10 moments The Beatles defined their legacy as the most important band in the world
At age 15, Paul McCartney joined a skiffle band called The Quarrymen, fronted by a 16-year-old John Lennon. Shortly after, George Harrison joined the band as the lead guitarist. Those two sentences, in isolation, mean very little; however, what they go on to set up will change the fabric of music history forever. What started as a few teens writing music together evolved into The Beatles, the most important band that has ever existed.
There seems to be a common debate about whether or not The Beatles are overrated. Many people out there turn their noses up at the band and say that they aren’t as good as people make out. These people are completely missing the point. Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of The Beatles and the specific music they made, their impact on the industry, paired with the various styles and sounds they popularised, continue to resonate today.
It has nothing to do with taste and everything to do with impact. If you hear The Beatles’ harmonies and songwriting and cringe at the thought of it because you prefer something noisier and post-punk inspired, you need punk for that sound to happen, and for punk, you need rock, and for rock, you need The Beatles. This applies to the majority of modern genres, or if not their specific sound, the way they approach making music.
We know how important The Beatles were because we have the benefit of time on our side. We can look back at the success of the band and each individual member, keeping one eye on modern music and making the connections between the two. That being said, there were moments throughout the band’s career where you could tell how influential they would become.
10 defining Beatles moments:
‘Love Me Do’
We cannot justify the end without there being a beginning, so what better place to start? On October 5th, 1962, The Beatles released their first ever single, ‘Love Me Do’. It featured a prominent harmonica and originally didn’t have much percussion; however, it was re-recorded with Andy White on drums and Ringo Starr on tambourine.
While the song didn’t reach number one and didn’t project the band into stardom, it contained everything the public would eventually find endearing about The Beatles. The harmonies embedded within the track, its upbeat nature, and the joy contained within every second would set the groundwork for many Beatles songs. Anyone who heard the track knew the band were on to something, and it was only a matter of time before…
The Beatles take over America
After playing a residency in Hamburg and the release of their debut album, by 1964, The Beatles had taken over America, and the British invasion officially began. It had initially kicked off towards the end of 1963 with the release of ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, which brought a new exciting sound to all those who heard it. It was evident that The Beatles weren’t going to be a fad. The power within their music resonated far and wide, and it was difficult for people to deny that the band were anything other than a group of geniuses.
“The keeper was in 1964, ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’, on South Street with my mother driving,” said Bruce Springsteen, recalling the first time he ever heard The Beatles. “I immediately demanded that she let me out, I ran to the bowling alley, ran down a long neon-lit aisle, down the bowling alley into the bowling alley. Ran to the phone booth, got in the phone booth and immediately called my girl and asked ‘Have you heard this band called The Beatles?’ After that, it was nothing but rock n roll and guitars.”
The Ed Sullivan Show
If there is ever any doubt about how much The Beatles took over America, their true impact can be seen in their success with The Ed Sullivan Show. Their manager, Brian Epstein, booked them to appear on the show, and it was a roaring success. The crowd was in the band’s palm, and audiences around the country were swept up in the charm and talent of The Fab Four.
They performed ‘All My Loving’, ‘Till There Was You’ and ‘She Loves You’. Some people were so fanatic about the band that the TV company had to superimpose the words, “Sorry girls, he’s married,” over John Lennon when they performed. The band returned to play ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ and ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’. In total, it was viewed by 73 million people, a third of the American population.
More popular than Jesus
After two years of smooth sailing, it didn’t seem like The Beatles could do any wrong. That is until John Lennon managed to turn many of their fans against them when he said that The Beatles were bigger than Jesus. The comment inspired riots and protests on their subsequent tour and greatly impacted their sales and popularity.
This moment sparked such fury in conservative America not because of its outlandish nature but because, for many people, it was true. The obsession that many had previously put in their faith, they were now putting in their love of The Beatles. Any band that can get religious people so riled up as to rival the messiah himself is destined to go down in history as a huge musical act.
‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ / ‘Penny Lane’
If we were going to put together a list of some of the Beatles’ best songs, we would end up listing most of what they released. These two deserve a particular mention because they represent where The Beatles started and where they ended up. John Lennon draws on his memories from Liverpool when looking for inspiration; however, it merges with the psychedelia and new music elements the band was experimenting with.
These songs didn’t reach number one in the UK charts, as they were beaten by ‘Release Me’ by Engelbert Humperdinck; however, they are now widely considered some of the band’s best songs. They perfectly represent The Beatles’ willingness to constantly look for new sounds to inspire them while never forgetting where they came from.
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
It was challenging to define a concept album in the ‘60s. Since albums up until that point had more or less just been compilations, a concept LP was a term used by music journalists to describe any record with a running theme. The definition was broad and not very helpful. When The Beatles released the psychedelic and cohesive album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, they also defined what was meant by a concept album.
No longer were the contents of music confined to the record only. Instead, the story contained within the record was projected onto the sleeve, and the band added a whole new dimension to music. The Beatles wrote music from the point of view of a fictional band and then posed as said band on the front of the album. It might seem like a small gesture now, but it was groundbreaking at the time.
Broadcast around the world
When The Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show to 73 million people, that was considered a significant milestone. A third of America tuned in to watch the band perform, and the numbers they drew in reflected how much the public loved them. However, that milestone would seem like a ripple in the water in 1967 when the band performed on Our World, the world’s first-ever multinational multi-satellite television production.
This was the first time that a TV program was going to be shown in more than one country, and as a result, what better band to play the show than the biggest band on the planet? The Beatles performed a heartfelt rendition of ‘All You Need Is Love’, which was viewed by between 400 to 700 million people across 24 different countries.
The White Album
Each of The Beatles’ albums was influential in its own right, but The White Album saw the band at its most experimental. Following a trip to India, the band worked on a double album where nothing was off-limits. This gave rise to some of their cheesiest, most abstract, and strangest music.
This was a big moment for The Beatles as it showcased many different facets of their work there. Not only that, but it also paved the way for other bands to start being experimental and still have a chance at making the charts. Bands that came after The Beatles, such as Led Zeppelin, who merged multiple genres without fear, were indirectly permitted to do so.
Successful solo careers
The multiple aspects of The Beatles’ creativity were brought out even more when the band split. While there are a number of reasons why The Beatles eventually parted ways, one of the biggest and most overriding factors was creative differences. They had matured as songwriters together and now were keen to go in different directions, which they did.
Each member continued to work in part with the other, and they all featured haphazardly on one another’s projects, but for the most part, we got glimpses into the individuals’ psyches that we likely wouldn’t have gotten if the band stayed together. George, John, Paul, and Ringo’s success outside The Beatles is a testament to their overriding ability as musicians and their influence on the genre.
‘Now and Then’
Finally, The Beatles’ last ever song. Over six decades after their first single, ‘Love Me Do’ and with only two of the Fab Four still alive, using modern technology, they were able to bring some old John Lennon recordings to life. Momentarily, the band were back, and whether you agreed with how the song was made or not, hearing all four of them play together was enough to bring a tear to anybody’s eye.
The hype surrounding that release, even after the band had been split for so long, is a true reflection of how well-loved they were. The Beatles will forever be one of the most important bands in history, and this song felt like the perfect end to a prolific career.
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