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 Let Me Down
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't let me down
Don't let me down
Don't let me down
Nobody ever loved me like she does
Ooh, she does, yeah, she does
And if somebody loved me like she do me
Don't let me down
Don't let me down
Don't let me down
Don't let me down
I'm in love for the first time
Don't you know it's gonna last
It's a love that lasts forever
It's a love that has no past
Don't let me down
Don't let me down
Don't let me down
Don't let me down
And from the first time that she really done me
Ooh, she done me, she done me good
I guess nobody ever really done me
Ooh, she done me, she done me good
Don't let me down, hey
Don't let me down
Yee-hee (don't let me down)
Don't let me down
Yee-hee (yeah, ow)
(Ow, don't let me down)
(Ow, don't let me down, baby)
(Don't let me down)
(Can you dig it? Yeah)
(Don't let me down)
The lyrics of The Beatles' song "Don't Let Me Down" express the fear of losing someone's love when it is essential to one's happiness. The repeated phrase "don't let me down" is an appeal for the person not to hurt or disappoint the singer. The song's verses describe a love that is unlike any other and is expected to be eternal. The lines, "nobody ever loved me like she does" and "if somebody loved me like she do me," suggest that this love is rare and valuable, and the singer understands that he may never find it again. The chorus, "don't let me down," amplifies the importance of maintaining the love they have.
The song's bridge underlines the strength of the singer's emotions. He states that he is in love for the first time and, "don't you know it's gonna last." He goes on to describe the love as one that "has no past" and is "forever." The second half of the song repeats phrases from the first half, emphasizing the singer's desperation not to lose this rare love.
The song's lyrics speak to the universality of the fear of losing someone that we love. The pleading, repeated verse, and bridge, paired with the driving rock instrumentation of the song, make "Don't Let Me Down" a standout track, even on a record as iconic as The Beatles' "Let It Be."
Line by Line Meaning
Don't let me down
The singer is urgently pleading with someone not to disappoint them.
Nobody ever loved me like she does
The singer is infatuated with someone, and feels that their love is unlike any other they've experienced before.
Ooh, she does, yeah, she does
The singer is emphasizing the depth and power of the love they feel, and how it sets this person apart from others.
And if somebody loved me like she do me
The artist is contemplating how fortunate they are to have found such a great love, and how rare it is to find such a connection with someone.
Ooh, she do me, yes, she does
The artist is again emphasizing how uniquely powerful this love is, and how much it means to them.
I'm in love for the first time
The singer is declaring that they have truly fallen in love for the first time in their life.
Don't you know it's gonna last
The singer is confident that their love will endure, and is hoping for reassurance from the listener.
It's a love that lasts forever
The artist is again emphasizing the strength and longevity of their love, and how deeply they believe in it.
It's a love that has no past
The artist is declaring that their love is so powerful that it renders all their previous relationships irrelevant.
And from the first time that she really done me
The artist is reminiscing about the very beginning of their relationship, and how strongly they felt for this person right from the start.
Ooh, she done me, she done me good
The singer is again emphasizing how positive and transformative this relationship has been for them, and how much they appreciate the other person.
Don't let me down, hey
The artist is repeating their initial plea for the other person not to let them down or disappoint them.
Yee-hee (don't let me down)
The singer is adding some playful emphasis to their plea for the other person to come through for them.
Yee-hee (yeah, ow)
The singer is expressing and building on their excitement and joy around this relationship.
(Ow, don't let me down)
The singer is once again pleading with the other person not to let them down, and adding some emotional weight to the request.
(Ow, don't let me down, baby)
The artist is adding a personal touch to the request, and emphasizing their closeness and intimacy with the other person.
(Don't let me down)
The artist is repeating the central message of the song one last time, to drive home their point and deepen the emotional impact of the request.
(Can you dig it? Yeah)
The singer is emphasizing the coolness and grooviness of their love, and asking the listener if they can understand and appreciate its depth and power.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jihadmakhoul6328
That's not just a live performance ....its a piece of history
@kk-om5zm
Yeah!!
@AthosRac
This is studio.
@jasveerkhinda8816
@RatusNatus Do you are have stupid?
@phrahm
@Heildir Ezekiel it's from a meme lol
@slimva6547
Certainly not live. Still historic though. Live performances were a lot poorer quality audio back then, not that they couldn't pull it off though
@megatronusXZ
Only the beatles could make a live performance sound better than the studio version
@iiangmariiomega2639
Also bob marley was live really Good
@sathira_anuk5179
Eagle's could do it too
@user-yr7xi1om3h
And dominick fike on his song "rollerblades" some artists are pressured to change stuff to make ot more broadly appealing or less impactful. Guess it depends on the message