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.
Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whole lotta shakin' goin' on
Yes I said come on over baby
Baby you can't go wrong
We ain't fakin', whole lotta shakin' goin' on
Well I said come on over baby
We got chickin' in the barn, oooh huh
Baby got the bull by the horn
We ain't fakin' it
Whole lot of shakin' goin' on
Well I said shake it baby shake
I said shake it Baby shake
I said shake it Baby shake it
Said shake, baby shake
Come on over
Whole lot of shakin goin' on
Ahhhhh, Let's go!!!
Well I said come on over baby
We got chickin' in the barn
Whose barn what barn my barn
Come on over baby
Baby got the bull by the horn
We ain't fakin' it
Whole lot of shakin' goin' on
Easy Now Shake
Ahhhh, shake it babe
Yeah You can shake one time for me
Do the hula hussy
Whole lot of shakin' goin' on
Now let's get real low one time now
Shake baby shake
All you gotta do honey is kinda stand in one spot
Wiggle around just a little bit
That's what you gotta do, yeah
Oh babe whole lotta shakin' goin' on
Now let's go one more time
Shake it, baby, shake ...
Shake it, baby, shake ...
shake baby, come on baby shake baby shake
come on over, whole lot of shakin goin on
The lyrics to The Beatles’s version of Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On are an invitation to his lover to join him and enjoy some dancing and music. The song emphasizes on the physical aspect of the relationship, as the singer invites his lover to come over and shake together. The repeated mention of "whole lotta shakin' goin' on" suggests the feverish pace at which the music is played and how the singer and his lover are swept up in the rhythm. The refrain "Come on over baby" and "Baby you can't go wrong" showcase the singer's desire to share the experience of dancing and shaking with his lover.
The song's suggestive lyrics were highly controversial during the 1950s when it was first introduced to the public. The rock ‘n' roll genre, in which this song falls, was still in its infancy, and songs about physical relationships were considered taboo. However, the song was a hit, and several artists such as The Beatles covered it, helping to establish it as a classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on over baby
Invitation to come near
Whole lotta shakin' goin' on
Frenzied situation, a lot of excitement
Yes I said come on over baby
Reaffirmation of the invitation
Baby you can't go wrong
Reassurance that everything will be alright
We ain't fakin', whole lotta shakin' goin' on
Confirming the authenticity of the excitement
Well I said come on over baby
Reiteration of the invitation
We got chickin' in the barn, oooh huh
Elaborating on the setting of the excitement
Baby got the bull by the horn
The person being addressed is in control, confident
Well I said shake it baby shake
Encouragement to dance
Said shake, baby shake
Repetition of the encouragement to dance
Come on over
Reiteration of the invitation
Ahhhhh, Let's go!!!
Expression of excitement
Whose barn what barn my barn
Joking, playful conversation
Easy Now Shake
Advice to not overdo the dancing
Ahhhh, shake it babe
Expression of enjoyment of the dancing
Yeah You can shake one time for me
Encouragement for the person being addressed to dance
Do the hula hussy
Suggestion for a specific type of dance
Now let's get real low one time now
Instructions for a specific type of dancing
All you gotta do honey is kinda stand in one spot
Simplifying and reassuring the person being addressed about the dancing
Wiggle around just a little bit
Further simplifying the dance instructions
That's what you gotta do, yeah
Reassuring the person being addressed
Oh babe whole lotta shakin' goin' on
Reiteration of the excitement
Now let's go one more time
Encouragement to continue the excitement
shake baby, come on baby shake baby shake
Repetition of the encouragement to dance
come on over, whole lot of shakin goin on
Reiteration of the invitation and excitement
Contributed by Nathan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@inventomx
To think that they’re just warming up on a sound check!!
What a privilege to see this man do what he does on any stage . Long live Sir Macca!
@erepsekahs
That would be Sir Paul....to you.
@lindakooistra1889
Omg, Paul is Steaming! 🙏🏻💐
@peterkiller8713
One of the best Songs in the Historiy of Rock'NRoll . Jerry Lee forever the King of 88 keys.
@stephenspringer2203
not even close
@lenettoyeur2513
Jerry Lee Lewis et Chuck Berry sont les rois du Rock'n roll .
@karenreardon5398
Go Paul!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤. He nailed it! No surprise there.😊😊😊❤
@thierryjulien572
My eternal thanks for the pleasure provided by sir Paul and his band.
And have fun...
@judyakajude3370
What a treat for the young ladies in the theatre. The cute Beatle Paul 😍
@Larsiboo1
3:13 Amazing!!!