There’s a misconception that, during their time, The Beatles were the definitive focus of the music world. To an extent, this is true; they were the biggest act globally, reaching a level of fame previously unseen. Yet, the music scene was vibrant, with other influential names like Bob Dylan, The Doors, and The Rolling Stones gaining ground in the countercultural sphere, while Elvis Presley and The Beach Boys continued to capture mainstream attention. It was an exceptional era for music, and competition was fierce. By 1966, it even seemed as though The Beatles might be losing their place at the top.

It’s also often forgotten that, really, The Beatles weren’t around for long. Their lifespan was short and sharp as they were only a band for a decade, counted from their first gig through to the signing of the divorce papers. Really, it’s even shorter, as their debut album wasn’t released until 1963. It means that the entire timeline of the band’s shoot to massive, global fame, the chaos of Beatlemania, their turn to more experimental sounds, their LSD trips and travels to India, and the eventual collapse of their friendships and working relationships all happened in only seven years.

Only when put in that context do the twists and turns in the band’s story make sense, providing a slight insight into what it must have been like to be within the band. History underestimates how stressful, and even scary, being one of the Fab Four must have been as within a few years, they were plucked from Liverpool and put on a pedestal no one had seen before. It wasn’t just fame; it was a smothering notoriety that meant their lives, as they knew it, couldn’t be the same.

Even as we discuss the dip in their fame around 1966, the change in their publicity was so slight that it was barely noticeable. But the major difference was within the group, as something shifted in the atmosphere.