Who Were the Beatles?

By early 1964, the Beatles were on top of the world. They began what would become the “British Invasion” when they made their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, before an audience of more than 73 million viewers. This would only be the beginning of their global domination that endures to this day. How did they become the most famous rock band in history? Who Were the Beatles? explores the full history of the Fab Four in a fun, accessible format and introduces readers to the lives, music, and continuing legacy of the group that changed music forever. 

Who Were the Beatles? is an entry in the Who Was? biography series, designed to introduce younger readers to important historical figures. The book is divided into eleven chapters covering events before, during, and after the Beatles’ time together as a group. The first four chapters are dedicated to the early lives of each member: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. These early chapters provide fascinating details about the childhoods of the Beatles, such as Ringo’s many bouts with illnesses that kept him in the hospital for extended periods, John and Paul both losing their mothers at young ages (and how their losses affected them musically), and George’s relatively stable and happy childhood in comparison to his bandmates.  

As the book progresses, it covers the formation of the band, the rise of Beatlemania and the touring years, the Beatles’ transition to a studio band from 1967 to their breakup in 1970, and each member’s solo career. The last major event covered is the shocking murder of John Lennon in December 1980. There are several references to violence, drugs, and alcohol, so this book may be better suited for middle-grade readers. 

Who Were the Beatles? is an easy-to-read book with short chapters comprising simple language and large text that makes for a breezy read. Every page features large black-and-white illustrations, as well as blurbs to provide context for other events and figures of the era (the Sixties, the Vietnam War, and other musicians who inspired the Beatles, such as Elvis Presley and Little Richard). These additions are helpful for younger readers, helping them better understand the broader history of the era in which the Beatles were famous. The end of the book also features a timeline of Beatles history from 1940 to 2001 with other important historical events (such as the moon landing or the Soviet Union’s collapse) that coincided with them. 

Altogether, Who Were the Beatles? is an entertaining, comprehensive biography of the Beatles’ career filled to the brim with charming illustrations and pop culture references. It serves as an excellent entry point for new Beatles fans or young readers interested in the history of pop music.  

Sexual Content 

• The opening chapter describes Elvis Presley’s provocative stage presence, noting that he wore “very tight” jeans and “swiveled his hips” while performing. It also explains that television appearances sometimes showed him “only from the waist up” so audiences would not see him dancing. 

• Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s second wife, was considered an “experimental artist” even for the 60s. “For example, she once made a film of a fly walking up and down a naked person’s body.” 

Violence 

• The opening chapter covers John Lennon’s early life. On the day he was born in 1940, “World War II was raging in Europe. Liverpool, England, was being bombed by the Germans.” John’s mother, Julia, gave birth early in the morning as “the walls of the hospital shook from falling bombs.” 

• Tragically, just before John’s eighteenth birthday, his mother was “hit by a car and died.” 

• A one-page blurb discusses the Vietnam War. “By 1964, thousands of soldiers were fighting in Vietnam. The war dragged on for years. More than fifty thousand American soldiers died before it ended.” 

• A two-page blurb provides context on the turbulent events of the 1960s. “John F. Kennedy was shot and killed. His brother Robert was shot and killed. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed. The wave of violence shook everyone. The world didn’t seem safe.” 

• Chapter 10 covers the careers of each member after the Beatles’ breakup in 1970. George Harrison and his family purchased a “hundred-room mansion” in England to live in privacy, but in 1999, a man broke in. George was stabbed, but he recovered, and the man was arrested.” 

• Chapter 11: “The Saddest Day” explains the events of December 8, 1980, when John Lennon was assassinated in New York City. That afternoon, outside his apartment at the Dakota building, he signed a copy of his new album for a fan named Mark David Chapman, who “wasn’t like other fans. He was mentally ill. He heard voices in his head, voices that told him to hurt John Lennon.” Chapman waited outside the Dakota for Lennon to return later that evening with his wife, Yoko Ono. “When John and Yoko arrived home, Chapman called out, ‘Mr. Lennon.’ Then he took out a gun and fired. John Lennon. . . fell to the ground. He died shortly after. He was only forty years old.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

• During the Beatles’ early days performing in Hamburg, Germany, they started taking “pills [to] stay awake on stage.”  

• Their fans are described as “interesting.” Sometimes, they “had too much beer and got into fights. They threw chairs and swung from lights hanging down from the ceiling.” 

• When the landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band released in 1967, John stirred controversy with his song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” “People thought John was writing about LSD, a drug that some people were using.” 

• During the mid-1970s, John’s marriage to Yoko Ono was falling apart. The couple separated for a while, and in that time, “John began to drink too much. He also took drugs.” 

Language  

• None 

Supernatural Content 

• None 

Spiritual Content 

• One of the most infamous controversies involving the Beatles occurred in 1966, when John Lennon told a reporter that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus right now.” “Many people were deeply offended. Some radio stations held protests with big bonfires. People were invited to throw Beatles albums into the flames. John quickly apologized.” 

by Nicholas Paragano