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The Beatles changed the face of music within a decade of time. But even generations later, their influence and legacy continues to grow, and one way to prove that is through their streaming numbers.

At the time of this writing, the Beatles are ranked the 103rd most listened to artist in the world on Spotify and have over 36 million monthly listeners. Compared to contemporary artists — Taylor Swift for example, who was the single most listened to artist on Spotify in 2023 – these may not seem like very impressive numbers. But when one considers that the Beatles predated the streaming era by several decades and broke up over 50 ago, it's impossible to dismiss this feat.

But what if we break it down even further? Which Beatles songs have been streamed the most? Below, we're counting down the 20 most-streamed Fab Four songs. The below data concerns Spotify numbers specifically, the most popular music streaming service globally, and is of course, subject fo fluctuations. But at of the time of this writing (Oct. 18, 2024), here's where things stand.

20. "All You Need Is Love"
From: 1967 Single
Number of Streams: 207,147,492

Even people who know very little about the Beatles and th details

So many celebrities have appeared on "The Simpsons," that 36 seasons later, the cameos have become a crutch for the show. Worse, the guests have gone from voicing characters (take Dustin Hoffman's uncredited appearance in "Lisa's Substitute") to just appearing as themselves.

The cracks were already showing in the show's golden age. Season 7's "Lisa The Vegetarian" features Paul and Linda McCartney showing up at the end to reassure Lisa she's made the correct choice of vegetarianism. The McCartneys are depicted as friends of fellow vegetarian Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (Hank Azaria), who tend to his secret garden on the roof of the Kwik-E-Mart. After Lisa and the meat-loving Homer reconcile at the end, McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" closes the episode out.

Paul McCartney was the last surviving Beatle to cameo on "The Simpsons" (Ringo Starr beat him to the punch in season 2's "Brush with Greatness", followed by the late George Harrison in season 5's "Homer's Barbershop Quartet"), and he's far from the most loathsome Englishman to appear on the show (that'd be former Prime Minister Tony Blair). But this cameo came with a demand that had series-long ramifications: Mr. and Mrs. McCartney wanted Lisa to remain a vegetaria details

Ringo Starr is giving his two cents on the "Swiftie effect."

The former drummer for The Beatles recently weighed in on the craze surrounding music superstar Taylor Swift, and he made a bold comparison to the days of Beatlemania.  While sitting down for an interview with American Songwriter, Starr was asked if he believes the "Bejeweled" singer can hold a candle to the amount of cultural influence that The Beatles had.

Of course, he replied, "I do."

"Taylor is 'the now' one," Starr, 84, told the outlet, while quipping that he and the rest of his Beatles bandmates are the "still now" ones.

Starr also mentioned other famous artists, like Madonna, who have certainly had their moments of taking over popular culture, but he seemed to imply that Swift is the dominant influential force for this generation.

During the interview, Starr went on to further sing Swift's praises, stating, "I think Taylor Swift is great anyway."

"She’s pulling them in, you know," he continued, before telling a personal anecdote about his experience meeting the "Anti-Hero" singer.

"When we talk about her, I always have to mention that the first time I met her, she was 14. She was at the Grammys details

Tracked at Abbey Road Studios in February 1968 during a promotional video shoot for Lady Madonna, which was the A-side of the upcoming single, Hey Bulldog tends to fly under the radar of most casual fans, but it actually represents a critical point in the history of The Beatles: it was one of the last sessions tracked as a band before internal tensions drove the team apart.

“Hey Bulldog turned out so well there was some campaigning from John Lennon for it to serve as the A-side of the single instead of Lady Madonna,” said producer Geoff Emerick in Mark Lewisohn’s 1998 book, The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions.

Source: Brian Fox/guitarworld.com

For nearly 10 years, John Lennon and Yoko Ono spoke almost every evening, sometimes for hours at a time, with their close friend Elliot Mintz.

Mintz, a Los Angeles radio and TV host, had grown close to the couple after first interviewing Yoko for her 1971 album, Fly, which led to a series of late-night conversations with Yoko — or John — and eventually, both. Over time, Mintz became one of their closest confidantes. So trusted that it was he whom Ono asked to go through John’s belongings after he was murdered on Dec. 8, 1980.

Nearly 44 years after the rock legend’s death, Mintz, 79, has written a book about their intimate friendship, We All Shine On: John, Yoko & Me.

It was a decision Mintz, who remains very close to Ono, 91, and her son, Sean Lennon, 49, made carefully. “We all know where it’s going to end,” he says. ”I was drawing from a lifetime of experience, most of it happy and joyous but I also knew we would be treading on some very sensitive waters.”

In the exclusive excerpt below, Mintz recalls a visit to their apartment in the fabled Dakota building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side after the murder of Mintz’s close frie details

Paul McCartney gave John Lennon a “step by step” plan to help his fellow Beatles star get back together with his wife, Yoko Ono. The revelation is part of a memoir by Elliot Mintz, a radio host, that describes his close personal relationship with the couple.

In We All Shine On, Mintz describes how in 1974, while Lennon was producing an album for singer Harry Nilsson entitled the Pussy Cats, McCartney turned up at the recording studio.

Lennon was in the midst of his famous “lost weekend”, in which he had separated from Ono and spent 18 months partying in Los Angeles with other stars, including Nilsson.  During this time, Lennon also began his infamous affair with 23-year-old May Pang, who flew to Los Angeles as his personal assistant.

After Lennon expressed his desire to reunite with his wife, Mintz says McCartney reportedly offered to speak to Lennon for Ono and visited his fellow Beatles star at the recording studio. The two had not performed together since the Beatles had split.

“They were all just looking at us, thinking that something big was going to happen. To me, it was just playing with Paul”, Mintz recalls Lennon saying details

A couple weeks ago, I wore a t-shirt that said “Love is all you need.” “Beatles?” confirmed a guy I know, to which I nodded. Later that day, I was talking to this guy about Test Spins, wondering which album I should review next. His suggestion was The Beatles. My initial reaction? “That’s so basic.” He then pointed out that I was in fact wearing a Beatles shirt (a fair point). This interaction got me thinking — why was my first instinct to call The Beatles basic? I definitely like their music — although I do consider myself more of a Stones fan — and there’s a reason they are so popular. To investigate further, I decided to listen to Magical Mystery Tour, the album from which “All You Need Is Love” hails.

The record starts out with a fun title track, a cheesy yet endearing invitation to listen in: “Roll up, roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour / Step right this way” Paul McCartney beckons. It feels very ’60s — appropriately, I might add, since the album was released in 1967 — and very welcoming. This was necessary since Magical Mystery Tour also served as the soundtrack for The Beatles’ fil details

After John Lennon released Rock ‘N’ Roll in 1975, he took a five-year break from recording. His son Sean was born in October of that year, and Lennon chose to stay home to enjoy the role of father in a way he was unable to experience with his first son Julian, who was born at the height of Beatlemania. When it came time to make new music, Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono were without a record deal. Almost every major label expressed interest in the former Beatle. The British independent label Stiff Records sent Lennon a telegram saying, “Heard you are recording. We’re prepared to offer five thousand dollars to sign with us.” Lennon found the offer funny but was interested in more than money when it came to signing a record deal.

As offers came in, they were directed to Lennon. Yoko Ono would respond, only to find they only wanted to speak with Lennon. Those offers were declined. Record executive David Geffen sent a telegram directly to Ono asking to talk about the record. She showed it to Lennon, and he informed her to get in touch with him. Geffen flew to New York City the next day, where an agreement was reached. The record would be credited to both Lennon and Ono. Let’s take a look at details

Paul McCartney dusted off a classic Beatles tune for his fourth and final Got Back show in São Paulo, Brazil, on Wednesday.

According to setlist.fm, McCartney added the 1963 track “All My Loving” to the set about four songs in, marking the first time he’s played the tune on this tour and the first time he’s played it in concert since 2019.

Although “All My Loving” wasn’t officially released as a single in either the U.S. or the U.K., it got enough radio play to become a hit for The Beatles. It was actually the first song they performed during their debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964.

As for the rest of McCartney’s São Paulo concert, he played a total of 37 songs, including Beatles tracks like “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Got To Get You Into My Life,” “Love Me Do,” “Blackbird,” “Get Back,” “Hey Jude” and the most recent track, “Here and Now,” as well as Wings tunes “Live and Let Die,” “Let Em In” and “Jet.”

It also included McCartney solo songs like “Maybe I’m Amazed”; “My details

George Har­ri­son loved the ukulele, and real­ly, what’s not to love? For its dain­ty size, the uke can make a pow­er­ful­ly cheer­ful sound, and it’s an instru­ment both begin­ners and expert play­ers can learn and eas­i­ly car­ry around. As Harrison’s old friend Joe Brown remarked, “You can pick up a ukulele and any­body can learn to play a cou­ple of tunes in a day or even a few hours. And if you want to get good at it, there’s no end to what you can do.” Brown, once a star in his own right, met Har­ri­son and the Bea­t­les in 1962 and remem­bers being impressed with the fel­low uke-lover Harrison’s range of musi­cal tastes: “He loved music, not just rock and roll…. He’d go crack­ers, he’d phone me up and say ‘I’ve got this great record!’ and it would be Hoagy Carmichael and all this Hawai­ian stuff he used to like. George was not a musi­cal snob.”

“Crack­ers” may be the per­fect word for Harrison’s uke-phil­ia; he used it him­self in the adorable note above from 1999. “Every­one I details

The estate of former Beatles star John Lennon has appointed a UK music licensing company to collect royalties on all sound recordings where the late singer or his widowed wife Yoko Ono are listed as a performer.

Music licensing company Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) will collect neighbouring rights royalties for the estate when music from the pair is played in public venues including shops, bars, or aired on commercial radio or TV.

Lennon died in 1980 in New York after he was shot by Mark David Chapman.  The John Lennon estate said in a statement: “PPL has shown they are the leaders in advocating for neighbouring rights globally.

“We have the utmost respect for the team and look forward to working with them.”

PPL analysed radio and TV airplay data from the 21st century to compile a list of most played Lennon recordings – which saw Woman take the top spot.

The 1980 track makes up 24% of Lennon’s total airplay, while his earlier 1971 song titled Imagine took the second spot with a total of 23% of his total airplay.

Source: Ellie Iorizzo/standard.co.uk

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Paul McCartney isn’t a songwriter that deals in direct statements. Like many great poets, McCartney prefers to write in metaphors, letting the listener ascertain their own meaning. However, there is one song of McCartney’s that is straight to the point. And, for that reason, McCartney isn’t the proudest of it. Find out which song that is, below.

Give Ireland back to the Irish
Don’t make them have to take it away
Give Ireland back to the Irish
Make Ireland Irish today

“Give Ireland Back to the Irish” is one of McCartney’s most staunch protest songs. Though Macca is an Englishman, he makes a case for his Irish neighbors to have a unified country. It’s a situation that has been on the hearts and minds of those in the U.K. for decades. McCartney speaks plainly about his stance on the subject.

Great Britain, you are tremendous
And nobody knows like me
But really, what are you doin’
In the land across the sea?

Though this song is successful in its goal of advocating for Ireland, McCartney wasn’t extremely proud of the end result. According to Macca, his best writing comes when he “veils” his meaning a details

Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm is an unprecedented exhibition, revealing extraordinary photographs taken by the beloved musical icon. Organized by the National Portrait Gallery in London, the exhibition will open at the Portland Art Museum on September 14, 2024, and run through January 19, 2025.

Comprising recently rediscovered photographs from Paul McCartney’s personal archive, more than 250 pictures invite visitors to intimately experience The Beatles’ meteoric rise from British sensation to international stardom. At a time when so many camera lenses were turned toward them, McCartney’s perspective from the inside out brings fresh insight into the band, their experiences, the fans, and the Beatlemania phenomenon. Through these photographs, along with video clips and archival material, visitors can witness the dawn of the “British Invasion” that fundamentally transformed rock and roll music and American society.

Captured by McCartney during a pivotal three-month period for The Beatles in late 1963 and early 1964, the photographs evoke an affectionate family album, picturing his fellow band members, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, at a tim details

Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band live in the shadow of The Beatles. In an interview, the “Back Off Boogaloo” singer explained the difference between the two groups. He only told half the story.

Ringo Starr said The Beatles and the All-Starr Band were centered on different things

During a 2021 interview with Vulture, the “You’re Sixteen” singer discussed the difference between the Fab Four and the All-Starr Band. “The Beatles were definitely a different part in my life,” he said. “I was in bands before The Beatles and then I was just there. Then it went mad, but we were making good music.

“That’s the four of us — and I can speak on behalf of the four of us on this. It was always about the music,” the “Photograph” singer added. “We were serious about the music and it still shows to this day. You can still listen to...

Source: Matthew Trzcinski/Showbiz Cheat Sheet

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Looks like Ringo Starr may be getting ready to finally release his long-talked-about country album. The Beatles drummer just shared a new picture on Instagram that shows him wearing a cowboy hat, with many fans in the comments speculating that it’s a tease for the country album.

Ringo initially revealed that he was working on a country record back in May. He later shared that he was working with T. Bone Burnett on the project, telling USA Today in an interview that it wouldn’t be released “until October, at least.”

The country album will be a follow-up to Ringo’s latest EP, Crooked Boy, which was released in April. That album was produced by Linda Perry, who previously worked with Ringo on two of his earlier EPs, writing “Coming Undone” for Change the World and “Everyone and Everything” for EP3.

Source: mikeeves@wxhc.com

The Beatles‘ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is often seen as the best album ever. But what is the best song from Sgt. Pepper? Here’s a look into a oddball masterpiece.

The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’ has the best and the most bizarre song in the history of pop

Sgt. Pepper is often classified as a psychedelic album. That’s accurate, but the track listing varies. It includes baroque pop (“Lovely Rita),” Indian classical music (“Within You Without You”), hard rock (the title track), and circus music (“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!”). The best song on the record is its most psychedelic — the album closer: “A Day in the Life.”

“A Day in the Life” is superb for two obvious reasons: its instrumentation and its lyrics. Let’s start with the instrumentation. The tune variously sounds loose and tense, poppy and experimental, upbeat and languid. And yet,...

Source: imdb.com

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We know Paul McCartney can do it all when it comes to songwriting and performing, but “Granny” songs? That was the derisive term used by John Lennon to describe McCartney’s occasional fondness for material that borrowed heavily from music of the pre-rock era.

Lennon meant it as an insult (especially when using it in interviews following The Beatles’ breakup). But we actually quite like some of these tracks, especially these five.

“When I’m Sixty-Four” from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

The whole idea behind Sgt. Pepper’s, which was largely McCartney’s, was the four men should imagine that they were a different band than The Beatles, opening the doors to material they might not have otherwise even considered. McCartney then jumped through that door with “When I’m Sixty-Four,” a throwback to American vaudeville or British music hall songs. What’s interesting is Macca wrote this when he was still a teenager, showing that even at a young age, he harbored a deep respect for musical eras that had come before him. And he did those genres great justice with this charming track.

Source: Jim Beviglia/am details

The estate of former Beatles star John Lennon has appointed a UK music licensing company to collect royalties on all sound recordings where the late singer or his widowed wife Yoko Ono are listed as a performer.

Music licensing company Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) will collect neighbouring rights royalties for the estate when music from the pair is played in public venues including shops, bars, or aired on commercial radio or TV.

Lennon died in 1980 in New York after he was shot by Mark David Chapman. 

The John Lennon estate said in a statement: “PPL has shown they are the leaders in advocating for neighbouring rights globally.

“We have the utmost respect for the team and look forward to working with them.”

PPL analysed radio and TV airplay data from the 21st century to compile a list of most played Lennon recordings – which saw Woman take the top spot.

Source: Ellie Iorizzo/standard.co.uk

Read More>>>

Ringo Starr said some things about The Beatles' "Love Me Do" that are just plain wrong. His comments don't make sense in light of his career.

Sometimes, classic rock stars don’t understand their own work. Ringo Starr said some things about The Beatles’ “Love Me Do” that are just plain wrong. His comments don’t make sense in light of The Beatles’ career or Ringo’s career as a solo artist.

Ringo Starr said The Beatles’ ‘Love Me Do’ is his defining song.  During a 2023 interview with Vulture, Ringo was asked to name the defining song of his career. “Because it was the first song, my answer is ‘Love Me Do,'” he said. “We were on vinyl. We made a record.

“Even though when I got to the studio, George Martin had a session guy for the drums, Andy White, but I played on it anyway,” the “Photograph” singer added. “He played it, I played it — he’s on the album, I think, and I’m on the single, so go figure. We were just blessed that George Martin took a chance on us because many record labels sent us down. But the fun was the fact that we were still touring. And only the BBC was pl details

While George Harrison could be critical of The Beatles, he still thought their music sounded good — as long as it wasn’t produced in the United States. For the most part, he explained, The Beatles had control over their creative output. They were able to put what they wanted on their albums, in the order they thought was best. This changed when publishers in the United States got ahold of their records.

George Harrison did not like the way U.S. publishers made The Beatles’ music sound

According to Harrison, many of The Beatles’ records did not meet the standards the band set for themselves. When their label in the United States began releasing their music, they went against the band’s wishes for how to present their albums. While it didn’t bother him much in the years after the band broke up, it once stung.

Source: imdb.com

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The Fab Four were the biggest band of the 1960s, if not the entirety of the 20th century. They pushed through their career as a band for seven years (give or take) before ultimately calling it quits (officially) in 1974, though the band was done with long before that year. Many would say that The Beatles had gone through their breakup by 1970.

So, what caused The Beatles to break up? Surely the Fab Four could have enjoyed another few decades of fame, considering their insanely massive popularity. Lesser bands have lasted longer. What happened?

Well, it’s complicated.  Live performances for The Beatles were very different from live performances for other bands. Beatlemania was a certified global phenomenon. Though, by 1965, the band started to see it as more of a pandemic.

George Harrison was allegedly the first to want to stop touring, but Paul McCartney was dead-set on maintaining an ongoing tour schedule. Eventually, the other two were sick of it too, and McCartney couldn’t help but agree: Live performances were exhausting and had become, at times, straight-up dangerous. After their 1966 tour of the US, they decided to retire from touring for good.

Source: Em Casalena/americans details

It’s natural to get excited when your favorite artist puts out a new album, but on occasion that excitement turns to disappointment when the album isn’t as great as you’d hoped it would be.

Rolling Stone is examining that very subject with its just-released list of the 50 most disappointing albums of all time.

The mag notes that albums on the list aren’t necessarily bad, but were considered disappointing when they came out. Also, some disappointing albums are only disappointing because of the artist who released them, with the mag noting they could be “seen as a masterpiece if almost anyone else” recorded them.

Topping the list is John Lennon’s 1972 release, Some Time in New York City, calling the protest songs on the album “half-a****, at best,” and noting they “seemed dated almost instantly.”

The mag adds, “Some Time in New York City is as disposable as the newspapers on the cover,” referring to the album’s artwork, which featured a fake newspaper front page.

Coming in at #2 is The Rolling Stones’ Their Satanic Majesties Request, followed by Bob Dylan’s Self Portrait at #3, David Bowie’ details

George Harrison didn't make any music in 1977. He shared why his step away began to feel embarrassing to him.

For a good portion of his time with The Beatles, George Harrison fought to have his bandmates take his music seriously. He wanted to be a songwriter and contribute to the band’s albums like John Lennon and Paul McCartney did. When the band broke up, Harrison finally had the chance to showcase his music in the ways he’d always wanted. After less than a decade, though, he tired of the music industry altogether. He admitted he went a full year without making any music, a fact that eventually embarrassed him out of his semi-retirement.

After nearly two decades in the music industry, Harrison completely stepped away from music in 1977. He said he didn’t so much as write a song.

“Well, all of 1977 I didn’t write a song, I didn’t do anything; I was not working at all really, so I decided I’d better start doing something,” he told Rolling Stone. “I’d just turned off from the music business altogether.”
George Harrison plays guitar during the Concert for Bangladesh.

Source:Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com

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Today, Disney+ announced that Beatles ’64, an all-new documentary from producer Martin Scorsese and director David Tedeschi, will stream exclusively on Disney+ beginning November 29, 2024. The film captures the electrifying moment of The Beatles’ first visit to America. Featuring never-before-seen footage of the band and the legions of young fans who helped fuel their ascendance, the film gives a rare glimpse into when The Beatles became the most influential and beloved band of all time.

On February 7, 1964, The Beatles arrived in New York City to unprecedented excitement and hysteria. From the instant they landed at Kennedy Airport, met by thousands of fans, Beatlemania swept New York and the entire country. Their thrilling debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show captivated more than 73 million viewers, the most watched television event of its time. Beatles ’64 presents the spectacle, but also tells a more intimate behind the scenes story, capturing the camaraderie of John, Paul, George, and Ringo as they experienced unimaginable fame.

The film includes rare footage filmed by pioneering documentarians Albert and David Maysles, beautifully restored in 4K by Park Road Post in New Zealand. The details

All four of The Beatles took on various acting roles throughout their careers. Some of those roles were small and cheeky, while others were actually quite serious and impressive. Let’s take a look at just four times the members of The Beatles stepped outside of music and took on acting roles!

1. George Harrison in ‘Life Of Brian’

Out of all of The Beatles’ acting roles in their respective filmographies, this is probably the smallest one. George Harrison only plays a minor background role in Monty Python’s Life Of Brian, but his role in the film as a whole is much larger than his brief appearance as Mr. Papadopoulos. Few might know that Harrison had his own film production company called HandMade Films, which produced the entire film.

2. John Lennon in ‘How I Won The War’

This 1967 film stars none other than John Lennon. How I Won The War is a British dark comedy movie that explores the similarities between war and games, and features John Lennon in the role of Gripweed. Out of all of the Beatles, Lennon took on acting the least number of times. Gripweed was his only non-musical role as an actor.

Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.c details