i think as time goes on itll be easier to like the beatles as long as we keep up the trend of younger people not liking them.

The Beatles: An (Abbey) Road to Success

Intro

           As any generic pop-rock fan will tell you, The Beatles had no shortage of success in their performing career. Despite starting from meager beginnings, the band revolutionized 1960’s rock and roll and left their mark on music history for decades to come. Every album or single they released was met with overwhelming popularity in both the UK and the United States. Even now in the present day, it’s hard to come by anyone who is unfamiliar with this iconic group or someone who doesn’t recognize the melodious tone of “Here Come’s the Sun” or “Come Together.” Despite wide-spread acclaim and popularity, some critics were skeptical about the band’s success and how they achieved it. Did they deserve all the fame and popularity that they received? Did they just get lucky and happen upon a record deal that pushed them over the top? Or were they a unique set of marvelously talented individuals that joined forces to create one of the greatest bands of all times?

 In the beginning

           The origin of The Beatles can be traced back to 1957 in Liverpool, England, when John Lennon jump-started his own band called, “The Quarry Men.” As the group toured and played in local gigs around Liverpool, they attracted the attention of a young singer/songwriter named Paul McCartney. Months later, McCartney joined the group as the lead vocalist, effectively starting the dynamic Lennon-McCartney duo that would produce wildly famous songs in the years to come. A few months passed and Lennon found another recruit by the name of George Harrison who later joined the band and became the group’s lead guitarist at the impressionable age of fourteen. In accordance with all of these changes and new additions to the group, Lennon believed it appropriate to ditch “The Quarry Men” title and conjure up a new name for the band. Eventually, he decided on “The Beatles,” playing on the same insect reference as “The Crickets,” another popular rock band at the time.

          As the crowds grew and shows moved to larger venues, The Beatles caught the attention of Brian Epstein, a record store owner in Liverpool. Epstein loved the charismatic, witty and talented group and subsequently secured them an audition with George Martin at Parlophone Records. Martin saw the immense potential in the young band and suggested one change-- that they replace their drummer, Pete Best. The fame-hungry Beatles followed suit and replaced Best with Richard Starkey, who’s more commonly known as Ringo Starr, effectively solidifying the rock group and securing them a major record deal with Parlophone Records. Like most up-and-coming bands, fame and stardom cannot be achieved overnight, it was a long road to success with various obstacles along the way, but once they did finally “make it,” they made it big.

Road to Success

           In September 1962, The Beatles released their first single, “Love Me Do.” It was met with mediocre popularity in the UK, making it only to 17th on the top-hits chart. Shortly after, in March of 1963, the band released their first album entitles, “Please Please Me.” Despite their overwhelming talent in the music industry, The Beatles also expanded into other forms of entertainment such as film. With the help of producer Walter Shenson, The Beatles starred in a black-and-white documentary film entitled, “A Hard Day’s Night.” The movie grew to be so successful that they made another later called, “Help!” These releases brought on wild popularity with rock fans in the UK, but it wasn’t until they made an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in America that they really began to take the world by storm. Just two years after signing their record label, The Beatles occupied the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat so impressive that it has never been done again. The Beatles played during a time when turmoil and tension dominated the world’s politics, and much of the music they released was a response to this world climate.

Imagine

          John Lennon’s “Imagine” has been sung by artists worldwide as a beacon for peace and love during times or strife and turmoil. When listening to the lyrics, you can glean Lennon’s over-arching theme and call to action to create a world with less violence and fighting. He also denounces organized institutions and criticizes materialistic aspirations. Even though the song harbors some extremely radical and polarizing ideas, it was met with overwhelming popularity and continues to be sung and spread throughout today’s modern culture. One astounding aspect of this song, in my opinion, is how it remains to be such a relatable message, even 40 years after it was written. Despite efforts towards a united world of peace and prosperity to all, we still have wide-spread hate, oppression and undue violence in many countries. I think if John Lennon were still alive he would be appalled and distraught over the amount negativity and hatred that continues to plague the lives of everyday individuals.

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds 

          In a time period known for sex, drugs, and rock and roll, it is no surprise that The Beatles began experimenting with various drugs and hallucinogens that were all the rage during the 60s and 70s. In 1967 John Lennon wrote the song “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” and included it in their album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The song sprung from inspiration that Lennon found in his son’s nursery school drawing that he called Lucy—in the sky with diamonds. Although created from naïve origins, some believe the song alludes to a much more mature subject. Shortly after being released, rumors began circulating that the song is about LSD, given the similarity in title’s letters to the name of this hallucinogenic drug. When confronted about the connection, John Lennon denied that there was any relation between the song and the drug. He insisted that the similarity was merely a coincidence and that he never noticed the connection until someone pointed it out to him. Instead, he claims to have created the lyrics based off of the story Alice in Wonderland along with his son’s drawing. Paul McCartney stood by Lennon’s story and raised an interesting point when asked about the correlation during a BBC radio interview, he stated, “It wasn't about LSD. Because otherwise it would have been called 'LITSWD.' Because the initials aren't LSD.” Now that’s not to say that The Beatles withstood from drugs and other mind-altering substances during their time as rock stars. In fact, Paul McCartney openly admitted to taking LSD and other drugs when confronted about it in two separate interviews given in the same month as the song’s release. Was the band secretly in on a cover-up to mask the song’s allusion to this drug? Or were they telling the truth and the similarity was simply a mere coincidence? Listen and decide for yourself.

The Downfall

           Despite a wildly successful career, the members of the band began to grow apart in 1969. Personal differences began to pit members against one and another, and their music suffered consequently. However, they did agree on one thing—they had to go out with a bang. That bang would later take form in their last album, entitled “Abbey Road,” which was released in the fall of 1969. The four musicians eventually went their separate ways in the years following “Abbey Road.” John Lennon continued to write and produce music on his own, the most famous of which being his song “Imagine.” He also took on a political activist role alongside his wife, Yoko Ono. Unfortunately, Lennon’s story ends in tragedy when he was murdered by gunshot outside of his Manhattan apartment. George Harrison also continued with his love and passion for music post-Beatles and released various singles and albums in the years leading up to his death by way of suicide in November of 2001. Paul McCartney is still alive to this day and continues his love and appreciation for music, just on a smaller scale. Ringo tried his hand at a solo career but eventually learned he would never again live up to the success and fame that he had achieved during his time with The Beatles.

Conclusion

           Even though The Beatles have not produced any new music for over 40 years, their songs continue to influence and shape modern rock and roll. They acted as a measure of success for bands following them, as new groups formed and sought after the same stardom and fame that The Beatles had at their peak. But alas, in my opinion, no band has been able to reach the same level of success or impact the music industry and culture on a scale comparable to that of The Beatles. They were an unmatched group of artists that claimed to be bigger that Jesus Christ and the genre of rock and roll as a whole. During their career, the group sold over a billion records and occupied the Number One spot on record charts in 35 different countries. Such unparalleled success does not come to just any compilation of musicians. They didn’t get lucky or happen to be in the right place at the right time. They were a group of individual talent that came together to create something so amazing and powerful that they are still relevant today. Their music touched the lives of millions and redefined the music industry in such an immense way that quite possibly might not ever be duplicated by bands to come.

Works Cited 

Bardinelli, John. "The Beatles Biography." The Beatles Biography -           the Beginning, the Rise, and the Aftermath of the Greatest Band on Earth. N.p., 2004. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

"The Beatles - A Brief History." The Beatles - A Brief History. City Portal Liverpool, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

"The Beatles Biography." Rolling Stone. The Rolling Stone, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

Ulster, Laurie. "The Life & Legacy of John Lennon's 'Imagine'." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 07 July 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.