Paul McCartney said he's sure he would never be able to repeat the Beatles' success.
The makings of a hit is a mysterious formula. You need the perfect song with the perfect arrangement performed by just the right combo performer(s), and it must perfectly suit the spirit of the age.
That said, here are some identifiable elements of the Beatles' success:
1. Stand out as unique, set trends in keeping with the times.
At first, their long hair was made fun of as women's hair-dos. That was in 1964. But the mood of the country was about to change. Soon everyone including Pres. Carter and x-President LBJ would scrap the weekly trip to the barber's chair, too.
Caution. It's important to not make too many changes at once. The hair-dos were the Beatles' only fashion innovation at first. They started out with conservative black suits and ties, but soon their clothing was equally creative as well.
2. Capitalize on existing trends, such as Latin music.
Ethnic music for the mainstream has proven a winning formula. "Bells on a Hill" and "And I Love Her" (with Spanish guitar and claves) incorporate the Latin sound that gained popularity in the 60s. The Beatles also recorded "Besame Mucho," written by 16 year old Consuelo Velazquez of Mexico, one of the the most recorded songs in musical history.
3. The Beatles are known for simple tunes anyone can hum with beautiful chord progressions, and creative bass lines and percussion in the background, accented with the occasional startling innovation.
4. Make startling innovations.
"A Day In the Life" strings together two songs, one by McCartney and one by Lennon. They hired a 40-piece orchestra (that included members of the BBC Orchestra and the London Philharmonic) to basically play anything in ascending tones from the lowest to highest note possible, with cellos and violas playing a repetitive rhythm. (It was recorded on four tracks to sound like a 160-piece orchestra.) The effect is ... chaos? all the world is being sucked into a giant vacuum cleaner in the sky, like the Monte Python animation? The unmusical ending culminates in the final high note hammered in unison, and then a lone piano chord -- perfect.
Another unforgettable musical innovation is found in "We Can Work It Out." The end of the chorus suddenly shifts gears from 6/8 time into the slow waltz 3/4 time of merry-go-round at an amusement park. A subtle reminder that life is but a dream, so do you want to play it merrily or what?
5. Have a clear, simple sincere message with wide appeal.
Many of their songs resonated deeply with a generation: "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "Yesterday," "Help" and many others.
Here is an example of innovative poetry by Mimi Tempestt:
Did you know George Harrison was still a minor when the band started?
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