Revisiting the Beatles' most iconic moments five decades following their breakup
This week marks the 56th anniversary of the day the world’s most famous band, the Beatles, called it quits on 10 April 1970.
Over five decades on from the day Paul McCartney made the announcement, the Beatles’ breakup continues to mark one of the most significant moments in music history.
While the announcement signalled the end of their time as a working group, their story still stands as a defining force in shaping modern music, fame and culture.
Music News Blitz’s Macy Wright takes us through their most iconic moments defined by her favourite songs of their musical eras.
‘I’ve Just Seen A Face’ - the United States meet the Beatles
Undoubtedly, one of the most iconic Beatles moments happened in February 1964, when they made their first appearance on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’.
The performance garnered an audience of over 70 million in the United States, and is often credited with launching the ‘British invasion’ – which propelled them into global stardom and paved the way for the mass influence of British artists over the music scene.
As the four young Liverpudlian musicians played their way through ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, it’s impossible to imagine that they knew they were shifting pop culture forevermore.
‘In My Life’ - experimentation and shifting sound
By the mid 1960s, the Beatles had reached a turning point, where they wanted to move away from their more straightforward pop sound in their first five albums and lean towards experimentation.
In 1965, the band was fresh off their North American tour, and were standing at a creative crossroads - influenced by the songwriting of Bob Dylan and experiences with LSD, they created ‘Rubber Soul’.
The album introduced new recording techniques and unconventional instruments, such as the sitar, famously played by George Harrison in ‘Norwegian Wood’.
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‘Rocky Raccoon’ - chaos, creativity and ‘The White Album’
In 1968, the Beatles travelled to a retreat in Rishikesh, India, to study Transcendental Meditation, while there they recorded 19 out of 30 songs from ‘The White Album’.
After the trip, the dynamic between the group became strained, and recording sessions started to be carried out separately, with members working in different rooms or arriving at different times.
The result was a sprawling, genre-blending record that many argued reflected four distinct creative voices rather than a single unified group.
Despite the chaos of the recording and the incohesive tracklist, the album went on to be known as one of the greatest albums of all time.
‘The Long and Winding Road’ - tension recorded for the world to see
As the band neared their breaking point at the end of the 1960s, they filmed their infamous ‘Let It Be’ sessions, a collection of recorded rehearsals intended to showcase their collaboration and creative workshopping.
Instead, the sessions highlighted the distance and disagreements within the band.
Amid the uncertainty, the music they produced took on a more reflective tone, with emotional ballads such as “Across The Universe” emerging out of the darkness during their time of hardship.
‘Two Of Us’ - the final rooftop performance
Finally, in January 1969, at the climax of the Let it Be sessions, the Beatles climbed to the top of Apple Corps headquarters in central London for their final, history-making performance.
As they launched into ‘Get Back’, passersby stopped to listen in confusion and awe, and the busy streets of London began to fill with onlookers.
The band famously played for 42 minutes before being asked to stop by the Metropolitan Police because there was too much noise.
Despite the cold uncertainty around the band’s future, the stripped-back rooftop set showcased their legendary musical ability, and reminded listeners how they built their creative legacy.
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