The later years of The Beatles are defined by the group’s psychedelic and experimental proclivities. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and the rest of the band created a multifarious potpourri by drawing upon an assortment of sources throughout the mediums. While the Fab Four weren’t the only group to institute a tangible musical shift in the latter half of the 1960s, their work was certainly some of the most daring that did.

It’s safe to say that The Beatles’ dramatic shift in direction wouldn’t have occurred without a few pivotal factors: experimentation with drugs, the era’s inherently rebellious spirit, and the influence of Bob Dylan. They were as much a product of their time as they were trailblazers, leading the way into a bold new musical future—a point often overlooked by fans.

Dylan was absolutely pivotal for the band’s arc. Not only were they major fans in his early protest song years – like everyone else of their generation who had any form of imagination and self-awareness – but he also introduced them to the sweet leaf, marijuana, one day in their hotel in New York. This transformed the band in just a few moments, and their next album would be 1965’s Rubber Soul, a weed album in all but name and their first real break from musical standards.

Dylan’s influence in this era was both musical and spiritual. When he made the bold move to go electric with Bringing It All Back Home in 1965, shifting from protest songs to cerebral, surreal wordplay, it expanded the scope of popular music. Lennon, in particular, was captivated by this evolution. Over the Beatles’ final five years, his lyrics grew more complex, abstract, and worldly, even as they retained occasional playful lines. This transformation was part of a broader vision that his compositions were beginning to coalesce into.