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.
Memphis Tennessee
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give me Memphis Tennessee
Try to find the party
Trying to get in touch with me
She would not leave her number
But I know who placed the call
'Cause my uncle took the message
And he wrote it on the wall
Help me, information
Get in touch with my Marie
She's the only one who'd phone me here
From Memphis Tennessee
Her home is on the south side
Just beyond the ridge
Just a half a mile
From the Mississippi Bridge
Help me, information
More than that I cannot add
Only that I miss her
And all the fun we had
We were pulled apart
Because her mom would not agree
Help me get in touch with her
In Memphis Tennessee
The last time I saw Marie
She was waving me goodbye
With hurry home drops on her cheek
That trickled from her eyes
Marie is only six years old
Information please
Help me get in touch with her
In Memphis Tennessee
In the song "Memphis Tennessee," the singer is desperately seeking to contact a woman named Marie living in Memphis, but she has not left her phone number. The singer is convinced that his uncle took a message from Marie and wrote it on the wall. Throughout the song, he pleads with the operator to help get him in touch with her. The song itself shows an underlying sadness and desperation, with the singer yearning for a connection that has been severed, trying to relive a time of happier memories. The song touches on themes of lost love, missed connections, and the longing for a chance to make amends.
Interestingly, the song was partially inspired by Elvis Presley, who was originally from Memphis. The Beatles were huge fans of Elvis, and it's clear that his music had a significant impact on their own. The song was written by John Lennon during the Beatles' early years, and he reportedly had a fondness for American music, especially blues and rock and roll styles. Additionally, the song includes the iconic line "Long distance information, give me Memphis Tennessee." In the pre-digital age, people would have to call an operator and request "long-distance information" to connect them to phone numbers outside of their area code.
Line by Line Meaning
Long distance information
Request for information from a phone operator who can provide details on a long distance call to Memphis.
Give me Memphis Tennessee
Specifically ask for information regarding a call that was made to Memphis Tennessee.
Try to find the party
Desire to locate an individual or group in Memphis Tennessee, likely for social reasons.
Trying to get in touch with me
Indication that there was a previous unsuccessful attempt to connect with the requester by the party in Memphis Tennessee.
She would not leave her number
The party in Memphis Tennessee did not provide a contact number for the requester to call them back.
But I know who placed the call
Regardless of the lack of contact information, the requester knows who made the attempt to call him/her from Memphis Tennessee.
'Cause my uncle took the message
The requester's uncle was able to record the message from the party in Memphis, providing some level of communication between the two.
And he wrote it on the wall
The uncle physically wrote down the message on a wall, likely as a memo or reminder for the requester.
Help me, information
Repeat request for assistance from the phone operator to locate a specific individual in Memphis Tennessee.
Get in touch with my Marie
The individual in Memphis being sought is named Marie, and the requester wants to speak with her directly.
She's the only one who'd phone me here
Marie is the sole individual who would contact the requester at his current location.
From Memphis Tennessee
Marie is located in Memphis, which is the center of the search.
Her home is on the south side
Marie's residence is located on the southern side of Memphis, providing a general location for the phone operator to search.
Just beyond the ridge
Marie's home is close to a ridge, possibly a geographical feature that will help the phone operator pinpoint her exact location.
Just a half a mile
The distance between Marie's home and the Mississippi Bridge, another point of reference, is a short distance.
From the Mississippi Bridge
The Mississippi Bridge serves as a landmark or reference point to help the operator locate Marie's home in Memphis.
More than that I cannot add
The requester has provided all the information he has on Marie's location in Memphis, and cannot offer any additional details.
Only that I miss her
An emotional plea for assistance in finding Marie as the requester desires to reconnect with her.
And all the fun we had
A reflection on the good times shared with Marie before they were separated, adding to the emotional weight of the search.
We were pulled apart
An explanation of the reason for the separation from Marie, which may have been abrupt or unexpected.
Because her mom would not agree
Marie's mother was not supportive of the relationship between Marie and the requester, leading to her being separated from him.
Help me get in touch with her
Reiteration of the request for assistance from the phone operator in locating and reconnecting with Marie.
The last time I saw Marie
A recollection of the final time the requester was in the presence of Marie.
She was waving me goodbye
The context of the separation from Marie becomes more poignant with this visual description of her last moments with the requester.
With hurry home drops on her cheek
Tear drops on Marie's cheek further emphasize the emotional impact of the separation and the desire to reunite.
That trickled from her eyes
Additional detail of Marie's tears, highlighting the depth of feeling between her and the requester.
Marie is only six years old
A crucial piece of information that adds a layer of concern for the young child and the requester's desire to reunite with her.
Information please
A final plea for assistance, potentially with an implication of desperation, from the phone operator to help find and reconnect with the requester's beloved Marie.
Help me get in touch with her
Reiteration of the overarching plea for assistance in reconnecting with a loved one in Memphis Tennessee.
In Memphis Tennessee
The focus of the search, and the location where the requester's loved one is believed to be located.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Chuck Berry
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.