Who got you into The Beatles?

[Sayburr]

My 73 year old Grandmother! She watched Ed Sullivan religiously and was at our house the Sunday in Feb.'64 when they were going to do their 1st appearance. She had heard it announced the previous Sunday, and knew I really liked music. My friends and I had heard of them, but hadn't heard any of their songs, as the radio stations in the Boston area wern't playing any of them. I was 13 then, and grew up through my teen years with their music.

Since Ed Sullivan 1964

I am so jealious.

[marsamgod]

For me, in my formative years it was always my older siblings, they all loved the Beatles, my parents weren't so keen admittedly but I spent hours as a young lad poring over various tapes etc.

I remember the day John Lennon was shot, I was only 7 at the time and was severely upset enough not to go to school for a week, that said he's not my favourite Beatle, that's George for the strength of his faith as well as his skills with the Guitar, it's rumoured when he was stabbed he went into his garden and said "Hare Krishna"

I'm sure most of us would say something a lot stronger.

[smac1314]

I remember being fascinated by the cover of my cousin's copy of Sgt. Pepper's when I was very young and like a previous comment I was fascinated with the Apple label at the centre of the Blue album.
Anyway, when I was around 11, I was into ELO as my first "rock" band. I read in a rock encyclopaedia that they had been heavily influenced by The Beatles. Pocket money and birthday money was used to assemble a collection of strange compilations, "Beatles Rock 'n Roll Music"; "Love collection" etc. from my local record shop, so it was a few years before I heard a proper album.
When John was killed, I was off school and sat with tears in my eyes for most of the day as the radio was filled with tributes to the great man. I was a confirmed fan before it but that day sealed it for me.
I was given TBRB for my birthday this year and it has led my daughter down the same path I took. She has asked for ipod to be filled with Beatles songs.
Thank you Harmonix for the game and this fantastic thread which has me smiling at recognition of the emotions four lads from Liverpool inspire in people. I just wish I was a better gamer.

[Chrispss]

My sister made me watch Across the Universe.

[Bananarama37]

I'd like to begin by saying that it has been awesome to read the replies and see the generational reach of The Beatles. I absolutely love seeing so many young people on here who have become fans.

As for me, I think I could probably sing The Beatles music before I even knew how to walk. I was only 2 when they first came to the US, but I have a sister who was 13 at the time. She was one of those screaming teenage girls you see when you watch old footage of them. My mother was also a huge fan as was my middle sister (who was 9 at the time). My mom took my two sisters to see the lads at the Indiana State Fair in September 1964; I didn't get to go because I was too young and wouldn't have known what was going on anyway. Both of my sisters remember distinctly seeing them live, watching them on The Ed Sullivan Show (my sister still has photos she took of the TV when they were on - yes, they're pictures of The Beatles on TV ), rushing to the theater to see "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help", etc. My sister even had Beatles wallpaper in her bedroom. I never got to experience those things but lived and breathed their music. It's never left me.

My mother was heartbroken when The Beatles broke up. Unfortunately she died a year after their breakup so she didn't get to experience or see all that has transpired since then. She and I listened to Abbey Road continuously the last year of her life - it is still my favorite, although when it comes to The Beatles it's hard to have a "favorite". The only song I can't listen to because it is too painful is "The Long and Winding Road". It's such a beautiful song, but if it comes on, I have to walk away.

The Beatles really form a tapestry of my life. There isn't a song I don't know - I never tire of listening to them. My father, who wasn't keen on them, was a block away from the Dakota that horrible night in December 1980 when John was murdered. He and my stepmom didn't know what all the commotion was until later that night. Somehow given The Beatles influence in my family's lives, it seemed fitting that my father was right there.

My children are in their early 20s and know The Beatles as well as they know their own names. The funny thing is that even though everyone in my family still thinks of my oldest sister as "The Beatles nut", it is me who has continued a lifelong love affair with their music. My sisters get a kick out of reading my latest Facebook posts and links that have to do with the Fab Four. Needless to say, that torch was passed to me years ago.

I've never been a gamer - just fell between generations I guess - but as soon as I heard about TB:RB, I knew I had to have it. Fortunately my birthday is 09-19 so I got my birthday present 10 days early this year - the limited edition game, the Gretsch, and several of the remastered CD's. I really suck at the game but keep working at it. I absolutely love it, and I can say in all honesty that I would have never tried Rock Band without The Beatles. And I love all you kids who are into it - just goes to show the lasting impact of their music.

[Bananarama37]

I remember being fascinated by the cover of my cousin's copy of Sgt. Pepper's when I was very young and like a previous comment I was fascinated with the Apple label at the centre of the Blue album.
Anyway, when I was around 11, I was into ELO as my first "rock" band. I read in a rock encyclopaedia that they had been heavily influenced by The Beatles. Pocket money and birthday money was used to assemble a collection of strange compilations, "Beatles Rock 'n Roll Music"; "Love collection" etc. from my local record shop, so it was a few years before I heard a proper album.
When John was killed, I was off school and sat with tears in my eyes for most of the day as the radio was filled with tributes to the great man. I was a confirmed fan before it but that day sealed it for me.
I was given TBRB for my birthday this year and it has led my daughter down the same path I took. She has asked for ipod to be filled with Beatles songs.
Thank you Harmonix for the game and this fantastic thread which has me smiling at recognition of the emotions four lads from Liverpool inspire in people. I just wish I was a better gamer.

It's as though we wrote the same thing in some ways! I wish I was a better gamer, too... I'll keep trying.

[fuselage321]

Yeah, keep trying you too. With the power of the beatles "LOVE" you'll become greater and better and awesomer.

Good Luck everyone!

[PCTraitor]

I was a metal head into Metallica, Megadeth, Black Sabbath and stuff like that and then I started playing an instrument. I got into the songwriting part of it in a band and that lead me naturally to the Beatles. Once you get past just wanting to play fast and you really study songwriting you can't avoid them.

[TheRollingBones]

Well, mine's pretty simple, although no less magical to me. My mom has always been a huge Beatles kid, as was everyone in her household in the 60's. She always tells me about all the albums my grandma had, including many Beatles albums, which she unfortunately got rid of in the process of several moves. She said whenever she was at home or home from school, her and her siblings would sit around the record player, listening to the LPs and reading (or singing) the lyrics from the back covers of the albums.
I had heard a few songs as a young kid, of course, like Yellow Submarine, Hey Jude, Octapus's Garden, and Let It Be, but when I really got into The Beatles was at the age of nine. My parents and I were moving my much older sister into her new apartment. They were talking about boring stuff I didn't want to listen to, and her iPod was on the table. I was scrolling through the huge amounts of music (it was a nearly full iPod Classic), when I came upon 'The Beatles'. I kind of recognized the name, so I turned on a song, I believe it was 'Penny Lane' I heard first. So for the next hour and a half I was listening to great songs like Come Together, Can't Buy Me Love, Eleanor Rigby, Across The Universe, and the above mentioned Penny Lane. I was completely enthralled with the musical ability, fantastic lyrics, and all the songs as a whole. I took the iPod with me the next day as me and my mom went shopping, and listened to it until the battery died. Ever since then I have been a Beatlemaniac. I never owned any Beatle CDs at first, so I had to settle for listening to my mom's Paul McCartney 'All The Best' CD, which I loved, until around a two years ago when I got the opportunity to burn Rubber Soul and 1 onto iTunes. I loved both, and listened to all the songs on 1 constantly. But around a year ago we went back down to see my sisters and went to a record/CD shop near their place, where I found a little CD called Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I adored it instantly, and it's probably my favorite Beatles album to this day. I used to be one of the few people who I knew that liked them, but now with The Beatles: Rock Band, I think many more teenagers are realizing the majesty of their music. I am currently trying (with good success) to get my younger friend to appreciate The Beatles as much as I do.

The only thing I've got to say now is this:
Buy one of the new Beatles remasters. Go home. Listen to it. Enjoy. It's as simple as that.

[naeandpete]

I actually never took the time to listen to them before the game. Now, however, I can understand why people were (and still are) so crazy for them. A lot of the songs are very catchy and just make you feel good. Thanks, HMX, for introducing me to them.