The Beatles: 5 Things To Know About This Legendary Band
An English band that became a legend in rock, the Beatles remain one of the most popular groups in the world, more than 50 years after their breakup! The Fab Four are the artists who have sold the most records worldwide. Between 1961 and 1970, they released 12 albums and composed over 200 songs, some of which have become unforgettable hits. On November 2, 2023, an unreleased track was revealed, reigniting "Beatlemania" in the United Kingdom and around the world.
They released a new song in 2023.
The Beatles is an English rock band that made its mark in the 1960s, but whose popularity has never waned, even after the members split up in 1970.
The group's songwriters, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, are responsible for standards that have been adapted thousands of times in the following decades.
Not only are their songs still played and covered all over the world, but the band just released a previously unheard song titled "Now and Then" on November 2, 2023.
This song, which saw the legendary English band reunite through artificial intelligence, has topped the British charts according to Official Charts, the organization that compiles these rankings.
AI was used to isolate Lennon's voice and mix it with recordings of the other singers, including George Harrison who passed away in 2001. The song was completed and released by the two surviving members, Paul McCartney, aged 81, and Ringo Starr, aged 83. Thanks to this technological feat, the four lads from Liverpool have dethroned American superstar Taylor Swift.
The Beatles was not the first name of the band.
The band The Beatles consisted of four boys from Liverpool:
=> John Lennon (October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980), for songwriting, singing, and rhythm guitar.
=> Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942), for songwriting, singing, piano, and bass guitar.
=> George Harrison (February 25, 1943 - November 29, 2001), for songwriting, guitar, and singing.
=> Drummer Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey, July 7, 1940).
The Fab Four, as they are often called, are always referred to in the following order: John (Lennon), Paul (McCartney), George (Harrison), and Ringo (Starr) because that is the order in which they joined the band. However, before Ringo Starr joined, the band had a previous drummer, Pete Best, and a bassist, Stuart Sutcliffe.
"The Beatles" was not their first name. They were initially called "The Black Jacks," very briefly, then "The Quarrymen." They also performed on stage under the names "Johnny and the Moondogs" and "The Silver Beetles" before finally adopting their legendary name in 1960.
A play on words combining "beetles" and "the beat," this name is also a tribute to Buddy Holly, an idol of Lennon and McCartney, whose band's name was "The Crickets".
The Fab Four are self-taught musicians.
The story of the Beatles tells that a mutual friend, Ivan Vaughan, introduced Paul McCartney to John Lennon on July 6, 1957, in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool after a concert John Lennon had given with his band The Quarrymen. Paul, who was only 15 years old, agreed to join the band.
In February 1958, George Harrison joined the group as the lead guitarist. Together, they formed the Silver Beetles and played in Liverpool clubs.
The group permanently adopted the name Beatles around April 1960. Self-taught musicians, influenced by rock'n'roll (particularly Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Gene Vincent) and American black blues, they played rock pieces by ear, without sheet music.
The Beatlemania was born in 1963.
Their first serious engagement took place in Hamburg, Germany, where Pete Best became their first drummer and Stuart Sutcliffe their bassist.
This trip allowed them to mature and, upon their return in December 1961, Brian Epstein, a former record shop owner, became their manager and propelled them to the status of professional musicians. He had them adopt the suit and tie and their legendary haircuts. The group welcomed Ringo Starr as their drummer in August 1962 and remained that way until their split.
The Beatles recorded their first single in September 1962: "Love Me Do". However, this title only reached number 17 on the UK charts. It was not until their second single, "Please Please Me", that the band was catapulted to the top spot and earned the opportunity to record a full album, Please Please Me released in March 1963.
The album topped the charts and was only replaced by the band's second album, With The Beatles. From then on, the hits kept coming: "From Me to You" in April, then "She Loves You" in August were number one on the charts, and the latter ensured the band's fame throughout Europe.
The success of the Beatles has never waned.
The Beatles' fifth single, "I Want To Hold Your Hand," reached number one on the American market for the first time between February and March 1964. With this hit, the "Beatlemania" that started in the United Kingdom spread across the Atlantic.
The phenomenon evolved in various ways, with young people taking to styling their hair and dressing like their idols, while record stores specialized in the Beatles' discography and offered pre-subscriptions for upcoming albums still in the planning stages.
The band members were decorated by the Queen on June 12, 1965, with the Member of the British Empire (MBE) medal, and other honors followed, including Sir James Paul McCartney being knighted.
This English rock group rose to the status of rock'n'roll legends, inspiring songs in turn, including: "Be my Yoko Ono" by Barenaked Ladies, "Beatles" by Kathryn Williams, "I just shot John Lennon" by The Cranberries, "If I were Paul McCartney" by Jasper, "Il a neigé sur Yesterday" by Marie Laforêt, "Merci John d'être venu" by Christophe, "Nous, les Beatles" by Pierre Rapsat, "Sgt Pepper's band" by Joan Baez, "Titles" by Barclay James Harvest, and "Life is real" by Freddie Mercury.
With the track "Now and Then," becoming the 18th single from the Liverpool group to top the charts, Beatlemania is more alive than ever!
