It’s an honor to inspire a song written by an iconic recording artist. David Bowie’s “Angie” was inspired by his enigmatic wife. Carly Simon reportedly composed “You’re So Vain” about Mick Jagger. Stephen Stills wrote “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” about folk singer Judy Collins.
However, Chris O’Dell has had a number of songs written about her. “Miss O’Dell” was written by George Harrison, who became close friends with the Tucson native. The mystical Beatle didn’t write a love song inspired by O’Dell. The song was deeper than that. However, O’Dell’s former boyfriend, Leon Russell, did craft “Hummingbird” and “Pisces Apple Lady” after his girlfriend. “Miss O’Dell” was the B-side to Harrison’s hit single, “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).”
“To have those songs written for me was amazing,” O’Dell recalled from her Tucson home. “It was nice that Leon wrote those songs since we were romantically involved, but it was different with George. I remember the night he played it for me. He said, ‘I’m going to make you famous.’ He knew the power he had as a Beatle.”
Chris O’Dell described her experience as surreal when reflecting on her days working at The Beatles’ Apple Corps Headquarters with the Fabs. The Tucson native moved to London in 1968 at the request of her friend, Derek Taylor, who was the press officer for The Beatles.
O’Dell, 78, initially toiled as a secretary at Apple during the latter days of The Beatles’ incredible run. “It was surreal since I was a fan while I was in Tucson,” O’Dell said. “I would rush out and buy the latest Beatles single. It was amazing being around these people who were always on television and in so many magazines. All of a sudden, they were standing right in front of me.”
O’Dell’s life and career should have been captured as a feature film. That never happened, but it’s fitting that there is a documentary, “Miss O’Dell,” May 13 and will be streaming.
For anyone who questions whether O’Dell’s life should be the subject of a film, well, her existence has been beyond extraordinary. O’Dell was on the Apple rooftop singing the chorus of “Hey Jude” when The Beatles played live for the final time.
O’Dell was present the day Paul McCartney announced he was leaving The Beatles. O’Dell visited Harrison’s Friar Park mansion when the unheralded Beatle met with John Lennon to discuss the situation. O’Dell worked with The Rolling Stones. She was the tour manager for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s 1974 reunion tour. She was on the teams that were working with Eric Clapton, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and Carole King.
O’Dell trumps former Rolling Stone journalist turned filmmaker Cameron Crowe in the “Almost Famous” department. She not only witnessed rock history, but was part of it. O’Dell even wrote a song with Harrison’s ex-wife, Patti Boyd. “It was called ‘Hang Up Your Hang Ups and I’ll Hang Out with You’
“We asked George to write the music,” O’Dell recalled.
Harrison never got around to finishing the song.
The memories are endless for O’Dell. “It’s been an incredible life, she said. “I never worked with a band that I didn’t like.”
Who else left a Beatles gig and ended up with The Rolling Stones? “I loved being around the Stones,” O’Dell said. “I really enjoyed Mick (Jagger).”
What was the difference between hanging out with The Beatles and the Stones? “There were more drugs with the Stones,” O’Dell said.
Cocaine and alcohol were O’Dell’s intoxicants of choice during the ’70s, but she also dabbled with some other drugs. After The Beatles recorded “Get Back,” O’Dell was asked to type the lyrics to the song while she was on LSD. The words McCartney penned struck a nerve.
“Jojo was a man who thought he was a loner / But he knew it couldn’t last / Jojo left his home in Tucson, Arizona / For some California grass.”
Was O’Dell the inspiration behind “Get Back?”
“Ding, ding ding,” O’Dell said. “To answer that question. George told me that I’m Jojo. When they were recording at Apple that weekend. They asked me to type up the lyrics and I just dropped acid. I’ve heard different versions about what inspired Paul to write ‘Get Back.’ Regarding Tucson, Linda (McCartney) and I completely connected. Linda went to the University of Arizona (and majored in fine arts). Paul and Linda loved Tucson and had a ranch here.”
Linda McCartney died in 1998 at the family ranch. O’Dell took Paul McCartney’s advice and returned to her hometown, where she will experience her documentary. For many who are unaccustomed to seeing themselves on the big screen, it can be a surreal experience. However, O’Dell’s sense of the surreal is much greater than that of the average person; perhaps she has already exhausted her surreal experiences.
“But it is trippy seeing yourself on screen,” O’Dell said. “It was really hard watching footage of myself for the first time, but I’m looking forward to when my movie screens here.”
“Miss O’Dell”
missodell.com
This article appears in Apr 17-24, 2025.