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.
Commonwealth
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
commonwealth homes. Yeah, yeah, yeah I said Get back home. Now Enoch Powell was
said to the folks color of his skin. He said don't care. So he said you better
get up. He said he said to Enoch Powell. You better go home. So Wilson said to.
We got to swing. We have to go the hill. So Wilson Health said to Enoch Powell
we got to the commonwealth. Commonwealth yeah commonwealth yeah commonwealth
yeah commonwealth yeah.
Commonwealth yeah. If you don't want trouble you got to go home. To Indania.
Commonwealth. Commonwealth yeah. Don't you hear me commonwealth yeah. Well I
check Austria England India. Enoch powell. Oh commonwealth yeag. Oh
commonwealth yeah. Yeah commonwealth yeah. Commonwealth yeah. It's to common to
me. I came down the street to New Zealand. Commonwealth. Commonwealth yeah.
Commonwealth yeah. Enoch Powell commonwealth yeah. Immigrants commonwealth
yeah. Market.
The Beatles' Commonwealth is one of their lesser known songs, yet it holds great historical significance that is still relevant today. The song is a commentary on the British Commonwealth and the issues surrounding immigration in the 1960s. The lyrics are critical of politicians such as Wilson Health and Enoch Powell who were seen as reactionary and discriminatory towards immigrants in the Commonwealth.
The opening lines of the song set the tone, with Wilson Health telling immigrants to "get back to the Commonwealth homes." This was a reference to the policy of repatriation, which encouraged immigrants to return to their countries of origin. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Commonwealth yeah" multiple times, almost as an ironic chant. The line "If you don't want trouble you got to go home" is a direct reference to the anti-immigrant sentiment that was prevalent at the time.
The verses of the song mention Enoch Powell, who was a Conservative politician known for his controversial views on immigration. Powell famously gave a speech in 1968 in which he spoke out against immigration, and this speech is referenced in the lyrics. The line "dirty Enoch Powell" is a clear condemnation of his views.
Overall, the song is a searing critique of the British Commonwealth and the way it treated immigrants in the 1960s. The Beatles were not typically known for their political commentary, but Commonwealth shows that they were not afraid to speak out on important issues.
Line by Line Meaning
Immigrants. Wilson Health said to the immigrants you better get back to the commonwealth homes.
Wilson Health ordered immigrants to return to their homes in the Commonwealth, implying that they are not welcomed in their current country.
Yeah, yeah, yeah I said Get back home.
The singer agrees with Wilson Health's sentiment and tells the immigrants to go back to their homes in the Commonwealth.
Now Enoch Powell was said to the folks color of his skin.
Enoch Powell was reported to have made derogatory comments about people with a different skin color.
He said don't care. So he said you better get up.
Powell didn't care about the people he insulted and told them to just leave.
He said he said to Enoch Powell. You better go home.
The artist tells Powell to go back to his own country, as he is not a welcomed member of society.
So Wilson said to. We got to swing. We have to go the hill. So Wilson Health said to Enoch Powell we got to the commonwealth.
Wilson Health tells Powell that they need to take action and move towards the Commonwealth to find a solution to this issue.
Commonwealth yeah commonwealth yeah commonwealth yeah commonwealth yeah. Commonwealth yeah.
The Commonwealth is mentioned multiple times, suggesting that it is a solution or refuge for those affected by discrimination and hate.
If you don't want trouble you got to go home. To Indania. I've have enough of that. I'm coming back yeah to England.
The artist insists that immigrants should return to their homes in the Commonwealth to avoid any more trouble and discrimination in their current country.
Dirty Enoch Powell. Commonwealth.
Powell is called dirty or despicable, while the Commonwealth is again mentioned as a potential solution to the issues present.
Commonwealth yeah. Don't you hear me commonwealth yeah.
The artist implores listeners to consider the Commonwealth as a potential solution and refuge for those impacted by discrimination.
Well I check Austria England India. Enoch powell. Oh commonwealth yeag. Oh commonwealth yeah. Yeah commonwealth yeah. Commonwealth yeah.
The singer lists various countries and then mentions Powell and the Commonwealth once again, further emphasizing the idea of the Commonwealth as a potential safe haven.
It's too common to me. I came down the street to New Zealand. Commonwealth. Commonwealth yeah. Commonwealth yeah. Enoch Powell commonwealth yeah. Immigrants commonwealth yeah. Market.
The idea of the Commonwealth being a solution for immigrants is so common that it becomes almost mundane to the artist who suggests they came to New Zealand instead. Despite this, the Commonwealth is still seen as a viable solution to the issue.
Contributed by Anthony J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anti Bonez
Lyrics:
(paul) Tonight Enoch Powell said to the immigrants
Immigrants have gotta go home
Tonight Harold Wilson said to the immigrants
You'd better get back to your commonwelath home.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, he said you'd better get back home.
Now Enoch Powell he said to the folks
He said it's the colour of your skin
He said he don't care what it's all about
... [mumbled line, ala Elvis - no descernable lyrics]
So Ted Heath said to Enoch Powell,
he said you'd better get off, or else you're gonna drown (!)
he said Enoch Powell, Enoch you'd better go home.
So Wilson said to Dubrovniev, come on boy we're gonna swing,
we've gotta go back to the summitt on the hill,
... [another mumbled line] ... to win,
so Enoch Powell said to Wilson and Heath, buy your commonwealth!
chorus: Commonwealth (John) Yes!
Commonwealth Yes!
If you don't want trouble then you'd better go back home.
Paul (in a silly Monty Python-style voice)
So i went to Pakistani, I went to India
I've been to Old (Oh!?) Calcutta, and I've had enough of that
I'm coming back to England Town
John Yes! Welcome England
Paul And dirty Enoch Powell, he's had enough of Parliament
Commonwealth Yes!
can you hear me commonwealth?
Well I checked off to Australia and went to New Zealand
You'd better live with us we're gonna have some fun,
we're going up to India, we're going to Pakistan
we're coming to Europe and over to Japan (laughs)
And here comes Enoch Powell and he says there's trouble here.
commonwealth Yes!
yeah commonwealth Yes!
well the commonwealth is much too wealthy for me
John much too common for me!
Paul I went to Australia and New Zealand too
I went to Pakistan and India too
I went off to West Indies and I had a cricket match!
I went off to South Africa and hung out with the blacks!
Oh commonwealth, you're much too common for me.
Enoch Powell commonwealth.
Immigrants commonwealth
Well I would join the common market but it's much too common for me!
Evan
Paul’s laugh after John’s first Yes gets me every time. So so funny and adorable.
Samual the Orangtang
This is probably my favorite unreleased song from the let it be sessions.
felltone
Joe Cosgrove It's an unfinished song. They needed to fill in some lyrics and tighten things up a bit, but they never got around to it. I thought it was cool as hell.
Mister Ravioli
Same here ^^
Niklas Sjunnesson
So catchy.
John Smith
@Niklas Sjunnesson
Much to catchy for me :)
John Smith
Listen to Besame Mucho (1969 version).
Michael Cortez
Such a shame that it never became a released track. Feels very 70s punk. You can just tell they were screwing around and having fun. Hence why I love it!
AtariVHS
Ringo is amazing here, incredibly talented. Enters and exits the song so naturally
Larrytoons
3:31 that little bass ending is so good Istg. Just the little dissonant note before the ending note creates like a perfect "afterimage harmony" with Pauls deep vocals, just perfection