The Beatles in popular culture

For cultural movements initiated or assisted by the Beatles, see Cultural impact of the Beatles.

These is a list of references to English rock group the Beatles in popular culture.

Album covers

Television

Absolutely Fabulous

The hit UK TV show Absolutely Fabulous, better known as "Ab-Fab", filmed a whole episode based on finding the "Lost Tapes" of the Beatles. Robert Lindsay played a fictional tape engineer who used to work at Abbey Road Studios during the time that The Beatles worked there.

A long scene was filmed in the Abbey Road Studios: Joanna Lumley pressed the record button by mistake on the reel-to-reel recorder while she was looking for a second bottle of champagne in the control room. In the meantime, Jennifer Saunders unknowingly sang over the tapes, and they were lost forever. When Robert Lindsay played the tapes at the party and realised that they were lost forever, he promptly collapsed on the floor.

The Simpsons

In the The Simpsons Season 5 opening episode, "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", Homer, Skinner, Apu, and Barney form a group called the Be Sharps, which rapidly rises to the top. There are numerous references to the Beatles, such as Barney dating a Japanese conceptual artist (a parody of Yoko Ono) playing a song that repeats "number 8", a "Revolution 9" parody, and the Be Sharps naming their second album "bigger than Jesus". It ends with them singing on the rooftop of Moe's bar, a reference to the 1969 concert on the roof of Apple Studios in Savile Row, London. The episode even includes a cameo by George Harrison, who meets Homer (but Homer cares more about his brownie than the legend), and later appears in a limousine while the Be Sharps sing on the rooftop, remarking that "It's been done." Homer later states to the crowd, "I'd like to thank you on behalf of the group, and I hope we passed the audition", but Barney is the one who does not understand what he means. ("I don't get it.")

In the Season 7 episode, "Lisa the Vegetarian", Paul McCartney and then-wife Linda McCartney appear at the roof of the Kwik-E-Mart to give Lisa guidance of being a vegetarian. In the end they ask her if she would like to hear a song, Lisa is thrilled and agrees. But in a twist they go to Apu to sing a song (on a tabla – an off key version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band") – while they snap to his beat, and when Lisa says she ran away from home Paul says the line,"What! She's Leaving Home!?" — a reference to "She's Leaving Home" from the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The three Beatles who were alive in the 1990s recorded their voices for The Simpsons. Ringo appeared on "Brush with Greatness", George on "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", and Paul and Linda McCartney on "Lisa the Vegetarian". The John Lennon song "Mother" also appeared in one episode ("My Mother the Carjacker").

Other television appearances

Film

Video games

References

  1. http://www.thewigglesshop.com/ProdView.aspx?popup=1&Product=AVCM050000
  2. "BBC NEWS | News Front Page". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
  3. "Beatles References in "Meet the Beat-Alls"". Rowdyruff.net. Archived from the original on 18 April 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
  4. "Lennon or McCartney?". Majic 100.3 Fm. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  5. "Game screenshot". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  6. "Sly 3 Honor Among Thieves Walkthrough – Episode 1 – Opening Cinematic". YouTube. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  7. "Sly 3 Ending HD". YouTube. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
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