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.
Across the Universe
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy
Are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Images of broken light
Which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
Jai Guru Deva, Om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Sounds of laughter, shades of life
Are ringing through my opened ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless, undying love
Which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe
Jai Guru Deva, Om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
The song "Across the Universe" by The Beatles was written by John Lennon during a period of deep introspection and meditation in the late 1960s. The lyrics flow out like endless rain into a paper cup, reflecting the fleeting nature of thoughts and ideas that come and go in our minds. Lennon describes how these thoughts slip away across the universe, creating pools of sorrow and waves of joy that drift through his opened mind, possessing and caressing him.
The chorus, "Jai Guru Deva, Om" is a Sanskrit phrase meaning "I give thanks to the guru who brings me from darkness to light." It expresses Lennon's gratitude for the spiritual guidance and illumination he found through his practice of transcendental meditation.
As the song progresses, Lennon's thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box, tumbling blindly as they make their way across the universe. He envisions images of broken light, which dance before him like a million eyes, calling him on and on. Sounds of laughter and shades of life ring through his opened ears, inciting and inviting him. And through it all, he feels limitless, undying love, which shines around him like a million suns, calling him on and on across the universe.
In essence, "Across the Universe" is a lyrical expression of John Lennon's spiritual journey, reflecting his belief in the power of meditation and transcendental consciousness to bring light and enlightenment to the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Words are flowing out
The songwriter is expressing that ideas and thoughts are coming to them naturally.
Like endless rain into a paper cup
These thoughts and ideas are continuous and abundant, like a never-ending downpour filling a small container to the brim.
They slither wildly as
The thoughts and ideas come without order or structure, making them hard to grasp and contain.
They slip away across the universe
The ideas and thoughts are fleeting and intangible, passing through the songwriter's mind and disappearing into the vastness of the universe.
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy
The songwriter is feeling a range of emotions which come and go like waves and pools.
Are drifting through my opened mind
The songwriter is letting their emotions and thoughts flow through them, allowing themselves to be vulnerable and exposed.
Possessing and caressing me
The emotions and thoughts are taking hold of the songwriter and comforting them.
Jai Guru Deva, Om
A spiritual declaration of devotion and reverence to a higher power.
Nothing's gonna change my world
Despite the ups and downs of life, the songwriter feels a sense of stability and assurance that their world cannot be disrupted.
Images of broken light
The songwriter is seeing fragmented and distorted images, which are perhaps a reflection of their fractured emotional state.
Which dance before me like a million eyes
These images are constantly present and watching the songwriter, giving them a sense of unease and discomfort.
They call me on and on across the universe
The images continue to haunt and plague the songwriter, persistently pulling them away from the reality of their surroundings.
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box
The songwriter's thoughts are wandering aimlessly, uncontained and unrestrained like a strong wind shaking the contents of a mailbox.
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
The songwriter's thoughts are directionless and haphazard, following no set path as they roam across the vast expanse of the universe.
Sounds of laughter, shades of life
The songwriter hears a range of sounds and experiences the diversity of life, including joyous laughter and the darker shades of existence.
Are ringing through my opened ears
The songwriter is receptive to these sounds and experiences, which are filling them up and enriching their life.
Inciting and inviting me
The experiences and sounds are provoking and attracting the songwriter, encouraging them to explore and discover more.
Limitless, undying love
The songwriter is describing a feeling of love which is infinite and never-ending, boundless and all-encompassing.
Which shines around me like a million suns
This love is radiant and intense, illuminating the songwriter's surroundings and filling them with warmth and light.
It calls me on and on across the universe
The songwriter feels compelled to follow this love, letting it guide them on their cosmic journey through life.
Jai Guru Deva
This phrase is repeated again as a reminder of the songwriter's devotion and connection to a higher power.
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Mother Nature's Son
A really great Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on The Night Before
A really splendid Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on P.S. I Love You
Now this is a really great Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on There's a Place
A seriously underrated Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on Do You Want to Know a Secret
A fantastic song by The Beatles.
Philip Kassabian
on When I'm Sixty-Four
A very tuneful Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
An excellent Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on I'm Looking Through You
A beautiful Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
Honestly The Beatles can't stop producing good songs.
Philip Kassabian
on Michelle
A fantastic Beatles song and absolutely beautiful.