The Beatles
were the most successful English Rock band of the 20th century.
Their songs carry the powerful ideas of love, peace, help, revolution and
imagination depicting the culture and lifestyles of several generations. Their
creativity outperformed the rusty Soviet propaganda and contributed to breaking
walls in the minds of millions, making a mark on human history.
The Beatles were formed In Liverpool, in 1960
with four teenage students John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo
Starr. They started playing in the clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg, where they built
their reputation under the guidance of their manager Brian Epstein and producer
George Martin. Early incarnations of the band were The Quarrymen, Johnny and
the Moon dogs and the Silver Beetles. John Lennon dreamed up the band’s final
name, The Beatles.
In 1962,
The Beatles recorded their first hit love me do, which charted in the United
Kingdom and reached the top of The US singles chart. They acquired the
nickname, ”the fab four” as Beatlemania grew in Britain and became
international stars, leading the British Invasion of The US pop market. Their
first album Please Please Me was released in 1963.
All four
members were charismatic and individually talented artist. Paul McCartney
progressed as a lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, as well as a
songwriter. John Lennon colored his lyrics with his blurry tone depicting his
sedentary, ironic personality. Harrison’s lead guitar gave a characterful lines
and textual coloring to Lennon’s and m=McCartney’s vocals. Starr described as
the father of modern pop/rock drumming.
The Beatles
produced what many critics consider their finest materials, widely influential
albums Rubber Soul(1965), Revolver(1966), Sgt. Pepper’s lonely hearts club
Band(1967),The Beatles, White album(1968) and Abbey Road(1969). The Beatles also
featured in three films, A Hard day’s night (1964), Help (1965)
and Let it be (1970). Their TV movie “The magical Mystery Tour (1967)”
became the cause for the first major criticism of their work. Their song “Yesterday”
is regarded as the greatest song ever.
The Beatles is remarked as the best selling
band in history. In 2004, Rolling stone ranked The Beatles as the best artist
of all time. They were also ranked No.1 on billboard magazine’s list of
all-time most successful Hot 100 artists, in 2008. They hold the record for the
most No.1 hits on Billboard Hot 100, achieving it twenty times. The film Let
It be won Academy award for Best original song score. They even received 7
Grammy awards and 15 Ivor Novello Awards. They were inducted into Rock and Roll
Hall of fame in 1988. They were collectively included in Time magazines
compilation of 20th century’s 1000 most influential people. In 2014,
they received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
After their break up in 1970, they each enjoyed
successful musical carriers. Lennon was shot dead in December 1980. Harrison
died of lung cancer in November 2001. McCartney and Starr, are the surviving
members, remain musically active. In July 2012, Paul McCartney rocked the
Summer Olympics in London.
Their influence on the modern world can never
be stopped. Numbers may only show the tip of the iceberg. A brilliant blend of
music and lyrics in their songs made influence on many minds by carrying
messages like,
“give peace
a chance and people working it out”, a message more powerful than political
control.
They were
four guys that kept each other’s negative tendencies in check and balanced each
other. The total was a lot greater than the sum of the individuals. They made
an impact on human history as the world’s greatest rock band spreading love,
peace and freedom.
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