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.
Come Together
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shoot me
Shoot me
Shoot me
Here come old flat top
He come groovin' up slowly
He got ju-ju eyeball
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker
He just do what he please
Shoot me
Shoot me
Shoot me
Shoot me
He wear no shoeshine
He got toe jam football
He got monkey finger
He shoot Coca-Cola
He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is
You got to be free
Come together, right now
Over me
Shoot me
Shoot me
Shoot me
He bag production
He got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair
You can feel his disease
Come together, right now
Over me
Shoot me
Right
Come, come, come, come, come
He roller coaster
He got early warning
He got muddy water
He one mojo filter
He say one and one and one is three
Got to be good looking
'Cause he's so hard to see
Come together right now
Over me
Shoot me
Shoot me
Shoot me
Uh
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Uh
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
The lyrics of The Beatles' song "Come Together" are an example of John Lennon's eclectic and eccentric style. The song starts with the lines "Here come old flat top / He come groovin' up slowly" which refer to a man's appearance - with his flattened hair, low-cut shirt, and generally unkempt look. The reference to "ju-ju eyeball" could represent his eccentricities or idiosyncrasies. The redundant and almost comical line, "Shoot me," appears throughout the song and is believed to be an intentional throwaway line to 'shoot down' any negativity within the song or person it was written about.
The lyrics progress through various unusual images, such as "He wear no shoeshine / He got toe jam football / He got monkey finger." The theme of the song appears to be about an individual who is unique, different, and offbeat but has a critical message to share: "One thing I can tell you is / You got to be free." There's a hint of a suggestion about coming together to create a new world, with Lennon urging listeners to "Come together, right now, over me" and an invitation to a dance filled with unity, freedom, and equality. One last line, "Got to be good-lookin,' 'cause he's so hard to see," perhaps hints at the idea that people who might not fit society's traditional mold are often overlooked or invisible.
Line by Line Meaning
Shoot me
Repetitive phrase used throughout the song as a command or request to be shot
Here come old flat top
Referring to a man with a unique appearance
He come groovin' up slowly
Describing the man's relaxed and rhythmic gait
He got ju-ju eyeball
Highlighting the man's unusual or mystical perception of the world
He one holy roller
Suggesting this man is a devout or zealous individual
He got hair down to his knee
Describing the man's long hair as a distinguishing physical characteristic
Got to be a joker
Implying this man is not to be taken too seriously and has a fun, carefree personality
He just do what he please
Emphasizing his independence and self-determination
He wear no shoeshine
Highlighting this man's preference for being barefoot and casual
He got toe jam football
Describing this man's dirty and unclean feet
He got monkey finger
Highlighting the man's dexterity and nimble hands
He shoot Coca-Cola
Suggesting this man has a rebellious nature or is living life to the fullest
He say I know you, you know me
Emphasizing the man's easy-going and friendly nature
One thing I can tell you is
A preface to a wise observation or piece of advice
You got to be free
Encouraging the listener to be independent and true to themselves
Come together, right now
A call to unite and work together in harmony and peace
Over me
Emphasizing the importance of the cause or goal being worked towards in the collaboration
He bag production
Suggesting this man is ambitious and successful in his work
He got walrus gumboot
Describing this man's eccentric fashion choices
He got Ono sideboard
Alluding to Yoko Ono, a notable figure of the era, perhaps suggesting a willingness to embrace new and unconventional ideas
He one spinal cracker
Highlighting the man's ability to solve problems or innovate
He got feet down below his knee
Describing the man as being very tall or having very long legs
Hold you in his armchair
Suggesting a sense of safety or comfort from this man's presence
You can feel his disease
Perhaps a metaphorical way of saying that his charisma or mindset can be contagious
He roller coaster
Highlighting the man's dynamic and unpredictable nature
He got early warning
Suggesting this man has foresight or intuition
He got muddy water
Describing this man's rough and imperfect life or personality
He one mojo filter
Alluding to African American spiritual practices and suggesting this man has a mystical aura
He say one and one and one is three
Repeating a mathematical inconsistency to suggest that things are more complex or mysterious than they might seem
Got to be good looking
Emphasizing the importance of outward appearance
'Cause he's so hard to see
Suggesting that this man is more than meets the eye and not easily understood or judged
Come, come, come, come, come
A repetitious call to action and togetherness
Come together, yeah
Repeating the main message of the song, urging unity and cooperation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vermillion2023
They weren't just musical geniuses, they were musical geniuses
@Bismark1815
While I do agree that they are musical geniuses saying that there musical geniuses is a little bit of a stretch
@biharek7595
So they were unjust musical geniuses?
@lokumenia
,,You don't need a criminal lawyer, you need a CRIMINAL lawyer,,
@lokomotion726
@@lokumenia
A smooth criminal lawyer?
@diccschtuccr590
My brain hates this. But I'm listening to music so it's cool
@shadyguy6545
“I know you, you know me”
They weren’t just musical geniuses, they were relationship geniuses
@user-nr6xo9nj8g
They were good with people huh?
@Bigguy_33
I wouldn’t call any man who married Yoko Ono a “relationship genius”. 😊
@shadyguy6545
@Bigguy_33
Very true John made a very bad decision