| | The four Beatles were [[John Lennon]] (1940-1980), [[George Harrison]] (1943-2001), [[Paul McCartney]] (1942- ), and [[Ringo Starr]] (1940- ). Most of the Beatles' songs were co-written by Lennon and McCartney, though George Harrison penned one of their most critically acclaimed lyrics, "[[Something]]", which is one of the few quality love songs by the group but even it has a cynical tone. In the latter half of the 1960s the majority of their songs were written individually, but retained the "Lennon/McCartney" (orig. "McCartney/Lennon") writing credit. Lennon's songwriting was harder in nature and often had a political bent, while McCartney primarily wrote lighter love songs. Harrison, who later converted to [[Hinduism]],<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-21938027</ref> frequently utilized the sitar in his songs. Starr rarely wrote music, but would usually sing one song per album except ''A Hard Day`s Night'' and ''Let It Be''. His most famous song is ''Yellow Submarine'', sometimes sung in schools. | | The four Beatles were [[John Lennon]] (1940-1980), [[George Harrison]] (1943-2001), [[Paul McCartney]] (1942- ), and [[Ringo Starr]] (1940- ). Most of the Beatles' songs were co-written by Lennon and McCartney, though George Harrison penned one of their most critically acclaimed lyrics, "[[Something]]", which is one of the few quality love songs by the group but even it has a cynical tone. In the latter half of the 1960s the majority of their songs were written individually, but retained the "Lennon/McCartney" (orig. "McCartney/Lennon") writing credit. Lennon's songwriting was harder in nature and often had a political bent, while McCartney primarily wrote lighter love songs. Harrison, who later converted to [[Hinduism]],<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-21938027</ref> frequently utilized the sitar in his songs. Starr rarely wrote music, but would usually sing one song per album except ''A Hard Day`s Night'' and ''Let It Be''. His most famous song is ''Yellow Submarine'', sometimes sung in schools. |
| | + | Although the Beatles were overall the top-selling rock band, the non-druggie [[Monkees]] outsold the Beatles in 1967,<ref>https://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-band-year-you-were-born-2020-9#the-monkees-outsold-both-the-beatles-and-the-rolling-stones-in-1967-8</ref> as reportedly did the drug-free songs of [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]] in 1969. |
| | Having evolved from the high school band known as The Quarrymen, around 1962 the Beatles began playing in Hamburg, Germany, and became very popular there. A year later, thanks to underground radio, they were the biggest band in their native land of the UK. In 1964, the Beatles made their historic trip to the United States<ref>http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19782/m1/</ref> to perform on ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. To date, this performance is one of the highest-rated television events in history. | | Having evolved from the high school band known as The Quarrymen, around 1962 the Beatles began playing in Hamburg, Germany, and became very popular there. A year later, thanks to underground radio, they were the biggest band in their native land of the UK. In 1964, the Beatles made their historic trip to the United States<ref>http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19782/m1/</ref> to perform on ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. To date, this performance is one of the highest-rated television events in history. |