Led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the Beatles built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over three years from 1960, initially with Stuart Sutcliffe playing bass. The core trio of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, together since 1958, went through a succession of drummers, eventually settling with Pete Best in 1960, who played with them for two years before being replaced with then Rory Storm & The Hurricanes drummer Ringo Starr in 1962. Manager Brian Epstein molded them into a professional act and producer George Martin guided and developed their recordings, greatly expanding their domestic success after their first hit, "Love Me Do", in late 1962. As their popularity grew into the intense fan frenzy dubbed "Beatlemania", the band acquired the nickname "the Fab Four", with Epstein, Martin and other members of the band's entourage sometimes given the informal title of "fifth Beatle".
By early 1964, the Beatles were international stars, leading the "British Invasion" of the United States pop market and breaking numerous sales records. They soon made their film debut with A Hard Day's Night (1964). From 1965 onwards, they produced increasingly innovative recordings, including the albums Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), and enjoyed further commercial success with The Beatles (also known as "the White Album", 1968) and Abbey Road (1969). In 1968, they founded Apple Corps, a multi-armed multimedia corporation that continues to oversee projects related to the band's legacy. After the group's break-up in 1970, all four members enjoyed success as solo artists. Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980, and Harrison died of lung cancer in November 2001. McCartney and Starr remain musically active.
The Beatles are the best-selling music act of all time, with estimated sales of 600 million units worldwide. They hold the record for most number-one albums on the UK Albums Chart, most number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and most singles sold in the UK. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and all four main members were inducted individually between 1994 and 2015. In 2008, the group topped Billboard's list of the all-time most successful artists on the Billboard Hot 100. The band received seven Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards, an Academy Award (for Best Original Song Score for the 1970 film Let It Be) and fifteen Ivor Novello Awards. Time magazine named them among the 20th century's 100 most important people.
Former Rolling Stone associate editor Robert Greenfield compared the Beatles to Picasso, as "artists who broke through the constraints of their time period to come up with something that was unique and original "... In the form of popular music, no one will ever be more revolutionary, more creative and more distinctive ..." The British poet Philip Larkin described their work as "an enchanting and intoxicating hybrid of African-American rock-and-roll with their own adolescent romanticism", and "the first advance in popular music since the War".
They not only sparked the British Invasion of the US, they became a globally influential phenomenon as well. From the 1920s, the US had dominated popular entertainment culture throughout much of the world, via Hollywood films, jazz, the music of Broadway and Tin Pan Alley and, later, the rock and roll that first emerged in Memphis, Tennessee. The Beatles are regarded as British cultural icons, with young adults from abroad naming the band among a group of people that they most associated with UK culture.
Their musical innovations and commercial success inspired musicians worldwide. Many artists have acknowledged the Beatles' influence and enjoyed chart success with covers of their songs. On radio, their arrival marked the beginning of a new era; in 1968 the programme director of New York's WABC radio station forbade his DJs from playing any "pre-Beatles" music, marking the defining line of what would be considered oldies on American radio. They helped to redefine the album as something more than just a few hits padded out with "filler", and they were primary innovators of the modern music video. The Shea Stadium show with which they opened their 1965 North American tour attracted an estimated 55,600 people, then the largest audience in concert history; Spitz describes the event as a "major breakthrough ... a giant step toward reshaping the concert business". Emulation of their clothing and especially their hairstyles, which became a mark of rebellion, had a global impact on fashion.
According to Gould, the Beatles changed the way people listened to popular music and experienced its role in their lives. From what began as the Beatlemania fad, the group's popularity grew into what was seen as an embodiment of socio-cultural movements of the decade. As icons of the 1960s counterculture, Gould continues, they became a catalyst for bohemianism and activism in various social and political arenas, fuelling movements such as women's liberation, gay liberation and environmentalism. According to Peter Lavezzoli, after the "more popular than Jesus" controversy in 1966, the Beatles felt considerable pressure to say the right things and "began a concerted effort to spread a message of wisdom and higher consciousness".
Other commentators such as Mikal Gilmore and Todd Leopold have traced the inception of their socio-cultural impact earlier, interpreting even the Beatlemania period, particularly on their first visit to the US, as a key moment in the development of generational awareness. Referring to their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show Leopold states: "In many ways, the Sullivan appearance marked the beginning of a cultural revolution ... The Beatles were like aliens dropped into the United States of 1964.
In 1965, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). The Beatles won the 1971 Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for the film Let It Be (1970). The recipients of seven Grammy Awards and fifteen Ivor Novello Awards, the Beatles have six Diamond albums, as well as 20 Multi-Platinum albums, 16 Platinum albums and six Gold albums in the US. In the UK, the Beatles have four Multi-Platinum albums, four Platinum albums, eight Gold albums and one Silver album. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
The best-selling band in history, the Beatles have sold more than 800 million physical and digital albums as of 2013. They have had more number-one albums on the UK charts, fifteen, and sold more singles in the UK, 21.9 million, than any other act. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Beatles as the most significant and influential rock music artists of the last 50 years. They ranked number one on Billboard magazine's list of the all-time most successful Hot 100 artists, released in 2008 to celebrate the US singles chart's 50th anniversary. As of 2017, they hold the record for most number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with twenty. The Recording Industry Association of America certifies that the Beatles have sold 178 million units in the US, more than any other artist. They were collectively included in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century's 100 most influential people. In 2014, they received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
There are two holidays celebrated for the Beatles: Global Beatles Day on 25 June each year. On that date in 1967, the band performed "All You Need Is Love" on television. In 2001, UNESCO created World Beatles Day on 16 January each year. This date has direct relation to the opening of The Cavern Club in 1957.
Five asteroids, 4147 Lennon, 4148 McCartney, 4149 Harrison, 4150 Starr and 8749 Beatles are named after the Beatles.
A Picture of You
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now that you've gone and left me blue
You don't hear me cry at night
And say sweet things to you
You don't hear me sing a love song to
A picture of you
I pretend that you're still here with me
But pictures they can't talk and they can't see
I know I'm in love and nothing more
Nothing more
I hope you'll be happy where you are
But if you need me I won't be to far
Standing in the shadow of my dreams
They say it's not as bad as it may seem
But they don't lie awake at night and cry the way I do
They don't realise that all I got
Is a picture of you
The Beatles' A Picture of You is a poignant ballad about a lost love. The singer has been left heartbroken and all he has to remember his former partner is a picture of her. He can no longer look into her eyes; he cannot hold her hand, feel her warmth, or hear her voice. All he can do is look at her picture and pretend that she is still with him. He desperately longs to talk to her and sing love songs to her, but he knows it's impossible as the picture won't respond.
The lyrics explore the depth of the singer's grief and the pain he experiences as he tries to move on from this loss. He recognizes that the picture is just a static representation of his love, and it cannot replace the person who has gone. Even though he tries to stay optimistic and hopes that she is happy wherever she is, he admits that it's tough for him. He suffers, and he cries at night, but nobody seems to understand the depths of his feelings.
The beauty of the song lies in its simplicity, and it resonates with anyone who has lost someone they love. The lyrics touch upon the universal aspects of loss, and the way the singer's grief is portrayed makes it a relatable and emotional piece.
Line by Line Meaning
All I've got is a picture of you
The only thing left that reminds me of you is a picture.
Now that you've gone and left me blue
You left me sad and alone.
You don't hear me cry at night
Despite my sadness, you aren't here to comfort me.
And say sweet things to you
I wish I could express my affection and endearment towards you.
You don't hear me sing a love song to
I express my love through music, but unfortunately, you aren't able to hear it.
A picture of you
Only your photo is available to express my love and longing towards you.
I pretend that you're still here with me
To cope with your absence, I imagine you're still present with me.
Laughing just the way we used to be
I reminisce the happy moments of our relationship when we would laugh and have fun together.
But pictures they can't talk and they can't see
As much as I cherish your photo, it can't communicate with me or reciprocate my love.
I know I'm in love and nothing more
Despite your absence, I'm sure that I'm still in love with you and nothing can change that.
Nothing more
This feeling of love is everything and more to me.
I hope you'll be happy where you are
Even though I miss you, I still wish you happiness in your current place and situation.
But if you need me I won't be to far
If you ever need me, I'm always there to support and care for you.
Standing in the shadow of my dreams
I'm living a dream that can never come true since you're no longer with me.
They say it's not as bad as it may seem
People try to convince me that my situation is better than what I think, but they don't understand the depth of my love.
But they don't lie awake at night and cry the way I do
No one can comprehend the extent of my emotional pain and how I suffer alone at night.
They don't realise that all I got
No one truly understands that the only thing I have that reminds me of you is a photograph.
Is a picture of you
This single photo is all I have left to hold onto and remember the beauty of our love.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: John Beveridge, Peter Oakman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
E Law
I think it's notable that this was only their 2nd time on the radio but they split the singing duties and included George which goes to show how equal things were between the 3 friends. Once the songwriting team of Lennon and McCartney started taking shape, George seemed to take an ancillary position but in 1962 he was still on par with his buddies.
GODZILLA_NYC
Wow never heard this one before and I've been a huge fan all my life! Thanks for uploading!
Pablo Pellini7đk 111qcáxc
Simplesmente inigualavél.
Sebastian Garth
The Beatles never cease to amaze and inspire us. God Bless them All!
John-Michael Mahoney
It was originally written by Johnny Beveridge and released by Joe Brown and The Bruvvas
L Conde
Love this performance. It's a pity BBC not have the original tapes.
Natalie Nyarkua
Seeing Joe Brown and the Beatles mentioned in the same sentance reninds me of a story told by Frank Farley, drummer with the Pirates. Johnny Kidd and the Pirates had been booked for a Liverpool gig with the Beatles as support act. After the gig Frank and Mick Green, guitarist with the Pirates, were so impressed they suggested to Johnny Kidd that they get a few gigs 'down south' for the Beatles and 'make a few bob'. Johnny Kidd's reply ? " Nah, they will never be as big as Joe Brown"
The59thHooh
Happy Birthday, George! Thanks for your music, including the great covers.
TaserTracks
I've loved this song since the first time I heard it on bootleg LP I bought along time ago. Wish it was better quality. Definately would have been on The Beatles At The Beeb release if it was.
Rekku9
Don't be silly, it's definitely the earliest version of the Beatles with young George singing.