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.
Revolution
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all wanna change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all wanna change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be
Alright
Alright
Alright
You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We all doing what we can
But if you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell you is brother, you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be
Alright
Alright
Alright
Ah
You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all wanna change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know it's gonna be
Alright
Alright
Alright
Alright, alright
Alright, alright
Alright, alright
Alright, alright
The Beatles' song 'Revolution' is a call to action that recognizes the need for change in society. It acknowledges that everyone desires change, but the means by which it is achieved can be controversial. The first verse starts with John Lennon's questioning if people want a revolution, to which he acknowledges that everyone wants to change the world but he also acknowledges that people's definition of evolution differs. The song then has a chorus which repeatedly reassures the listener that everything will be alright.
In the second verse, Lennon acknowledges that people have a solution to the problem but everyone has their limitations in contributing to the change. When people approach him for money to fund a solution, he tells them that the road to success will have to wait. In the third verse, Lennon addresses the government's outdated constitution and institutions but urges people to free their minds instead and look beyond the existing institutions. He chides against the public display of extremism in the form of carrying pictures of leaders like Chairman Mao, stressing that such acts wouldn't help change the society. The phrase "count me out" signifies the Beatles taking a step back from radical and violent means of bringing about change. It suggests that the band supports peaceful means of protest, which is consistent with their activism in that era.
Line by Line Meaning
You say you want a revolution
The singer is addressing someone who claims to want a revolution.
Well, you know, we all wanna change the world
The singer acknowledges that the desire for change is universal.
You tell me that it's evolution
The person believes that change will occur gradually.
Well, you know, we all wanna change the world
Reiteration of the earlier point, that everyone desires change.
But when you talk about destruction
The artist is raising a concern about destruction in the context of change.
Don't you know that you can count me out
The singer does not support violent or destructive methods for achieving change.
Don't you know it's gonna be Alright Alright Alright
The singer is offering reassurance that everything will be okay.
You say you got a real solution
The artist is addressing someone who claims to have a solution for change.
Well, you know, we'd all love to see the plan
The artist is expressing a desire to see a concrete plan for change.
You ask me for a contribution
The person is asking for help with their cause.
Well, you know, we all doing what we can
Others are already contributing as much as they can.
But if you want money for people with minds that hate
The artist is pointing out an undesirable motive for collecting funds.
All I can tell you is brother, you have to wait
The singer is suggesting that the person will not receive help from them.
Alright, Alright, Alright
Reiteration of earlier reassurance that everything will be okay.
You say you'll change the constitution
The singer is addressing someone who wants to change the law of the land.
Well, you know, we all wanna change your head
The artist is pointing out the desire to change a person's perspective and attitudes.
You tell me it's the institution
The person believes that the problem lies within a system or organization.
Well, you know, you better free your mind instead
The singer is suggesting that the person change their way of thinking rather than changing a law or system.
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
The singer is pointing out the hypocrisy of someone advocating for change while supporting a controversial and oppressive figure.
You ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow
The artist suggests that this person's support of Mao will not garner them support for their cause.
Alright, alright
Reiteration of earlier reassurance that everything will be okay.
Alright, alright
Reiteration of earlier reassurance that everything will be okay.
Alright, alright
Reiteration of earlier reassurance that everything will be okay.
Alright, alright
Reiteration of earlier reassurance that everything will be okay.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@leokimvideo
George found the fuzz box, Metal was made
@AmericanGothic1313
Link Wray fuzzed before.
@andrewross1275
Tony Iommi turned fuzz to metal
@terrybartak7811
+leokimvideo Johns Epiphone Casino using the tailpiece Gibson p90 pickup and a 22 watt Fender Deluxe amplifier dimed. No fuzz box.
@whotendsthefire7234
+Captain Andrew no Hendrix made the sound.evrybody else just followed....
@NickS-lz5vk
+Robert Dominguez In this song, yes... George did use the fuzz box back in 65/66 for the song Think for yourself.
@jaysutcliff
0:00 watching by myself
1:53 parents walk in
@cleanfrog3702
Floridarulz best comment I’ve ever seen on a Beatles vid lmao
@mairead1174
Omg 😂😂
@mathara.s841
Come Together isolated vocal is way more than that