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.
Ready Teddy
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got a gal that I love so
I'm ready - ready ready Teddy
I'm ready - ready ready Teddy
I'm ready - ready ready Teddy
I'm ready ready ready to rock 'n' roll
She's my rock 'n' roll baby, she's the apple of my eye (chorus)
Well, the flat top cats and the dungaree dolls
Are headed for the gym to the sock hop ball
The joint is really jumpin', the cats are goin' wild
The music really sends me, I dig that crazy style (chorus)
Gonna kick off my shoes, roll up my faded jeans
Grab my rock 'n' roll baby, pour on the steam
I shuffle to the left, I shuffle to the right
Gonna rock 'n' roll 'til the early early night
The lyrics to The Beatles/Tony Sheridan's song "Ready Teddy" talk about the eagerness of the singer to rock and roll with his girlfriend. The lyrics start with "ready-set-go man go" which indicates that the singer is ready to start dancing and having fun with his loved one. He then talks about how much he loves his girlfriend and how important she is to him.
The chorus of the song is repeated several times, and it talks about the singer's readiness to rock and roll. The repetitive nature of the lyrics has a fun and energetic feel, and it encourages the listener to join in and have fun. The second verse further describes the atmosphere of the event with a mention of flat top cats and dungaree dolls - the first indicating the men's hairstyle, and the second, women's clothing.
The last verse talks about the singer's desire to dance and have fun with his girlfriend. He talks about taking off his shoes and shuffling to the left and right while the music keeps on playing. Overall, the lyrics to "Ready Teddy" encourage dance and fun, with a focus on the love between a couple.
Line by Line Meaning
Ready-set-go man go
I'm prepared for action and eager to start moving
I got a gal that I love so
I have a great affection for my girlfriend
I'm ready - ready ready Teddy
I am fully prepared and excited to dance to rock 'n' roll music
I'm ready ready ready to rock 'n' roll
I am absolutely pumped and energized to dance to rock 'n' roll music all night long
Goin' down to the corner, pick up my sweetie pie
I am walking to meet my loved one at a specific spot
She's my rock 'n' roll baby, she's the apple of my eye
I adore my girlfriend and her love for rock 'n' roll
Well, the flat top cats and the dungaree dolls
People of various styles and fashions are getting ready for the dance
Are headed for the gym to the sock hop ball
They are walking to the dance that takes place in the gymnasium
The joint is really jumpin', the cats are goin' wild
The atmosphere is jubilant and people are enjoying themselves tremendously
The music really sends me, I dig that crazy style
The music moves me deeply and I love the wild, unconventional style of rock 'n' roll
Gonna kick off my shoes, roll up my faded jeans
I'm preparing to dance by taking off my shoes and rolling up my jeans
Grab my rock 'n' roll baby, pour on the steam
I'm taking my girlfriend's hand and adding more excitement and energy to our dancing
I shuffle to the left, I shuffle to the right
I'm moving my feet in a shuffle dance, alternating between left and right steps
Gonna rock 'n' roll 'til the early early night
I plan to dance to rock 'n' roll music until early morning hours
Lyrics © RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: JOHN MARASCALCO, ROBERT BLACKWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SeedsAndWeeds
Not the Beatles. This was deliberately confusing when it was first released. The Beat Brothers were not the Beatles, only half the songs were the original Beatles, with Pete Best drumming, before they got their own record deal. But this album was loaded up with other Tony Shridan versions of songs he did with session musicians in order to take advantage of the Beatles popularity.
Elton Sutcliffe
Beatles and Tony Sheridan.
Jim Burrows
this is a half Little Richard, half Buddy Holly version. But what they heard first was Elvis' cover of Richard's original....
Nick P
It sounds like Van Halen's Ice Cream Man
NNF: Nils and Fabian
This is The Beatles playing.
Alan F Brookes
It's too good to be the Beatles.
slouhend
Really? There are drums, bass, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, piano and sax. Who of the Beatles played sax?
V R
These are NOT The Beatles.
slouhend
@NanookHawaii There are no Beatles at all. Tony Sheridan with session musicians. See personnel for Let's Dance.