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.
Fools Like Me
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll be back again tonight
Telling me there'll be no next time
If I just don't treat you right
You'll never leave me and you know it's true
'Cause you like me too much and I like you
You've tried before to leave me
To walk out and make me lonely
Which is all that I deserve
You'll never leave me and you know it's true
'Cause you like me too much and I like you
I really do
And it's nice when you believe me
If you leave me
I will follow you and bring
You back where you belong
'Cause I couldn't really stand it
I'd admit that I was wrong
I wouldn't let you leave me 'cause it's true
'Cause you like me too much and I like you
'Cause you like me too much and I like you
I really do
And it's nice when you believe me
If you leave me
I will follow you and bring
You back where you belong
'Cause I couldn't really stand it
I'd admit that I was wrong
I wouldn't let you leave me 'cause it's true
'Cause you like me too much and I like you
'Cause you like me too much and I like you
The lyrics of The Beatles’ “You Like Me Too Much” showcase a seemingly one-sided love affair. The singer sings to someone who leaves every morning but promises to return every night as long as they are treated right. The singer believes that the other person would never leave them because they also like them too much. The singer claims that they would follow the other person if they tried to leave and wouldn't let them leave because the sentiment is true - they both like each other.
The song speaks to the theme of one-sided relationships where one person loves the other more than the other loves them. The lyrics illustrate how heartbreaking it can be to love someone who only reciprocates feelings but never takes it to the next level. The line “You've tried before to leave me, but you haven't got the nerve” speaks to the idea that they might even be aware that they are not in love, but because the other person is so devoted, they are afraid to hurt them. The chorus emphasizes the repetition of their mutual feelings, and the lines echo each other to validate this point.
In conclusion, the song describes the dynamic of an unequal relationship where one person is head over heels, and the other person likes them but doesn't show the same level of commitment. This creates an interesting twist on the idea of loving someone who doesn't love you, showcasing someone who likes someone else but doesn't love them.
Line by Line Meaning
Though you've gone away this morning
Even though you left earlier today
You'll be back again tonight
You plan on returning later tonight
Telling me there'll be no next time
Saying that if I don't treat you better there will be no future together
If I just don't treat you right
If I don't treat you appropriately
You'll never leave me and you know it's true
You know you won't ever leave me
'Cause you like me too much and I like you
A reason why you will never leave me
You've tried before to leave me
You've attempted to leave me in the past
But you haven't got the nerve
You lacked the courage
To walk out and make me lonely
To exit and leave me alone
Which is all that I deserve
Which is only what I warrant
I really do
I honestly mean it
And it's nice when you believe me
It feels good when you trust what I say
If you leave me
In the event that you depart
I will follow you and bring
I will come after you and return with you
You back where you belong
To your rightful place
'Cause I couldn't really stand it
Because I couldn't tolerate it
I'd admit that I was wrong
I would confess that I was mistaken
I wouldn't let you leave me 'cause it's true
I would prevent you from leaving because it's factual
'Cause you like me too much and I like you
Another reason why I can't let you go
'Cause you like me too much and I like you
The mutual feelings we have for each other
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: George Harrison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin Cole
Hearing John sing Hank Sr is priceless
Steve Endicott
@John Hill Hank Williams is my all time favorite singer . He's the reason I picked up a guitar at all
Steve Endicott
Right? Never thought I'd hear them sing one of Hank's. They were Hank fans after all
John Hill
For sure. I read once that John used to listen to Hank Sr as a kid. He’d run around the house singing his tunes.
There’s a video of John singing Hey Good Looking. Complete gold. I wish John had done a full Hank Sr cover album…
(Hank is my number one idol, Lennon is second… both geniuses)
Sylvia Elizabeth Clare Cholick
Well, he also looked similar on their vinyl "Rubber Soul". ❤
Mary Wealth
This is not The Beatles doing a Hank Williams medley. They're doing a Jerry Lee Lewis medley. Both of these songs were B-sides of Jerry Lee Lewis singles, and that's why The Beatles knew them - through Jerry Lee (regardless of who recorded them first).
theDENIMMAN
Though iirc George Harrison was actually a fan of Hank Williams
amy girt
john trying to sound country made me laugh and at first, I thought ringo was singing at start..
Marco Di Caprio
You win again is related to the Song Commonwealth.. they were Jammed together
Flacko
you win again was written by hank williams