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.
Don't Pass Me By
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coming up the drive
Listen for your footsteps
But they don't arrive
Waiting for your knock, dear
On my old front door
I don't hear it,
Does it mean you don't love me anymore?
I hear the clock a'ticking
On the mantel shelf
See the hands a'moving
But I'm by myself
I wonder where you are tonight
And why I'm by myself
I don't see you
Does it mean you don't love me anymore?
Don't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue
'Cause you know darling, I love only you
You'll never know it hurt me so
I hate to see you go
Don't pass me by, don't make me cry
I'm sorry that I doubted you
I was so unfair
You were in a car crash
And you lost your hair
You said that you would be late
About an hour or two
I said, "That's alright, I'm waiting here
Just waiting to hear from you"
Don't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue
'Cause you know darling, I love only you
You'll never know it hurt me so
I hate to see you go
Don't pass me by, don't make me cry
Don't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue
'Cause you know darling, I love only you
You'll never know it hurt me so
I hate to see you go
Don't pass me by, don't make me cry
"Don't Pass Me By" is a heartrending song by The Beatles that speaks to the anxieties of a person longing for the presence of their loved one. The lyrics describe the desperation of a person waiting for their loved one to return but with no response, leading them to question if their love is still reciprocated. The song begins with the singer listening out for their lover's footsteps, but they do not arrive, making them wonder if their lover still loves them. The ticking clock symbolizes the passing of time, and the singer's loneliness is amplified by the sound. They question where their lover is and why they are not with them, leading to the possibility that their lover does not love them anymore.
The chorus of the song, "Don't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue 'cause you know, darling, I love only you" depicts the singer's plea for their lover not to pass them by or hurt them as they love them solely. In the last verse, the singer apologizes for doubting their lover's love and unfairness towards them. They realize that their lover was in a car crash and lost their hair, causing them to return late. The singer seems to have a change of heart and assumes a supporting position, waiting for their lover to come back with open arms.
Overall, "Don't Pass Me By" is a haunting song that captures the longing for love, the yearning for connection, and the hope of reconciliation.
Line by Line Meaning
I listen for your footsteps
I am eagerly anticipating your arrival
Coming up the drive
Here, 'drive' refers to a pathway leading to my doorstep
Listen for your footsteps
I am focused on hearing the sound of your footsteps
But they don't arrive
You don't show up, which disappoints me
Waiting for your knock, dear
I am anticipating you knocking on my door
On my old front door
Here, 'old' signifies the longevity of our relationship
I don't hear it,
I don't hear any sound
Does it mean you don't love me anymore?
I begin to question your feelings for me as you don't show up
I hear the clock a'ticking
The ticking clock serves as a reminder of my wait
On the mantel shelf
The 'mantel shelf' represents the passage of time and history of the relationship
See the hands a'moving
I see the physical passage of time
But I'm by myself
I feel lonely and abandoned
I wonder where you are tonight
I am curious about your current whereabouts
And why I'm by myself
I question why I am left alone
I don't see you
You are not present and visible
Does it mean you don't love me anymore?
I am again questioning your feelings and commitment to me
Don't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue
I am pleading for you to not ignore me or hurt me emotionally
'Cause you know darling, I love only you
I express my love and devotion only to you
You'll never know it hurt me so
I feel immense pain caused by your absence and neglect
I hate to see you go
I dread the thought of you leaving me alone again
I'm sorry that I doubted you
I apologize for doubting your intentions
I was so unfair
I realize I was unjust and irrational
You were in a car crash
You had an accident, which is the reason for your delay
And you lost your hair
Your physical appearance was affected by the accident
You said that you would be late
You informed me of your delay beforehand
About an hour or two
You estimated the time of your arrival, which was delayed slightly
I said, "That's alright, I'm waiting here
I accepted your excuse and patiently waited for you
Just waiting to hear from you"
I was eagerly anticipating your message or arrival
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Richard Starkey
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.