A sweep of the charts

It can never be understated just how much of an impact The Beatles had when they first rose to fame in the US. They were already doing quite well in the UK, and then when they went to the States, they performed on the Ed Sullivan Show, and everybody lost their minds. Steve Van Zandt said that the impact was overnight, and that within the span of a few days, the idea of being a solo artist was cast aside as everyone wanted to be in bands.

“It transformed America,” he said, “On February 8th, there were no bands in America; on February 9th, we had Ed Sullivan, and on February 10th, everybody had a band in their garage. It was literally overnight.”

Perhaps their impact is best reflected in the fact that at the beginning of April 1964, once the true impact of The Beatles had been realised, it occupied spots one, two, three, four and five on the Billboard Hot 100. Their singles ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘She Loves You’, ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ and ‘Please Please Me’ were straddling the top spots, and these four plucky lads from Liverpool were cemented as musical greats.

The most number one US singles

There are a few records that The Beatles set which have since been broken, but this unbelievable accomplishment is one which they can still call their own. The band have the most number one US singles of all time, as every record they put out was littered with amazing songs that sold everywhere and still hold a place in the hearts of those who have listened.

One of those artists who bought an early single by The Beatles was Bruce Springsteen, who heard ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ and suddenly knew he wanted to be a musician.

“I saw Elvis on TV, and when I first saw Elvis, I was 9, but I was a little young, tried to play the guitar, but it didn’t work out, I put it away,” he said, “The keeper was in 1964, ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ on South Street with my mother driving.”

The most number-one UK albums

Of course, the band didn’t just release great singles, but they were also constantly putting out exciting albums as well.

While at the beginning of their career, albums were merely vessels on which to put an array of songs, as the band progressed, records like Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and The White Album became pieces of art in and of themselves as The Beatles helped define what a concept album was and show how well an LP could represent a body of work.

It was Paul McCartney who was the driving force behind the band’s new penchant for concept albums. He originally did this with Sgt Pepper’s, as a desire for progression pushed them to embody the role of a brand new band. “If records had a director within a band,” he said, “I sort of directed Pepper”.

The best-selling album of all time

When Graham Nash was talking about The Beatles, he spoke specifically of the track ‘A Day In The Life’, from the bands Sgt Pepper’s album.

“It’s one of the greatest songs ever written. It’s one of the most adventurous songs ever written and recorded,” he said, “I don’t think there’ll ever be another Beatles; I think that the universe put those four kids in the right place at the right time and gave them the right talent, to be able to move the hearts, minds and spirits of billions of people, and continue to this day.”

This is a great deal of praise, but it outlines feelings which were reciprocated by the public, not just for the song but the album as a whole. The quality of the record, paired with its ambition of making a true-to-form concept album, meant that Sgt Pepper’s became the greatest-selling album of all time, a record only knocked from the top spot by Queen’s Greatest Hits compilation.

The longest gap between number ones

The Beatles aren’t exactly unique in their success, as there are plenty of bands out there who have broken records and made a big impact. However, with that in mind, there are very few that have had such success and longevity. While The Beatles may have originally risen to prominence in the ‘60s, the band continue to appeal to the public at large, and their 2023 single ‘Now and Then’ is a clear indication of as much.

After shooting to number one, it cemented another Beatles record, as they became the band with the longest gap between number ones, thanks to a healthy 60 years separating their first chart-topping hit and their last.

“There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional,” said McCartney when discussing working on the track, “And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023, to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s quite an exciting thing.”