You may have heard of the Beatles, but never really taken the time to give them a listen. And it’s about time we talked about them. Despite being known as the greatest band of all time, the Beatles often come off as irrelevant or distant in the contemporary teen’s pop culture consciousness. That’s understandable—their career took place more than half a century ago in the ’60s. Hence, the purpose of this article isn’t to force people to listen to music they don’t even care about; it is rather to explore the different ideas that newer generations can take away from the music of the Beatles.

The band’s rich discography, sound, and influence have influenced popular culture since the beginning of their careers. The Beatles, as of now, have the most no. 1 songs (20), the most no. 1 albums (19), and maintain their status as the highest-selling musical artists of all time. They influenced many other musicians to come, including Nirvana, Oasis, and yes, even Taylor Swift. Steve Jobs modeled his businesses after them, they held the first stadium concert ever in Shea Stadium, and one of their songs even inspired the name for Lucy, a ground-breaking discovery of an Australopithecus afarensis fossil.

But above all these impacts and achievements, we can look to one specific song to truly understand the Beatles. Titled “The End,” this track is the last full track of their last recorded album, Abbey Road, created as the Beatles were nearing the end of their career as a band. It opens with a rare drum solo from Ringo Starr, which segues into John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison––for lack of a better word––doing a guitar battle. But perhaps the most crucial part of this track comes towards the end in which everything suddenly stops to Paul’s vocals combining with John and George’s vocals for a three-part harmony, singing:

“And in the end,

The love you take,

Is equal to the love you make.”

On the closing track of the final album that the Beatles recorded together, this is what they had to say. A simple yet beautiful message of putting out love into the world that defines a meaningful life. It’s a universal message that people keep turning back to over and over again, no matter the decade. 

This is the beauty of the Beatles; timeless words and melodies that anyone from anywhere can listen to and be comforted by, all cased in innovative and beautiful music. This is why the Beatles, even after fifty years, are loved and respected from all over the world. Fame isn’t forever, popularity isn’t forever. But the stories and sentiments imparted from music are, and the Beatles are a testament to that.