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.
Penny Lane
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of every head he's had the pleasure to know
And all the people that come and go
Stop and say, "Hello"
On the corner is a banker with a motorcar
The little children laugh at him behind his back
And the banker never wears the mac
Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
In Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen
He likes to keep his fire engine clean
It's a clean machine
Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye
A four of fish and finger pies
In summer, meanwhile back
Behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout
The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And though she feels as if she's in a play
She is anyway
In Penny Lane, the barber shaves another customer
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim
Then the fireman rushes in
From the pouring rain, very strange
Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye
There beneath the blue suburban skies
Penny Lane
The song "Penny Lane" by The Beatles is an upbeat and nostalgic tune that takes its listeners on a journey through a Liverpool neighborhood where the band members grew up. The lyrics are filled with descriptions and characters that give the listener a glimpse into life in the 1960s in Liverpool. The first verse of the song describes a barber on Penny Lane who enjoys showing off photographs of all of his customers. The second verse introduces a banker who is the subject of ridicule from children, and who never wears a coat even in the pouring rain.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye" which is a reference to the enduring memories the songwriter has of his childhood neighborhood. It is a joyful and nostalgic representation of a time and place that has since passed. The third verse features a fireman with an hourglass and a love for keeping his fire engine clean, and a nurse who is selling poppies from a tray behind a shelter in the middle of a roundabout.
Line by Line Meaning
Penny Lane, there is a barber showing photographs
In Penny Lane, there is a barber who takes pictures of his clients as a keepsake
Of every head he's had the pleasure to know
The barber takes pictures of every person he has ever cut hair for
And all the people that come and go
People who walk by stop to say hello to the barber and look at the pictures
Stop and say, "Hello"
Passersby say hello to the barber and view his collection of photos
On the corner is a banker with a motorcar
Nearby there is a wealthy banker who owns a car
The little children laugh at him behind his back
Children make fun of the banker when he is not around
And the banker never wears the mac
The banker does not wear a raincoat in the pouring rain
In the pouring rain, very strange
It is odd that the banker doesn't wear a raincoat in the rain
Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye
The singer is deeply connected to Penny Lane and feels it is a part of him
There beneath the blue suburban skies
Penny Lane exists under the beautiful blue skies of the suburb
I sit, and meanwhile back
As the singer thinks about Penny Lane, time moves on
In Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
Another person in Penny Lane is a fireman who carries an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen
The fireman keeps a picture of the Queen in his pocket
He likes to keep his fire engine clean
The fireman takes great pride in maintaining the cleanliness of his fire engine
It's a clean machine
The fire engine is well taken care of and in pristine condition
A four of fish and finger pies
Food items sold in Penny Lane include fish and pies made with fingers of fish
In summer, meanwhile back
As summer arrives, life in Penny Lane continues
Behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout
A shelter stands in the center of the circular road in Penny Lane
The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
A beautiful nurse is selling poppies on a tray in Penny Lane
And though she feels as if she's in a play
The nurse feels like she is acting in a play in Penny Lane
She is anyway
Regardless of how she feels, the nurse continues to sell her poppies
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim
In Penny Lane, the banker is now waiting to get a haircut from the barber
Then the fireman rushes in
The fireman arrives in a hurry on one of his emergencies
From the pouring rain, very strange
Oddly enough, the fireman enters the barber shop from outside in the rain
Penny Lane
The song refers to the place Penny Lane and explores the people and events that happen there
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamesguy1030
Fox spox ~ Yeah,
if you haven’t already seen it before,
Check out the amazing documentary footage called =
“THE WINGED BEATLE”
The extended version is the best one & is a must see for everyone that is a true fan of the Beatles
YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED
ENJOY 🇬🇧
It’s the best of British Youth culture
@BeatlesBowieKrimson
Four of the coolest guys in history.
@melanierubio3663
@@andrewmatthews6861
Poor John, *
Don't forget the comma, you're making it sound like John was a murderer.
@johnross7988
@@melanierubio3663 HAHAHAHAHA. Exactly ☺️
@jello1737
Crimson Kng I’m sorry I think you meant THE four coolest guys in history
@BeatlesBowieKrimson
@@jello1737 Well, David Bowie was pretty cool, too.
@jello1737
Crimson Kng but you can’t beat these four
@rubedogg6969
This song would have two billion views if Youtube was around in the 60's!
@rikkiwhite1900
5 billion easily.
@jerispencer5220
At least three
@advikaryan
What about the conservative people who comprised most of the population during the 60's who would obviously oppose to the use of the internet?