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.
Ruby Baby
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rockin' Ruby
Here's how you sing it
Well now I gotta girl now and Ruby is her name
Let's see I need some beat boys
Well this girl don't love me, but I love her just the same
Pick it up boys
How I want you
Like a ghost I'm a gonna haunt you
Ruby Ruby, Ruby will you be mine
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Well now each time I see you, baby my heart cries
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Ah it does Ruby
Well now I'm gonna steal you away from all those guys
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh
From the happy day I met you
I made a bet that I was gonna get you
Umm?
Ruby will you be mine
Let's oink awhile
Oink oink
Oink oink
Bow
Oink oink bow
Whoa oh oh oh oh
Bow
Oink oink
Woof woof
Well I gotta girl I said Ruby is her name
What's her name?
Ruby
Carol
When this girl looks at me she just sets my soul aflame
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Whoa oh oh oh oh
Forgot it
What are you gonna do now?
Aba zaba aba zaba zaba doo
Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
You always forget the words, every time
The lyrics of The Beatles' song Ruby Baby tell the story of the singer's love for a girl named Ruby. The singer is infatuated with Ruby but realizes that she doesn't reciprocate the same feelings. Despite knowing that she doesn't love him back, the singer still longs for her company and desires to make her his own. Throughout the song, the lyrics are simple and repetitive, as the singer continues to profess his affection for Ruby.
The first verse of the song sets up the story, as the singer introduces Ruby and his feelings for her. In the chorus, he expresses his desire for Ruby and how he wants her like a ghost that haunts her. The second verse reveals the singer's determination to steal Ruby away from other guys and win her over. The bridge of the song is a short, nonsensical interlude where the lyrics become gibberish, further emphasizing the repetitive nature of the song.
Overall, the lyrics of Ruby Baby are a typical love song, with simple and repetitive phrases that express the singer's longing for a girl who doesn't love him back. The song's catchy melody and straightforward lyrics make it a classic pop rock hit that's easy to sing along to and enjoy.
Line by Line Meaning
No, rock and roll, this is how you do rock n' roll
The singer is proclaiming that the music he is about to play is true rock and roll.
Well now I gotta girl now and Ruby is her name
The singer has a girlfriend named Ruby who he talks about throughout the song.
Well this girl don't love me, but I love her just the same
Despite Ruby not loving the singer back, he still loves her deeply.
Woah oh oh Ruby Ruby
How I want you
Like a ghost I'm a gonna haunt you
Ruby Ruby, Ruby will you be mine
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
The singer is expressing his desire for Ruby and how he will continue to pursue her despite her not loving him back.
Well now each time I see you, baby my heart cries
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Ah it does Ruby
Every time the singer sees Ruby, his heart aches for her and he continues to express his love for her.
Well now I'm gonna steal you away from all those guys
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh
From the happy day I met you
I made a bet that I was gonna get you
Umm?
Ruby will you be mine
The singer plans to win Ruby over and steal her away from any other romantic interests she may have.
Well I gotta girl I said Ruby is her name
What's her name?
Ruby
Carol
When this girl looks at me she just sets my soul aflame
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Whoa oh oh oh oh
Forgot it
What are you gonna do now?
The singer once again talks about his love for Ruby and how it affects his soul, but then forgets the lyrics and ends the song abruptly.
Aba zaba aba zaba zaba doo
Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
You always forget the words, every time
The song concludes with nonsensical lyrics and a humorous reference to the singer forgetting the lyrics repeatedly.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ruby Dellas
When I was a little girl I used to dance on my Dad's feet to this song. Beautiful childhood I had. Miss you Dad.
Aspen Ashmore
Ruby Dellas I’m so late, but that is such a sweet story🥺❤️
Gary Kerns
How sweet! :)
Thundergirls
❤️
John Benn
WOW
Fantastic version of a great oldie by a wonderful group.
Kees Van Baaren
Wonderful and Superior👍👍
Great Sax👍👍
Rosie Barnes
The backing were the Beatbrothers, Roy Young on organ Colin Melander on bass, Tony Sheridan on vocals, Jimmy Doyle on drums, Rikki Barnes on tenor sax. How do I know, was there, married to saxplayer, still am!!! Tony also on lead guitar!!!
KT Lowe
Those are always my favorite stories - the backing musicians sometimes have cooler stories to tell than the lead act.
Carlos Dilorenzo
@KT Lowe With my friends, we have discussed for years if its Paul McCartney´s voice in the background vocals of Ruby Baby. We should ask Rosie Barnes.
William Bruce Wilhite
@Carlos Dilorenzo The Beatles were the original Beat Brothers. John Lennon created the name. And he did not care about it at all. He threw it away. Afterward, there were a bunch of no name nothings who called themselves the Beat Brothers, but they have been total zeros. JWL was the Beat Bros. And the Beatles. Nuff said. There is nothing else to know.