The 1st of June marked an iconic day in music as it was the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' 8th studio album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, being released in the United States. The album was No. 1 on the U.S.charts for 15 consecutive weeks.

The Beatles were an English rock band made up of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They are known as the most influential act of the rock era, starting in the 1960's, performing in Liverpool. In 1963, the band experienced what was known as "Beatlemania" when female fans became obsessed with them and were crowding around, screaming at the top of their lungs, at concerts.

Nobody had seen this type of behavior, especially to this extent, at rock and roll concerts. Not even Elvis, the King, had experienced the popularity that the Beatles did.

Today, we will look at how the rock band created the album and the road it paved for them going forward in their music career.

Prior to the album's release, the UK press believed the band was over. The Beatles' two previous albums, Rubber Soul and Revolver, had a lower than expected performance in the charts. The press headlines read "Beatles fail to reach the top." However, this album turned things around once again for the band. In fact, perhaps if it wasn't for this album, the Beatles may not be the iconic rock group they are today.

Receiving inspiration from the headlines

One of the first singles to be completed on the album was "A Day in The Life" which was actually the album's closing track. John Lennon received inspiration from a newspaper article.

On December 18, 1966, Guinness heir, 21-year-old Tara Browne, was in a car crash, after not stopping for a red light and crashing into a stationary vehicle in South Kensington and died the next day in the hospital.

John Lennon read the article in the newspaper and says this is where he received his inspiration for the song. The single was completed and the orchestra was added on February 10, 1967.

There was one more song on the album which was inspired by what was going on in the news at the time. The song "She's Leaving Home" was written by Paul McCartney when he read about 17-year-old Melanie Coe who went missing from her parents' North London home in February of 1967.

The headline in the newspaper that Paul remembers is "The Girl Who Has Everything." Paul recorded the song in March of 1967.

The photo inside the album was shot on March 30, 1967, by Michael Cooper at his studio in Chelsea. It has been said that the photo marked a change in the band's image, one that allowed them to become the most famous rock band of all-time today. John Lennon explained the change the band went through while creating the photo, by saying "Don't forget that under this frilly shirt is a hundred-year-old man who's seen and done so much - but at the same time knowing so little."

The track 'Within You, Without You' was written by George Harrison and was based on a piece of music by Ravi Shankar that he'd recorded for All-Indian Radio.

On the evening of Wednesday, March 15, 1967, the song was recorded at Abbey Road Studios. The musicians all sat on the carpet during the recording, with incense burning.

On May 12, 1967, Radio London became the first radio station to play Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in its entirety.

The album was launched and hit No. 1

On May 19, 1967, the album was officially launched. This occurred at Brian Epstein's flat party in Chapel Street in London's Mayfair. Brian Epstein was the band's original manager and the mastermind behind their success. He and the band played the album, on repeat, for the journalists and photographers that day.

Time Magazine described the album as "an historic departure in the progress of music."

Sgt.

Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was debuted in the UK as No. 1 and stayed at No. 1 for 22 consecutive weeks, becoming the soundtrack to "The Summer of Love." It was the first Beatles Album to be issued simultaneously worldwide.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 1 on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time."

Paul McCartney was on Twitter on 26 May, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the album hitting No. 1 on US charts. He tweeted:

The next album the band made was "The Beatles" also known as "The White Album" which was released on November 22, 1968.

The Beatles stopped making music together in 1970. However, they are still known as the embodiment of the ideals shared by the counterculture of the 1960's and one of the best rock bands of all-time. John Lennon was shot and killed on December 8, 1980. George Harrison passed away from cancer on November 29, 2001. However, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr still perform and record music Ringo Starr to perform in Stockton, have recorded music together quite recently, and continue to live on, as does the band's music.

Many musicians today have made tributes to the Beatles. In fact, in 2016, Milos Karadaglic, the classical guitarist from Montenegro, released a tribute album to the band: The Best Beatles' Album Not Made By The Beatles.

So, happy 50th birthday to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band!
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