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.
I’ll Cry Instead
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I just lost the only girl I had
If I could get my way
I'd get myself locked up today
But I can't, so I'll cry instead
I've got a chip on my shoulder that's bigger that my feet
I can't talk to people that I meet
I'd try to make you sad somehow
But I can't, so I'll cry instead
Don't want to cry when there's people there
I get shy when they start to stare
I'm gonna hide myself away
But I'll come back again someday
And when you do you'd better hide all the girls
I'm gonna break their hearts all round the world
Yes, I'm gonna break them in two
And show you what your lovin' man can do
Until then I'll cry instead
The lyrics to The Beatles' song "I'll Cry Instead" are about a man who's recently lost his girlfriend and is dealing with it in a rather tumultuous way. He's angry and frustrated about the situation and feels like he has every reason to be mad. He goes on to express how he can't be without his girlfriend and that he'd like to lock himself up but can't since he's unable to do so. Therefore, he cries instead.
As the lyrics progress, the man's chip on his shoulder is mentioned, which he claims is larger than his feet which illustrates how his emotions and thoughts are overpowering him. He's also not able to talk to people that he meets which shows how he's not adept at dealing with emotions and people in everyday life. He then talks about hiding himself away and coming back someday. The last bit of the lyric is from the perspective of the man wanting to make his ex-girlfriend jealous by breaking the hearts of all the girls and show her what he's capable of.
Overall, the song is an emotional response to a failed relationship, delving into the angrier and more lonesome emotions that come with it. The lyrics are also grounded in reality that a lot of people can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got every reason on earth to be mad
I am extremely angry because I have lost the person who meant the most to me.
'Cause I just lost the only girl I had
The girl I once had is no longer with me, leaving me feeling alone and empty inside.
If I could get my way
If I had the choice and power to act as I wished without consequence, I would do so.
I'd get myself locked up today
I would willingly put myself in jail because of the pain and frustration I feel inside.
But I can't, so I'll cry instead
Because I cannot act on my anger, I will allow myself to feel the depth of my emotions and cry instead.
I've got a chip on my shoulder that's bigger that my feet
I have a large grudge that I cannot seem to shake off, making it difficult for me to interact with others.
I can't talk to people that I meet
My resentment and sadness are so overriding that I cannot bring myself to communicate with those around me.
If I could see you now
If I could be reunited with you, the girl I lost, even for a moment, I would take that opportunity.
I'd try to make you sad somehow
I would want to see you feel the same pain that I am currently experiencing.
But I can't, so I'll cry instead
However, because I am unable to do that, I will resort to crying as a way of expressing my grief.
Don't want to cry when there's people there
I am not comfortable with showing my emotions in front of others and prefer to keep them hidden.
I get shy when they start to stare
The attention of others makes me feel self-conscious and reluctant to share my feelings.
I'm gonna hide myself away
As a result, I tend to withdraw from social situations and keep to myself.
But I'll come back again someday
Despite my isolation, I have hope that I will eventually find my way back to happiness.
And when you do you'd better hide all the girls
Once I am able to return to a state of emotional well-being, I may become a bit of a heartbreaker amongst the female population.
I'm gonna break their hearts all round the world
I will set my sights high and go for the hearts of women across the globe.
Yes, I'm gonna break them in two
I will make sure that my charm and confidence leave them badly smitten and unable to resist me.
And show you what your lovin' man can do
By doing so, I will prove to you, the girl I lost, what a great lover and catch I am.
Until then I'll cry instead
However, until that time arrives, I will continue to cry and mourn the loss of the one I loved.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore
Written by: JOHN LENNON, JOHN WINSTON LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY, PAUL JAMES MCCARTNEY
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.