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.
Rocky Raccoon
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon
And one day his woman ran off with another guy
Hit young Rocky in the eye
Rocky didn't like that
He said, "I'm gonna get that boy"
So one day he walked into town
Booked himself a room in the local saloon
Rocky Raccoon checked into his room
Only to find Gideon's Bible
Rocky had come, equipped with a gun
To shoot off the legs of his rival
His rival it seems, had broken his dreams
By stealing the girl of his fancy
Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil
But everyone knew her as Nancy
Now she and her man, who called himself Dan
Were in the next room at the hoe down
Rocky burst in, and grinning a grin
He said, "Danny boy, this is a showdown"
But Daniel was hot, he drew first and shot
And Rocky collapsed in the corner
Now the doctor came in, stinking of gin
And proceeded to lie on the table
He said, "Rocky, you met your match"
And Rocky said, "Doc, it's only a scratch
And I'll be better, I'll be better, Doc, as soon as I am able"
Now Rocky Raccoon, he fell back in his room
Only to find Gideon's Bible
Gideon checked out, and he left it, no doubt
To help with good Rocky's revival
The song Rocky Raccoon by the Beatles tells the story of a young boy named Rocky Raccoon who lived in the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota. One day, his woman ran off with another guy and hit Rocky in the eye. This angered Rocky, who decided to get revenge by going after the other guy. He booked himself a room in the local saloon and equipped himself with a gun to shoot off the legs of his rival.
Rocky's rival had stolen the girl of his dreams, a woman named Magill who called herself Lil. However, everyone knew her as Nancy. When Rocky burst into the room where Nancy and her man called himself Dan were, he declared it a showdown. Unfortunately, Daniel was hot and drew first, shooting Rocky in the corner. The doctor came in, and while Rocky had been shot, he was not mortally wounded.
Rocky Raccoon is a story about love, loss, and revenge. The song portrays Rocky as the innocent victim who falls victim to the treachery of those he loves. It also paints a picture of a Wild West town where justice is taken into the hands of the individual, and gunfights are a regular occurrence.
Line by Line Meaning
Now somewhere in the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota
In a remote location, in the hills of Dakota state, there existed a place called Black Mountain Hills.
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon
In this place, there lived a young boy who was called Rocky Raccoon by people around him.
And one day his woman ran off with another guy
One day, the woman whom Rocky Raccoon was with ran off with another man and broke his heart.
Hit young Rocky in the eye
She even hit him in the eye before running away.
Rocky didn't like that
This made Rocky very angry, and he did not like it.
He said, "I'm gonna get that boy"
Rocky decided that he would take revenge by getting that boy who stole his woman.
So one day he walked into town
Rocky walked into town one day, ready to take revenge.
Booked himself a room in the local saloon
He found a room for himself in the local saloon and decided to stay there.
Rocky Raccoon checked into his room
Rocky Raccoon went into his own room at the saloon.
Only to find Gideon's Bible
In the room, he found Gideon's Bible.
Rocky had come, equipped with a gun
Rocky had come prepared, carrying a gun with him.
To shoot off the legs of his rival
Rocky's intention was to harm his rival, possibly by shooting off his legs.
His rival it seems, had broken his dreams
Rocky's rival was the one who shattered his dreams by having an affair with his woman.
By stealing the girl of his fancy
Rocky's rival took away the girl whom he liked very much.
Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil
The girl's name was Magill, but she introduced herself as Lil.
But everyone knew her as Nancy
However, everyone knew that her real name was Nancy.
Now she and her man, who called himself Dan
Both Nancy and her new lover, who called himself Dan, were together in the next room at a hoe down.
Were in the next room at the hoe down
They were attending a social gathering in the room next to Rocky's.
Rocky burst in, and grinning a grin
Rocky suddenly entered the room and smiled.
He said, "Danny boy, this is a showdown"
He addressed Dan, saying that it was a face-off between the two of them.
But Daniel was hot, he drew first and shot
Dan was furious and immediately drew his gun and shot Rocky.
And Rocky collapsed in the corner
As a result, Rocky fell down in one corner of the room.
Now the doctor came in, stinking of gin
A doctor came into the room, smelling of gin.
And proceeded to lie on the table
The doctor then proceeded to treat Rocky on the table.
He said, "Rocky, you met your match"
The doctor told Rocky that he had met his match and was defeated.
And Rocky said, "Doc, it's only a scratch
Rocky disagreed, saying that he was only scratched and not dying.
And I'll be better, I'll be better, Doc, as soon as I am able"
He promised the doctor that he would be better soon enough.
Now Rocky Raccoon, he fell back in his room
Afterwards, Rocky fell back into his room at the saloon.
Only to find Gideon's Bible
When he returned to his room, he saw Gideon's Bible again.
Gideon checked out, and he left it, no doubt
Gideon had checked out of the room and left the Bible for Rocky as he recovered from his injuries.
To help with good Rocky's revival
It was left there to help in Rocky's recovery.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul 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.