Courtesy of IMDB.

Not very many people know the story behind the Beatles, the famous British group that changed the course of rock & roll forever. I didn‰’t either until I saw the film Nowhere Boy, the story of young John Lennon and the formation of his first band, the Quarrymen, which included future Beatles Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

The film, which trails Lennon‰’s rebellious teenage years in Liverpool, features an array of incredible ’50s and ’60s musicians like Elvis Presley, Dickie Valentine, Big Mama Thornton and Gene Vincent. While the songs of these artists helped to set the tone for the movie, one song in particular stood out among the rest and surely foreshadowed the alarming fame and influence that the Beatles would eventually face when it was first recorded.

“In Spite of All the Danger‰” was the first song the Quarrymen recorded. Written and recorded by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1958, the song demonstrates the miraculous songwriting and arranging abilities of Lennon and McCartney. In the film, stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Lennon) and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (McCartney) capture the essence of recording “In Spite of All the Danger‰” in local studio engineer Percy Phillips‰’s home in Liverpool.

The piece has a typical early-Beatles vibe: a doo-wop melody, sharp harmonizing and bluesy, acoustic guitar picking. The classically sweet lyrics, unprovocative in comparison to their later works, are sung in a uniquely annunciated fashion, almost spoken during some parts.

As the actors pretend to play the piece to the actual Quarrymen recording, Lennon experiences flashbacks of his late mother, Julia, who introduced him to much of the music he looked upon for inspiration. The film is centered on the strange relationship between Lennon and his mother, as he grew up with his Aunt Mimi after Julia abandoned him. Nevertheless, Nowhere Boy is a touching and informative film about the great John Lennon and surely does not miss the mark in featuring great music from the twentieth century.