Impact of John Lennon and Beatles felt each day at Strawberry Fields, Central Park
New York City musician Jules Avalon reflects on the power of John Lennon and the Beatles at Strawberry Fields in Central Park, located across the street from where Lennon was murdered on Dec. 8, 1980.
It's Global Beatles Day.
On June 25, 1967, the Beatles performed their song "All You Need Is Love" for the first time on "Our World," the first live global link-up performative showcase seen by over 23 million people in the United Kingdom and reached upwards of "170 million televisions in 24 nations," according to the BBC.
Today, honor the Beatles and their music, which shattered records and has dominated pop culture for nearly six decades.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, FEB. 7, 1964, BEATLES ARRIVE IN US FOR FIRST TIME, INSPIRE NATIONWIDE MANIA
Here are some fascinating facts to share with fellow Beatles fans for Global Beatles Day.
The Beatles have more No. 1 hits than any other artist, with 20 songs hitting the top of the charts. (Universal Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
1. How many No. 1 hits do the Beatles have?
The Beatles hold the record for most No. 1 hits. In a span of only eight years, the Beatles hit No. 1 with 20 songs.
Two years after the group formed, the Beatles had at least one No. 1 hit every year leading up to their disbanding in 1970.
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Here is a list of the Beatles' chart-topping hits in chronological order:
"Love Me Do" in 1962
"She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1963
"Can't Buy Me Love," "A Hard Day's Night," and "I Feel Fine," in 1964
"Eight Days a Week," "Ticket to Ride," "Help!," "Yesterday," and "We Can Work It Out" in 1965
"Paperback Writer" in 1966
"Penny Lane" "All You Need Is Love," and "Hello, Goodbye" in 1967
"Hey Jude" in 1968
"Get Back" and "Something" in 1969
"Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" in 1970
Pictured left to right: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon at Abbey Road Studios on June 24, 1967. (Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
In its article on "The Beatles’ 50 Biggest Billboard Hits," Billboard noted, "The Beatles' impact on the Hot 100 was so huge, in 2015 they were named as the top-performing act in the chart's history."
2. How many minutes did it take to capture the photo of The Beatles crossing Abbey Road?
"Abbey Road" is the 11th studio album recorded and released by the Beatles. The famous photograph of the band crossing Abbey Road is arguably one of the most recognizable images and has been recreated by fans for the past 54 years.
The iconic photo of the Fab Four crossing Abbey Road was featured on the band's 11th studio album. (Robert Landau/Corbis via Getty Images)
It took Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan just 10 minutes to capture the now iconic photo, the BBC shared.
FANS CELEBRATE BEATLES' 'ABBEY ROAD' COVER SHOT 50TH ANNIVERSARY BY RECREATING ICONIC IMAGE
Macmillan was perched atop a ladder overlooking the crosswalk with a police officer helping direct traffic. Macmillan took only six photographs; the fifth photo was chosen because it was "the only one that had their legs in a perfect 'V' formation, which Macmillan had wanted," the BBC reported.
3. Who was the youngest member of the Beatles?
The youngest member of the Beatles, George Harrison, was just shy of 15 years old when he met John Lennon and later joined the Quarrymen, the original name of the rock and roll group that turned into the Beatles, in 1958, writes the music news site Ultimate Classic Rock.
George Harrison was the youngest member of Beatles, having met John Lennon when he was not even 15 years old. (Fox Photos/Getty Images)
4. How many years ago did the Beatles split up?
The Beatles split 53 years ago on April 10, 1970. Paul McCartney announced the split in press materials that came along with the release of his first solo album, Fox News Digital previously reported.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, APRIL 10, 1970, PAUL MCCARTNEY CONFIRMS BEATLES BREAK-UP TO GLOBAL PRESS
"Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family," McCartney stated in his public release.
5. How many pianos were used to hold out the chord at the end of ‘A Day in the Life’
At the end of the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life," there is a 40-second-long chord that was made up of three different pianos. John Lennon, Ringo Starr and road manager Mal Evans "sat at three pianos, simultaneously striking E major," Rolling Stone magazine reported.
The Beatles' "A Day in the Life" featured a 40-second-long chord at the end of the song that was made up of three pianos — the lyrics pictured above were auctioned off for $1.2 million, according to NPR. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
"This took nine takes to get right, because the players had a hard time hitting the note at the exact same time," the magazine added.
"The last take was dubbed best, and then overdubbed thrice, so the effect is that of nine pianos played by 12 men."
JOHN LENNON, YOKO ONO INTERVIEW CASSETTE TAPE AUCTIONED WITH EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS AND UNRELEASED SONG
6. How long was ‘Hey Jude’?
"Hey Jude" was released on Aug. 26, 1968 on the studio album, "Revolution."
The ballad is 7 minutes and 11 seconds in length and at the time was considered "the longest single ever to top the British charts," the official website of the Beatles states.
"(Hey Jude) was a long song (...) I actually said, ‘You can’t make a single that long’ (...) and John asked ‘Why not?’ I couldn’t think of a good answer- except (...) that DJs wouldn’t play it. He said, ‘They will if it’s us’ And of course, he was absolutely right" -George Martin pic.twitter.com/Z6biBfCBpe
— The Beatles (@thebeatles) January 25, 2020
"Hey Jude" spent nine weeks as a No. 1 single in the United States and sold approximately eight million copies.
It's "frequently included on professional lists of the all-time best songs," the Beatles website says.
7. How many people tuned into ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ when the Beatles performed on TV?
On Feb. 9, 1964, 73 million American tuned in to watch the Beatles' first live performance in America on CBS' "The Ed Sullivan Show," according to the official Ed Sullivan website, www.edsullivan.com.
#OTD #1964 #TheBeatles perform live for the first time in the US - on CBS’s Ed Sullivan Show.
— The Beatles (@thebeatles) February 9, 2023
"I've heard that while the show was on there were no reported crimes, or very few. When The Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, even the criminals had a rest for ten minutes." - George pic.twitter.com/EN66uUubxk
The TV rating was a record-setting 45.3, which meant 45.3% of American households with televisions were watching the band.
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"That figure reflected a total of 23,240,000 American homes," the website states.
"The show garnered a 60 share, meaning 60% of the television’s turned on were tuned in to Ed Sullivan and the Beatles."
8. How many copies of 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' were sold?
On June 1, 1967, the Beatles released their eighth album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
The album has sold over 32 million copies worldwide. It is one of the highest-selling albums of all time, according to the Paul McCartney Project.
The "Sgt. Pepper" album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1993. (AP images)
The album, which spent 15 weeks atop the Billboard charts, includes Beatles' classics including the title track, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "A Day in the Life," "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "With a Little Help From My Friends" and "When I’m 64."
9. How many surviving members are there of the Beatles?
The Beatles comprised John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
Lennon died in 1980 after being shot in front of his New York City apartment. He was 40.
Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001 at age 58, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Ringo Starr (left) and Paul McCartney (right) are the last surviving Beatles. Here they attend the World premiere of "The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years" at Odeon Leicester Square on Sept. 15, 2016 in London, England. (Getty Images)
Starr and McCartney are the only two surviving Beatles.
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Erica Lamberg contributed to this report.
