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.
Good Morning Good Morning
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing to say but what a day how's your boy been
Nothing to do it's up to you
I've got nothing to say but it's okay
Good morning, good morning
Going to work don't want to go feeling low down
Heading for home you start to roam then you're in town
Everything is closed it's like a ruin
Everyone you see is half asleep
And you're on your own you're in the street
Good morning, good morning
After a while you start to smile now you feel cool
Then you decide to take a walk by the old school
Nothing has changed it's still the same
I've got nothing to say but it's okay
Good morning, good morning
People running round it's five o'clock
Everywhere in town is getting dark
Everyone you see is full of life
It's time for tea and meet the wife
Somebody needs to know the time, glad that I'm here
Watching the skirts you start to flirt now you're in gear
Go to a show you hope she goes
I've got nothing to say but it's okay
Good morning, good morning
The Beatles’ hit “Good Morning Good Morning” reflects the daily struggles that people face in their lives through its lyrics. The song emphasizes the mundane things that one has to do as a routine, such as going to work and coming back home. The opening line “Nothing to do to save his life call his wife in” captures the idea of having a mundane and uneventful life. The line that follows “Nothing to say but what a day how’s your boy been” shows how people can trade meaningless conversations, even with their loved ones, just to fill the silence. This idea is further emphasized by the lines “Nothing to do it's up to you, I've got nothing to say but it's okay,” highlighting that it's okay to embrace moments of silence.
The second verse continues, creating a picture of a monotonous routine that people follow every day. The line “Going to work don't want to go feeling low down” portrays the reluctance that people feel as they hit the same old routine. It is followed by the line “Heading for home, you start to roam, then you're in town,” showing that one can get lost in the routine and become apathetic towards their direction in life. The last verse highlights the idea of breaking the routine and embracing life. It speaks about people coming out of their shell and getting involved in their local community. The chorus ends with the line “Good morning, good morning,” reminding listeners of the mundane routine that awaits them in the morning.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing to do to save his life call his wife in
A person is in trouble and has no solution. They call their spouse for help.
Nothing to say but what a day how's your boy been
The person has nothing interesting to talk about, so they ask about their friend's son.
Nothing to do it's up to you
There's no clear plan or goal, the person has to decide what to do next.
I've got nothing to say but it's okay
The person is comfortable with silence and not having anything to say.
Good morning, good morning
A greeting to start the day, no matter how mundane it may be.
Going to work don't want to go feeling low down
The person is not enthusiastic about going to work and feels down about it.
Heading for home you start to roam then you're in town
Upon leaving work, the person walks around aimlessly before arriving in town.
Everybody knows there's nothing doing
There's nothing happening and nobody has any plans.
Everything is closed it's like a ruin
All the businesses are closed, making the town look like a ghost town.
Everyone you see is half asleep
People seem tired and uninterested in their surroundings.
And you're on your own you're in the street
The person is alone in the middle of the empty streets.
After a while you start to smile now you feel cool
After spending some time in the town, the person starts to feel more relaxed and content.
Then you decide to take a walk by the old school
The person decides to take a walk near their old school.
Nothing has changed it's still the same
Despite the passage of time, the old school remains unchanged.
People running round it's five o'clock
As the day progresses, people start to become more active and energized.
Everywhere in town is getting dark
As it gets late, the town becomes darker and more deserted.
Everyone you see is full of life
Even though it's getting late, people are still lively and energetic.
It's time for tea and meet the wife
It's time for a break and to go home and see the spouse.
Somebody needs to know the time, glad that I'm here
The person is happy that they can help someone by telling them the time.
Watching the skirts you start to flirt now you're in gear
The person becomes attracted to someone they see and starts to flirt with them.
Go to a show you hope she goes
The person plans to go to a show and hopes that the person they like will also be there.
I've got nothing to say but it's okay
The person is content with not having anything to say or talk about.
Good morning, good morning
A final greeting before the day ends.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ray Ursillo
Nothing to do to save his life call his wife in
Nothing to say but what a day how's your boy been
Nothing to do it's up to you
I've got nothing to say but it's okay
Good morning, good morning
Going to work don't want to go feeling low down
Heading for home you start to roam then you're in town
Everybody knows there's nothing doing
Everything is closed it's like a ruin
Everyone you see is half asleep
And you're on your own you're in the street
Good morning, good morning
After a while you start to smile now you feel cool
Then you decide to take a walk by the old school
Nothing has changed it's still the same
I've got nothing to say but it's okay
Good morning, good morning
People running round it's five o'clock
Everywhere in town is getting dark
Everyone you see is full of life
It's time for tea and meet the wife
Somebody needs to know the time, glad that I'm here
Watching the skirts you start to flirt now you're in gear
Go to a show you hope she goes
I've got nothing to say but it's okay
Good morning, good morning
mazeman01
At first I was all WTF? Then I realized that this raw gem demonstrates the work that goes into artistic creation.
crunchyballs
wow. I love demos. this is great!
Tell'emSteveDave
This was the first version I ever heard. Had no idea I bought a bootleg.
Suburban Geek
Great demo conveying all the important ideas, as far as I can hear.
ClydeJarrod37UK
Amazing difference between this and the end result. Yeah he's mapping it out.
dan1elpess0a
John's voice is so clear in this track!
Xabier Otsoko
very rare, first stages in the process, really good crazy
Lautaro
Beautiful as always.Great song.
Michael wood
this group will never make it....
TheSanityInspector
They hope they passed the audition.