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.
You've Got Me Thinking
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seems that I'm always thinking of you
Oh, oh, oh you treat me badly
I love you madly
You've really got a hold on me
You've really got a hold on me, baby
I don't want you but I need you
Oh, oh, oh you do me wrong now
My love is strong now
You've really got a hold on me
You've really got a hold on me, baby
I love you and all I want you to do
Is just hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me
Tied up tied up
I want to leave you don't want to stay here
Don't want to spend another day here
Oh, oh, oh, I want to split now
I just can quit now
You've really got a hold on me
You've really got a hold on me, baby
I love you and all I want you to do
Is just hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me
You've really got a hold on me
You've really got a hold on me
The lyrics to The Beatles' song "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" explore the complex and contradictory emotions that arise in a passionate but tumultuous relationship. The singer expresses a simultaneous dislike and love for their partner, highlighting the dichotomy of their feelings. They are constantly thinking about the person, even though they are treated poorly. Despite this mistreatment, their love for the partner remains intense and unwavering.
The phrase "You've really got a hold on me" serves as the central metaphor for the song. It represents the grip that the person has on the singer's heart and emotions, illustrating their power and control. This theme of being trapped or tied up by the relationship is further emphasized in the lines, "I want to leave you don't want to stay here" and "Tied up tied up." The singer is torn between the desire to break free and the overwhelming need to be held and loved by their partner.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of emotional dependency, where the singer is unable to let go despite the negative aspects of the relationship. It captures the complexity of love and the struggles that arise when one is deeply entangled with someone who both hurts and captivates them.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't like you but I love you
Although I may not have positive feelings towards you, I am deeply in love with you.
Seems that I'm always thinking of you
It appears that my mind is constantly occupied with thoughts of you.
Oh, oh, oh you treat me badly
Your behavior towards me is hurtful and unfair.
I love you madly
My love for you is intense and passionate.
You've really got a hold on me
You have a strong power or influence over me, keeping me emotionally attached.
You've really got a hold on me, baby
Your grip on me is overwhelming and undeniable, my dear.
I don't want you but I need you
Although I may not desire your presence, I rely on you and cannot do without you.
Don't want to kiss you but I need you
Physical affection is not my preference, yet I cannot function without you.
Oh, oh, oh you do me wrong now
Your actions towards me are unfair and unjust.
My love is strong now
Despite the mistreatment, my love for you has grown stronger.
I love you and all I want you to do
My love for you is unconditional, and I simply desire for you to hold me.
Is just hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me
All I yearn for is to be embraced and held by you, repeatedly and tightly.
Tied up tied up
Metaphorically, I am entangled and restrained by my feelings for you.
I want to leave you don't want to stay here
I long to break free from this relationship as I no longer wish to remain.
Don't want to spend another day here
I have no desire to endure any more time in this situation.
Oh, oh, oh, I want to split now
My strong desire is to part ways and separate from you immediately.
I just can't quit now
Despite the difficulties, I find myself unable to give up on our relationship.
You've really got a hold on me
Your emotional grip on me remains unwavering and profound.
You've really got a hold on me, baby
My dear, your ability to control my emotions is truly remarkable and unparalleled.
I love you and all I want you to do
My love for you is unwavering, and I only request you to continue holding me.
Is just hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me
My sole desire is to be held by you repetitively and tightly, granting me a sense of security and comfort.
You've really got a hold on me
Your influence and control over me are undeniable and overpowering.
You've really got a hold on me
You possess an unyielding grip on my emotions, which I cannot escape or resist.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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.