Over the course of the 1960s, most of the world fell madly in love with a group of four lads from Liverpool. Initially, The Beatles endeared themselves to audiences close to home by performing at the now-iconic Cavern Club. Then, they set their sights on the rest of the country as they began touring further afield and released their debut record. It wouldn’t be long before they broke America with an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and Beatlemania began to push its way across the world.

By the midpoint of the decade, almost the entire globe had been converted to the Fab Four fandom. The suited pop stars had won over teens all over the world with their rocking and rolling sound, but their fanaticism became too much to handle. Overwhelmed by the intensity of Beatlemania, the band opted to take a step back from touring to focus on working in the studio.

Although this quelled the intensity of 1960s Beatlemania, the love for the band worldwide never diminished. As the band began to focus on innovating studio production, pulling in elements of psychedelia and experimenting with sampling, they only furthered their unparalleled legacy in the history of music.

Beatlemania certainly doesn’t run quite as rife anymore, but admiration and appreciation for the band’s contributions to the world of music are still wide-spanning. Stop anyone on the street and ask them for the most well-loved band in history, and it’s more than likely that their response will be the Beatles. Over half a century since they broke up, they remain the biggest band in the world.