiring generations of songwriters, saying their success encouraged others to believe they could write songs too.The singer’s longtime touring guitarist, Dominic Miller, recently released a classical guitar songbook titled The Beatles Arranged by Dominic Miller: Guitar Solo Songbook, featuring 14 tracks by the legendary band. Speaking on Rick Beato’s YouTube channel, Miller revealed that he and Sting often discuss The Beatles’ influence, with Sting believing the band transformed British pop music.According to Miller, Sting feels that The Beatles effectively “gave permission” to aspiring musicians by showing that ordinary young men from Liverpool could write powerful, enduring songs. Their success, he said, opened the door for countless artists to try songwriting at a time when pop composition in England was still uncommon.Miller also noted that working on the songbook reinforced his belief in the band’s timelessness. He compared The Beatles to Johann Sebastian Bach, arguing that their music remains beautiful even when performed imperfectly.He explained that songs like “Michelle” or “Yesterday” retain their emotional power regardless of technical flaws, calling The Beatles’ harmonies “indestructible.” Like Bach, Miller believes they are among the rare composers whose music still shines—even when played badly.
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