A Brief History
On April 4, 1964, the Beatles, also known as “the Fab Four” or “the Mop Tops,” dominated the Billboard Hot 100 chart with songs in each of the top 5 positions! This incredible display of rock music domination is a feat that had never matched before or even since for that matter. Defying all precedence, the band also had an additional 7 hits in lower positions on the chart for a total of 12 top 100 hits at one time! Not even Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll himself, ever achieved this accomplishment.
Digging Deeper
The facts listed above should give an indication to everyone too young to remember “Beatlemania” what it was all about. In the few short years the Beatles were active in the U.S. market (1964-1970), they managed to sell more records than any other band in history and to win 10 Grammys along the way. With 20 #1 hits, they remain atop the record industry. Strangely, initially Capitol Records had inexplicably refused to market them and hindered U.S. release of their European hits for over a year!
Overall, world-wide sales of Beatles recordings number nearly or perhaps even over 1 billion. Numerous organizations have declared them the greatest band of all time, and their music is still heard today with greater frequency than that of any of their contemporaries. Even as individual artists, John, Paul, George and Ringo went on to considerable success.
Oh, and the 5 records that topped the charts? They were, in descending order, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” Twist and Shout,” “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Please Please Me.”
Needless to say, you can find the Beatles safely inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, right where they belong. Question for students (and subscribers): Feel free to give us your favorite Beatles songs. We are sure you have at least one. Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Guesdon, Jean-Michel and Philippe Margotin, et al. All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release (9/22/13). Black Dog & Leventhal, 2013.
