On This Day in 1971: 4 Classic Hits Dominated the UK Charts From the Same Band
It took more than a hard day's night for the Beatles to achieve global stardom, but once those floodgates opened, they became a perpetual fixture in the pop culture zeitgeist. As a group, the band has been crowned "the greatest artist of all time" and listed among the 20th century's "most influential people." The Fab Four even have a holiday dedicated to them: Global Beatles Day, which falls on June 25.
After a decade of world domination, which included a vast catalog comprised of 213 songs (188 original tracks and 25 covers), the four-piece act disbanded in 1970. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison embarked on solo careers, attempting to step outside the large shadow cast by their former band.
Each one enjoyed success in their solo endeavors, as evidenced by their early efforts in the wake of the Beatles' breakup. On April 17, 1971, 55 years ago, all four of them had songs in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. Lennon released a handful of singles prior to the band parting ways, his first being "Give Peace a Chance" in 1969. However, "Power to the People," his fifth single, peaked at number seven on the aforementioned chart on Mar. 20, 1971, eight days after its UK debut.
Meanwhile, Starr's "It Don't Come Easy" reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. Starr wrote the track in 1968 with help from Harrison, who also produced it. Originally titled "You Gotta Pay Your Dues," "It Don't Come Easy" was released on April 9, 1971.
McCartney's first single after the Beatles split was "Another Day," which hit the airwaves on Feb. 19, 1971. It rocketed to the number two spot on the UK Singles Chart. And who was sitting pretty at No. 1 on the same chart? Harrison, whose first single in a post-Beatles world was "My Sweet Lord." The musician released the track in the US first, on Nov. 23, 1970, followed by a UK debut on Jan. 15, 1971. Harrison originally gave the song to Billy Preston to record, which appeared on the latter's Encouraging Words album in September 1970.
This day in history is proof positive that the Beatles are just as enduring individually as they are collectively.