The Fab Four were the biggest band of the 1960s, if not the entirety of the 20th century. They pushed through their career as a band for seven years (give or take) before ultimately calling it quits (officially) in 1974, though the band was done with long before that year. Many would say that The Beatles had gone through their breakup by 1970.

So, what caused The Beatles to break up? Surely the Fab Four could have enjoyed another few decades of fame, considering their insanely massive popularity. Lesser bands have lasted longer. What happened?

Well, it’s complicated.

The Exhaustion Caused By Beatlemania

Live performances for The Beatles were very different from live performances for other bands. Beatlemania was a certified global phenomenon. Though, by 1965, the band started to see it as more of a pandemic.

George Harrison was allegedly the first to want to stop touring, but Paul McCartney was dead-set on maintaining an ongoing tour schedule. Eventually, the other two were sick of it too, and McCartney couldn’t help but agree: Live performances were exhausting and had become, at times, straight-up dangerous. After their 1966 tour of the US, they decided to retire from touring for good.